There is a growing interconnectedness and rise in cooperation between societies and machines, a cooperation meant to serve and be adapted to humans and not the other way around. It is changing how global challenges may be met: climate change, urbanisation, energy efficiency and optimisation, sustainability. Smart and sustainable cities (SSCs) are heralded as a possible, significant means to face these challenges. A more efficient urban metabolism requires a better understanding of the concept of sustainability, ecology and social coherence, amongst other things. This is also where the educational challenge lays and what makes the industry and public authorities so interested in finding employees that have the potential to manage broad solutions and complex ecosystems. In this context, the SCALE project will develop an innovative ecosystem in Asia consisting of:- Micro-courses/micro-credentials to train Theoretical, Natural, Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technologies graduates to address the new challenges posed by the ever-increasing needs for environmental awareness, energy efficiency and concerns posed by urbanisation and technological developments. The micro-courses will introduce innovative elements to the existing curricula. - Professionals’ courses / MOOCs, introducing dual learning systems bridging tertiary studies with upper secondary VET to boost graduates' employability. - Practical training schemes, internships, and study of real-life cases in business and industry.- Capacity building workshops for academic, technical, and administrative staff to support HEIs to develop and implement the institutional reforms.- Knowledge triangle integration, establishing new collaborations and enhancing the nature, content and types of partnerships with businesses, regional authorities, research organisations, governmental bodies, NGOs and other societal partners.- Exchange of good practices through enhanced networking and mutual learning.

Design Together project has been developed in order to bridge the gap between VET sector and the labor market needs, in Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, by training VET providers in developing curricula that are in line with the imperatives, on the one hand, of the labour market, and on the other hand of the digital era. Also, through the Design Together project, representatives of the VET sector, on two continents, will annihilate their distances through cooperation, exchange of good practices and development of common activities. The general objective of Design Together project is to train the VET staff and trainers, concerning the design of curricula design, with ultimate goals to meet the labor market needs as well as learners’ needs, match the essential skills and jobs, adapt to fast-changing workplace requirements and foster learners’ digital skills. Through the implementation of this project, we are expecting to:•reinforce both teaching, digital and training skills of VET staff and trainers, •develop a common training framework concerning the curricula design•introduce up-to-date methodological and educational approaches that apply to labour market needs.•Enhancing intercultural diversity and cooperation between Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa•Developing networks and exchanges of good practice between VET providers in third countriesIn order to succeed the aims that we have set and ensure the successful implementation of Design Together we have included in the project, partners with an extensive experience in the field of VET. In addition, we have designed activities that are aligned, on the one hand, with the general and specific objectives of the project and, on the other hand, with the EU values, concerning the respect to human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law and human rights