The ALLIANCE project is driven by the following core objectives:

1. Establishing International Offices in VET Institutions
   – To create structured spaces within 5 VET schools (3 in Albania, 2 in Kosovo) that support international project management and mobility coordination.

2. Enhancing Skills and Competencies of VET Staff
   – To train staff in project management, R&D, digital and green competences, using the DigComp and GreenComp frameworks.

3. Promoting Knowledge Transfer and Regional Collaboration
   – To enable peer-learning and transfer of expertise between Albanian and Kosovar institutions through joint training, adaptation workshops, and mentoring.

4. Boosting International Mobility and Cooperation
   – To increase opportunities for student and staff mobility by establishing strategic international partnerships and information support structures.

5. Supporting VET Modernization and Market Responsiveness
   – To align VET education with European and labor market standards through updated training content and collaborative innovation.

6. Creating a Sustainable Internationalization Framework
   – To ensure the long-term impact of the project by embedding internationalization practices into institutional strategies and national VET policies.

Expected Results

The key results expected from the ALLIANCE project include:

1. Operational International Offices
   – Five fully functional International Offices equipped with trained staff and operational protocols.

2. Capacity-Building Curriculum and E-Learning Platform
   – Development of a multilingual online training platform, guidebooks, and a curriculum covering international cooperation, mobility, and stakeholder engagement.

3. Trained VET Personnel
   – At least 50 VET staff upskilled in areas like project management, R&D, English proficiency, and intercultural communication.

4. Peer-Learning and Cross-Border Collaboration Activities
   – Implementation of joint learning schemes and study visits to EU institutions for knowledge exchange and capacity development.

5. Mobility Support Structures and Awareness Events
   – Organization of Info Days, launch events, and awareness-raising campaigns to promote mobility opportunities for students and staff.

6. Impact Monitoring and Evaluation Tools
   – Design and use of KPIs and reporting systems to assess the effectiveness of International Offices and training programs.

7. Institutional and Policy Alignment
   – Contribution to national education strategies in Albania and Kosovo, supporting the implementation of the EU’s VET and Youth Guarantee agendas.

Project Activities

Objectives of the project

• Ο.1. to develop digital skills and virtual collaboration capacity to support the objectives of the
  established growth strategy for the Higher Education sector by creating a Joint Digital Skills Ecosystem for the HEIs, youth organizations, trainers, academic staff and students;
• O.2 to upskill HEIs’ staff and youth organizations’ trainers in digital skills and online safety tailored to the needs of each learning environment
• O.3 to provide new teaching and learning approaches through virtual collaboration regarding the respect of other cultures and students who lack foreign language proficiency
•  O.4 to establish a sustainable open access material for long-term use and enhance the capacity of students to participate adequately in virtual exchange activities and finally boosting employability in the digital era
•  O.5 to bring together HEI staff and students from EU and Eastern Neighborhood countries to achieve a
  greater impact on HEI’s digital upskilling and elimination of cyberbullying
• O.6 to upgrade the Higher Education sector regarding virtual learning and teaching tools in order to decrease cyberviolence due to digital illiteracy

Expected Results

• Upskilling in Digital Competence and Online Safety: The initiative aims to elevate the digital capabilities of students, equipping them with critical knowledge in online safety and cybersecurity.
• Inter-Institutional Collaboration: It seeks to foster connections between HEI staff and students from both EU and Eastern Neighborhood countries, promoting a sense of community and shared learning.
• Innovative Educational Methods: VIRTUALLYEDU is set to introduce novel teaching and learning approaches within virtual education and training.
• Sustainable Educational Resources: A major objective is to develop sustainable, open-access materials for long-term educational use.
• Boosting Virtual Participation and Employability: The project endeavours to enhance the capacity of students to actively engage in virtual exchanges, thereby increasing their employability in the digital age.

Project Activities

•  Design of the Training Curriculum
• Train the facilitators on Virtual Learning and Online Collaboration Curriculum
• Virtual Exchanges
• Implementation of Courses
• Implementation of Digital Skills Hackathon

Objectives of the project

O1: To provide new teaching and learning approaches, within the framework of virtual education and training, to HEI’s
O2: To increase engagement of youth at all levels of civic participation, and become able to embrace their role as the main driver group of social change
O3: To strengthen universal and European values, promote at the same time the European way of thinking and living among citizens of Europe and Western Balkan Countries
O4: To provide young people with opportunities and means to express themselves and their opinions, become active and contribute to the community
O5: To ensure equal participation in multicultural extra-curriculum activities of youth regardless their
demographics, social back-ground and/or any socio-economic obstacles.
O6: To increase capacity and collaboration among education actors (HEIs), in order to achieve their role as
shapers of young people in more than one dimensions (academic, civic, societal, individual, etc).

Expected Results

• Increase the participation levels of young people in the partners’ countries
• Provide young people with opportunities and means to express themselves and their opinions, become active and contribute to the community
• Provide new teaching and learning approaches, within the framework of virtual education and training, activities
• 2.500 students from Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, and EU States (Portugal, Greece, Germany and others) will participate in the Virtual Exchanges
• 250 experienced facilitators will be trained on the developed and validated curriculum
• Approximately 10.000 other students will be receivers of the key messages of the project.
• Development of a network of 50 stakeholders

Project Activities

• PM & FM Handbook
• Design of Training Curriculum
• Virtual Cultural activities
• Train the facilitators on Active Citizenship Curriculum “VirtuEu”
• Virtual exchanges