COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on many sectors of employment. Cultural and creative sectors are among the most impacted, as cultural activities traditionally require people to come together. The above mentioned has deemed very difficult in many countries and many cultural sector employees have lost their jobs or been forced to switch careers. However, vibrant cultural life is a cornerstone of a community or a society, and thus creating and spreading digital innovation in the cultural sector is pivotal. Our aim with this project is to aid cultural organizers and cultural (and creative) sector employees in finding alternative means to create and deliver culture to the people. This is done through enhancing various digital skills of cultural organizers and sector employees, as well as introducing and teaching design-thinking methodology as a foundation in finding new activities and outputs to carry out and spread cultural and creative activities. Many cultural sector employees work outside big cities and increased digital skills and knowledge in design-thinking are pivotal for them in reaching a bigger number of audience and clientele. Also, many cultural sector employees are older and may lack necessary digital skills to succeed in today’s work environment. Thus, the project also aims at increased equality and inclusion, offering cultural workers better opportunities despite their age, gender, or location. A small research will be carried out for mapping the needs of cultural sector in every partner country. Based on the research, a multilevel training program (for mentors and employees) is created for cultural sector employees. The training course is supported by the creation of an online learning platform and a progressive app. The mentor course is designed in a way which enables its graduates to act as trainers for their colleagues, making the impact of the project even greater.The online learning platform (with educational modules and a handbook) together with a progressive web app help us to reach more audience inside and outside of partner countries. All of the materials are free, which enables all interested people to educate themselves on the above mentioned topics, as better digital skills and more developed design-thinking can come to use for all of the cultural sector during the COVID time. The materials will be available in 4 project languages (incl English). The learning platform will be available for 3 years after the completion of the project and will be free for use. A new skill-set of competencies will be added to the to the current framework of competencies in Estonia. The competency model of the Estonian cultural leaders could be used as an example in creating similar competency models in other EU countries. As one of the outputs of the project, a blueprint for a completely new profession – a cultural technologist will be created in Estonia with the support of The Estonian Ministry of Culture. This serves as a basis for the creation for a new job/area of expertise and possibly a basis for a study curriculum for this job.Participating organisations:BCS Koolitus has been carrying out national ICT and digital competence enhancement programs for citizens since year 2000, the latest, ongoing program “E- Citizenship” (2018-2022), procured by the Ministry of Commerce and Communication, aims at raising awareness on ICT literacy of 6000 inhabitants, of whom 1/2 are elderly people ( aged 55+) and 1/2 various sectors employees with poor IT competencies. Training course program and materials are developed by BCS Koolitus and delivered via face-to-face training courses.ECFC has been the leading training partner on folk culture in Estonia for 30 years, offering in-service training for cultural sector leaders, cultural organizers and members of cultural ass. across Estonia. The project supports ECFC’s aims in increasing digital competencies among leaders and employees on different levels, as well as providing effective support in introducing and rooting innovative technological solutions throughout all the cultural sector. The project enables to concretize the needs of the target group, increase their technological competencies, and establish communities of creative networks, thus opening up new horizons for cooperation between different sectors and also internationally.Efektas Group (Lithuania) has been working in education and training field for adults and educators since early days of its’ establishments and one of the most crucial topics is critical judgement on daily activities and habits people have. This project is supporting this purpose by educating our organisation and stakeholders to be more aware of digital applications, online threats, develop habits that prevent from loses.Prios Kompetanse from Norway is an educational software and web applications provider, who will be responsible for creating a website and an online application for the project.

The growing demand for skilled employees within the European Software Sector cannot be met by current education and training programmes. Europe needs an innovative new Software Skills Strategy that can fast-track the upskilling and reskilling of Europe’s workforce to address this ever-increasing skills gap. Technology innovation has changed the paradigm of the way software and IT infrastructure are being designed, delivered and managed (vide: automation, instant availability of services, growing software support functions), allowing for shorter and more efficient education cycles. Vocational education is considered as an applicable format, which enables better alignment with industry and employers real time needs and more flexible learning pathways.The European Software Skills Alliance led by DIGITALEUROPE brings together key Industry and Education stakeholders from across the domain to design and implement a highly innovative, effective and sustainable Software Skills Strategy for Europe that will ensure the skills needs of the rapidly expanding and evolving Software Sector can be met in the short, medium and long term. The Alliance will work together to develop, implement and disseminate a new Software Skills Strategy that will tackle the current and future skills shortages in the European Software Sector, enabling continuous development, innovation and competitiveness within the industry.The project includes:- the establishment of a long-term partnership between The European Software Skills Alliance members; - the design of an innovative and sustainable Software Skills Strategy;- development, testing and roll-out of VET training curricula for VET and higher VET;- VET training programmes and qualifications in line with latest market needs and consistently linked with EU instruments and tools enabling professional skills and career development in general and empowering ICT Professionalism and digital competences in particular.

According to a report released by Intel Security, “Hacking the Skills Shortage”, there will be 1 million to 2 million unfilled cyber-security jobs worldwide by 2019. In the same line, on September 2017 the European Commission adopted a cybersecurity package. The package builds upon existing instruments and presents new initiatives to further improve EU cyber resilience and response. Our project lies within different initiatives carried out to build a cybersecurity capacity in Europe and feeds from the momentum cybersecurity is having in the European agenda, addressing these needs: - Lack of skills related to security operations among workers in general - Lack of qualified profiles in cybersecurity and as consequence a gap between qualifications and job demands - Increased risks related with a more digitalised world (financial operations, internet of things, connected industry, data storage, social networks and personal information) - Low awareness and knowledge about digital risks and how to protect oneself and one´s organisation - Low capacity of response in front of cyber-attacks, at all levels (personal and professional) With this project we achieved the following aims: - Increase the level of awareness of digital perils and the importance of adopting preventing measures among VET students and teachers - Define a set of units of competence and learning outcomes associated to different professional profiles. - Increase the level of qualification related to cybersecurity among VET students and teachers. - Reinforce cooperation between VET and business/technical experts to ensure an adequate training and qualification of workers in terms of information security.- Update the VET curriculums of the VET schools partners in the project as well as those who attended different dissemination events including training in digital skills necessary for workers. In order to achieve the mentioned aims, the project produced 2 intellectual outputs: - O1. Joint VET curriculum in cybersecurity, defining the corresponding learning outcomes related to main competences in cybersecurity, following ECVET methodology and designed following a classification of professional profiles attending to their technical (or not technical) training and their level of need on information security skills. - O2. Cybersecurity challenges, materials, developed attending to the professional profile addressed in each case, to achieve the learning outcomes defined in the previous output. This way, the potential users have available a set of materials to train and acquire the units of competence identified in the joint curriculum in cybersecurity in VET. During the project, 12 VET teachers were directly involved in the development of intellectual outputs. 48 more participated in pilot activities and around 30 more participated in local workshops to learn how to use and adapt the intellectual outputs for their lessons. Around 900 students benefitted from the updated and upscaled competences in cybersecurity of their teachers and the introduction in their VET programmes of new curricular components and materials in this field and 879 students participated in the pilot of materials. 9 associated partners, technological experts in different aspects related to cybersecurity participated also in the project by advising and assessing the production of intellectual outputs.. We can sum up CyVETsecurity results and long term benefits as follows: - Upgrade of competences of VET teachers and VET students related to cybersecurity.- Update of VET curricula with digital skills related to information security and protection, necessary for any profession in different levels. - Better alignment of VET programmes to the needs of the labour market and society in a digital era. - Definition of new ways of cooperation between VET colleges and technological experts towards a VET provision more adjusted to reality. - Higher relevance, attractiveness and prestige of VET, perceived by companies and enhancement of the role of VET teachers.

The cloud based services are growing rapidly in the European economy. Technology changes fast and there will be soon 5G technology available. These facts make this project highly relevant. Nowadays clouds are environments to offer different types of services, for example machine-learning tools and Software as a Service (SaaS). The cloud environments are extremely flexible and different amounts of CPU power can be allocated from small to massive amounts of data analysis. Data can be retrieved to cloud environments from different sources, from data storages and from sensors in the IoT applications. There are numerous digital service innovation topics in different fields of industry that can be developed. The goal of this project is to develop a European-wide, transnational, interconnected development service model and network based on cloud and mobile technologies (4G/5G). The latest tools of cloud and mobile technologies can be used for hands-on learning sessions, innovative co-operation and for innovative development of pilot projects for vocational excellence and companies. There will be created five digital innovation hubs for cloud based services in different locations in Europe. These hubs will be learning and development environments to VET students as well as development service environment for companies to renew their future views, the knowhow, skills and the digital service creation. The core proof of concept is developed for the Training program within the hub. The created hubs are interconnected and the best practices are transferred to the other hubs and development environments especially organized by VET -providers. The planned technologies are very new but also well tested and extremely flexible to be used in different applications in various sectors. More high-ability people are needed to take benefits from the latest cloud and mobile technologies in various businesses, which makes education of these topics for vocational excellence necessary.

Introducing Online collaboration methods and tools in education (Online4EDU) project addresses the education and labor market needs of teachers in primary and secondary schools, VET specialists and e-Facilitators working at telecentres, libraries and adult education centers. The project will design, develop and implement an up-to-date curriculum, training materials, blended learning environment, and Pan–European certification system „Online collaboration methods and tools”.There are 2 kind of results expected within the Project: Intellectual and dissemination outputs.The main intellectual outputs are related to the „Online collaboration Tools and methods „ training and testing system and they nclude: Beneficiaries’ skills gap and training needs analysis study Curriculum development and localization Online learning environment Courseware for e-course and automated testing Pan-European certification system and tools Methodological guidelines for implementation of “Online collaboration methods and tools „training and testing system The dissemination outputs nclude following results: 1. Online entry point to all project resources and products- website and digital social media 2. Five multiplier events in partners’ countries: Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Latvia and Lithuania.3. Dissemination and exploitation plan and report.4. National strategies for social and formal recognition of the „Online collaboration methods and tools „program in partners countries (There are 2 level of beneficiaries which will be impacted by the project: The primary target group includes : 1) Teachers in primary and secondary schools 2) VET specialists3) E-facilitators working at telecentres, libraries, adult education centres etc.This target group will benefit from the project by participating in training and certification, which will improve their knowledge and competencies in labor market.The secondary target group are organizations responsible for teachers skills upgrade and raising of qualification,: schools, adult education centres, state education agencies and offices, Ministries of education. Another secondary target group who will benefit from project outputs are students- both from formal education system and adult education centers.The partnership is composed by 5 members; all active in the fields of ICT related training and program development, adult education and ICT skills certification.Partner 1- LIKTA –Latvian Information and Communication Association (the applicant) - has a wide experience in designing ICT based training programs for adult learners: starting from ICT specialists, to SMEs managers and employees, Young adults, job seekers, as well as teachers and facilitators. Many ICT training programs designed by LIKTA are officially accepted by the State Employment Agency in Latvia. LIKTA is the official partner of ECDL in Latvia. Partner 2 – ECDL Foundation- is a not-for-profit organization established by the informatics societies of Europe through CEPIS. It promotes digital literacy through strategic partnerships with governments, European Institutions and International NGOs, to deliver its certification programmes to individuals and organizations.Partner 3 - Public institution Information Technologies Institute- has strong experience in IT training/testing courseware design and development. ITI is involved in development of Learning/Testing solutions for ECDL, e-Citizen, CAD, security and children safety subjects in Lithuanian, Latvian, Russian, Kyrgyz, Azeri and English languages and will bring this expertise to consortium to achieve Project goals.Partner 4 - BCS Koolitus - is ICT training and consulting company established in 1993 in Estonia, offering a full training process, from assessment of needs, till measuring the training results. BCS has been the awarding body of the professional qualifications in the field of IT since 2010.Partner 5 - SDC (Digital Opportunities Foundation)- is a non-profit organisation established in Berlin, Germany. Within many European projects SDC gathered experience in developing curricula and training materials.