Several vocational training centres, such as the Lithuanian Alytus, are actively participating in the refinement of the UPSKILL training material. The revision was kickstarted in January 2021, pursuant to the piloting phase and the first virtual exchange between students.
The students involved in the testing phase allowed the experts involved in the development of the manuals to look into the added value brought by the project to the plastic industry through different standpoints, thanks to the variety of professional, academic background, as well as nationalities of the participants.
The feedback received revealed that the topics covered by the training material have been treated with a valuable practical approach, which was greatly appreciated by the students as it gave them the opportunity to live an inclusive experience and learn-by-doing. Nonetheless, the partners did not overlook the need of providing the participants with a strong theoretical background, recognising the importance for them to also gain a profound knowledge of the industry: among a wide group of experts, great contributors such as Mindaugas Petravičius, Head of plastic processing works at AB Snaigė, and Raimundas Petravičius, Engineer and Designer at Astra LT AB, participated in the preparation of the training material and shared their thorough knowledge and experience.
In May 2021, the Teachers and Students manuals will be available for the first time in Lithuania, both in vocational training centres and in plastics factories. Ahead of the official launch of the manuals, the material will be presented during the Final project conference: The Skills for the Digital Future of Plastic Factories , which will be held on 15 April 2021 between 13.00 - 17.00 CET.
The agenda of the online event will provide an overview of the current situation of the plastics sector in the EU, the presentation of the project results and on overview of how it will find a practical application. Also the students who already had the chance to test the training material will provide their valuable contribution.
The entire plastics value chain, from future to current employees, as well as representatives from trade associations, NGOs and the academia are invited to join the conference free of charge.
The registrations are now open at this link.