Millennials and Post-Millennials: Challenges and Opportunities for Teachers and Employers Erasmus Project

Project Title

Millennials and Post-Millennials: Challenges and Opportunities for Teachers and Employers

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Research and innovation; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

All project partners work with the digital generation (Generation Y (those born after 1980, also known as Millennials, Generation Me and Echo Boomers) refers to a person reaching young adulthood around the year 2000; generation Z (born after 1995, also known as Post-Millennials, Centennials, the iGeneration, Founders, Plurals, or Digital Natives) and recognize that teachers often lack the knowledge and skills to choose effective methods and approaches to work with this target group.
The digital age is transforming our work and our routines. It is transforming the way our students access information, communicate with each other and learn. This age has not transformed most teaching and learning process in classrooms.
A recent OECD study shows that the average age of educators is between 40 and 60. The issue is topical also in all partner schools because the representatives of X-generation prevailing in our partner organizations find it increasingly complicated to work with the Millennials and Post-Millennials. Through this project we want to listen to students on how they want to learn and to inquire experts about the psychological recommendations on the preferred principles for working with this generation. We are aware of the many-fold feature of the problem and we think that namely new pedagogical approaches and techniques in the work with the Millennials and Post-Millennials can provide help to the teacher generation in coping with the challenges.
The title of our project “Millennials and Post-Millennials: Challenges and Opportunities for Teachers and Employers” (project acronym: “OMICHO” (Our Millennials: Challenges and Opportunities) raises the question of how the school management can react and adapt to the needs generated by the digital generation.
The aim of the project is to develop, test and implement the teaching and learning methods, educational tools to improve dialogue among Millennials and Post-Millennials, teachers and employers.
The objectives of the project are:
– research on the millennium and post-millennium generations;
– create and adapt the teaching methods, education instruments and approbate them in practical lessons.
The actors directly involved in the project will be:
– the project team (in Bulgaria, Slovenia and Latvia – five teachers and one project coordinator, in Finland – four teachers and one coordinator);
– about 100 students aged 15-20 years from each partner organization with which will be tested new teaching methods, educational tools developed in the project;
– for conducting research: 100-150 respondents from students, 30-50 respondents from teachers, 15-20 respondents from employers of each country;
– four sector experts (3 from Latvia, 1 from Finland) for educational activities and training during the project training sessions in Riga and Porvoo.
The main project activities will be as follows:
– two short-term joint staff training events;
– creation and maintenance of the project website;
– two online questionnaires on the Millennials and Post-Millennials;
– two transnational project meetings;
– video conference (evaluation of the first project work year);
– implementation of innovative teaching methods (approbation, discussions, analysis, compilation, development of recommendations);
– organization of workshops and seminars;
– organization and development of collaborations with local entities;
– organization of national conferences.
The project envisages three main intellectual outcomes:
– research on results of questionnaires, report;
– approaches and recommendations for working with the Millennials and Post-Millennials;
– project website.
Through the cooperation of the four partners the innovation in the teaching-learning process can contribute to reaching the stated aims and finding new solutions to common problems.
The new teaching and learning methods will facilitate cooperation, prepare students for diversity and cross-cultural interaction, cultivate knowledge creation, and promote engagement inside and outside the classroom.
New approaches and education tools that are favored by the Millennials and Post-Millennials, recommendations for more effective work with these generations will strengthen the capacity of teachers and employers to understand the specific features of this generation and adapt the teaching and learning processes.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 70233 Eur

Project Coordinator

PROFESIONĀLĀS IZGLĪTĪBAS KOMPETENCES CENTRS “RĪGAS VALSTS TEHNIKUMS” & Country: LV

Project Partners

• SOLSKI CENTER NOVA GORICA
• FOUNDATION FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE CULTURAL BPOCS
• Careeria Oy