ArITsan Feedstock

The whole (downloadable) document is available here

This is the first intellectual outcome and the ”foundation” (but also the ”roof”) for the whole project. The project idea arisen from particular needs common to all partners  but we need an overall view of the ”state of art” in each country, common points and possible areas of transferability.

In this respect we developed a research during the whole project, in three main steps:

1. Desk research related to Crafts sector – includes a first general part, with overall description of the sector at national level, national legislation and, most important, the main problems senior artisans face with during CV-19 crisis.  
   The second part is dedicated to personal stories – each partner identified 2 success stories about artisans from the region or country.
2. Participatory research includes also two parts:
   – a set of structured interviews aiming to assess the training needs of the final beneficiaries of this project – 50+ artisans with great artistic skills but almost illiterate in entrepreneurial and ICT fields. After processing the information from all partners and drawing the conclusions we will establish and agree the first content of O2
   – conclusions after piloting IO2 (the training kit) on a total number of 286  senior artisans at local level, from them we selected 24 participants for the blended mobility for learners. 
3. Policy recommendations – from each chapter but also from feedbacks collected during all project activities – including multiplying events – we will collect some recommendation both at the level of each partner’s country and at EU level. In the end we will create an ”open letter” for European Commission and each partner will send it to our MEP, asking them to promote it and try to do something for improving the EU crafts sector. Similar letters – with policy recommendation at national level – will be sent to different decision makers (persons and institutions) in each partner’s country. This action will be also an important dissemination activity and underline the transferability potential of the output at the level of national and EU decision makers. Another possible transfer is at the level of different public and private structures dealing with adults’ education, that could use the whole IO for adapting their methods and instruments to the training needs revealed in this document.

There are two important elements of innovation in this document: the participatory approach (not only focus groups but also involvement of participants to local piloting activities) and the final chapter with policy recommendation – we don’t simply make a research and put it in a chest after project ends, we will try to trigger some changes in order to improve the situation of our beneficiaries. In this way we expect a relevant impact at policy decision level, through the last chapter. Another innovative element (applicable to all IOs) is the interconnectivity with O2 and O3.

The transferability potential arises from the content of this output. The relevant information included (about educational needs at the level of seniors but also in a wider range of small artisans, especially from rural areas) could be the basis of future activities related to entrepreneurial and ICT education and European identity awareness at adult learners’ level.