Innovative VET for key competences in the emerging field of forest bioeconomy Erasmus Project

Project Title

Innovative VET for key competences in the emerging field of forest bioeconomy

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: Open and distance learning; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Energy and resources

Project Summary

In the period 2019-2021 international project partners developed learning program and e-course and by that enable forestry and other professionals to, in a sustainable manner, deliver products and services from forests with higher added value.
Achieved results are:
– Intellectual outputs: OI1 – Curriculum and OI2 – e-course on forest based bioeconomy and handbook
– Achieved all planned objectives of the project
– Secured sustainability of e-course
– Increased the capacities in partner institutions and target groups.

The project objectives were achieved by:
– Increased knowledge and gained key competences in forest based bioeconomy among forestry related professionals.
– Increased the current base of VET and LLL programs in partner countries with innovative and comprehensive forest based bioeconomy training.

The target groups were forestry and wood processing professionals, other forest related professionals (pharmacy, medicine, food industry), regional and local governments’, VET providers, such as chambers of commerce, chambers of entrepreneurs and chambers of forestry and wood processing engineers and project partners, as well as forestry related high schools and faculties.
Curriculum provided basis for quality learning for projects target groups and enables our target groups to learn on a unique forest based bioeconomy e-learning platform, which will improve the quality and efficiency of educational and training and enhance creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship among them through innovative, interactive learning.
The partners improved their experiences in learning material development, knowledge on emerged new topic, institutional cooperation, group and complementing work, discussion, stakeholders’ interaction and analysis of different materials.

To achieve those objectives, following results were produced:
1. Multilingual curriculum on forest based bioeconomy (OI1) – developed in English, Croatian, German and Slovenian languages. Curriculum provided basis for quality learning for projects target groups.
2. Multilingual e-course “Forest based bioeconomy” (OI2) – developed in English, Croatian, German and Slovenian languages. E-course ensured comprehensive knowledge and key competences in forest based bioeconomy for wider forest bioeconomy stakeholders through innovative, interactive learning.
3. Multilingual handbook for users of the e-learning course developed and uploaded into the Moodle platform enable easy use of e-course and navigation through the Moodle.
4. The training event (C1) for partners increased key competences on development of the material for comprehensive training program for 15 participants. The partners improved their competences in the development of learning materials and in topic itself.
5. Additional training event increased partners’ digital competences in multimedia materials development (interactive presentations, videos) for 13 project participants.
6. Piloting of the e-course training implemented by each partner providing training to 104 learners during the project.
7. Increased capacities of 104 members of target groups in understanding and implementing forest based bioeconomy and digital competencies among learners participating in piloting of the e-learning course.
8. Increased awareness of the more than 100 members of the target groups which participate at Final conference as main multiplier event.
9. Increased number of participants in VET and LLL during the piloting training for 117 target group members.

Innovativeness of the e-course is in its main characteristics:
– It is on-line, open access education program, publicly available for free, continuously available on LMS platform
– It is multilingual and interdisciplinary – covering forestry, economy, environment protection, policy, entrepreneurship
– It contains multimedia material – is visually attractive, interesting, active
– It uses modern, efficient teaching methods (presentations, storytelling, videos, interviews, self-assessment, best practise examples)
– It is interactive with practical tasks and quizzes along the whole e-course
– It is self-assist, with self-evaluation, final exam and evaluation of the course it self
– It is innovative in relation to content as brings new emerging topics for which training programs on national languages does not exist in partner countries.
– It brings lot of best practices examples and country related topics explained in videos.

The main activities were:
– Training in development of learning materials
– Development of multilingual curriculum
– Training in multimedia material development
– Development of E-course and all learning and multimedia materials
– Development of Handbook for users of e-course
– Dissemination and advertising activities, stakeholder interaction
– Piloting of the e-course with its evaluation
– Transnational project meetings and project management meetings
– Main dissemination event – Final project conference organization

Project Website

http://vet4bioeconomy.sumins.hr

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 177863 Eur

Project Coordinator

HRVATSKI SUMARSKI INSTITUT & Country: HR

Project Partners

• ZAVOD ZA GOZDOVE SLOVENIJE
• UNIVERSITAET FUER BODENKULTUR WIEN
• INSTITUT ZA RAZVOJ I MEDUNARODNE ODNOSE
• VISOKO UCILISTE ALGEBRA
• GOZDARSKI INSTITUT SLOVENIJE
• BUNDESFORSCHUNGS UND AUSBILDUNGSZENTRUM FUR WALD NATURGEFAHREN UND LANDSCHAFT