This project has provided solutions to advance blended learning, drawing on the contributions and experiences of teachers and students within the partnership. Additionally, we aimed to tackle the issue of an increased dropout rate among VET school students during the COVID-19 lockdown. We believe that the lack of social inclusion and challenges associated with distance learning were significant contributing factors to this rise. The primary goal of the project was to gather insights from digital distance learning to enhance digital preparedness among teachers and students in the European VET sector. Additionally, the project aimed to tackle fundamental challenges that all VET schools must address when advancing with digital distance learning. These challenges could pave the way for more innovative practices and digital transformation within the VET sector. The project partners sought to learn from various teaching cultures by adopting different pedagogical and didactical approaches, as well as to inspire others to advance the transformation of the VET sector.
The concept originated from an evaluation meeting with Mercantec teachers. Both educators and Management expressed a need for a follow-up on experiences with distance learning. They shared a mix of positive and negative insights, highlighting a desire to leverage all the gathered experiences. We introduced the concept of sharing these experiences across borders in Europe since all countries have been affected by the lockdown and had to have inputs on similar or different experiences. The partnership needed to span across Europe and include various teaching traditions to ensure a variety of perspectives on online distance learning. The lockdown presented the VET sector with a unique opportunity to rethink the way classes were conducted. VET schools, often under pressure for space, could consider distance learning as a means to address this obstacle. However, it should not come at the expense of the students' learning experience. We addressed solutions to advance blended learning by the inputs and experience of teachers and students. We addressed the increased number of student who dropped out during the lockdowm from the lack of social inclusion and difficulties with distance learning.