• The DESTINE (DivErsity and Tolerance IN E-Environment) project, co-funded by the European Union, within the framework of the Erasmus+ programme, aims to contribute to the innovation in vocational education and training by increasing the attractiveness of Vocational Education Training.

• The french NGO’s OSENGO is leading this project in which, together with the greek’s NGO Simplexys, the Vocational training institute Akmi, germany’s BK Consult Gbr, Irish’s Future in Perspective Limited, the romanian’s NGO Centrul Pentru Promovarea Invatarii Peramente Timsioara Asociatia and the spanish’s non-profit foundation Finnova, have created a consortium which aims to bring inclusion and diversity in all areas of education, training, youth and sport.

The expansion of Covid-19 highlighted the challenges arising from technological and demographic changes that Vocational Education Training had to face in order to respond adequately to the needs of the labour market and society. That is why OSENGO, an NGO specialised in VET, decided to lead this project which aims to enable teachers, trainers and trainers to adapt to this new reality by integrating the challenges of diversity and tolerance in digital and online learning programmes.

In this context, the European Commission co-finances this project with a budget of 284 297 euros, within the framework of the Erasmus + programme in which a total of seven public and private institutions from six diferent european countries participate and cooperate during two years, from the 1 ^st november 2021 until 1^st november 2023.

CONSORTIUM MEMBERS

OSENGO, the leader of the project, is a non-profit VET organization, specialized in lifelong learning and vocational education, member of the French Vocational Education Federation. OSENGO has been supporting various target groups towards lifelong vocational education or career change: employees (managers, entrepreneurs), young people, unemployed people, disabled workers, seniors, etc.

OSENGO provides qualifying and certifying training in hospitality, catering, social, tertiary, commercial and digital sectors. Beyond these certificated courses, the OSENGO Group offers also tailor-made services. OSENGO created a special department for Europe related topics in 1994 and has since led numerous projects of mobility and pedagogical engineering. 

SYMPLEXIS is a Greek non-for-profit organization that strives to ensure equal opportunities for all through actions and measures that build skills, empower and promote active engagement and participation focusing on the most vulnerable categories of the population and particularly those with fewer opportunities.

Symplexis’ mission is to elevate social cohesion through integrated actions and project-based activities that aim at promoting the inclusion of disadvantaged groups at risk of marginalization and exclusion, while promoting and protecting the rights of various types of population groups that face discrimination focusing on the empowerment and support of victims, awareness raising and information sharing at all levels. 

AKMI ANONIMI EKPAIDEFTIKI ETAIRIA: The Institute of Vocational Training AKMI is one of the leading Vocational Training Institutes in Greece providing post-secondary education, with more than 37.500 m2 of infrastructure in various cities in Greece, including one of the most highly profiled Campuses in the Country. Every year, approx. 14,000+ students are enrolled to study one of the 107 specialties, in more than 340 laboratories in 6 cities across Greece: Athens, Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Crete, Larissa, Rhodes. 

BK Consult GbR is a niche service provider, with vast -over 20 years- experience in Project Management and service delivery. BK-Con covers the thematic fields of: Education, including the design and delivery of Training Curricula, using state of the art methodologies (TNA, DACUM, EU Competence Frameworks, EQAVET, EU Credit systems, Learning Agreements, Evaluation through the creation of feedback loops), and smart ICT and other tools like e-learning through MOOC platforms, gamification, experiential education; Employment, either as facilitators through the support of start-ups and entrepreneurship, or through the effective upskilling and reskilling of employees and unemployed, according to the actual market needs.

FUTURE IN PERSPECTIVE LIMITED is an irish private company working in the field of youth, adult and vocational education, with expertise in the areas of e-learning, digital media and social inclusion. The company specialises in the development of innovative educational materials and courseware specifically targeted at non-mainstream educational providers.  Digital media production is our passion and so it is at the heart of the work that FIP undertakes. Through our Digital Media Zone (DMZ) based in Virginia, Ireland, trainers from FIP operate weekly digital media hubs with local groups, especially those from a marginalised background. The aim of these hubs is to re-engage hard-to-reach communities in education and training, with an aim of supporting them to explore careers in the ever-expanding digital media sector. FIP is not primarily a direct service provider to adult and young learners but rather works closely with a network of education organisations, institutions and programmes to provide new educational materials and in-service training to front-line professionals. 

CENTRUL PENTRU PROMOVAREA INVATARII PERMANENTE TIMISOARA ASOCIATIA is a Romanian NGO that works in the area of Lifelong Learning since 2005. CPIP is committed to mainstreaming the principle of equal opportunities for all citizens in the public policies and associated practices, as an integral part of democratization and the creation of an open society. CPIP is working in multicultural contexts with partners from all-over Europe. CPIP promotes the culture of “lifelong learning” through the active involvement of community members in developing a coherent implementation strategy of the concept and practice of lifelong learning. The mission of CPIP is to bring forward the concept of lifelong learning and make it accessible to the communities with which we come into contact. 

Fundación Delegación Fundación Finnova is the European Foundation for Innovation Finance based in Brussels and Spain that supports the financing of innovation in companies, regions and municipalities. Its objectives are to promote public-private cooperation through innovation to address societal challenges such as employment, training, entrepreneurship, the UN SDGs, the circular economy, etc. To achieve these objectives, Finnova collaborates directly with the European Commission in the implementation of the initiative by organising the Startup Europe Awards, an open innovation methodology to recognise the best European startups in the social field. Finnova also has a strong commitment to youth and the training of young talent. Through its «Next Talent Generation» platform, it offers opportunities to boost mobility. It also collaborates with initiatives such as the Finnova – Girls4Tech Startup Europe Awards, within the framework of the Technovation Girls programme, to promote youth technological entrepreneurship through the development of mobile applications that respond to real problems linked to the United Nations SDGs. 

About DESTINE  

In a context marked by recent technological changes, shifts in global economic power, accelerating urbanization and demographic changes, coupled with the importance of digital as recently highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic; the DESTINE project, funded by the Erasmus + programme, responds to the challenge of addressing the issues of inclusion, diversity and tolerance in the online and distance learning environment. Specifically, the project aims to develop and improve the skills and competences of teachers, trainers and mentors in the field of inclusion and diversity as applied to e-learning. 

About ERASMUS + 

Erasmus+ 2021-2027 is the European Union’s renewed programme in the fields of education and training, youth and sport, offering opportunities for all people and in all education sectors (School Education, Professional Training, Higher Education and Adult Education). This new Erasmus+ is more international, more inclusive, more digital and greener, supporting digital transformation, inclusion and diversity, as well as the environment and the fight against climate change. With a budget of more than €28 billion, it will fund learning-related mobility and cross-border cooperation projects for 10 million people of all ages and from all backgrounds.  “This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.”