PEA@CY-UAM is a partnership project between Amadou Mahtar Mbow University (UAM; Senegal), CY Cergy Paris University (CYU) and ECAM-EPMI. This project aims, first, to accompany and accelerate the development of the civil engineering undergraduate and postgraduate programs at UAM and, second, to contribute strongly to the development of approaches related to green construction in the building industry of Senegal. For this purpose, PEA@CY-UAM will set up a complete sustainable construction university program, in Technical University logic as deployed by CYU in France (active teaching, worked based alternate learning, social responsibility, fundamental and applied research). The project includes the reinforcement of UAM's civil engineering undergraduate degree, the implementation of three vocational bachelor degrees (Energy Efficiency in Construction, Design Offices and Digital Design, Management of Construction Works) and three master's courses (Design, Construction and Building Engineering, Design, Construction and Public Works Engineering, Green Building Design). The project also intends to start an engineering education program. At the end of the 4 years of the PEA, these developments will contribute to doubling the number of civil engineering students at UAM compared to the original forecast without the PEA (250 students enrolled are targeted at the end of the 4 years of the project). A part of the diplomas will be implemented within the framework of CYU / UAM double diplomas. In terms of pedagogy, the graduating years of the planned programs will be based on the pedagogy of worked based alternate learning that CYU is developing in France and that the project proposes to adapt to the Senegalese context. This pedagogy will be implemented in partnership with construction companies in Senegal who are already very interested in the concept. The project plans to operate a joint digital platform and a digital bridge between UAM and CYU in order to share resources and educational tools and to offer distance learning and interaction to students of both CYU and UAM. At the doctoral level, the project foresees the establishment of an international doctoral school, which will include a program to support innovation and entrepreneurship, and the establishment of a joint CYU / UAM research program to develop sustainable construction materials and processes. This project will also include a coaching and training program for UAM’s young teacher-researchers. Finally, programs to promote higher education to audiences traditionally not concerned by higher education will be deployed, based on mentoring and scholarship supplements provided with the help of companies. These programs will help to expand the recruitment pool of UAM. Specific actions to promote the participation of women in higher education programs and in the construction industry will also be carried out.

The problemSmall companies in specific sectors would like to adopt AMT to reduce production costs, improve the quality of their products and services, improve their employees’ productivity and reduce production lead time. However, they lack the knowledge and resources (human & financial) to break through the AMT barriers.The target groups:SMEs, including micro-SMEs from the following sectors:- Food and Beverages - Wood industry - Metal industry - NACE 24 25 - Electronic and Electrical EquipmentThe solutionThe FAME project has developed a training program and tools to strengthen the skills of SMEs in the above selected sectors for them to adopt ICT-enabled AMTs. The project also facilitates the building of a network of FAME adopters through an AMT assistant and Knowledge Retention Skills space. The FAME Network of practitioners and enthusiasts promotes the uptake of high-end AMT through dynamic demonstrators and hands-on workshops even after the end of the project.Main objectivesThe specific purpose of the project is to support SMEs regarding skills, local ecosystems and access to finance, promote the uptake of high-end AMT through joint pilot plants and demonstrators, support new service-based business models for the diffusion of AMT, improve the alignment of European, national and regional policies. The focus is on ICT-enabled AMTs:- 3D printing- Cloud manufacturing- Adaptable manufacturing- VR and simulation - Supply chain - Product Lifecycle Management - Enterprise Resource PlanningThe partnersThe partnership comprised 7 partners from 7 countries. A software development company with ECVET expertise, an educational technology and knowledge dissemination company, one higher education institute of engineering and industrial process management, one company known for innovation in product development, an ICT SME, a Furnishings Cluster and Innovation Hub, a consultant in business development.MethodologyThe project started with a comparative analysis of the current state of play in ICT-enabled AMT practices of SMEs in partner countries and winning practices in countries outside the partnership (Germany, The Netherlands, Norway). The aim of the analysis was to identify the actual needs of the target group in order to form a training program tailored to them.The next step was the validation of the needs by representatives of the direct target group in order to address and describe the learning outcomes for the AMT Manager profile. The training methodology and strategies recommended for the SMEs are based on the validated needs.Upon the results, the partnership developed an action-based course materializing the strategies and supporting their implementation in real working environments. To that end, 7 modules were created comprising specific actions linked to ECVET points in relation with the learning outcomes defined in the validation phase.Together with the AMT Assistant, a personalized tool delivering the action-based course in all partner languages, the Knowledge Retention Service, was deployed with re-modeled actions complementing the training program.ResultsThe outcomes of FAME comprise the:- AMT Course: instructor led and e-Learning- AMT Strategy Genie: personalisation of training paths- Learning Motivation Environment: skills retention functionality- ECVET tools for the AMT Manager for SMEsLong-term benefitsWith the support of the Learning Motivation Environment (LME), a virtual space developed for sustainability of the training program, SMEs are able to implement AMT management strategies at their business which will ensure reduction of production costs, improvement of the quality of their products and services, improvement of their employees’ productivity and reduction of the production lead time.

CONTEXTChildren today are born into technology and using it comes natural them. However, there is a need for them to acquire technological skills, such as programming. STEM skilled labour force is in high-demand in Europe and demand will continue to increase due to the advent of Industry 4.0 and Advanced Manufacturing Technologies. It is estimated that the EU will have up to 825.000 ICT job vacancies by 2020 due to shortage of skilled labour force. Basic coding skills are needed, as more than 90% of today’s professional occupations do require digital competences, including programming. New ways of engaging children into programming and STEM are needed but more screen time is not the best approach. Hands-on play is more fun and many times more educational. The bridging of the online and the offline worlds may offer a more engaging and healthy environment for children to learn how to program and develop STEM skills.OBJECTIVESTEMKIT4Schools has as primary objective to produce approaches and tools to help those working with children reach out to them with a view to help them engage with programming and develop STEM related skills. It aims to achieve this not by increasing screen time but by encouraging hands-on play through the creation of games playable on a retro design DIY wooden computer in combination with electronics gadgets relating to STEM subjects.PARTICIPANTSTwo schools, a university, a company offering bespoke software development services and training in ICT, a company specialising in corporate training solutions and knowledge dissemination and a technical consultancy designing and building hands on training tools.ACTIVITIESThe main objective will be achieved through the following activities:- Elaborate and validate a guide for building, configuring and using the DIY computer in the classroom- Design and develop a curriculum and lesson plans for using the STEMKIT DIY computer, based on Raspberry Pi edition, to teach children programming through the creation of Minecraft Pi games to be played on the console also in combination with electronics gadgets the children will build and which will enhance understanding of programming concepts (e.g. traffic lights units for experimenting with loops) or STEM (e.g. ambulance with siren controlled by the console to demonstrate the Doppler effect)- Design electronics kits to be used in support of the curriculum and to be built by children to use with the console as an educational hands-on play approach- Prepare a social learning environment utilising motivational workflows such as the recognition of achievements through the awarding of badges, for the delivery of the curriculum to teachers/educators and for skills retention purposes- Test and pilot the outcomes under real conditions with the teachers and deliver a final release- Support the final outcomes through a dedicated virtual space (STEMKIT Club) providing access to all project results and infrastructure for supporting the growth of a community of adopters/practitioners/enthusiasts.METHODOLOGYAn iterative methodology: three versions of the results are produced, one in each iteration. After each iteration the results are tested/validated and based on the conclusions the next iteration is planned.RESULTS- STEMKIT DIY Computer, breadboards, jumper wires, buttons, switches, LEDs, etc.- Electronics Kits to be used with the STEMKIT computer - Guide and blueprint on how to assemble the STEMKIT, install the software and configure the GPIO - STEMKIT Curriculum and lesson plans - STEMKIT Educators guide- Learning Portal with integrated skills and achievements framework- STEMKIT Club virtual space with supporting infrastructureTARGET GROUPIn the life of the project: professionals working with children of 8 – 13 years. Apart from these direct target groups, the beneficiaries comprise also indirect target groups such as schools, children's/parents associations and organisations, policy makers and educational stakeholders deciding about subjects covered by school curricula, parents, content developers, etc. After the life of the project and subject to the delivery of concrete results, more target groups become relevant, such as commercial organisations producing serious games for educational purposes, universities with pedagogical/engineering departments, educational bodies, STEM toys manufacturers.BENEFITS- Elucidate findings regarding to ways of introducing children to programming and STEM through hands-on play.- Create evidence-based policy and research recommendations for the use of games in the teaching of coding and the re-enforcement of educational hands-on play, especially for STEM related subjects- Act as node of knowledge dissemination on how to engage children with programming and STEM- Devise strategies for the adoption of educational hands-on play in the classroom- Provide a pool of expertise and technical assistance to start-up awareness nodes (e.g. Code Dojo)