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Partner

The Institute Technology and Education (ITB) of the University of Bremen (approx. 50 employees) has been working in Research on Vocational and Higher Education and Training since more than 35 years. It is one of the largest independent research facilities on this topic in the world. It focuses on the interaction of work, technology and education and on people’s influence on this triangle, aiming at a close interaction between reforming vocational education and training and innovation in work and technology. Thus holistic mindset always guides the research activities between theory and practice to develop, implement and/or prove applied teaching and learning (e.g. innovative concepts and methods and target groups) and its structures (e.g. curricula and learning venues). Therefore, the research is based not only on multidisciplinary (e.g. cooperation between educational researchers, professional scientists, engineers, psychologists, economics), but also on internationality. The institute conducts a wide set of research and development projects. Basically, research and development activities of the department „Work-Oriented Education Processes“ of the ITB are located in three areas: 1. vocational science studies (e.g. work-process analyses) to identify the skills, knowledge and competences of skilled workers; 2. planning, implementation and evaluation of work-process oriented, competencypromoting educational processes (learning and work tasks); 3. development and use of digital media and online tools (rapid e-learning). Special emphasis is placed on sustainable energy systems and energy efficiency. The occupational sciencebased concept of Kompetenzwerkstatt is the guiding principle for the department „Work-Oriented Education Processes“. Kompetenzwerkstatt has proven itself in various projects. It offers teachers and trainers in the industrialtechnical field professional-educational founded impulses and instruments for the organization of work process-oriented, softwaresupported learning and teaching. The design of learning environments is particularly important for work-oriented learning. Digital media play a key role in the research work of the department. The development of the digital tool „Task Manager“ within the Kompetenzwerkstatt is oriented towards the approach that users can easily create new content and adapt existing content even without special media technology know-how and without special technical equipment. The experience and developments of the institute are a valid basis for the development and testing of learning and work tasks within the project and represents a good way to link theory and practice in the vocational schools in the participating European partner countries and provide an open source and well evaluated online tool for the use in Vet-schools, companys and other.

Visoka poslovna škola strukovnih studija u Novom Sadu (VPS) is a public higher education institution for applied studies that educates professionals in business economics and computer science for over 60 years. The VPS offers Bachelor’s programmes in Finance and Banking, Trade and International Business, Tourism and Hospitality, Applied computer science, DLS studies in Finance and Banking, and a Master’s programme in International Business and Finance. Visoka poslovna škola strukovnih studija u Novom Sadu aims to educate professionals who will acquire the necessary knowledge that can be applied in the contemporary job market. The VPS builds an efficient interaction with its surroundings, follows market attractiveness and competitiveness principles, and continually improves working and studying conditions. The VPS’s primary goals aim to reach a level of quality that will enable the institution to become one of the region’s leading HEIs for applied studies in business economics and computer science. Visoka poslovna škola strukovnih studija u Novom Sadu (approx. 85 employees) is focused on organising internships and apprenticeships for students at companies and institutions with which it has continued collaboration. Every year, the number of collaborating partners is rising, and a wide range of partners offers students the possibility to get practical knowledge in different occupational fields. The VPS focuses on the evaluation of the individuality of students through the Centre for Career Development, and to provide a better connection with the job market, annually organises an Employment and professional development fair. By continuously monitoring the demands of the labour market, study programmes are improved between accreditation cycles, and the content of the market-oriented subjects is innovated. The VPS develops and conducts certified courses for non-formal education in accounting, IT literacy, foreign languages, EU topics, etc., for its students and all those interested in continuing professional development. With the accredited course for CPD development of teachers at the secondary and upper secondary levels, the VPS also offers the possibility for teachers to get credits for teaching licences. The research and scientific activities of VPS are realised through the organisation of the Biennial International Scientific and Expert Conference “Economic Development and Competitiveness of European Countries” and the International Journal of Economic Practice and Policy published since 2004.

Maristak Durango is an Education and Training Center located in the Basque Country. University Prep Education (baccalaureate degree), Vocational Training courses (levels 1 to 3 according to EQF standards), Continuing Education courses, and occupational training are offered. Some of the areas of training covered by Maristak Durango are Computer Sciences, Robotics or electromechanical and Mechanical Design Fabrication. Since 2003 the center is working on adapting educational methods to the new current needs. All vocational studies are carried out with a PBL methodology. Maristak has collected several awards, such as the National Award to the Best Training Practices (2003) or the Investors in People certification, granted by the British IQC (2010), among others. Moreover, Maristak Durango actively cooperates in the dissemination of quality in training and promotes sustainable development goals. Maristak Durango also cooperates with companies, public administration, and the Basque Employment Service (LANBIDE) in the Basque System of Professional Qualifications. The experience of Maristak leading and collaborating in projects concerning to VET is very deep: In 2012, Maristak led a KA2 project VET COACH project 2012-1-ES1-LEO05-48196, which developed a coaching tool to support VET students and teachers in the self-learning process of key competencies (teamwork, creative thinking, learn to learn) from a 360-assessment perspective. Mobile-Tech 2015-1-ES01-KA202-015903, which promoted the use of mobile devices in VET centers for teaching and learning purposes. Maristak is currently leading a KA2 project named INVET 2020-1-ES01-KA202-082301. In 2016, MULTI-ESKOLA: Multilingual strategies and tools for teachers to promote an inclusive education 2016-1-ES01-KA201-025323, aimed at providing teachers, trainers, and stakeholders with resources to encourage and favor the integration of immigrant students, in a multilingual educational model. In 2018, Maristak collaborated in CyVETsecurity 2018-1-ES01-KA202-050465. Vocational education resources to develop cybersecurity skills, where different initiatives carried out to build a cybersecurity capacity in Europe, at national and international level, and feeds from the momentum cybersecurity is having in the European agenda by addressing these detected needs. In 2020, INVET 2020-1-ES01-KA202-082301 project was develop with aim of developing inclusion models and resources for VET students at risk of dropping out. In 2020 as well, Maristak collaborated in DualECOsystems – EU Alliances for ICT 2020-1-IT01-KA202-008471, which aimed to share and confront on samples of best practices adopted by each partner, to improve the functioning of the local “ecosystems” and similar EU approaches. With this project background in VET training, Maristak is a partner that’s suits perfectly in MULE project due to its experience combining innovation in the learning and pedagogical processes, as well as an endless effort providing the skills demanded in the industry to adapt and respond to their need with agility and proficient quality.

Università degli Studi di Bergamo (UniBg) is a State University with more than 23,000 students enrolled on various degree programs: 15 undergraduate degrees, 25 graduate degrees and 6 PhD programs. The increasing number of students and a staff provides a dynamic scientific and teaching environment open to innovations. The 8 Departments and the 7 Research and Service Centres enjoy very close connections with the territory, its institutions, and its cultural and economic environment. They are grouped in three campuses located in three different areas: Campus of Economics and Law (Bergamo), Campus of Humanities (Upper Bergamo) and Campus of Engineering (Dalmine). The strengths of UniBg are the wide range of courses on offer (also through distance learning projects), excellent use of the numerous laboratories available, ambitious research centres, and the fact that it operates in one of the most dynamic areas in Italy, both from a cultural and an economic point of view. Among the excellent facilities available at UniBg there are a wellestablished Language Centre, Computer Labs, and Library services; the diversified and increasing number of international exchanges enable undergraduate, post-graduate and doctoral students, professors and researchers to operate in the framework of different programmes and international agreements; finally, a well-organised career service is offered by the Student Placement Office. UNIBG has an established expertise in participating and managing EU funded projects and the well experienced Research and Technology Transfer Office staff of UNIBG is used to support, in terms of project management, the research project, safeguarding the financial management at the central level. For several years now, the University of Bergamo has been devoting part of its teaching and research activities to the area of the labour market. The theme of promoting the development of skills and personal training is particularly relevant and goes well alongside the ambition to design training models that can be implemented and applied in the VET. The department that is most committed to this and wants to take an active part in this project is the Department of Human and Social Sciences. Within the latter, the working group led by Professor Andrea Potestio and Professor Paolo Bertuletti will be directly involved.

ENGIM is a VET organization in the form of a foundation working at national and international level. ENGIM organises training and guidance activities in Italy and abroad for young people and workers, to develop their vocational skills and their personal and social advancement. ENGIM operates in 8 Italian regions, with 27 centres and with approx. 10.000 students, and 1000 employees (800 trainers). The target groups of the training activities are: young people, unemployed and employed adults with and without qualifications, migrants, disabled and people with special needs. Our fields of training are diverse but all of them involve a strong component of work-based learning and practical experience. Across the regions, one of the main training field in which ENGIM is engaged is ICT; ENGIM cooperates at its local levels with several companies and stakeholders in the form of “local skills ecosystem”. Other activities involve networks for Apprenticeship, career guidance for the labour market and labour market insertion, social innovation and integration (food truck, SANGA bar run by students with special needs…). ENGIM is involved in European cooperation, organizing mobilities for its students and staff and in projects developing partnerships and innovation. ENGIM is also an NGO (non-governmental organization) promoting and managing international development projects in Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Albania, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico. At European level ENGIM is participating to several Erasmus+ projects (especially KA2) which are widening its expriences and contacts as well as raising the competence of the staff and the trainees. ENGIM is part of the EFVET network and members of its working groups especially in the field of tourism and green competences.

Serbia (National Agency for Regional Development, Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia), as well as Erasmus projects. Business Incubator is a partner in the project “Enterprise Europe Network” (member of Serbian consortium). Through the project, the Business incubator supports start-ups that need to internationalise their own business and discover new partners abroad. In the previous 12 years, Business Incubator Novi Sad has supported more than 103 start-ups. The Incubator has become one of the key entrepreneurship hotspots in the city by organising meet-ups, start-up weekends, hackathons, ideathons and other types of events for the start-up community. The key strengths of BINS are education and mentoring programs tailored made for high-tech start-ups. The Incubator provides consultancy, training and mentoring in areas of Business model development, Value proposition design, Digital marketing, Growth hacking, Finance for start-ups, HR for start-ups, Pitching to investors, Branding for start-ups and Go-to-market strategies. The incubator supports established start-ups and teams in the ideation phases. The mission of the Incubator is to help businesses through three primary mechanisms: buffering, bridging, and curating. Through buffering, young firms are protected from competition and external threats through shared essential business services that can help offset costs. Bridging connects firms to outside resources, knowledge and social capital, often including networking with mentors and investors with industry expertise. When firms need help sifting through many available resources while curating connects them to the most appropriate ones. Several programs have been developed, and among the most successful is nStarter. nStarter is intended for start-ups and teams of would-be entrepreneurs with well-defined business ideas. The program is designed for teams with excellent technology knowledge/insight and a vague business idea. The program helps passionate, young entrepreneurs take their ideas to the next level, while having a lasting impact on their educational and professional development. Meetups, organized by nStarter, help Novi Sad’s startup ecosystem become more vibrant and communicative, allowing for idea and experience transfer between experienced foreign and domestic experts and local start-up community. BINS, as representative of stakeholders in VET, employer and representative of digital and creative industries, will participate in all WPs, contributing actively to the state-of-the-art analysis of the VET system, development of working paths, transversal e-skills for VET learners, piloting, the establishment of regional ecosystem, and project dissemination. Since 2019. the Incubator has been a local hub for EIT RawMaterials, partnering in the EIT Jumpstarter project. Since 2022. the Incubator has been supporting the Founder institute Serbia pre-accelerator.

In 1963 we created the company ekin, and from the trust in people we have managed to be a leading company in the manufacture of machines and broaching and laminating tools, both grooves and serrations and threads of high precision. We collaborate with the most demanding companies at a technological level. In this project called ekin there is a generational coexistence that results in the perfect union between youth and experience. Despite being a staff with a young age average, it is normal for jobs to be maintained for a lifetime, which means a high degree of commitment to those who come behind. We are a large team in number, but very cohesive, which governs the principle of solidarity and commitment to the society of which we are part, with the environment in which we develop our activity and the future of all of them. The wealth that we generate reverts to the well-being of the people around us. With a total of four own centers in three continents (Ekin Amorebieta, Ekin Lemoa -Bizkaia-, Ekin India -Gurgaon, Haryanaand Ekin México -Querétaro-) adds a total staff of 360 workers. Our commitment to R + D + i and the adaptation of our products to the needs of each client have made us a benchmark in Europe and worldwide. Thanks to our extraordinary engineering department they imagine, design and create and collaborations with leading European technology centers, we can offer companies leading and personalized products. Thanks to our high level of competitiveness, in 1994 we became one of the first Basque companies to obtain the ISO 9000 certificate. ekin has also been awarded quality certificates by the most demanding customers on the market: the leading automotive manufacturers. Machines are the products which best represent ekin’s knowhow, and we manufacture all the machines necessary for producing each part and tool. We are world leaders in high-precision machines and tools for broaching and cold rolling. Moreover, we are a key player in this industry in Europe, with full in-house design, development and assembly capacity.

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Team

Germany

Vivian Harberts
Head of the project consortium
University of Bremen, Institute Technology and Education
Phone:  +49 (0) 421 / 218 – 66 3 11
Mail: harberts@uni-bremen.de

Dr. Christine Siemer
University of Bremen, Institute Technology and Education
Phone:  +49 (0) 421 / 218 – 66 3 34
Mail: chsiemer@uni-bremen.de

Italy

Prof. Paolo Bertuletti
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo
Phone: +39 0352052912
Mail: paolo.bertuletti@unibg.it

Stefano Remuzzi
Fondazione ENGIM Lombardia ETS
Coordinatore Sede Regionale
Phone: +39 3346541205
Mail: stefano.remuzzi@engimlombardia.org

Arianna Taravella
Università degli Studi di Bergamo
Mail: arianna.taravella@unibg.it

Spain

Aitor Calle
Ekin S.Coop.
Phone: +34 629620768
Mail: acalle@ekin.es

Ricardo Ferreria
Maristak
Phone: +946810058
Mail: rferreria@maristak.com

Serbien

Prof. Nataša Papić-Blagojević
Novi Sad School of Business
Phone:
Mail: npapic.blagojevic@gmail.com

Prof. Račić Željko
Visoka poslovna škola strukovnih studija u Novom Sadu
Phone: +381 051/430-046
Mail: zeljko.racic@ef.unibl.org

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Contact

Project coordination

Vivian Harberts
Institute technology and education
Am Fallturm 1
28359 Bremen, Germany

Mail: harberts@uni-bremen.de