InterCat Eu project

Program: Erasmus+ KA202

Reference Number: 2020-1-IT01-KA202-008596

Beneficiary Organization: NEW HORIZONS

Tourism is recognized as one of the most important economic sectors worldwide due to its huge potential in generating economic growth and jobs and in Europe supports 25 million jobs, directly and indirectly. It is also considered a relatively easy-entry sector for youth where they can keep learning and accumulating important working skills. However, as tourism is evolving is becoming more complex and requires higher levels of skills under the quest of the sharing and green economy.

Circular Tourism and Accessible Tourism (CAT) are seen as two fast-growing and sustainable sectors, according to the recent EC Study on the Supply Side of Tourism Education and Training (2016), and CIRTOINNO research report (Interreg Europe, 2019). These two emerging segments are expected to create a competitive niche for disadvantaged regions pursuing sustainable development and tackling the lingering unemployment. Nevertheless, shortage in related VET training reported in various countries poses lamentable hurdles to their take-off and actions should be taken to increase the Training resources.

Project InterCAT objectives are to:

– identify and exchange the best training practices in 5 project’s countries according to an evidence-based approach, to be compiled into a Glossary of Training Items for CAT

– offer solutions to skills mismatches in CAT and shortage of labor in the sector

– adapt existing learning methods and materials with new evolved methods and realities in CAT, using a bespoke DIATool (Destination Image Analysis tool).

The project will focus on the exchanges and development of best practices in non-formal education skill-building for youths in order to successfully enter these emerging economic sectors. Project activities can be divided into three categories:

1) Desk/ Office Work: By desk research each partner will obtain the needed background knowledge on the situation of CAT in their country and at EU level, which will help him to construct the appropriate training contents.

2) International Mobilities: 3 Transnational Meetings and 2 Learning Mobilities will allow all partners and participants to have a better reality-check and reliable access to knowledge regarding the CAT circumstances and skill requirements.

3) Public Relations and Dissemination: These activities will ensure the delivery of developed results to reach the desired quality and amount of audience

InterCAT shall produce 4 principal results:

(1) 6-day Training Course for Staff and Trainers on CAT in Portugal: to exchange knowledge and experiences between VET trainers and educators in a peer-training manner

(2) Glossary of Training Items for CAT for VET: a direct result of the Training course b? introducing CAT’s key concepts and working tools for VET training

(3) 5-day Study visit in Spain: to help participants relate better ?hat learnt through the training with realistic examples in CAT

(4) A Destination Image Analysis Tool – DIATool: in form of an Observation Template, the Tool will be used, tested and finalized during the Stud? Visit in Spain.

The most important expected impact concerns the primary beneficiaries: participating organizations, VET providers, tourism workers and businesses, who will have the opportunity to access the project materials, while at the same time they will gain field experiences for creating their global view on CAT and reinforcing professional networks.Any training institution (of VET/NFE nature) or tourism authority could use the best practices collected in the Training Glossary to improve their curriculum, and DIATool for selfanalysis. This way, InterCAT can serve as a stimulus for further institutional investigations and policy development in this direction so as to accelerate CAT’s rate of diffusion and engagement. In a larger scope, InterCAT contributes to UN’s Sustainable Development Goal, EU’s Access City TITLE, League of Historical and Accessible Cities (LHAC), a Resource Efficient Europe (2011) and EU Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP).

Duration: 01/11/2020 – 31/10/2022 (24 months)

Website: https://intercaterasmus.eu/ 

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