Up-skilling the VET sector to Cloud Computing

The European Commission has evidenced the great value that cloud computing technologies can have for the development of the European Union both in terms of economic growth and employability opportunities, which European Cloud Computing Strategy has recently set up to speed up and increase the use of cloud computing across all economic sectors, pointing the environmentally friendly cloud as well to enable other sectors to reduce their own footprints through digitization. However, there is a gap in the labour market when it comes to ICT skills and cloud computing specialist. As highlighted by Eurostat 2019, more than half of EU enterprises that recruited or tried to recruit ICT specialists had difficulties in filling ICT vacancies. Therefore, there is a great potential of innovation and digitalisation by supporting high quality VET, which would further enhance the employability and personal development of VET learners (16-25 years old), hence contributing to the competitiveness of companies, sustainable growth and social cohesion. The Digital Compass: The European way for the Digital Decade aims by 2030 to have 75% of European enterprises to have taken up cloud computing services and big Data and having more than 90% of European SMEs reach at least a basic level of digital intensity. In this context, the scope of the project aims to involve VET providers, providing them tools and competences in the cloud computing sector in response to the needs detected in the industry or increasing the flexibility of opportunities in VET. Vet providers will be therefore to teach new didactic processes to VET learners (16-25 years old), with their exposure to new curriculums addressed (Cloud Computing), new skills will be fostered, matching with the companies of the ICT sector labour market necessities.

Start date :  01/09/2022                       End date : 31/08/2024

Project Reference:

EU Grant: 250000 €

Programme: Erasmus+

Key Action: KA220-VET – Cooperation partnerships in vocational education and training

Action Type: Vocational Educational Training

Project Partners:

Afridat UG (Haftungsbeschran kt), Germany

Umbria Training Center , Italy

European Career Evolution ,Ireland

NGO NEST BERLIN EV ,Germany

NATSIKAS K & SIA EE COMPUTER GR’, Greece

Nicea Kültür ve Eğitim Derneği ,Turkey

Project TOPICs:

• Digital skills and competences
• Overcoming skills mismatch and addressing the needs of the labour market
• Creating new, innovative or joint curricula or courses

TARGET GROUPs

Upskilling the VET sector to Cloud Computing (Skills-Cloud) plans to involve the following target groups :

 VET Providers: VET Providers and trainers involved in the project, will be able to extend their knowledge about the topic of cloud computing and ICT skills, allowing a broadening of their educational offer that is to be transferred to VET learners. The executive plans and tools for innovative educational activities, joint with the feedback collected during the implementation phase will support them in improving their practices and work methods. Such practices and methods will be an asset to adapt VET trainings to labour market needs, benefiting to the whole sector.

 VET Learners: The acquired skills and the educational resources will support them in taking part in further learning pathways as well as in introducing themselves to the cloud computing, acquiring competences useful in the open labour market and matching companies and institutions due to the widespread need of such skills.

PROJECT’S OBJECTIVES

Upskilling the VET sector to Cloud Computing (Skills-Cloud) project intends to reach the following objectives:

-Promoting the use of cloud computing curriculum as a new teaching opportunity and training offer within the VET sector.

-Fostering the skills of participating VET learners (16-25 years old) in the digitalization era by means of providing them knowledge and specific skills in the cloud computing sector and its applicability in the labour market.

-Creating and matching synergies between the VET sector and the needs of the ICT sector to facilitate the access to the job market.

APPROACH / METHODOLOGY

Project Activities

The following division of responsibilities has been agreed upon by the partners and will be enshrined, as well as further specified, in the context of the Partnership Agreement :

PROJECT MANAGEMENT will be lead by AFRIDAT

A1. Time and Budget Management- AFRIDAT

A2. Monitoring and Quality Management- UTC

A3.Dissemination and Sustainability – E.C.E

A4. Risk Managament- NICEA

TPMs

M1 kick-off meeting- AFRIDAT ,Germany

The aim is to get to know each other, building up project teams, confirming budget/ task distributions and workplan, and starting the project activities.

M2-mid-term meeting- E.C.E , Ireland

The aim is to carry out the project implementation, monitor the quality of the deliverables and mobility to achieve the project results, assess the project dissemination and strategies to share its results.

M3-final evaluation meeting-NICEA, Turkey

Final evaluation of project activities and results, planning steps for further dissemination and follow up project.

WP2 (Training scheme and assessment model & MOOC)

A1- Training Scheme and Assessment model by NEST and NICEA

-gather existing good practices and reports

-carry out surveys and interviews

-establish a state-of-art report

-content development

-translation

A2- MOOC- COMPUTER GR and AFRIDAT

-Design of Programme structure

-Elaboration of contents

-Development of First Draft

-Finalization of the Programme contents

-Translation

WP3 (Piloting Phase)

A1. Joint Staff Mobility – UTC and E.C.E

-host and organize the training to VET providers

-preparation of the info-pack, technical issues, training content etc.

A2. Local Phase activities- All partners

-test the training sheme and MOOC with VET learners

-prepare an assessment report for the development of the MOOC

A3.Assessment Reports- E.C.E

– gather the assessments and reports from all partners,

– analyze the data and elaborate the Assessment Report at the Consortium level.

WP4 (Dissemination and Visibility) – E.C.E.

– Coordinating dissemination activities at Consortium Level

– Coordinating the implementation of Multiplier Events at the Consortium level