Fishing Tourism for Blue Economy Erasmus Project

Project Title

Fishing Tourism for Blue 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 adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Open and distance learning

Project Summary

Nowadays marine and maritime sectors are experiencing difficulties in finding their own way of sustainability and development. Blue Economy represents roughly 5.4M jobs in the EU and generates a gross added value of almost €500B a year. Looking to 2030, the blue growth will outperform the EU economy both in terms of added-value and employment. The EU has made clear that it should not miss this opportunity, also integrating fishery and aquaculture activities with other elements of the coastal economy.
As underlined by the 2016 Annual Economic Report on the EU Fishing Fleet, by others, sustainable fishing methods are experiencing a strong decline in job rates (only for the regions involved in this project: -21% less in the last 7 years) as well as income. Innovative solutions to recover these jobs, to create new ones and to develop new skills and qualifications are needed.

FIT4BLUE project addresses the needs of different target groups:
a) the needs of adult trainers/mentors and costal economy organisations for further professionalization and effective training programs able to enhance in the young people/project holders/ fishermen an entrepreneurial spirit and to develop new entrepreneurial initiative in the maritime sectors
b) the needs of young adults/workers linked to the coastal economy ( fishermen/shellfish farmers, sons or relatives of fishermen/shellfish farmers, students,..) for effective training programs to develop their entrepreneurial skills, notably in the maritime sectors (fisheries and aquaculture); the needs of young adults belonging to marginalized/underrepresented groups for a better social and economic inclusion thanks to entrepreneurship and self-employment in the maritime sector
c)The need of the other stakeholders in the VET and maritime fields to improve professionalization of workers and move to a qualitative exploitation through complementary activities with a strong added value

The consortium composed by 6 institutions from France, Italy, Greece and Spain and having in common their strong links with the maritime sector and their experience in education and training put together their competences to develop :
a) E-course for trainers/mentors to support young adults developing new enterprises in the maritime sector, as well as to support fishermen for diversification and to preserve coastal cultural heritage and “know-how”;
b) E-course for low-skilled/low-qualified young adults/workers proposing new and innovative educational paths of entrepreneurship in the Blue Economy
c) Open access web platform through which users can benefit from learning in an autonomous way. It will host the e-courses and will present a benchmark of new processes and marketing techniques to exploit new opportunities in the field of Blue Economy.

The aim is to foster the possibilities of young adults/workers linked with coastal economy into a now saturated world such as fisheries, which is now under severe crisis, and that, in order to survive, it is increasingly focusing on diversification of activities. It will boost new options of tourism against the overcrowded maritime areas which is a new challenge for tourism and will be able to empower some historical fishing areas.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 287856 Eur

Project Coordinator

Coopérative pour le Développement de l’emploi dans les métiers du patrimoine & Country: FR

Project Partners

• FUNDACIÓN PARA LA PESCA Y MARISQUEO -FUNDAMAR-
• SGS TECNOS SA
• AINTEK SYMVOULOI EPICHEIRISEON EFARMOGES YPSILIS TECHNOLOGIAS EKPAIDEFSI ANONYMI ETAIREIA
• Haliéus
• M.A.R.E. SOC. COOP. A R.L.