Structured Program for Enhancing Employability by Developing Future Ready Skills

The SPEED project was driven by several key needs: 1. Enhancing Employability: We created a digital training platform (GEMS-mATP) to help VET students develop transversal skills, improving their job prospects. 2. Addressing Skills Mismatch: We aimed to bridge the gap between VET courses and employer needs by focusing on skills like innovation management, design thinking, and emotional intelligence. 3. Supporting VET Teachers: We empowered VET teachers with digital tools and techniques, enhancing their readiness and resilience in using gamification for teaching. 4. Responding to Economic Challenges: We addressed the decline in youth employment due to the pandemic and the Ukraine war, which led to job switching and limited opportunities. 5. Sustained Use and Dissemination: We ensured the results were shared among VET schools for sustained use beyond the funded cycle. These needs were identified through feedback from VET teachers and a brainstorming workshop with various stakeholders, highlighting the urgency to enhance VET education’s relevance to job market needs.

We aimed to empower VET teachers by providing them with digital tools and techniques through an innovative microAPPs training platform (mATP). This platform helped them develop their digital readiness and resilience, especially in using gamification methods for teaching. For VET students, we created edutainment-based, visually rich content to boost their cognitive skills and innovative thinking. This content was designed to help them generate new ideas and approaches, making them more employable in their chosen fields and building their competence for cross-sector employability. We also focused on sharing the project’s results with VET schools to ensure that the benefits would continue to be used and exploited even after the funding period ended.