The rules of modern European society are changing. People want to have an active role in defining the way they live, the way they learn, the way they work, the way they interact. They are shaping the world and helping it to grow and develop through the creation of new ideas, partnerships and businesses. With the development of social technologies, the opportunities for budding entrepreneurs also grow. As was reported in the E-Skills Manifesto, 2014, “ICT induces social phenomena such as mass collaboration, social media and crowdsourcing [which] is reshaping social interaction and work processes.” Crowd-funding in particular is emerging as a dynamic system in which prospective entrepreneurs can find non-traditional funding sources to bring their dreams into reality. However, there are a number of persistent barriers to entrepreneurialism and in particular the use of crowd-funding. First of all, not all Europeans have the skills needed, even where the technologies exist. Developing skills that foster innovation and entrepreneurial initiative are becoming more and more critical. In-demand skills of the future include “innovation, questioning, challenging, dreaming, imagining, experimenting, learning and enterprising” (E-Skills Manifesto, 2014) as well as “idea generation, problem solving, critical thinking, and cross-cultural communication” (H2020 EAG SC6). As a result, new approaches and training systems are required to help Europeans acquire the 21st century skills that are needed for innovation and entrepreneurship. This project will focus on the following area: How women, by acquiring the skills needed for the 21st Century, can use crowd-funding successfully in order to take an active role in entrepreneurialism and innovation. By providing training and opportunities for virtual and trans-national collaboration between participants, this proposal aims to foster the participation of women in successful entrepreneurial growth. The main objective of WaW project is to facilitate more effective provision of collective business and innovation support services to ensure women understand and take advantage of the opportunities offered by new ICT tools. Specific objectives of the proposed project are: • Improve access to knowledge, increase levels of co-operation and competence regarding ICT tools process and methods • Networking of society-support facilities to set up mechanisms for developing, sharing and disseminating effective approaches in supporting innovative entrepreneurship, as well as openness to new technologies • Develop a training tool that will acquire competences and skills by adults • Pooling expertise in networks to help adults to solve legal, organizational and human capital issues associated with innovation processes • Improve the qualification of female adults through the promotion of a series of transversal skills like creativity, initiative, problem solving, risk assessment and decision taking • Improve public awareness on good practice examples regarding crowd-funding • Promote continuous learning training in workplace • Increase awareness of innovation and technology approaches to combat difficulties and setback during the innovation generation process The above actions will be achieved through: • A structured survey, which will attempt to identify how the skills of the 21st century can be acquired • A structured survey that will attempt answer the elements and issues that need to be included in a crowd–funding campaign so that it will be a successful one • Handbook on how the different target groups can acquire these skills • e-learning courses for acquiring the skills • Handbook on how a crowd-funding campaign be a successful one • e-learning courses for mastering the art of successful crowd-funding • A platform to facilitate trans-national networking and collaboration • A piloting activity of crowd–funding campaigns of the women who have acquired the above set of skills in order to make their dreams reality • An evaluation procedure on crowd-funding process and the end results This project will foster participation of women from among many different backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, nationalities and levels of education, specifically targeting unemployed, immigrant and older women. By doing so, this project aims to make a long-lasting impact by providing the tools to empower women who have the potential to make social and economic imprint, but may otherwise lack the opportunity to bring their dreams into a reality. Moreover, this project takes place transnationally in order to address the diverse set of skills across the EU, while also addressing common complex problems that can inhibit growth and innovation. This will enable the project to take into consideration cultural and social differences and respond to the needs of as many EU regions as possible.

diversamente coding is an Erasmus+ project to develop a training course enabling people with disabilities to learn digital skills + programming competences.Our target group is people aged between 18-55 who are deaf or hard of hearing. Why have we chosen this target group? Deaf or hard of hearing persons have additional skills in communication, perception and visualisation. They are used to using alternative and creative means to communicate and interact with hearing people. The project built on this valuable skill set. diversamente coding enabled the target group to augment their real-world skills, training them to become producers of digital culture. In fact, the project simply applied the skills the target group already possesses. Inclusive teamwork was a vital element, encouraging great social interaction and building intercultural bridges.A transnational survey on the digital competencies and skills of our target group was carried out. To be more specific, some of the most important findings from the survey at transnational level are the following:- 170 deaf people from 5 European countries took part;- 50 organisations and associations working with Deaf communities participated;- Interest in further training in digital skills and programming was high.- Learning with a mentor or learning with partners or friends was resulted as the best learning method to be implemented.- Quizzes and competitions were the most popular interactive exercises.From the survey it was also pointed out that people who are deaf and hearing-impaired see the need to improve their digital literacy skills and are looking for training opportunities that are tailored to their specific requirements (i.e. accessible training methods and materials with a particular focus on visual strengths and bilingualism – in Sign Language and written language).With these skills, the survey participants hope to put themselves in a better position to overcome barriers to employment, and find skilled and well-paid jobs. Being a part of the digital world will facilitate greater societal inclusion of people who are Deaf or hearing-impaired.Thus, the findings of the survey provided an analysis of training needs. These were used to develop a training methodology and training content. Using a blended learning format, training content was incorporated into an e-learning platform. More specifically, the platform content includes educational materials such as tutorials, videos, documents, links, articles and useful tips – which areavailable in English,in German, in Greek and in Spanish.The diversamente coding Consortium decided to use Scratch to introduce coding to the target group. Scratch is a programming language, developed by the MIT Media Lab and released in 2007. Scratch 3.0 is a great tool for introducing coding to all ages. Scratch can be used when developing various multimedia projects such as: video games, interactive storytelling, animations, and graphical artwork. Scratch is particularly good for working with Deaf learners because it uses visual tools (graphic coding blocks) which represent commands. The learner simply snaps the blocks together in order to create various effects. Scratch is a fun way to introduce learners to basic coding, and at the same time, playing to the visual strengths of Deaf learners. Finally, training course was piloted by selected participants.

In general, small businesses are more vulnerable and have less opportunities to compete with large transnational companies while also tackling the adverse effects of climate change. It can be even more severe in case of businesses exposed to the phenomenon of seasonality, especially in the rural areas. Innovative digital solutions can provide efficient tools to overcome these challenges. However, people (owners, managers, employees) involved in these types of businesses (small enterprises, individual entrepreneurs, craftsmen, seasonal greengrocers etc.) very often have only low or medium level of IT knowledge. Furthermore, contrary to multinational companies, these businesses neither have the opportunity to employ experts in online marketing/IT/environment protection, nor have time and budget to educate themselves in these areas. Additionally, there are less opportunities concerning finding expertise and learning opportunities in the countryside than in the cities.The overall objective of the #keepup project is to develop a training package for these target groups covering (1) digital entrepreneurial competences, (2) e-commerce and (3) climate adaptation. The partnership would like to spread innovative practices in the digital era and prepare the stakeholders how to benefit from the advantages of digitalisation. The importance of e-commerce is significant as the market is expected to continue to grow, and traditional shopping habits are changing, especially due to the current external effects. Moreover, climate change causes a shift in travel behaviour, not to mention its effects on agriculture, environment and seasons. With the developed learning materials, even small, rural businesses affected by seasonality can be more competitive, more open to sustainability and more flexible on climate-adaptation.From the four intellectual outputs of the project, three will create training modules in the three main topics. The fourth IO will not only cover the development and testing of an innovative learning platform, but the partnership will also create a manual and a handbook for facilitating its use as paying attention to the possible lack of IT knowledge of the adult trainees.The #keepup team consists of expert partners interested in adult education from 5 different countries. The Lead Partner is the Hungarian Neumann which has great experiences in the field of digital competences and in developing training and e-learning materials for businesses. They also have experience in project coordination and collaborations on national and international level. Neumann will be the main coordinator and will be responsible for the overall quality of the project.The Hungarian CAM will be the leader of the climate adaptive entrepreneurial knowledge module. CAM has participated in several international projects and is currently coordinating an Erasmus+ project. CAM has developed numerous training materials in the recent years, prepared an online learning platform with international partners, and organised adult education trainings in various subjects, such as sustainability and RES.The Italian DLEARN is an EU-wide network made of 27 different organizations. They will be responsible for digital competences module. DLEARN is active in the field of education and digital learning at various levels, collecting practices and ideas to reflect, think and trigger new initiatives, with special attention to entrepreneurial learning and education.The Slovenian BSC, as a regional development agency with over 20 years of experience in EU funded projects, is aimed at sustainability and climate change adaptation to develop the region. BSC is not only an ideal partner to contribute to the materials, but also an influential organisation with a widespread network that can enhance our dissemination activities.The Slovakian CCIS will coordinate the e-commerce module, as they have deep knowledge on the topic: they actively helped some of their members to develop their e-commerce business providing consultancy on legislation, logistic and SEO. Moreover, CCIS has a broad experience in educational and training programmes and in the successful implementation of international projects.The Spanish FUNTESO will be responsible for the development of the e-learning platform, as they have serious experience in designing education and training platforms. The organization provides digital literacy trainings, workshops and other events, and has participated in several national and international projects.Concerning the dissemination activities, CCIS will be responsible for the coordination with the help of DLEARN, but all PPs will actively contribute with inputs and by spreading the project in their partner network. The partnership efforts will result in the multiplier effect of the results and getting in touch with local stakeholders. All PPs will hold two multiplier events: once half-time, and then at the end of the project.

"According to both European and national evidence, a range of soft skills will become increasingly important for both ICT specialists and the rest of the sector’s workforce. The main non-IT skills demanded in ICT sector include business skills (creativity, innovation, customer service, sales), project management, communication and foreign language skills (Source: CEDEFOP, EU Skills Panorama Analytical Highlight, 2012).The project partners using the above statement as a basis for their wok, had on one hand analysed European Level Research and on the other carried out local research in attempt to identify themost important/ necessary soft skills in the ICT sector of their regions. Analysis of secondary sources (national/ regional reports, studies, etc.) and fieldwork showed that there is a wide range of soft skills that the employers and staff of ICT micro-companies should possess in order to be successful. There is no doubt that all soft skills are useful and desirable in any company; at the same time there are some differences in partner regions in prioritizing all the different skills. Assuming that the findings of desk research and expert interviews are equally important, the most important soft skills to be developed in the ICT micro-companies in partner regions are:Communication, Problem solving, Teamwork, Learning mindset, Creativity, Leadership, Strategic thinking, Customer service, Innovation and Risk managementThe SKILLS+ project aimed to improve the competitiveness of micro-enterprises in ICT sector by introducing a soft skills development programme covering the above described areas, thus encouraging sustainable development of these companies. The objectives of SKILLS+ included needs analysis; sharing best practices and methodologies for the development of soft skills; adaptation of existing development programmes and materials and complementing them with new materials to create a new, tailored, multilingual programme specifically and directly aimed at the soft skills that are most needed in micro-sized ICT firms; developing an online learning space; testing and evaluation; creation of local and international networking and cooperation opportunities for the target group and stakeholders; dissemination and preparation of appropriate mechanisms/processes for further exploitation of project results.The SKILLS+ Learning Space (e-learning platform) focuses on the soft skills most needed by people in micro-companies of ICT sector and includes different types of learning resources and tools - the more ""traditional"" reading resources are supported by educational videos carefully selected to support the theoretical presentation, practical advice on applying the lessons learnt to the learners’ own environment, self assessment questions, references and further suggested study materials. The innovative concept employed within the Skills+ Learning Space is the so-called single-concept learning or “thin slicing”. Considering the short attention spans so common today, single concept or bite-size learning focuses on one behavior change, one narrow concept and one slim goal at a time. Thin slicing is about isolating a single learning concept and, with very limited information, delivering a powerful impact. The SKILLS+ learning programme is therefore made of small e-learning ""snacks"" that demonstrate how specific skill works in different situations. Then the learning experience has been integrated into a blended learning intervention, involving the project partners' trainer experts as facilitators in the learning process. The project has been implemented by a consortium of 6 partners from 5 European countries spanning from North to South of Europe (Romania, Spain, Cyprus, Netherlands, Norway). It includes organisations involved in training, consulting, research, business incubation, association activities, thus allowing to combine different views and experiences and achieve the expected impact of the project. The main outcomes are the SKILLS+ Development Programme, Learning Resources and Online Learning Platform in Romanian, Spanish, Greek, Dutch, Norwegian and English, which has been tested and validated in all project countries. The project has also produced a number of resources and tools that were used for dissemination (project website, e-leaflets, newsletters, social media sites), to promote the project and exploit its results.The primary target group of the project were employers and employees of micro-enterprises in ICT sector. The project has increased their access to training and has improved their competences in the area of soft skills. 124 persons participated in pilot training; and over 10.000 unique visitors have accessed the project webpage and open learning resources in the learning platform, which are available free of charge. 28 ICT and consultancy businesses joined the project as associated partners, their contact be"