BioComp

Today, the global community faces enormous challenges: How to deal with climate change, food security, food production for a growing population and the end of the oil reserves?For prosperity and wellbeing for 9 billion people in 2050, another way of production of food, feed, materials and energy is needed. A circular society can offer solutions. It will create regional economic growth and employment. It gives farmers an opportunity to develop biobased farms fulfilling the criteria of circular economy. The development of learning materials on the circular economy has emerged in several places in Europe.In several places in Europe, the development of circular economy learning materials has started, typically in a fragmented and bottom-up way by innovators and early adopters as commonly witnessed in emerging fields. The development of materials is very time consuming for individual teachers and materials are not always shared or easy to be found by other professionals.AIMS AND OBJECTIVES BIOCOMP aims to describe and prioritize specific skills/competencies in the Biobased economy (BBE), additional to the existing ESCO skills description, to develop an online tool based on Learning Scenarios, and therefore to create personalized training programs for workers in the circular economy.TARGET GROUP This project is primarily aimed at Vocational Education and Training (VET), with a focus on further training of workers in the Biobased (circular) economy. After this project, workers can create their own individual training scheme for their unique situation. This will lead to optimizing their training pathway and to better economic results of the companies.Further objectives are:- to have a view on the present and future needs of VET trainers and SMEs for BBE-materials;- to facilitate VET schools and training centres and local businesses, to intensify their cooperation in the field of BBE (training);- to have an inventory of existing databases for BBE learning materials in Europe including information how these databases are built up;- to have the 40 most relevant competences regarding BBE at hand, according to ESCO systematics;- to use different learning scenarios to set up individualised training programs and therefore to improve learners’ competencies and skills in BBE;- to explain and to promote the possibilities of BioComp to VET teachers and trainers, to stimulate them to use the communication platform and to look for international cooperation in further circular economy activities;- to develop a sustainable business plan for the exploitation and dissemination of BioComp, also after the project.There is no central set of BBE competencies and skills development available. BioComp will, therefore, analyse the ESCO set of competencies, describe the 40 most required competences for a Bio-Based Economy training program (IO1) and develop a BBE Competence Navigator tool (IO1). Based on this set, a dedicated and tailored learning programme will be developed using Learning Scenarios (see IO2).The BioComp project intentions are furthermore in line with the provisions of several EU Regional Operational Programmes and Development Programs, among others the latest, announced by President Juncker and First Vice-President Timmermans in their letter of intent accompanying President Juncker's 2018 State of the Union Address (https://ec.europa.eu/research/bioeconomy/pdf/ec_bioeconomy_strategy_2018.pdf).OUTPUTSSpecificaly, we will deliver the following three outptus:• IO1 BBE Competence Navigator• IO2 Learning scenarios• IO3 Handbook Best PracticesCONSORTIUMThe project will be delivered by a mix of BBE education & training providers active in VET, HE and BBE research centers, complemented by expert partners in online learning, ECVET and EQF recognition and validation, to ensure quality standards and accreditation. Our partners originate from 8 different EU countries from northern, western, central, southern and eastern Europe to optimise key input from all directions and also to spread the impact as much as possible.