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Career Preparedness and Life Navigation with Folktales

In this project we will use the Folk Tale work method to develop sets of self-help and coaching / training tools for young people and their advisers and coaches to think through their choices and motivation to design their next life and career steps.

Folk tales are a way of narrative therapy. The stories – and the analysis of them – can support learning from the situations portrayed, the behaviour of the characters and the ways of solving problems. Folk tales teach us of trial and error and of not giving up, even when it’s hard. These stories can influence the way we live, and the way we think. Using folk tales from different countries also provides a good opportunity for increasing cultural awareness.

… So we can all become queens and kings of our own lives, and live happily ever after….

The main objectives are to

improve the preparedness of young people for career and life choices by developing their self-reflection, their resilience as well as to encourage them to make active decisions and to take their life and career planning into their own hands;
to increase the acceptance of cultural diversities and to develop positive attitudes towards sustainability.

Main results are:

Framework and Screening Tool on Carrier Preparedness for counsellors
Six Folk Tale Boxes, containing tools for self-help and counsellor work, such as the analysis of the tales, cards on the scenes of the tales and assessment questions for self-help and coaching, instructions for coaching on the specific tales, and also group work schedule and tools to work with the tale in youth groups.
Training curriculum for youth workers and counsellors including modules for young people.

Project duration

March 2022 – September 2024

Web

https://www.youthfolktale.eu

Project partner

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

CareerBOT

Chatbot based Career Guidance

CareerBot partnership seeks to improve Digital Readiness of the Career Guidance sector by implementing CareerBot methodology and tool, facilitating blended guidance sessions and to use customized Labour Market Information (LMI) to empower marginalized job seekers. We want to put Career Guidance Practitioners at the centre and assist them – and their organisations – on the path of digitalisation so that they can advise their clients in the best possible way.

By the help of our methodology, job seekers will be able to gather relevant information before and after personal interviews, so that valuable personal services can be used efficiently. With the “CareerBot project” we propose a pilot that focuses on the role of career guidance, which became more demanding, and must be adapted more rapidly and flexibly to the changing needs of the new world of work.

The CareerBot project includes 4 main project outcomes:

CareerBot Content and Methodology
CareerBot Tool
Blended CareerBot training for Career Guidance Practitioner
Transfer Handbook for Implementation with focus on Organisational Development (OD)

In addition, a training event for Career Guidance Officers will be held in Greece and ten Multiplier Events will be organised towards the end of the project to share the learning and engage with all the relevant stakeholders to make them aware of the new CareerBot tool and its benefits.

Project duration

November 2021 to August 2024

Web

Website: careerbot.eu
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/eucareerbot

Project Partners

3rd newsletter FYC

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Digi-Ageing

overcoming loneliness

“Loneliness in old age” is a well-known social phenomenon that still receives too little attention. However, the current pandemic clearly shows us that we need to pay more attention to the issue. Older people are increasingly isolated in this situation:Those in care facilities are secluded for their own protection, others have little contact with friends and family or live entirely on their own. People caring for older people are often overwhelmed by the many safety precautions and challenges in their own daily lives. This is also true for family caregivers.

Since October 2020, the international Digi-Ageing consortium has been working on a comprehensive concept that addresses these challenges and develops appropriate measures to counteract the phenomenon of “loneliness in old age”. One of the main goals is to increase competences in the use of digital tools in the elderly care sector and to create a strong network that develops joint solutions.

What we develop

Research reports on the topic of loneliness in old age
Creation of a network that specifically counteracts this phenomenon
Digital diagnostic tool to be able to recognise “loneliness in old age” in good time
Digital intervention tools for education providers in the field of elderly care, for caregivers, for caring family members and for interested older people themselves
Curriculum for the Digi-Ageing Training Programme for the Care Sector

How we reach caregivers

Within the framework of the Digi-Ageing project, so-called “pilot trainers” are trained to subsequently conduct training sessions with other interested persons from the field of elderly care. These professionals will then implement the Digi-Ageing method in their own institutions and recruit other interested people.

Project duration

October 2020 to July 2023

Web

www.digi-ageing.eu
Facebook: www.facebook.com/digiageing
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/digi-ageing

Project Partner

STRESS-LESS

Well-being and prevention of stress from working

The STRESS-LESS project aims to provide and support the uptake of innovative open pedagogies and approaches in the field of improving the digital competences as well as personal, social, and learning competences of staff of small and medium-sized companies (SMEs). The project will be focusing on equipping people with knowledge and teaching them habits how to better cope with digital stress.

Especially as a result of digital transformation and the associated changes in business models, workflows and the use of digital tools, employees are faced with constantly increasing demands in terms of flexibility, accessibility and transparency. As a consequence of this progress workers are suffering growing stress-related conditions.

The project objectives are to

develop new training content about prevention and management of digital stress that can be applied in work-based settings or in “home-office” settings by SMEs, their staff, managers and trainers/mentors. The training content will be available online, free of charge via web and mobile based platform;
empower VET teachers, trainers and mentors in work-based settings through the development of effective digital, open and innovative pedagogies;
provide data from research and feedback from practical implementation of measures against digital stress to scientific organizations, training organizations and policy makers, so that they can build upon the results of the project.

As a result of the STRESS-LESS project in the long run SME staff and other learners will be healthier, less stressed, easier to communicate with, suffer less from depression and burn-out. SMEs staff will take less sick leave and be more productive, efficient and competitive.

Project duration

September 2020 to August 2022

Web

www.stress-less-project.eu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/stress-less-project

Project Partner

DigiVET

Digital Media for VET in SMEs

Digital media offers a new and effective way to engage employees who have low levels of qualifications in small SMEs in learning. In many countries the formal education level of employees is still weak and migration within and to Europe has led to an inflow of additional learners who lack the levels of language to engage in learning using traditional techniques. Digital media can help to overcome this barrier to learning by using more audio, video and visual material to support learning. However, many VET trainers and SMEs lack the competences needed to use digital media.

The objective of the project is to enhance the use of visual digital media in SMEs, to support the training of employees with low levels of qualifications. This will be done through the development of modular online learning programs about the use of visual digital media. The focus will be on visual material for the field of VET learning and shaped by guiding principles and concepts which were used, implemented and evaluated in Germany by ISOB and ‘SoWiBeFo e.V.’ (e.g. ‘Coaches for Digital Learning’ and ‘Media Pedagogy for Teachers’). The conceptual model for learning and the expertise generated from the projects will be used to develop similar material for VET trainers and facilitators of learning in small SMEs.

Objectives

VET trainers and facilitators in SMEs will acquire competences for digital learning in two steps:

acquiring basic skills in digital visual media use
using digital media in training of staff who have low levels of qualifications

A key feature of the project is the provision of support from trained coaches within the partner organizations, who will be available to support in-company trainers and facilitators as they introduce digital learning. In-company facilitators will work with the end recipients (low qualified staff as learners), digital and visual forms of workplace learning.
Final beneficiaries – Low qualified employees and employees with a lack of educational language skillsVisual media as instructional videos make learning independent, allow for repeating the content as needed, and can be designed to promote language proficiency at the same time.

Project Duration

November 2019 to June 2022

Project Partners

University of Gloucestershire– Coordination
Hafelekar Unternehmensberatung , Austria
Mednarodna Fakulteta, Slowenia
Fundatia Pentru Promovarea, Romania
ISOB Institut für Sozialwissenschaftliche Beratung, Germany
Gazi Universitesi, Turkey
Centro de Formacao Profissional, Portugal

SymfoS – YC

SymfoS for Youthcare

“SymfoS for Youth Care” develops an innovative counseling method based on the approach of symbol work. Its implementation in the youth care system would significantly improve the integration chances of disadvantaged young people (NEETS) in Europe. Due to a lack of integration in many areas of life, they are increasingly excluded from participation in society.

With the methodical approach of symbol work (developed by Wilfried Schneider) as an innovative counselling tool, the project aims to enable young people in youth welfare to effectively support disadvantaged young people. Innovative features are on the one hand the transfer of the previous method from vocational guidance to the youth welfare system in each partner country and on the other hand the extension of the SymfoS educational approach with web courses for initial training (Higher Education) at universities (Social Care).

In youth welfare, working with symbols offers young people an additional, universal language. In short, symbolic work means getting a person to reach out to themselves. Symbols are helpful in situations that are difficult or impossible to describe with other means of communication.

Project duration

September 2018 to August 2021

Web

Homepage: www.symfos-youth.eu
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SymfoS
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/groups/8704665

Project Partners

Sozialwerk Düren (Deutschland)
Hafelekar Unternehmensberatung (Österreich)
Asociacion Caminos (Spanien)
Colegio Oficial de Ciencias Politicas y Sociologia (Spanien)
University of Gloucestershire (England)
Instituto Politecnico Do Porto (Portugal)
Associacao A3S (Portugal)

SOCS

Introducing Strategic Organisation Counseling using Symbols for Visualization

SMEs (especially social enterprises), Start-Ups or young entrepreneurs are very often low budgeted and therefore do not have the financial means to develop and install tools and trainings to further develop their business and the competencies of their teams. It is usually impossible for them to hire an external counsellor to support them in their strategical plan.

Erasmus+ Programme has set the objective of fighting unemployment through training and education: “EU businesses need to become more competitive through talent and innovation”. The project SOCS promotes building up on this goal by improving the learning provision tailored to the specific needs of SMEs, Start-ups and entrepreneurs, short people who have HR and organizational development tasks.

“Overall, demand is growing for non-routine analytical skills and strategies involving creativity, problem-solving, communication, teamwork and entrepreneurship – all skills that help workers to maintain their employability and enterprises their resilience in the face of change.”
A Skilled Workforce for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth”, A G20 Training Strategy, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE, GENEVA, NOVEMBER 2010

By focusing on developing the strategic, leadership, teamwork and HR management competences of the SME owners, managers and their teams, SOCS project will help them build competitiveness, grow and increase employment.

The aim of the SOCS project is to improve entrepreneurial practice by improving the skills of the responsible staff, especially those in charge in small organizations by the approach of symbol work. The innovation lies in visualization as a very precious technique to create new responses instead of only dealing and being pushed by day to day business. Symbols help to express preconscious attitudes and mental barriers, even blind spots and get more clearness about future actions.

During the two years project period, partners aim to identify the areas of interventions most needed by the targets (organizational counsellors, consultants, business owners, entrepreneurs, especially young entrepreneurs, organizational and human resources managers and students, technicians for organizational development and HR decisions in organizations, start-up founders), by finding the existing tools most adequate for use, adapt them if needed or to develop new tools based on symbol work, especially for the online versions of the tools for free use.

Objectives

To develop leadership and HR skills of participants
To improve innovation management and innovation skills and adopting it as part of a day-to-day work to improve competitiveness
To improve managerial practice dealing with change and challenges
To develop self-assessment tools based on symbol work
To provide to the learners the possibility to choose between solutions for f2f training or online tools

Project duration

November 2019 till October 2021

Web

Homepage: www.socs-project.eu

Projekt Partners

Asociación Caminos (Spain)
Hafelekar Unternehmensberatung (Austria)
BIMEC (Bulgaria)
CSI Center for Social Innovation (Cyprus)
Instituto Politecnico do Porto (Portugal)

FYC

Career Guidance for a Modern Labour Market

Future-proof your Career aims to design, develop and implement a Future of Work Framework, focused on the identification -through a guidance process- of transversal skills which can be used to future-proof the careers of disadvantaged job seekers and enable sustainable future employment.

This forward thinking career guidance framework will provide a way of working for guidance practitioners which facilitates quality future focused career plans for job seekers already marginalized in the labour market, so as to ensure their inclusion in a technological and digitalized world of work. It will support marginalized job seekers to understand and gain awareness of key competencies which are essential employability competences for a future labour market. These key competences underpin the ability to adapt and change to the demands of a technological workplace and are important in up-skilling in initial and continuous vocational, educational and training.

The project has three main objectives

to enable Individuals to become aware of their own skills for the future labour market particularly in relation to communication and interpersonal skills
to create awareness of future workplaces, their requirements, and associated VET progression routes
to create a culture of training and up-skilling of guidance practitioners in a fast changing labour market

The main outcomes of the project

The FYC online platform: develop an online e-learning like platform which will, through a series of interactive questions and animations, help the individual identify their human, social and psychological capital, and their connection to the current and longer-term labour market. It will identify areas where the individual could benefit from vocational or industry specific upskilling. It will provide the individual and their guidance practitioner with a report outlining existing capabilities and make suggestions as to how these could be built upon and utilized and thus enable the individual to prepare for a labour market which is driven by automation and digitization.

FYC Training Modules for Practitioners: Development of a training module for practitioners on the future of work, the types of jobs available, their make up in terms of hard and soft skills, and the career path options available to job seekers

Project duration

October 2019 to September 2021

Project Partners

Ballymun Job Centre (Irland) – Koordination
Hafelekar Unternehmensberatung (Österreich)
METROPOLISNET (Deutschland)
CIOFS – Formazione Professionale (Italien)
Universitatea Politehnica din Bucuresti (Bulgarien)
Headway Ireland CLG (Irland)
Fundacion Tomillo (Spanien)

TeBeISi

Partial Certification Information Security

The IT sector is characterized by short innovation and product cycles among developers and manufacturers. Due to constantly changing requirements in the IT sector, learning and recognition of informal skills is a decisive factor. The lack of certification opportunities leads to a lack of experts* in the field of information security. This is why the “Betriebswirtschaftliches Forschungszentrum für Fragen der mittelständischen Wirtschaft e. V.” (Business Management Research Centre for Questions of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses) was initiated. (BF/M Bayreuth) initiated this European joint project.

The Europe-wide uniform assessment and recognition of informally acquired skills has enormous potential for combating the shortage of skilled workers in the field of information security. Newly developed job profiles reflect the current needs of small and medium-sized enterprises. Based on this, a learning curriculum is being developed and previously acquired knowledge is recognised and validated.

Project duration

September 2018 to August 2021

Web

Homepage: www.tebeisi.eu
Facebook: www.facebook/tebeisi

Project Partners

BFM – Betriebswirtschaftliches Forschungszentrum Mittelstand (Germany)
Hafelekar Unternehmensberatung (Austria)
SCV – Studio Centro Veneto (Italy)
MRU – MYKOLAROMERIS UNIVERSITY (Lithuania)
WSBINOZ (Poland)