AI Pioneers, is an Erasmus+ Forward Looking,  cross-sectoral project aims at promoting the use and teaching of artificial intelligence (AI) in adult education and vocational training (VET). UNESCO recognizes the potential of AI to accelerate the achievement of global education goals by reducing barriers to learning access, automating management processes, and optimizing methods to improve learning outcomes. The European Digital Action Plan highlights that digital technology, when used effectively, can support high-quality and inclusive education for all learners.

The project aims to explore, promote and evaluate the use of AI for Adult Education and Vocational education and training, both the use for teaching and training and the curriculum needs of working with AI. The project also aims to support the development of new initiatives and projects using AI as a necessary step towards the mainstreaming of AI n education in Europe.

Partnership :

DiCe’s primary aim is to introduce new practices of citizenship by exploring emerging digital technologies as a source and a medium for creating pedagogical material in the sector of Adult Education.

DiCE will develop an educational program (adult education) comprising 6 modules, which will provide capacity building with regard to digital citizenship. This will be implemented in 5 EU countries, with at least 180 adult educators. It will also create an online toolkit to enable the digitalization of that program, adding new digital features. Finally, it will engage in an awareness campaign promoting digital citizenship, including an international conference and 4 National info days.

The objectives of the project are:

• To develop an educational program on digital citizenship.
• To incorporate inclusion strategies for marginalised groups in its programme.
• To implement that program in 5 EU member states (France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Ireland) by training adult educators on
  its subject matter.
• To create an innovative digital toolkit.
• To promote digital citizenship in adult education and other sectors across the EU.

Partnership :

Digital technologies can support Europeans working in the agri-food sector in providing safe, sustainable, and quality food. Not only do they help them “produce more with less”, but they can also contribute to fighting climate change. Digitisation can also play a role in creating a better life in Europe’s rural areas.  The European Commission (EC) aims to make the agricultural sector and rural areas in Europe digitised and data-empowered.

The aim of the project is to develop a model of digital skills vocational training course for persons working in the agri-food
sector and living in rural areas, they can learn to assess and implement the best practices and technologies for their
work. Specific objectives of the project are:

• To design and deploy an innovative upskilling pathway addressed to persons involved in the agri-food sector and living in rural areas.
• To foster the development of digital skills and competencies among persons working in the agri-food sector and living in rural areas by proposing innovative, flexible learning opportunities
  in different settings (face-to-face, blended, and online)
• To promote EUROPAS as a tool for participants to document their skills and experience
• To Develop a digital repository of Open Educational Resources for digital skills development that meet the specific needs of persons working in the agri-food sector and living in rural areas
• To support VET teachers and trainers to develop and use their resources by proposing a learning scenario model.
• To reduce the digital gap in rural areas in Europe through non-formal and informal education;
• To Promote lifelong learning in rural areas as a tool for socio-economic development.

Partnership :

The project’s main motivation arises from the need to improve media and information literacy (MIL) and behaviors/attitudes
in relation to environmentalism and climate change, especially to people with fewer opportunities, and in a self-paced,
adaptable format. It is based on the perception that education and training as well as reflectivity are key to counter climate
denial, and that both climate denial and unsustainable behaviors and attitudes are closely linked to difficulties to identify
and access easily understandable and trustworthy information.

Climate denial comes in many forms today, including those who reject the scientific consensus that climate change is real
and driven by manmade activities, and those who accept that, but reject the idea that we can do something to mitigate and
adapt to it.

The problem is that oftentimes people are bombarded with news and thus quickly go through posts and links without fact-checking
or thinking twice about that information. This in turn makes it harder for people to consume credible data and,
especially in the case of news related to climate change, it influences public opinion in a way that may delay urgent action to
be taken. That is why it is increasingly important to promote media literacy (our capacity to access, critically regard, and
interact with media) in topics related to climate change. Likewise, in a time when migration is widespread and each
individual action counts, it has never been so important to make information regarding environmental matters accessible to
all, such as how to recycle properly in each country and what you can do as a citizen to behave more eco-friendly.

• ECOLitAct seeks to empower VET practitioners/educators and learners to counter misinformation related to the environment
  and climate change, and to inspire them to adopt eco-friendly behaviors/attitudes. It seeks to develop digital Green
  education/training opportunities and material embracing “eco-literacy” (MIL applied to ecology and climate change) and that
  focus on behavioral/attitude shifts while being available to all, especially to individuals with fewer opportunities and in a
  digital format.
• The project will support climate action by inspiring critical thinking, developing digital and MIL skills, and encouraging
  attitude/behavioral shifts. It will do so by creating learning material compiled in a Toolkit and Handbook reviewed/tested
  with 75 practitioners/educators in total. It will make this learning opportunity available to all in a self-paced and individualized
  manner through an educational structure based on a self-assessment tool which will guide each person’s learning pathway.

Partnership :

Other outputs include:

• The Generic Framework: The generic framework contains a desktop research to assess carrier preparedness factors and potential development outcomes, and focus group reports done in each country with young people and youth workers. As a result of this assessment, ì a framework of problems and challenges young people face will be developed with consequent development goals, as well as a keyword system.
• Youth Worker Training Curriculum: A two-level training course for training peer mentors and youth workers on the use of folk tale boxes and the screening tool. There will be core modules, which are to be delivered to peer mentors by the youth workers, and modules, which are for the youth workers themselves delivered by our trainers.