The European engineering institutions, as well as international employers of engineers, are asking to the hired engineers to have some knowledge of their professional tasks for managing risk. On the other hand, the extent to which this information is available in the engineering branches is difficult to quantify or audit. Additionally, the principles and training of health and safety are critical points to the engineering industry. The reality of our days shows that many young engineers are leaving university with an inadequate understanding of concepts regarding health, safety and social inclusion in the workplace. Testimony to this fact are the statistics concerning the workplace accidents and unemployment rate of persons with disabilities. Specifically, the Internationally Labour Organization estimates that there are around 340 million occupational accidents and 160 million victims of work-related illnesses annually. EUROSTAT shows that the number of fatal accidents at work EU-28 is 1,65 fatal accidents per 100 000 persons employed, rare events if we are considering the EU average, but with the highest incidence rate among the EU Member States recorded in Romania: 4,49 fatal accidents per 100 000 persons employed. Higher rates respect to EU-28 were registered also in Italy with 2,1 and respectively in Spain with 1,99 fatal accidents per 100 000 persons employed. Even if specific regulation on diversity in the workplace is established at national, European and international level, people with disabilities still have not the same experience concerning the access to work comparing with their counterparts without disabilities. Statistics of 2017 from the EC show that the percentage of persons with disabilities who participate in the labour market is about 60%, with 22% lower than the percentage of persons without disabilities. Inclusion of professionals with disabilities in the workplace is a big challenge not only for human resources management, but generally for employers and people who are already integrated at a workplace. These are reluctant to work with persons with disabilities or special needs. Social inclusion in the workplace should provide workers with the conditions they need to feel valued in their circumstances. In this way, they will be able to feel their ability to contribute to society without sensing their limitations. The engineering industry based on the principles and practice of health and safety, but also on social inclusion, brings changes to welcome all individuals without discrimination, irrespective of employment, leisure or other daily life situations and to answer the most serious threats that our society must to manage like environmental degradation, climate change and unsustainable development. These are important issues if we are considering that environmental and health costs often exceed the gains from economic activity. The designed Strategic Partnership is concerned on the development of innovative tools for engineering higher education sector, supporting the improvement of some learning-outcomes-oriented curricula that better meet the learning needs of students, while also being relevant for the labour market and for the wider society. Consequently, the general objective of the project is the development, test and implementation of 4 stackable course modules for engineering development training programmes that are answering to society needs and environmental health and workplace safety requirements. Practically, throughout the project implementation, specific knowledge (occupational health and safety, environmental risk assessment, safety in process industries and social inclusion of peoples with disabilities in the workplace) will tackle the current skills gaps of engineers that partner universities are preparing. The Specific Objectives of the Project (OP) are: SOP1. Development and implementation of 4 stackable e-learning course modules and related practical works with open online access SOP2. The development of best practices, common standards and guidelines for designing and making e-learning courses SOP3. Testing the innovative practices developed in the framework of SafeEngine project through innovative ICT technologies and mutual learning SOP4. Dissemination and Exploitation of project results The project addresses the EU priority in the national context named "Social inclusion", through an innovative and integrated approach. Integration of specific knowledge regarding workplace social inclusion, occupational health and safety and environmental risk assessment make that the proposed project to have results and potential long-term impact as: • increasing of the acceptance of future engineers towards social inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace • people with special needs’ inclusion in labour market • raising awareness of health and safety at workplace • enriching students' knowledge in environmental risk assessment
As a result of the SafeEngine project's success, the skills gaps that existed for students were significantly filled. Specifically, during the project's execution, students and professors from the partner universities received training in occupational health and safety, environmental risk assessment, safety in process industries, and social inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace. Important outcomes from the project include the development and implementation of four modules for stackable e-learning courses, as well as related practical works, best practices, common standards, and guidelines for creating e-learning courses. Future students can also benefit from the knowledge that has been shared within the SafeEngine project, in addition to the project participants. The curricula of various Bachelor and Master Programmes courses from the partner universities will include modules from the developed courses. The developed educational resources and the advantages of using them will increase students' knowledge of Environmental Risk Assessment, Safety in Process Industries Social Inclusion, Occupational Safety.
The engineering industry places a high priority on health and safety principles and training. Today's reality reveals that many young engineers graduate from universities with a poor understanding of concepts related to health, safety, and social inclusion in the workplace. People with disabilities still do not experience the same access to employment as those without disabilities. The engineering field, which is founded on the ethics and standards of health and safety as well as social inclusion, makes changes to welcome everyone without discrimination, regardless of their place of employment, or other circumstances in daily life, and to address the most serious threats to our society, such as environmental degradation, climate change, and unsustainable development. Through the SafeEngine project, it was desired, and it was successful achieved, the development of a strong strategic partnership concerned with the development of innovative tools for the engineering higher education sector, supporting the improvement of learning outcomes-oriented curricula that better meet the learning needs of students while also being relevant for the labor market and for broader society.