With the CRISTAL project, the consortium aims at creating an interactive Knowledge Centre for teaching and learning where teachers, students and SMEs can interact on an "open-source" platform, building up an European network of partnership and projects, within a VET framework at all school stages.
The project “Creative Regions for Innovation, Skills, Technology, Accessibility and Learning“ (CRISTAL) represents an exciting new approach to increase the teaching quality of IEE (Innovation and Entrepreneurial Education) and STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The project is aimed at preschool, primary, secondary, upper secondary and adult education through the development of innovative Vocational Education and Training (VET) curricula, in order to improve the competences of marginalized communities in rural areas.
One of the potential solutions to tackle marginalization of rural areas is the development of innovative entrepreneurship skills and competences, inspired to innovation and sustainability, above all among youth, women and unemployed people. A key objective of CRISTAL is to address the need of those societies for a highly skilled, competent and flexible workforce, guaranteeing social inclusion, sustainable use of regional resources and environmental protection at the same time to tackle the challenges of the 21st century.
The main objectives of the project are:
- To increase students‘ competence through innovative and creative learning;
- To increase students‘ technological literacy and break down barriers to learning STEM-subjects;
- To provide new interdisciplinary VET educational offers and didactic methodologies in the fields of STEM and IEE;
- To provide education which is pertinent to the needs of rural marginalized communities in order to foster their competitiveness,
enhancing their entrepreneurial and technological skills;
- To elevate the status of vocational training;
- To contribute to the promotion of environmentally sustainable forms of development for local communities.