An explicit goal of the project was to build a bridge from the existing content and recommendations to their active application in vocational schools. This bridge was constructed through the development and implementation of special tools and training programs (educational products 1-3) for vocational education in the healthcare sector. The developed educational products (EP) include an interactive, dialogue-based, and recommendation-generating application called IDEA (EP 1), training modules to increase the willingness to use digital technologies and teaching methods (EP 2), and a blended-learning course (EP 3) for the practical implementation of learned content. Project objectives are as follows: To provide tested educational products for the target groups (direct: teachers, trainers, learners, decision-makers in vocational education institutions; indirect: training institutions, practice partners in vocational education, education departments of municipal and regional institutions, as well as ministries) to create the conditions to: • enable the target groups to use digital applications, • motivate the target group of teachers through pedagogical/individual added value, • ensure the smooth use of a learning management system.
The European Skills Agenda for Sustainable Competitiveness, Social Fairness and Resilience highlights that in addition to improving digital infrastructure, increasing the readiness of vocational education institutions and vocational educators, is a significant focus in the process of digitalization. The more than two-year-long Covid-19 pandemic and the associated school closures have clearly demonstrated how important it is for both teachers and learners to be able to handle online remote learning and digitally based, pedagogically adapted homeschooling (self-learning) in a qualitative and targeted manner. The lockdowns have shown in all partner countries, albeit to varying degrees, that currently this is not sufficiently the case. This was not only a matter of digital infrastructure but evidently also a matter of the readiness and capability of both teachers and learners to deal with digital technologies. Furthermore, the ongoing digitalization of the labor market is creating new demands on training personnel. Therefore, our project partnership has submitted and implemented this application.