Digital Re-Skilling@universities

"<< Background >>The D-RESKILL@U Project addressed challenges faced by European training institutions in the field of lifelong learning amidst health, social, and environmental crises. It aimed to provide effective and affordable up/reskilling and career guidance tools for the workforce, enhancing employability in rapidly changing work patterns. We started from the observation that public universities had a significant role to play in the field of lifelong learning and continuous education because they could offer quality but affordable services. However, in our view, they lacked advanced tools for recruiting and guiding prospective students based on a target occupation, on one hand, and showcasing their existing or potential course offerings in terms of skills and competencies, learning outcomes, assessment procedures, and microcredentials, on the other. Finally, we noticed that the connection between the aspirations/goals of prospective students and the university's offerings was not well articulated. In our opinion, these needs could be met through a digital orientation tool and a smart course catalogue.<< Objectives >>The D-RESKILL@U project aims to align with the ""European Skills Agenda,"" emphasising equity and inclusivity in socioeconomic development. Its primary goals include:1. Developing a learner-focused curriculum aligned with the European labour market.2. Creating a digital career guidance tool mockup compatible with the ESCO database, providing guidelines across various aspects.3. Actively disseminating outcomes for impactful, sustainable transformation benefiting various stakeholders including students, governing bodies, and teams.Led by Sorbonne Université, the consortium includes Università di Milano, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, EdTech firms Bullini Consulting and Alfheim (from PIXIS/MeshUp Education), and Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, each contributing unique expertise in areas like technical education, distance learning, labour market analysis, career guidance software development, and digital higher education transformation.<< Implementation >>The following activities in D-RESKILL@U were implemented:1. Agree on common concepts among the consortium (use of the ESCO database, define proficiency levels inspired by the EQF) to define a skill gap/ skill alignment procedure, targeting a given occupation. 2. Develop a smart, catalogue of lifelong learning offers based on ESCO database ontologies. This will streamline career planning and university programs, initially focusing on data sciences and chemistry. 3. Develop a digital career guidance software enabling lifelong learners to build curricula from indexed courses, after self-positioning. D-RESKILL@U will provide a dynamic prototype and functional requirements for software development. (production result 2)4. Design training activities on lifelong learning and career guidance innovations, aligning project results with higher education digital transformation strategies. (production result 3)5. Disseminate the outcomes of D-RESKILL@U to various audiences through in-person (conferences), publications and online events (the so-called D-Dialog events), aiming for sustainability beyond EU funding.<< Results >>PR1 aimed to bridge skill gaps, aiding career advancement through a Skill Gap Analysis methodology. This identifies gaps between current and desired skills, guiding Re-/Upskilling, notably in Data Science and Chemistry. We introduced the D-RESKILL@U Skill Proficiency Scale, aligning with EQF, to rate learner and occupational skills. A digital course catalogue was created for lifelong learning, with filters for field/sector, time, skills, and assessed microcredits, aiding trainers and learners by promoting skill-aligned training opportunities. Building on PR1, roles for learners, teachers, and industry experts were redefined. We implemented the smart catalogue and designed a dynamic mockup, ensuring comprehensive tool usage by all stakeholders: learners for assessment and guidance, teachers for course structuring, and industry experts for job skill qualification. The UX was partially tested in SU and during LTT activities in Barcelona. The LTT program (PR3) comprised two workshops for university staff, their governance, and corporate representatives. Other outcomes include global dissemination of D-RESKILL@U methodologies and implementing the career guidance software, pending supplementary funding in the post-Erasmus+ period."