The project SolarCV is addressing the skills needs for an emerging technology of solar energy sector, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), which has high levels of skill gaps. SolarCV aims to develop common frameworks of solar field operators with recognition at the European level. The general objectives are to make VET training more responsive to changing CSP skills needs in the labour market by preparing training programme for acquiring missing skills. The training includes strong component of work-based learning (WBL). Finally the project enables the mobility of learners, through the recognition of learning outcomes and by achieving qualifications.The project gathers 16 organisations from 5 countries which include solar energy VET experts, national sectoral associations, energy agencies, government representatives in the field of qualification, and 2 EU umbrella institutions.There are some main project results which can be underlined as objective-achievers (available on http://www.solar-cv.eu/results/) :•*(R1) Labour Market Network of CSP and VET experts that allowed to involve experts and entities beyond the partnership with the aim to increase the potential of project outcomes to be transferred/adapted and used beyond the partnership•(R2) Report on Skills and training provision needs per country and EU level that allowed to identify exactly the skill gaps•(R4) Report on current situation of non-formal, informal and formal training in the CSP sector and methodology for validation of non-formal and informal training.Both documents (R2 & R4) set not only the state-of-art and the analysis of training needs (i. on CSP – Plant Operators, but also allowed to pool of experience and knowledge from different partners in order to facilitate and improve the following tasks and products. (i.e. in Result n. 3) and to unify criteria and to clarify concepts.•(R3) Report on innovative tools from LLP projects designing EU competence profiles and EU CVs which gathers the best practices and tools for the definition of Competence Profiles, Curricula and learning units. •(R7, R8, R9 & R10) CSP solar field e-Simulator and Training platform including training materials that have been developed by European experts on CSP and training and have been tested on several pilot courses (R12) in different countries as Spain, Italy and Greece.•(R5 & R11) EU Competence Profile and EU CSP CV that standardise the skill set for the CSP sector at European level and have been developed European Qualification Structures (EQF and ECVET), quality principles (EQAVET) and following the classification of European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO).•(R13) National proposals of European Qualification in order to scale the recognition of the EU CSP CV by promoting the adoption of this formal training structure in Spain, Italy and Greece.The results of the project have enabled organisations independent of their geographic location to acquire new qualifications. Regarding the impact, the project strengthens the contribution of education and training to the realisation of the objectives of EU 2020, in both priorities employment and sustainability. It contributes to the “ANTICIPATION and matching of labour market and skills needs” (Agenda for new skills and jobs) and creation of a European permanent learning space and mobility of workers. It is necessary to point out some results that will have a great importance beyond the project life such as the e-Simulator and training platform that will allow to train new professionals by using free training materials and tools made by the main associations of CSP sector in Europe. The SolarCV consortium has ensured the future viability of these tools (results) by the review activities set on the After-Project Impact Monitoring Plan (R17).

"For the detailed description of the Project Summary:see uploaded PDF ""2. Project Summary""!MOOQ Project Summary:MOOQ is the European Alliance for the Quality of Massive Open Online Courses, called MOOCs, coordinated by the Open University of the Netherlands under the leadership of Dr. Christian M. Stracke, ICDE Chair in OER and Associate Professor for Open Education. The vision of MOOQ is to improve the quality of MOOCs leading to a new era of learning experiences.MOOQ’s mission is to develop a Quality Reference Framework (QRF) as key result for the adoption, the design, the delivery and the evaluation of MOOCs in order to empower MOOC designers, facilitators and providers for the benefit of the learners.The main goal of MOOQ is therefore the development and the integration of quality approaches, new pedagogies and organisational mechanisms into MOOCs with a strong focus on the learning processes, methodologies and assessments.To foster high quality Open Education and Learning in Europe and worldwide, MOOQ facilitates a new Q-generation of MOOCs that are designed, organized and tested as qMOOCs. This is realized in close collaboration with all interested partners and stakeholders in Europe and beyond. MOOQ has achieved huge impact at the local, regional, European and international levels: MOOQ could reach out to more than 100,000 MOOC learners, designers, facilitators and providers through the MOOQ dissemination and exploitation activities. In addition, in close cooperation with European and international institutions and associations, MOOQ could involve in the QRF finalization more than 10,000 MOOC learners, designers, facilitators and providers through the Global MOOC Quality Survey, the MOOQ presentations and workshops at regional, European and international conferences as well as communication and collaboration in traditional channels and social media.Research Context, Research Objectives and Research Partners:The growing discourse and increasing volume of research on the quality of open online education (including MOOCs) was the main motivation for the conceptualization and the inception of the MOOQ initiative in 2015. The number of people who signed up for MOOCs in 2015 exceeded 35 million, which doubled the initial estimated 17 million for that year (Shah, 2015b). Meta-analysis of the MOOC Research Initiative (MRI) (Gašević et al., 2014) identified five commonly research themes with student engagement and learning success as the main theme above the other four research themes. Hence, the core vision and mission of the MOOQ project is to develop a Quality Reference Framework (QRF) to improve the design, evaluation and quality of MOOCs.The five participating partners of the MOOQ initiative and their as research principals are: 1.Open University of the Netherlands (OUNL) as project coordinator under leadership of Dr. Christian M. Stracke; 2.Universidade Aberta (UAb); 3.Hellenic Open University (HOU); 4.National Quality Infrastructure System (NQIS) 5.Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon (ENS) Research Trajectory of the MOOQ Project: Activities and Outcomes:Following are the four main project activities and outcomes:1. Conceptualization of a research framework to capture and to analyse MOOC design patterns and best practices by desktop research and literature review plus two additional and voluntary main research instruments: i) The Global MOOC Quality Survey (GMQS) and ii) Semi-structured interviews.Outcomes: Research Framework (O1) summarizing and analysing the desktop research and literature review.Peer-reviewed scientific publications and presentations on results of the Global MOOC Quality Survey (GMQS) and the semi-structured interviews.2. Design and development of the QRF based on the findings of the GMQS and the semi-structured interviews as well as workshops, consultations and collaborations worldwide. Outcome: The Quality Reference Framework (QRF) (O2) consists of three dimensions and contains in addition the QRF Key Quality Indicators for MOOC experts and the QRF Quality Checklist for MOOC beginners for the easy usage and adaptation of the QRF.3. Design and development of two pilot MOOCs using the QRF as a guiding framework. Outcome: Two MOOCs (one xMOOC and one cMOOC) (O3) were developed using and testing the QRF. 4. Develop the Pre-standard ""European MOOC Quality Framework"":Outcome: MOOQ has established work groups consisting of educators, policy makers, researchers, learners and standardisation experts and the collaborative platform for consultation purposes. Finally, the Pre-standard ""European MOOC Quality Framework"" (O4) was developed and submitted to the Standardization Bodies CEN and ISO for approval as European and international standard."

In times of rising unemployment, lack of economic growth, making use of new learning opportunities outside the formal system, and of the skills acquired through prior learning, is urgent. Nowadays, more than 120 million people are living in poverty or at the threat of falling into one, approx. 25 million people are unemployed, while 77 million Europeans still have at most lower secondary education. The Europe 2020 Strategy stresses the need for more flexible learning pathways as a pre-requisite and a strong incentive for the fulfilment of the agreed social targets: 20 million fewer people in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion, 75% of the 20-64 year-olds should be employed, reduction of school drop-out rates below 10%.The lack of meaningful, well-described, easily accessible information about Lifelong Learning Opportunities and of policy frameworks and tools for linking skills and qualifications gained across different phases and contexts, into forming flexible pathways for personal development and competitiveness in the labour market, constitute hindering factors for the implementation of the aforementioned objectives.The project on Composing Lifelong Learning Opportunity Pathways through Standards-based Services (ComPaSS) addresses the fundamental goal of the ET 2020 on 'making lifelong learning and mobility a reality' and its key objectives on skills for growth, competitiveness and employability, by targeting awareness-raising and institutional commitment, coordination and partnership of relevant actors and stakeholders active in the field of Education and Training (ET).The consortium, constituting Higher Education Institutions, an association of University departments of informatics and a national standardization organization, has implemented an integrated approach that addresses these issues, elaborating on both policy and technological aspects with an emphasis on the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. More precisely COMPASS has focused on:•raising awareness on the concept of flexible pathways through the use of existing European and national guidance instruments (Ploteus) for access to Learning Opportunities•producing policy suggestions for the implementation of flexible pathways•recommending a standard for enabling Learning Opportunity providers to engage in well-structured description of their offers. These descriptions can be exploited by existing tools to enrich their contents, making an impact on the quantity and quality of Learning opportunity information at a European level•developing free, publicly available online services for Learning Opportunity description and pathway development•Implementing nation-wide pilot tests for the ICT-sector.Leveraging its rich strategic plan and the consortium's pan-European network of Higher Education Institutions, policy makers and the Industry, the project provides standards-based educational opportunities to university students in order to illustrate its innovative policy and technology solutions, boosting awareness and reforms in favour of skills growth.

<< Background >>The SmartDevOps project aimed to address the increasing demand for specialised skills and new job profiles and associated skill needs due to the development of hundreds of smart cities worldwide.In this regard, the SmartDevOps project examined the supply and demand of skills for Smart Cities’ (SC) professionals, identified and documented 3 brand new job-role profiles, namely, Smart City Planner, Smart City IT Head and Smart City Officer. It developed three curricula, 43 training modules, etc.<< Objectives >>The SmartDevOps project objective is to support professional and personal development of people working in smart cities sector, an industry domain that is growing rapidly. The project aims to the development of new innovative job profiles to support sustainable smart cities growth and to support the development of quality high-tech jobs. Further, the project promotes the development of transversal competences in a lifelong learning perspective, through formal or non-formal training.<< Implementation >>The SmartDevOps project implemented an extensive market research on the training needs of the smart cities sector. It identified three innovative occupational profiles and delivered three modular VET curricula, implemented through a MOOC and three specialisation courses including blended learning and work-based learning.<< Results >>The project developed- 3 new occupational profiles- 3 new modular curricula- 43 training modules following EQAVET principles. The modules include, digital OER, assessment objects, handbooks, etc. and they are available in five languages (EN, DE, IT, GR, FR)- developed book namely «Smart Cities Body of Knowledge» which is freely available from the project web site https://smartdevops.eu/scbok - a large number of academic papers, reports, videos, etc.