Lifelong Learning / Upskilling

Solaride is a project for students who want to contribute hands-on to solving our dependence on fossil fuels. To do so, the students are building a working solar car and taking it to the ultimate test run in Australia in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. The ultimate objective of Solaride is to promote engineering and its career options in Estonia.

The project gathers ambitious students from different fields, such as engineers, electronics, mechanics, software etc. from all over Estonia. The project has grown continuously into the size of an average company. Currently there are almost 70 team members. The team also has various prominent mentors from universities and companies to share their know-how with the students. Besides that, Solaride has strong support from cooperation with several Estonian universities and gives participating students the opportunity to gain practical knowledge and compete in an international competition. With this, the project promotes engineering and technology among the pupils and students.

The ultimate objective of Solaride is to promote engineering and its career options in Estonia. As a country Estonia faces a serious shortage of engineers and specialists, now and in the future. The overall aim of the project is to promote STEM career paths through hands-on experiences early on. The promotion of technology and engineering is therefore important to bring people to engineering and have the necessary workforce in the future. The programme also contributes to the development of innovation and science-based economy in Estonia. According to the analysis on the workforce needed in Estonia, in 10 to 15 years, 60% of the occupations are the kind of which we do not have today. Therefore, adapting with new and novel technology is critical.

The Merkuur programme has developed mobile workshops to introduce various trades, techniques and tools in the metal and wood industries to young people and to offer them hands-on opportunities to test the tasks associated with these trades in order to raise their career awareness and competitiveness in the fields of technology and engineering.

Merkuur has two mobile workshops and more than sixty different learning solutions to provide young people with hands-on opportunities to carry out tasks in metal and woodwork, electronics, bionics and many other engineering fields. The Mobile Workshops are self-built mobile classrooms and therefore workshop activities can take place all over Estonia. Schools, vocational school and other interested organizations can request the mobile classroom service at their premises.

In the beginning, the Mobile Workshop service and its activities were provided as a form of non-formal learning. Since 2018, the team has consistently worked on developing partnerships with various educational schools, vocational schools and colleges. Teachers and mentors of mobile workshops organise technology lessons, project days and hobby groups in schools. In addition to daily activities, the team has developed a modern methodological material used to introduce CNC equipment to young people and to implement their new knowledge both individually and in teams, while carrying out product development tasks, testing various material treatment methods and preparing metal and wood products with a real purpose.

The objective is to give young people practical knowledge about engineering and technology, which is measured by the number of kids participating in the activities of Mobile Workshop.

The objectives of the workshops are related to a broader government strategy to raise the popularity of engineering as a career choice due to the fact that Estonia is facing a shortage of engineers, failing to meet the current labour market demand as well as the expected demand in the future. In addition, the programme is associated with the aim to develop a research-intensive economy. By educating young people and giving them early access to hands-on engineering possibilities, it increases the interest of students in starting a career in engineering.

Research has shown the importance of continuous investment in skills (lifelong learning). Small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s) in the Netherlands tend to invest relatively little in lifelong learning. Research by the Dutch ministry of Economic Affairs (EZK) has shown that the main obstacle to increased (structural) investment in the continuous development of employees is not a financial but practical. For example, smaller companies find it more difficult to free up personnel to participate in lifelong learning activities, but also find it more difficult to identify learning opportunities suitable to their specific company / sector.

The Dutch ministry of Economic Affairs responded to this challenge with the MKB!dee: A programme that supports SME’s in the development of lifelong learning activities that fit the needs of their specific company type, size and sector. The programme is funded by the Dutch ministry of Economic Affairs and part of the broader MKB Actieplan ('SME Action Plan'). It is implemented by the Dutch national STEM platform supported by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) which monitors and evaluates the programme. Participating SME’s can apply for a total grant of max. 125.000 euro (individual SME’s) or 200.000 euro (multiple SME’s) for the development of new / experimental lifelong learning activities relevant for their company / sector. The main objective of the MKB!dee programme is twofold:

1. To provide practical and financial support to SME’s in the Netherlands in the development of (experimental) lifelong learning activities that suit the needs of their company
2. To identify and upscale successful lifelong learning approaches developed in the context of the programme.

In addition to general quality criteria, project proposals submitted by SME’s are evaluated on the extent to which they contribute to pre-defined policy objectives of the Dutch ministry of Economic Affairs. These include:

• Climate and energy transition
• Increasing the number and quality of STEM and ICT professionals
• Digitalisation of SME’s
• Lifelong learning in small SME's (< 50 employees)

Every two years, Science on Stage organises Europes biggest educational festival from and for STEM teachers. Each time hosted by a different country, the event brings together up to 450 STEM teachers from over 30 countries to share and exchange their ideas and concepts for a successful science education from primary to secondary school.

Every participant presents his or her good-practice teaching examples to their international colleagues at stands, in workshops and in on-stage-presentations. Following the principle 'from teachers for teachers' the festival supports the professional development of the educators. Furthermore the most innovative best-practice teaching concepts find their way to teacher trainings, brochures and teaching materials after the event.

Teachers are competitively selected to be part of their country’s delegation through rigorous application processes and national events.

The next European Science on Stage festival takes place will take place from 24-27 March 2022 in Prague, Czech Republic.

The healthcare sector is rapidly changing. To ensure the best possible care for everyone, healthcare professionals should adapt to these changes continuously. Zorgpact (Health Pact) is an initiative of the Dutch government that aims to support and strenghten ‘bottom-up’ cooperation in the healthcare field via regional ‘healthcare pacts’. These pacts are action agenda’s for cooperation created by networks of healthcare providers, education institutions and local government.

Building on the successful Techniekpact (Technology Pact) approach, Zorgpact facilitates regional cooperation, monitors regional developments, highlights relevant themes, and boosts best practice sharing between regions. On the national level, Zorgpact supports the regions by mapping legislative barriers, thematic research (e.g. impact of technological developments) and by connecting the initiatives to relevant instruments (e.g. the Dutch regional investment fund for Vocational Education and Training) for the development of new innovative approaches and solutions.