Project Overview

INDEX Objectives Intellectual Outputs Multiplier Events Project Activities

Project Objectives Develop innovative System Project Overview Project Objectives Develop innovative System Identify mismatch between required competences (tourism labour market) and training content offered in educational institutions. Reinforce competitiveness and contribute to higher level of employment Offer young people professional skills that are in line with job market needs Institutions self-assessment Provide info for SMART PLUS System; raise awareness of their needs to complement the training contents. SMART PLUS aims to Develop an innovative system that allows the identification of the mismatch between the competences required by the tourism industry labor market and the training contents offered by the educational institutions. This system will allow institutions to conduct a self-assessment that, together with an ontology-based tool (transfer and adaptation of SMART), provides information for a customized training e-learning solution. Indeed, one of the tools created will allow the learners’ self-assessment of key competences, which contributes to raise awareness of their needs and also allows trainers to customize complementary learning pathways to increase learners’ employability. Institutions have, then, the opportunity to complement their training offer by adapting their contents and curricula to the labor market need through the SMART PLUS training, thus benefiting their students. At the same time, SMART PLUS will also make available an e-learning solution that can be customised according to the assessment carried out by each institution. Skills mismatch phenomenon in Europe, with employers unable to find the right talent. Indeed, as explained in the present proposal, this customisable training solution will develop 6 modules addressing transversal competences identified by the European Union as key competences for lifelong learning that students should acquire during their mandatory education and training (Recommendation 2006/962/EC), namely: intercultural competences, entrepreneurship, soft skills, ICT and communication in foreign languages. Creation of customized training Provide e-learning solution to complement institutions training. Adapting competences to labour market.

O1 O2 O3 Intellectual Outputs SMART PLUS SYSTEM Project Overview Intellectual Outputs O1 SMART PLUS SYSTEM Identification of relevant skills and competences as foreseen in ESCO for the tourism industry at EU-level. Definition of the ontology-based system, to allow institutions to identify the mismatch between training contents offered, and labour market demand, in terms of competences, as well as a self-assessment of students’ competences. SMART LEARNING RESOURCES Definition and design of a modular training that will help institutions tackle the mismatch problem and students acquire relevant competences. It will be composed of 6 independent training modules addressing competences identified by the EU as key competences for lifelong learning: intercultural competences, entrepreneurship, soft skills, ICT and communication in foreign languages (2). O2 O1 – SMART Plus System: Identification of relevant skills and competences as foreseen in ESCO relevant for the tourism industry at EU-level and definition of the ontology-based system, which will allow institutions to identify the mismatch between training contents offered and labour market demand in terms of competences, as well as a self-assessment of students’ competences; O2 – SMART Learning Resources: definition and design of a modular training that will help institutions tackle the mismatch problem and students acquire relevant competences. It will be composed of 6 independent training modules addressing competences identified by the EU as key competences for lifelong learning: intercultural competences, entrepreneurship, soft skills, ICT and communication in foreign languages; O3 – creation of the SMART PLUS Online Platform that will give access to the ontology-based tool, to the e-learning solution (contents developed in O2) and also to a repository of additional open educational resources that allow institutions to customise the training pathway according to the learners’ needs and to the needs identified by educational institutions. O3 SMART PLUS ONLINE PLATFORM Will give access to self-assessment tool, to the e-learning solution (contents developed in O2) and also to additional open educational resources that allow institutions customise the training pathway according to the learners’ needs and to the needs identified by educational institutions.

Multiplier Events Organisation of a total of 8 multiplier events: Project Overview Multiplier Events Organisation of a total of 8 multiplier events: 4 local events (one event per partner country): to target relevant local stakeholders in order to present the project and its main expected results and outcomes. Then foster the cooperation with stakeholders and engage them in future activities, thus contributing to ensure the project sustainability. Organisation of 1 final event in Italy, the United Kingdom and Hungary to present project results to local stakeholders. Organisation of a Final Conference in Seville at the end of project execution and will present the project and final scientific report to an audience of 90 participants. Complementary to the activities foreseen in the development of the intellectual outputs, the consortium will organise a total of 8 multiplier events that will contribute to disseminate the project, foster the cooperation with stakeholders and experts, engage these relevant actors in the project and contribute to ensure the project (and its results) sustainability. The following audiences are expected: - Multiplier events – 4 local events to present SMART PLUS to interested stakeholders (1 per partner country), with 20 participants per country, except in Spain (60), 120 participants in total; 1 final event in Italy, the United Kingdom and Hungary with 30 participants each, 90 participants in total; - Final Conference – organisation of the Final Conference in Seville with 90 participants;

Project Overview Project Activities (1) The SMART PLUS System will be based on the competences defined in ESCO and will also include inputs from external experts and stakeholders. Its sustainability will be ensured by: collecting data from, at least, 15 learners/trainers/other stakeholders per partner country in the collection of evidences to validate the system (60 in total); involving 8 experts per partner country in a focus group to obtain feedback about the system (32 participants in total); The SMART PLUS training will be designed to provide a solution to tackle the mismatch problem identified using the SMART PLUS System. The focus groups (with 8 experts per partner institution) will present the training designed, test the module(s) created by each partner and collect feedback according to the templates provided by INCOMA (40 experts in total); O1 - SMART PLUS System The SMART PLUS System will be based on the competences defined in ESCO and will also include inputs from external experts and stakeholders. This ensures that national specificities are contemplated in the model in order to ensure its sustainability and will be achieved by: - collecting data from, at least, 15 learners/trainers/other stakeholders per partner country in the collection of evidences to validate the system (60 in total); - involving 8 experts per partner country in a focus groups to obtain feedback about the system (32 participants in total); b) O2 – Training addressing transversal competences The SMART PLUS training will be designed to provide a solution to tackle the mismatch problem identified using the tools developed in O1. The consortium will carry out a preliminary testing by: - organising a focus group with 8 experts per partner institution, which will present the training designed, test the module(s) created by each partners and collect feedback according to the templates provided by INCOMA (40 experts in total); Therefore, project activities will contribute to foster and improve the collaboration between the educational system and the business sector. At the same time, learners will be able to acquire relevant competences for the labor market, which positively contributes to reduce youth unemployment and to ease the transition into the labor market.

Project Overview Project Activities (2) The SMART PLUS Online Platform will contribute to integrate and adapt the learning contents developed and will test the results. The involvement of stakeholders and experts is essential and, therefore, is included in the current proposal, as follows: Testing in Spain – 10 learners from 2 training centres in Seville participate in the pilot testing of the SMART PLUS Online Platform (20 learners in total). An additional 2 VET centres will also test the self-assessment tool and the ontology-based system to provide further evidences. Focus groups with local experts – organisation of one focus group per partner country with the participation of local experts to informally validate the training. 8-10 participants per country, except Spain that will involve 28 participants. Therefore, project activities will contribute to foster and improve the collaboration between the educational system and the business sector. At the same time, learners will be able to acquire relevant competences for the labor market, which positively contributes to reduce youth unemployment and to ease the transition into the labor market.