GSSkills Project – Geothermal and Solar skills

Mutual learning in the field of skills and employment, EU / Sector Skills Councils, Restructuring

European Union’s (EU) new strategy for sustainable growth and jobs, Europe 2020, puts innovation and green growth at the heart of its blueprint for competitiveness. In the future, every job will be a green job. In order to adapt faster, an environmentally–skilled workforce is essential. More and better skills are indispensable for the European labor force, as they make it easier to innovate, adopt new green technologies, attract investment, compete in new markets, and diversify the economy.

According to a study by UNEP on green jobs, which are “jobs in the environmental sector and/or jobs requiring specific environment-related skills”, many existing jobs (i.e. plumbers, electricians, metal, and construction workers), may be altered due to the greening of day-to-day skill sets, work methods and profiles. Workers, in order to avoid the unemployment, should upgrade their existing skills through training tailored to particular “green” needs.

Aim of the project “GSSkills” is to improve the efficiency and adequacy of existing training practices in the field of green installations and in particular that of geothermal and solar ones, and to promote training for low skilled workers in related professional sectors, namely that of electricians and plumbers. The network of collaborating partners consists of geographically wide spread countries, applying different type of low carbon green installations as well as different approaches in vocational training in this sector, resulting in a promising partnership for acquiring project goals.

More specifically, GSskills project has a threefold aim:

  1. Firstly, to identify appropriate skills needed for a worker to meet needs of Geothermal and Solar Installation Specialists.
  2. Secondly, to identify best practices, in promoting training.
  3. Thirdly, to create a network among education institutions, public authorities, professional associations, and business community in the field of Geothermal and Solar Installations in the 4 partners countries.

VETPRO Project in Event Management

In the frame of Mobility projects implementation ECTE organized in October a VETPRO Mobility project in the area of Event Management entitled “PECULIARITY OF EVENT MANAGERS TRAINING IN EU COUNTRIES”.

Seven professionals in this sector visited Rethymno for one week in order to have an intercultural experience. Their daily agenda included theoretical seminars about events organization and administration, public relations, press interviews etc, as well as study visits in private companies and public authorities which are specialized in events organization.

Young architects from Italy in Knossos Palace

According to tradition, it was the seat of the legendary king Minos. The Palace is also connected with thrilling legends, such as the myth of the Labyrinth with the Minotaur, and the story of Daidalos and Icaros.

Young architects from Italy, hosted in Rethymnon, participating in Leonardo da Vinci Programme (EMY0, had the chance to be guided to knossos palace and the archaeological museum of Heraklion. As part of the implementation of the European mobility programs ECTE undertakes the organization of cultural activities, with educational content.

PATiE Project – Psychodrama as a tool in Education

Τhe first transnational meeting and workshop of PATiE project, held in Rethymnon, at the European Center for Employment Training premises, from 21st to 22nd of October 2013. The workshop, referred to the European project «To psychodrama as an educational tool in Education”

The project is implemented under the sectoral program Leonardo da Vinci (LdV), Action Multilateral Projects Transfer of Innovation of the European Lifelong Learning (Lifelong Learning) and funded by the European Commission.

The project consortium will investigate the status quo regarding training structures in various EU countries and develop a highly innovative, internationally competitive modularized training curriculum in experiential learning and psychodrama, with qualification standards specialized for educators in CVET. Aim of the project is to improve the efficiency and adequacy of existing training practices in the field and to promote training for adult educators in psychodrama. In this way, project will support adult educators to acquire the necessary skills needed to apply the method of psychodrama in their didactic practice, through the development of a training program based on their actual educational needs.

Except the European Center in Training for Empolyment – ECTE, the project involves six partners from four different countries, (Greece , Italy, Poland and Spain). Lead partner is K.E.KA.P.E.R. – REGION OF CRETE and collaborating partners are the EUROPEAN CENTER TRAINING FOR EMPLOYMENT- ECTE ( Greece ) , the EST Lifelong Learning Center ( Poland ), Centro Machiavelli SrL ( Italy) the ALECOP S. COOP ( Spain) and Bielskie Stowarzyszenie Artystyczne Teatr Grodzki ( Poland), who have considerable experience in development of training materials and therefore are qualified to add useful information and data on developing and testing the competitive training curriculum. All partners will take part in developing the curriculum and be responsible for WPs and activities suited to their previous experiences.