Entering the Gig economy Erasmus Project

Project Title

Entering the Gig economy

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment

Project Summary

CONTEXT
At first, the term ‘gig’ was commonly used to refer to musicians who would play wherever they could, going from place to place to get paid for their performance. A gig economy nowadays represents an environment in which temporary positions are common and organisations contract with independent workers for short-term engagements.
The whole idea behind the gig economy for its supporters is that individuals – who work as freelancers and do not sign any stable contract of employment – can sell their work on a task to task base.

NEEDS
Labour market dynamics are shifting rapidly driven by technological progress and globalization. At the same time, less people are keen to engage as a full-time employee and also more and more organizations do not issue fixed contracts anymore.

Meanwhile, surprisingly little is known about the realities of ‘gig work’. Is it a liberating new form of self-employment or a new form of exploitation? There is a growing need to reflect on how society deals with these changes in a manner that protects and educates young people.

Furthermore, education and training (towards work) is mainly set up as either a preparatory route towards becoming a professional (employee). And during the last decade, schools and training centers have set up more and more entrepreneurship training courses as well. These are mainly build on turning an idea into a viable businesses. In between these two there is a gap.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Little attention in education and training is geared towards the upcoming form of self employment found in the gig economy. That is exactly where our initiative has its main focus: preparing individuals and communities for the opportunities and threats of the gig economy, foremost those challenged by adversity.

GIG facilitates knowledge development about the emerging GIG economy to share, discuss and develop effective methods to address the risks and opportunities of the GIG economy. We will develop and implement a dedicated Learning Campaign, a Training programme for those affected most by the gig economy labour market, form Regional Alliances and develop Regional strategies and resulting action plans.

PARTICIPANTS
GIG ensures crosss-sectorial cooperation allowing greater synergies across all fields of actions concerning the gig economy labour market. GIG not only educates people (starters on the labour market and those facing adversity) about the opportunities and threats the gig economy entails (IO2), it also unites all stakeholders that are affected by the changes the gig economy will bring; people directly affected by the gig economy labour market themselves but also educational institutes, local and regional authorities, policy makers, youth organisations, co-working spaces, employers organisations, etc. All these actors will join forces in the GIG regional alliances (IO3), understand the implications of the gig economy and create regional strategies and action plans (IO4) to address the gig economy together.
GIG will prove to be a mutual learning process of all stakeholders through active direct involvement of 500+ participants during IO development, the set-up and execution of 4 regional alliances, 8 Multiplier Events and 2 Training Activities.

INTANGIBLE RESULTS UPON COMPLETION
By participating in the GIG project, learners will not only learn about the gig economy and the opportunities and threats it encompasses, when finalising their participation in the project they will be better equipped to enter the labour market and will be armed against the possible exploitation in the gig economy. By joining forces and setting up regional alliances, also stakeholders that are affected by the consequences of the gig economy will have better understanding of the concept and will be better equipped to prepare for this changing environment.

TANGIBLE RESULTS UPON COMPLETION
GIG will develop four tangible Open Educational Resources:
• IO1 – GIG – Learning Campaign
• IO2 – GIG – Training programme for starters on the labour market and job seekers
• IO3 – GIG – Regional Alliance set-up toolkit
• IO4 – GIG – Regional strategy and action plan

These concrete results will be shared with the target group ant other relevant stakeholders and interested external parties via Multiplier Events and other forms of communication.

IMPACT & LONG TERM BENEFITS
GIG effectuates a true change in knowledge, behaviour, perception and competences of the target groups involved concerning the emerging gig economy. In addition it will contribute a transformation in (employment) education practise, regional policy & cooperation.

CONSORTIUM
The GIG consortium consists of 8 complementary partners from IE, NL, ES and ITA which operate in the field of vocational education & training or in education & regional employment policy making and execution, which all possess a regional and international cooperative orientation.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 340886 Eur

Project Coordinator

MEATH COUNTY COUNCIL & Country: IE

Project Partners

• UNION DE COOPERATIVAS ASOCIACION GALEGA DE COOPERATIVAS AGRARIAS
• Comune di Capannori
• STICHTING LEARNING HUB FRIESLAND
• WIN Consultants Ltd
• Concello de Vedra
• Formetica
• STICHTING VOOR ALGEMEEN VOORGEZET ONDERWIJS, BEROEPSONDERWIJS EN VOLWASSENENEDUCATIE