Digital sovereignty is a new concept in the digital era suggesting that parties should have sovereignty over their own digital data. On an individual level, digital sovereignty demonstrates the capacity of individuals to own their personal data and control its use. Also, individuals demonstrate significant uncertainty about the importance of privacy due to difficulties in evaluating the relevant consequences derived from the intangible nature of the privacy harms. When it comes to VET teachers / trainers and their activities, the aspects of digital sovereignty and data / privacy protection become of even higher importance.
DiSCVET project steps in aiming to develop a new innovative form of training content along with an online simulation platform that will empower VET teachers/trainers throughout Europe to develop and enhance their digital sovereignty and digital security skills as well as to enrich their portfolio with relevant training materials for teaching others on digital security topics.
Given the direction and purpose of digital skills and competences within current EU policy dialogue, Ursula von der Leyen has made it a core mission of her team’s mandate to “make Europe fit for the digital age”. The DiSCVET project aligns with this, as project outputs have been designed to provide transferable support, guidance and information on how the DiSCVET project outputs can be up scaled and replicated in other regions across Europe. DiSCVET project will build on the Digcomp Digital Competence Framework, which does not explicitly cover security from aggressive attacks, spam and scam tricks used to steal people’s data and information online, providing a newly established framework of competences for individuals’ digital sovereignty. Moreover, both the innovative training material and the interactive simulation exercises will provide to relevant European stakeholders and policy makers significant tools in order to further promote the issue of security in digital education environments and, therefore, creating significant impact at a European level:
-Empowerment of end users, inspiring ICT teaching professionals and linking together all relevant and interested stakeholders in a living ecosystem;
-Policy implications will moving towards developing and constructively applying tailored digital competence frameworks to the benefit of European citizens;
-Move towards creating more forward-looking educational models to prepare societies for future digital challenges.
The development of a competency framework is an effective method to assess, maintain, and monitor the target groups’ knowledge, skills and attributes in digital sovereignty and cyber security. The aim is to build on the Digcomp Digital Competence Framework which does not explicitly cover security from aggressive attacks, spam and scam tricks used to steal people’s data and information online. As a key part of this project, establishing digital sovereignty competency framework will allow:
– definition of digital sovereignty and cyber security knowledge and skills required to deal with potential threats when providing digital education;
– identification of specific cyber security competencies, in the form of sets of cyber security topics;
– development and proposal of courses and training opportunities for the target groups based on the framework.
The Framework of Digital Security Competences will define the key components of competences needed by VET teachers/trainers to effectively integrate digital sovereignty and security protocols into their localized contexts, as well as to provide and validate an EU reference framework for developing and evaluating digital security competences. The framework will target VET teachers/trainers, but will also be relevant and of interest to pre-service / in-service ICT teachers and trainers and educators, as well as to VET organizations and other education providers. The VET teachers/trainers Digital Sovereignty Competences Framework will be available in English and into all partners’ national languages.
Based on the key skills and competences recognized and included in the VET teachers/trainers Digital Sovereignty Competences Framework, IO2 activities will focus on the development of an innovative training material aiming to enable VET teachers/trainers develop the necessary competences in order to increase the level of their digital sovereignty as well be able to train other people within their work. The training material will provide VET teachers/trainers with a package of digital learning resources designed based on the concept of micro-learning: short and coherent learning nuggets delivered in multimedia formats aiming to promote blended learning methodologies. The digital learning nuggets will include a variety of resources such as interactive games, podcasts, e-learning videos, interactive case studies, infographic resources, etc. In order to ensure the training material’s transferability and sustainability, it will be made available through the DiSCVET online platform. Both the training material and the platform will be available in English and in all partners’ national languages.
DiSCVET project partners will aim to move forward from the theoretical knowledge to the practical implementation of the VET teachers/trainers’ acquired digital sovereignty and digital security competences, allowing them to reach an even higher digital security readiness level.
This will be achieved through the development of a set of interactive simulation exercises. Using simulations to deliver work-based training is one of the most effective training methods available today. Individuals who have a hands-on knowledge and use of equipment and tools have more confidence and mastery of needed skills and fewer errors as well. Simulation training provides a virtual environment in which new apps, methods, or tools are introduced in a space that mimics real-life use. Specifically, the DiSCVET interactive simulation exercises shall produce significant benefits for the project’s target groups:
– VET teachers/trainers will acquire real-life experiences on how to deal with potential cyber-attacks and digital security breaches within digital education environments;
– Knowledge retention: not only will VET teachers/trainers retain the theory and broader concepts behind the digital sovereignty and digital security aspects, they will also be able to apply those principles to practice, further enhancing knowledge retention;
– One key benefit of simulation training is that it can usually be measured. Tracking, analyzing, and reporting on training data helps to provide with more credibility and insights that can be used to modify future programs. Concept of the DiSCVET interactive digital sovereignty simulation exercises: VET teachers/trainers, based on the theoretical knowledge they acquired through IO2, will be required to react and response to various scenarios of cyber-attacks and digital security breaches within digital education environments. The simulation exercises will be designed in a way that immediate feedback will be available for VET teachers/trainers regarding their efficacy and use / exploitation of the acquired theoretical knowledge. The content will be available in English and in all partners’ languages.
The DiSCVET Toolbox for VET teachers / trainers, VET organizations and policy makers shall serve a bi-fold purpose: It will ensure the availability and sustainability of the project’s results and will ensure the highest possible level of transferability of the tools, materials and methodologies developed within the project.The DiSCVET Toolbox will include:
– The innovative training material developed within the project;
– Tools that VET trainers and organizations can exploit in order to enhance their operational digital security and, therefore, develop and provide more secure digital education services;
– The evidence and data collected through the piloting activities in the form of a consolidated report;
– Policy briefs for the promotion and wider establishment of initiatives for the provision of more secure digital education services.
The main target groups of the DiSCVET Toolbox will be:
– VET teachers/trainers;
– VET experts and organizations interested to incorporate the relevant tools and methodologies;
– Representatives of public organizations;
– Decision and policy makers;
The Federal Association of Vocational Training Institutions (Bildungsverband) e.V. - in short: BBB - is an association of leading training providers in Germany. Every year, thousands of employees in member companies and associations support people with quality training and further training to improve their professional opportunities.
Partnership
Innovation Hive is a private non-profit organization located in Greece, specialized in the fields of research and innovation. Our actions aim to enhance the economic and social cohesion of European societies while our goal is to find solutions to the new innovation challenges, achieve growth, sustainability and maximize the impact to the society. The organization’s philosophy in order to achieve these goals is based on co-creation methodologies and a quadruple helix approach. The engagement of stakeholders from industry, science and society is aiming to create links between the businesses, the academia and the civic actors in order to develop a combination of knowledge, skills, tools, values and motivation. The final goal is to make the difference in local societies and to succeed at the highest level the principles of social innovation concepts.
Partnership
The Petit Pas Social Promotion Association was founded in Trani, Italy in 2015, by a group of professionals, educators and youth leaders motivated by the desire to improve the community, promoting social initiatives inspired by democracy, equality and pluralism. Over the years, it has become a structured associative reality, with a large number of collaborators and volunteers embracing their mission recognizing the importance of having inclusive, peaceful and just societies. Our goal is to improve the level of knowledge and skills of our community regardless of gender, social background, cultural or educational background.
Partnership
International institute for implementing sustainable development, MIITR is a private NGO from Slovenia, specialized in research and project development in the field of sustainability, comprehending environmental, economic and social dimensions. MIITR’s mission is to provide research, education and awareness raising as well as consulting in the fields of sustainable development to accelerate society towards a more sustainable future. MIITR is recognized for the knowledge and expertise, working with businesses, researchers, decision makers, general public and youth.
Our goal is integrating sustainability principles and fostering sustainable behavioral changes into all sectors of society (public, private and non-governmental) at local, national and European level.
Partnership
Vernian RTI is a Cypriot SME with a regional and European view. We firmly believe that by integrating Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI) with their core strategy and operations, organizations of all sizes, start-ups, scale-ups and large corporations, can augment their innovation capacity, optimize their business model and value proposition, enhance their competitiveness and achieve sustainability.
We acknowledge the multifaceted challenges presented in today’s complex and fast advancing environment and are committed in facilitating a healthier and sustainable society and business environment, by supporting organizations address these challenges and capitalize on the derived opportunities.
Partnership
BK-con entails broad experience in EU funded projects, at a development and implementation level. Being founded in 1994, we have over 30 years of expertise in transnational projects having participated in the design and implementation of a total project value that exceeds the budget of 4 billion Euros. We operate in a multicultural environment, speaking more than 6 languages, offering expertise in various fields including Education, Employment Policies and Social Inclusion. Our broad network of partnering organizations and experts exceeds Germany and covers the EU while we are also present overseas (i.e. Asia). We provide a wide bouquet of services, facilitating capacity building and quality assurance. Our intention is to use our experience to provide added value for organizations and partners at local, regional, national and transnational level, creating added value for our societies, in a sustainable manner.
Partnership
Mundus Bulgaria Association, established in 2017, is a non-governmental organisation, part of the international network of Association Mundus, based in Spain. The main mission is to support the achievements in non-formal education, for which purpose joint activities are undertaken in the various sectors of the Erasmus + program, to expand partnerships and international cooperation with various institutions, especially in the field of youth. The organization prepares national and partners in international programs for social and professional integration of adolescents, as well as projects for people in need of social integration.
Partnership
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s)
only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education
and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. 2020-1-DE02-KA226-VET-008261
