VETgoesRURAL wants to achieve innovation in VET methodologies and approaches to make VET opportunities tailored to the needs and expectations of professionals and learners from isolated rural and remote parts of the EU. This will aim to increase the quality of VET programmes and the learners' participation and retainment in VET. The project encourages the strengthening of capacities and practices of national, regional, and local VET networks within 4 EU target countries - Spain, Italy, Greece, and Ireland. These countries are characterised by a complex territorial situation, with macro-regions experiencing high levels of rural isolation. Moreover, three of them (Spain, Italy and Greece) show the lowest rates in both adult engagement in vocational learning and employment. The project also includes one of the 9 EU Outermost Regions (Canary Islands), geographically very distant from the European continent. VETgoesRURAL will conduct its work within 12 selected isolated remote/rural territories, selected based on specific criteria.The project will engage mainly learners with low skills and support VET professionals in better approaching and engaging this target group in the local VET offering.
The 'VETgoesRURAL' project aims to improve VET professionals' skills and capacities in order to provide enhanced training and foster learners' engagement in EU isolated rural and remote areas. To fulfil this aim, the project will design, test and fine-tune innovative VET teaching and training methods, with an appropriate mix of open, digital and participative learning environments. VETgoesRURAL addresses needs and priorities recently confirmed by the EU and its Member States. Particularly, the EU Council Recommendation on VET (December 2020) has pointed out that “VET programmes need to be accessible for vulnerable groups, low-skilled people and people in rural or remote areas” and “VET staff need to undertake continuing professional development to deliver high quality training through digital skills and effective innovative methods”. In line with the EU policy-making framework, partners also have identified a clear need for enhancement and support of rural people’s increased participation in VET. The project emerges from the will of 7 partners to cooperate transnationally to innovate their educational practices and transfer them to other education and policy practitioners from their isolated rural/remote communities.