Author: Joao

The Ministry of Education, a central public administration body in Romania, is tasked with overseeing and managing the country’s education and vocational training system.

This central institution is responsible for formulating and executing national education policies, ensuring that the education system maintains high-quality standards. It also monitors and evaluates the performance of schools and promotes the professional growth of educators. Additionally, it handles the financial and human resources aspects of the education sector.
Recognizing the significant role of digitization in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the education system, the Ministry has given this matter considerable attention. This is evident in the inclusion of a distinct section in Law 198/2023 concerning pre-university education. The Ministry is committed to making substantial improvements to the Romanian education system to prepare for a digital and interoperable future.

This digital strategy is not merely a minor adjustment but a comprehensive plan aimed at optimizing the allocation of resources.

The Athens Lifelong Learning Institute is a research and education institute, based in Athens, Greece. It has the mission to foster and enhance innovation processes mainly in the areas of education and lifelong learning, human capital development, knowledge society and social inclusion.

The Institute exhibits an active interest in a number of social issues such as social exclusion, discrimination and suppression of human rights and has attempted through the implementation of innovative learning methodologies to moderate their impact.

The Athens Lifelong Learning Institute contributes to the education ecosystem through R&D activities, creating open education programmes, collaborating and promoting collaboration with advanced scientific organisations and organising educational events. It has a long experience in the development of educational curricula and programmes that keep abreast to the new developments, social demands and European priorities and endorses a firm belief that real-world problem-based learning and innovative teaching methods inspire curiosity and improve learning ability, especially for disengaged and disconnected learners.

The Athens Lifelong Learning Institute aims to facilitate the enabling role that the use of ICTs has in our societies cooperating with a wide range of highly acclaimed national and European organizations in the field of media literacy.

Mediawise Society is a Romanian non-governmental organisation whose mission is to develop media literacy among children, youth and adults in an increasingly mediated society.

They aim at building a national and regional community of practice in the field of media literacy education and research. Peer learning and knowledge exchange is at the base of their community construction. It organizes media literacy creative workshops for children and parents, as well as courses for librarians, teachers and pedagogy students. Mediawise Society advocates for media literacy in schools and develops educational resources for parents, teachers and trainers.

Moreover, Mediawise has actively engaged in raising awareness on the need for media education in Romanian society through its be-monthly podcast Amprenta Digitală. Civic participation, respect for diversity and human rights and critical learning are at the base of their actions.

The Voivodship Vocational Education Centre was established in 1996 and since 1998 it has functioned under the name of the Voivodship Centre of Teacher Training and Vocational Education, and in 2001 it changed its name to Lodz Centre Of Teacher Training And Vocational Education.

From the very beginning, the activity of the Centre has been focused on the systematic modernization and improvement of the education system and life-long learning of adults.

Our centre is organized in such a way as to improve professional skills and enrich skill set of teaching staff in all types of schools and educational institutions for the needs of the reformed school, as well as conduct adult education and practical training of pupils both as part
of year-round didactic activities and extracurricular work with the use of modern, specialized techno-didactic equipment.

Our mission is to prepare the teaching staff to fulfil the school’s tasks and to constantly improve the quality of work and learning outcomes. The aim of our institution is to improve teaching and professional skills of teachers as well as to educate adults. We strive
to fulfil the tasks of our clients, ensuring them full satisfaction from participation in organized forms of improvement and consulting and we enable obtaining certificates confirming the acquired skills.
There are two main divisions / pillars within the structures of the Lodz Centre Of Teacher Training And Vocational Education:

• Teacher Training Centre – organizing and conducting methodological guidance and professional development for teachers, as well as supporting teaching staff in introducing changes and innovations into school educational systems.
• Vocational Education Centre – oriented towards the organization of practical education of students and adults in various professional areas. These are, among others, mechatronics, robotics, electronics, power electronics, automotive electronics, computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, health and safety and ergonomics, programming of numerically controlled machine tools.

Teacher Training Centre includes the following departments:

• School Education System Improvement Department
• Management in Education Department
• Modern Information Technology Department
• European and Regional Education Department
• Vocational Consultancy Department

In the School Education System Improvement Department there are laboratories providing guidance and training in the following areas: pre-school education, early school education, human science / humanities education, science education, upbringing and prevention.

Management in Education Department is involved in building school quality systems, pro-quality education of students, improving the internal quality system, improving educational skills of teachers and managing a school or any educational institution.
Modern Information Technology Department conducts activities in the field of media education, computer-aided design, distance education and practical applications of computer science in education.

European and Regional Education Department organizes improvement in new education models, European education programmes and regional and civic education.
Vocational Consultancy Department deals with professional orientation and counselling, testing professional predispositions, as well as economic, legal and entrepreneurship education.

Vocational Education Centre includes Vocational Education Department with the following laboratories:

• Practical training laboratory
• Safety, occupational health and ergonomics laboratory
• Regional Centre of Mechatronic Education

Vocational Education Department provides vocational education for students of vocational schools, adolescent employees and adults. It enhances the skills both of theoretical vocational subjects teachers and instructors of practical vocational training. It organizes lifelong learning tailored to the needs of the labour market. It organizes examinations confirming the development of selected skills for participants of extracurricular forms of education and external exams confirming professional qualifications in cooperation with the District Examination Board.

Regional Centre Of Mechatronic Education, using its unique nationwide technical and teaching equipment, it conducts general vocational and specialist training for people who want to gain new qualifications in the field of mechatronics (pupils, teachers of
vocational schools, company employees, job seekers).
In addition, as part of the Lodz Centre of Teacher Training And Vocational Education, there are three interdisciplinary teams:

• Educational Labour Market Observatory
• European Projects Team
• Publishing Team

Educational Labour Market Observatory conducts activities aimed at analysing the relations between education and the labour market and concerning the area of education for the needs of the regional labour market.
European Projects Team deals with obtaining funds from external sources for the implementation of project activities.
Publishing Team carries out publishing works and disseminates supporting materials for participants of all our activities and cooperating entities.

Each year, the Centre carries out an average of over 5,000 services attended by approximately 50,000 people.

Research Innovation and Development Lab – ReadLab is a Greece-based research institution that aims to generate positive social and sustainable impact through innovation
Since 2017, ReadLab delivers high-quality research, training, educational, consulting and ICT services to local, national, European and international levels, adopting a human-centered approach and aiming at the promotion of sustainable development and growth.

ReadLab brings together a multidisciplinary team of highly specialized researchers from the fields of engineering, communication technologies, education and social and political sciences with a long experience in project management and implementation of national, EU-funded and international projects. They have cooperated with a wide range of private, public and non-profit organizations in Europe, Middle East and Latin America and the Western Balkans, transferring technical knowledge and designing novel products.

Drawing on the diverse experience and expertise of its staff, the organization provides, among other, research studies, reports and analyses, technology-enhanced learning solutions (e-learning platforms, Moodle, Virtual Learning Environment development, education apps etc.), quality management in education, target group needs-tailored lifelong and adult learning programmes, design and development of training material in a range of fields and sectors, as well as mentoring and support services.

CESIE is a European Centre of Studies and Initiatives based in Palermo, Sicily. It was established in 2001, inspired by the work and theories of the sociologist, activist and educator Danilo Dolci (1924-1997).

CESIE contributes to the active participation of people, civil societies and institutions through the implementation of projects on various thematic areas, towards the promotion of growth and development, always valuing diversity in the respect of ethics and human development.

Our mission is to promote growth through innovative and participative educational approaches. As a European centre of Studies and Initiatives, the organisation is dedicated to the promotion of research and development so as to increase and improve future-oriented innovation processes in educational, social, economic and cultural spheres believing in the cross-cutting of organisations cooperating within heterogeneous fields and sectors.

EAVI – the European Association for Viewers Interests – is an international non-profit organisation registered in Brussels that advocates media literacy and full citizenship. EAVI supports the adoption of initiatives that enable citizens to read, write and participate in public life through the media.

Full and active citizenship in Europe is increasingly reliant on media literacy skills. Therefore, by empowering Europeans as responsible media users, EAVI is actually working towards the goal of a healthy, democratic, more cohesive society.

EAVI represents citizens’ interests in the European sphere through lobbying, conferences, networking, research, media literacy-focused projects, the development of good practices and the production of online content resources with particular attention to the education of young people.

ALL DIGITAL is a pan-European association based in Brussels, representing more than 100 member organisations that work with 25,000 digital competence centers, providing training and advice to 2.3 million people in Europe every year. Its aim is to enable the Europeans without basic digital skills to exploit the opportunities created by digital transformation.

ALL DIGITAL promotes methodologies & certifications, facilitates partnerships among members & stakeholders, organises events and awareness raising campaigns, implements projects and surveys. The association also contributes to EU policy in the fields of skills, employment, social and economic inclusion, social innovation, Digital Single Market by policy papers and targeted communication.

European University Cyprus (EUC) was founded in 2007 and developed out of Cyprus College, which was established in 1961. Today, EUC operates five Schools, namely, the School of Humanities, Social and Education Sciences, the School of Business Administration, the School of Sciences, the Medical School, and the School of Law, with the mission to educate students for successful careers and life achievement, to understand and serve the needs of society, and to create knowledge through research and innovation.

EUC has participated in more than 200 projects funded by a number of programs and organizations such as the Horizon2020, Erasmus+, 7th Framework Program, Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013, Directorates General of the European Commission, the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation, United Nations, and governmental bodies. In the last 3 years, the University has accumulated approximately 4M euros in research funding, while it ranks third among the Cypriot universities in terms of total funding from Horizon2020 (first among private universities).

Research activity is primarily carried out by a number of research centers, laboratories, and other kinds of specialized settings such as clinics and innovation centers (http://euc.ac.cy/en/research/research-centers).

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, officially founded on April 14th, 1837, is the first University not only of Greece but both the Balkan peninsula and the Eastern Mediterranean region.
The administration body is the Senate, which consists of:

• The Rector
• The 4 Vice-Rectors
• The 9 Deans of the Schools
• The 42 Heads of the

DepartmentsWith a student body of about 67.000 undergraduate, Postgraduate Students and Ph.D. Candidates, 8.255 Foreign students, over 2.100 Academic Staff and 1.000 Administrative and Secretarial Staff, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens aims at excellence in both teaching and research in a significantly varied range of disciplines.”