About us
MAKE YOUR WAY project intends to develop relevant collaborations to open further opportunities for young VET students to apply knowledge in practical, “hands-on“, and “real life“ workplace situations, at the same trying to enhance their entrepreneurial attitudes, in particular by working in LABs.
MAKE YOUR WAY also intends to contribute to the continuous professional development of VET teachers, trainers and mentors in both school and work-based settings, with a focus on developing effective digital, open and innovative education and pedagogies, by developing materials that can help those professionals assist young VET learners in taking the most benefit from using LABs.
Thus, the project takes benefit of the concept of “Fab labs”, or LABs, a small-scale workshop offering digital fabrication, proven to boost innovation and entrepreneurship, as they are platform for learning and innovation: a place to play, to create, to learn, to mentor, to invent.
Such laboratories help connecting a community of learners, educators, technologists, researchers, makers and innovators. Originally the concept began at the MIT in 2001, yet it has grown to an international movement and there is a whole wave of creation of similar laboratories, benefiting local communities all around the globe.
Target Groups
MAKE YOUR WAY aims to directly reach:
- VET learners, youngsters aged from 16 up to 26 (who become LAB users);
- VET teachers, trainers and mentors who are supported in their continuous professional development (to assist young VET learners in taking the most benefit from using LABs and from other WBL solutions);
- LABs staff /facilitators – to be better prepared for partnerships/closer collaborations with VET systems/providers and for spreading the concept of LABs further.
Partnership
Activities & Results
The project will deliver three main outcomes:
IO1 – A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR BRINGING LABS TO LIFE
This guide will consist in a catalogue with good practices of various LABs in Europe that promote both entrepreneurial and technical skills. The aim is to describe successful stories and to inspire the organisations at the beginning of the path or striving for further development of such LABs.
IO2 – A TOOLKIT OF LEARNING MATERIALS
This toolkit will consist in a set of self-study materials, videos, tutorials, practical exercises and assignments, diagnostic tools that cover 2 main topics:
entrepreneurial skills and knowledge needed to set up a business, support
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(services) to start-ups, promotion of self-employment, e.g. communication, problem solving, flexibility, planning and organizing, stress resiliency…
development of technical skills through experiential (work-based) learning, promoting technical careers, interconnected with creativity in order to boost innovation, e.g. additive technologies (3D printing), modern equipment, ICT in industrial context, techniques and trends in crafts, DIY basics, etc.
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IO3 – MAKE YOUR WAY ROADMAP AND GUIDE FOR MENTORING TALENT
This result will be composed by two essential parts. On one hand, the roadmap MAKE YOUR WAY is intended to provide guidance to future implementations of the developed learning materials (IO2), by VET providers,as well as to set short-term and long-term goals and actions for the future
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use of such materials.
On the other hand, part of this third result will be a comprehensive guide for mentors/trainers/facilitators on pro-entrepreneurial mentoring (mentoring talent). The Guide will be mainly targeted at VET teachers, trainers, and LABs’ staff/facilitators, but there is also an intention to prepare some of VET learners to act as tutors for potential/younger VET learners (peer activities).
In this scenario, this Guide will help those “young mentors” to carry out peer activities with their younger colleagues (such sharing approach is very present in LAB environment). (Show less)