ProPro project will increase the digital competences in creative and tradition industry outside metropolitan areas and hence promote the diversity of European culture and linguistic plurality and the vitality of remote areas. Project aims at creating a bottom-up movement of self-directed digital promotion for artistic organisations, cultural workers and entrepreneurs like artists, designers and makers. In the Europe 2020 Strategy, the greatest force of Europe was recognised in the creativity of its people in combination with smart and responsable usage of the all existing resources. Cultural and creative industries are important stakeholder of the World's GDP with 7% of the world GDP according to the World Bank. By the report of EUROSTAT from 2012, Creative and Cultural industries made 535 billion EUR, which is 4,2 % of the EU GDP. After Construction and Services, they are on 3rd place regarding employment in EU. In general, one third of jobs are expected to be automatized, especially in rural areas. Jobs in cultural sector are less than average in risk of automisation. The Creative and tradition industry organisations in rural areas need to embrace the opportunities associated with digitalisation as a way of combating demographic and technological challenges in European labour markets as well as take action in adapting their services to climate change and globalisation. Rural and sparsely populated areas are often painted as lagging behind their urban counterparts when it comes to digitalisation; referred to as “the digital divide” which relates to both the availability of digital infrastructure and the use of digital technologies among the population. In remote areas, people might have had limited access to quality information and not enough encouragement to make well-informed career decisions, and need individual mentor support. To tackle there shortcomings in their capability to protect and promote their work, the artists and creators of even the indigenous cultures need to gain knowledge about the use of digital technologies, social media, strategic marketing skills and branding. In rural areas, digital skills development is not accessible in formal on site education, but needs to be arranged online. The 21st century 4C work life skills are communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. Creative and tradition industry, filled with workers with good critical thinking skills, needs more skills to back up their creative competence. The timely GDPR also demands to protect artistic content. Social media’s role in retail is rapidly growing: Across all regions and generations, social media has propelled e-commerce into the limelight. Mentoring helps professionals to overcome the fear of digital failing, tackles the loneliness ever present in artistic professions, and career counselling adds to the confidence to promote the creative competence. NEEDS: 1. Entry into the world of digital promotion and protection of IPR for cultural professions in remote or rural areas 2. Innovative approach to learning digital skills in the creative sector 3. New work methods for trainers/mentors online and off 4. Exit or alleviate the status of digital divide for remote areas, indigenous and ethnic minorities 5. Experience of participating organizations in the field of European regional and educational development projects 6. Raise awareness of the importance and economic value of cultural diversity and sustainable business development OBJECTIVES - Pedagogical support for the adult learners working in creative and tradition industries - Encouraging digital learning participation, skills acquisition and open badge community - provide trainers with tools of digital skills learning to fill the gap between supply and demand for jobs - promote among the cultural professionals innovative learning practices, peer support and online discussion - To raise the level of competences; transforming key trainers into mentors - Create synergy between the participating organizations, the 'National Agency and the European institutions for European projects - Create synergy among stakeholders IMPACT: Learners and organisations will: - improve their digital strategies, incl. OB strategy - improve their skill-sets and competences, confidence and other transversal life skills - learn more about other EU countries and societies - broaden their horizons and networks as a result of taking part in a transnational project Trainers: - improve professional development and skills - a broader understanding of creative people’s needs and how to address them - gain access to new Open badge resource and online learning - gain an improved ability to motivate learners Partners and target groups will: - benefit from skilled staff - gain new avenues of communication with learners and routes to develop future services - have better insight into learners’ motivations and goals - partners gain mutual understanding of each other’s work and culture
The main objective was innovation in training for the specified target groups; co-creation of a peer mentoring program suited for cultural professionals in rural areas, and a European network of Open Badge certified Digimentors. Encouraging creatives to network and offer peer support to enhance more sustainable entrepreneurship, including sustainable tourism, labor market participation, skills acquisition and poverty reduction was also a goal. Partners wanted to improve the level of competences in protecting the creatives' IPR and digital content, including knowledge of GDPR, as key skills of trainers. Partners started by investigating the target groups more closely, to identify their practical needs, and succeeded in creating a bottom-up approach training program. The tailored learning content and local training succeeded in reaching cultural organisations and professionals, and the objective of creating an online peer network was achieved. The partners' European networks expanded, and the relations with local, national and European actors and authorities were strengthened.
Partners met during the TCA seminar in Tallinn 2019, and found mutual interest in addressing the needs of their own nearby communities. The main need acknowledged was the digital divide: professionals with background in the Humanities and Arts lack vital digital skills and opportunities to learn them in remote and rural areas of Europe, and in their own languages. GDPR needs to be presented to the target group. Also, their willingness to seek formal education in digital or technology is poor, due to diverse poor expectations or experiences in the past. Mentoring has been the best way for them to enter digital skills training. Especially the digital promotion skills, to present their skills and competences, are needed in order to support the local organisations and actors also online. Several target groups’ needs were familiar to the partners: museum staff, artists and artisans, sustainable tourism actors and indigenous professionals. Small and non-governmental cultural organisations lack public funding, and that’s why partners decided to apply.