One of the most pressing problems facing Vocational Education and Training (VET) and especially in the COVID-19 context relates to apprenticeship and Work-based Learning (WBL) especially abroad. A commonly asked question by VET providers at the moment is if future mobility will be physical, virtual or blended. All partners involved in this proposal are convinced that we have to find new solutions for the future because there is great uncertainty surrounding travel abroad. We will test virtual training and mobility in the automotive sector which is a big challenge and one of the main innovations of the project. The industry is currently under extreme pressure to innovate especially regarding e-mobility. The sector was chosen as a pilot branch because the automotive manufacturing is an important industry in most of the partner regions, and specially in Baden-Württemberg and Catalonia . The project results could be part of experiential education. There are applications in the industrial sector where technical skills are only taught by making use of virtual reality. In today’s society, it is important for everyone to gain insight into the use of digital technology and the way technologies interact. In labour market-oriented programmes we also focus on the sustainable use of computer programmes, apps and (new) technological applications. In this way, we develop future oriented training programmes for young people. This is still highly specialised, and no national education system as yet has an overall solution. That is why it is essential to tackle this on a Europe wide level. Our Target groups are policy makers, teachers and ultimately pupils in VET but industry and SMEs are essential partners to accomplish a digital shift in teaching VET. Since February 2020 the COVID-19 outbreak has had negative effects on ongoing or planned mobility activities. The European Commission published three recommendations on 1st July 2020, which can also provide a ‘support’ and favourable context to overcome the devastating consequences that the Covid-19 crisis infringed in the education, training and youth sectors: • Council Recommendation on Vocational Education and Training (VET) for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience • Youth Employment support package • European Skills Agenda – Skills for jobs In addition, late September the • European Education Area and • the new Digital Education Action Plan were adopted. Key terms like “green and digital transition”, “accessibility”, “a modern, attractive and flexible VET” are mentioned in the three documents and are central to our proposal. The next Erasmus programme 2021-2027 proposal includes a clear focus on the green and digital transition and also address social inclusion. Development of innovative digital methods and training tools can contribute to a stable supply of apprenticeships and WBL during critical economic situations like the ongoing pandemic. In addition to this, supporting educators in their professional development enhances their increased digital readiness. It should be noted that new learning environments, tools and pedagogy linked to digitalisation are necessary for increasing the digital redness of VET institutions. Furthermore, it is relevant to mention the two following initiatives the Pact for Skills to be launched in November 2020 and the renewed European Alliance for Apprenticeships together with the above mentioned future Erasmus+ programme 2021-2027. The project will, therefore, - motivate and support the development and use of digital applications for the VET teacher to manage autonomous and social learning processes in vocational education on an individual basis - boost the digital facilitation of learning processes to ensure that learning becomes transparent, manageable, controllable and transferable - build a digital learning platform for this purpose that motivates different types of stakeholders in VET to use innovative technologies to support and challenge the learner on a customised basis. - integrate supportive innovative technologies and digital applications including gamification and virtual reality, - enable the users to make best use of technology since pedagogy and technology have to go hand in hand.
The European Commission published some recommendations on how to tackle the consequences the Covid-19 crisis had had for the educational/employment sector. For instance, the European Education Area and the new Digital Education Action Plan were adopted. Key terms like “green and digital transition”, “accessibility”, “a modern, attractive and flexible VET” are mentioned and were also important features of our application. The current Erasmus programme 2021-2027 focuses on the green and digital transition and addresses social inclusion. Social inclusion was also something we looked more closely at in our project. More specifically, in our project, we wanted to: - Build a digital learning platform for the purpose of improving vet teaching - Present guidelines on how to implement online vet teaching - Present innovative technologies and digital applications including virtual reality for the purpose of improving virtual mobilities. - Enable users to make the best use of technology by presenting some of its challenges. Our target groups were teachers and trainers as well as policy makers involved in vocational education. The industry and SMEs too were essential partners.
The background to our application relates to the COVID-19 situation and its consequences for vocational schools with their elements of apprenticeship and work-based learning. Many schools and work-based learning places were shut down. Nevertheless, learners still needed to be educated. One of the sectors that we found particularly interesting – in its relation to vocational schools and the Covid situation – was the automotive industry. It is an important industry in all of the partner regions and the sector is highly advanced and specialized. No national educational system had an overall solution to how to deal with crises such as a pandemic. We thought, therefore, that it would be interesting to learn from five countries in this area. The needs concerned, among other things, how teachers should deal with the practical elements of teaching when schools and companies were shut down? Would the future be physical, virtual or blended? How could schools and companies cooperate in a pandemic like situation? We agreed that innovative digital methods, training tools and creative and innovative teaching could contribute to developing work-based-learning under crisis conditions such as a pandemic.