Auto-Cove 2.0- project follows Council Recommendation on VET by upskilling presently studying vehicle mechanics, vehicle and spare parts sales students and vehicle engineering students. It will also reskill already working VET-teachers on both secondary and tertiary levels and already working vehicle mechanics, vehicle salespersons and vehicle engineers in the industry. The main principle of the project output development work is to adapt vehicle field education to meet labour market needs: to modify the curriculums of vehicle sector and even business sector students to fill skills gap in the sector. Therefore, students need to learn, how to service also alternative energy vehicles and their driver safety (ADAS-) systems. There is very little or no this kind of content in present curriculums in vehicle field in partner countries. Altogether 17 study modules and 10 courses for teachers or industry representatives are developed during this project. Topics can be seen in figure above.
Auto Cove 2.0 project in a nutshell
All the developed study modules will be developed in digital form and gamification tools will be utilized to make them easily accessible and attracting. Therefore, both: the development work of study modules and training courses will enhance digital skills among both teacher groups: the ones, who develop the content on the dissemination platform and the ones, who use them, after they are completed and disseminated. The new study module and training course content is based on recent research and newest clean-tech vehicles know-how, which means that each of them is truly innovative.
Auto-Cove 2.0 project is also a green project, because it supports the transition towards cleaner energy sources in vehicle field. Training competent specialists who have the relevant skills will provide security for the end used or the vehicles. It will provide secure feeling to ordinary car users to make the decision to start using clean-tech-vehicles, when they know, that there will also be service available, once it is needed. Now the lack of competent electric vehicle mechanics causes several months queues for instance in Finland.
The objectives of this project are in line also with the European Green Deal Communication strategy, because this project also focuses on strategy’s central points:
- investing in environmentally friendly technology
- supporting innovation in the industry
- facilitating transition to cleaner, in the long run also cheaper and healthier private and public transportation forms.
Sustainability – a green link in VET is also one of four areas, on which Osnabrück Declaration focuses for the years 2021 to 2025. It is completely in line with Auto-Cove’s main project objectives. Auto-Cove –project also supports high quality and innovative vocational education and training systems, as it is recommended in Council recommendation on VET for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience. Osnabrück declaration “Pact for Skills” summarizes the key aspects outlined in 4 strategic documents of the EU: 1) European Skills Agenda; 2) European Industrial Strategy; 3) the Digital Education Plan 2021-2027 and the European Green Deal. Auto Cove 2.0 will address all the four key aspects outlined by the Pact for Skills:
- Promoting a culture of lifelong learning for all: The project activities will involve both learners and There will be young people attending courses for a qualification at level EQF 4 and 5, but training courses will be directed to vocational teachers and industry representatives also on EQF level 5 and 6. Already during the project company representatives will be invited to participate in the training courses at the VET-institutes to upgrade themselves in at least 5 of the project countries. This project also enhances modularising Vehicle sector’s VET programme and expand it to higher level of qualifications. Auto-Cove consortium also increases attractiveness of Vehicle sector’s VET for learners and companies by providing up-to-date high technology education and increased internationalisation opportunities in the form of mobilities for staff members and vehicle students. With staff members we mean both: teachers of vehicle technology in partner institutes and co-operation company representatives to upskill their know-how in greener vehicle technologies in partner institutes in The Netherlands, Finland, Estonia, France, Latvia, Lithuania and Germany. International mobilities for staff and students are an integral part of the project activities as the technology and the technological education does not know country borders. The technology is and will be used EU wide and therefore the project aims to provide relevant education opportunities to students from all consortium countries to have access to equal training opportunities. The equal opportunities in training will be reflected in equal service standards and employment opportunities for graduates in all countries.
- Building strong skills partnerships: this principle is already well reflected by the composition of ourconsortium, bringing together different participants. Furthermore, the impact and sustainability activity will be strongly focused on building local networks of stakeholders, because there are several VET institutes in seven project countries as associate partners both from secondary and tertiary levels’ education for the project, which have promised their vehicle sector staff to:
- participate in the skills gap analysis.
- receive the newsletters every 6 months of the project and follow the progress of the project – participate in project output dissemination events as soon as they are arranged – pilot the project outputs in their own institutes with their students.
- Monitoring skills supply/demand and anticipating skills needs: the first phase of the project will consistof mapping the skills needs of the vehicle companies and VET-institutes. This will be done through a thorough study in all the participating countries at the very beginning of the project. Moreover, to ensure sustainability and have a constant feed from companies, the project has invited two representatives to the steering committee from the business life: First Steering Committee company member is the technical chief of Finnish central organisation of Motor trades and service. The Second Steering committee company member is a representative from the Dutch company Electude International. Also, the participating partner companies from vehicle field have promised to reflect the development of skills needs to the project key experts to be aware of real changes and needs of the sector.
- Working against discrimination and for gender equality and equal opportunities: a special attentionwill be paid to young people with fewer opportunities such as: special educational needs and risk of marginalisation due to ethnic background. When recruiting students for project international mobilities in this project, in each student group there shall be at least one candidate from the rarer gender (in this case female) and at least one candidate from different nationality from the main nationality of the country or one candidate with some special needs due to his/her background or from a challenging socio-economic background. Whenever possible such students will be included in the project activities.