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Description
The project has a component that is intended for secondary school students particularly in year 12º. A second training program dedicated to those who are already workers and those entering the labor market. Where, dedicated vocational training/training programs will be designed, based on real needs from direct surveys of the business community.
Also completing a third program that is a Postgraduate in marine sciences, business and entrepreneurship, dedicated to graduate students, young entrepreneurs, employees of companies in the maritime economy and civil servants.
The goal is to create proactive attitude and behavior towards the Ocean and their sustainable uses in young people, as well as future opportunities in employability, entrepreneurship, and literacy.
The various components of the project will focus on the key sectors of Blue Growth:
1. Fish and aquaculture industry;
2. Blue Biotechnology in the health industry;
3. Nautical Tourism Services;
4. Sustainability, environment and marine biodiversity, also considering challenges to green and sustainable port services and maritime transport;
5. Technologies for automation, digitization and robotics for deep-sea mining and global ocean monitoring.
Summary of project results
In Europe, the Blue Growth Strategy aims to support long-term sustainable growth across all marine and maritime sectors, recognizing the importance of the seas and oceans as drivers of the European economy, with great potential for innovation and growth.
In Portugal, this paradigm seeks to identify and respond to economic, environmental and social challenges, through the development of synergies between sectoral policies, pursuing a holistic and integrated vision of the Blue Economy.
Thus, the path to the blue economy/growth is defined from an intersectoral perspective, based on knowledge and innovation in all activities and uses of the sea, promoting greater efficiency in the use of resources, within a framework of sustained and sustainable exploration.
Blue Growth implies a greater degree of perception of the value of the sea, as a strategic asset and an increasingly important role in improving the quality of life of Brazilians. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness of the Ocean, taking into account its multiple dimensions, namely: cultural, social, educational, environmental and economic, as well as its potential related to new opportunities, entrepreneurship, innovation, research and development (R&D).
In this context, the TECATLANTIC project consisted of an integrated multidisciplinary program of awareness, education and training for the different sectors of the blue economy in a context of sustainability, focusing on three types of training: vocational/professional training, training for employability and training for entrepreneurship .
In this way, with the concern of involving partners from the business and scientific sectors, international and national, the TECATLANTIC project, focusing on entrepreneurship, innovation and information sharing, considering the three types of training, aims to contribute by meeting the:
• Increased competitiveness of Portuguese companies in the Blue Growth area;
• Support for resource efficiency in companies in the maritime sector;
• Improving the performance of Portuguese research organizations;
• Strengthening education, training and cooperation in marine and maritime issues;
• Greater collaboration between the beneficiary and donor states involved in the program.
The project was structured in an integrated multidisciplinary program of awareness, education and training for the different sectors of the blue economy in a sustainability context, in addition to the organizational and communication structure, was composed of three types of training organized in WP’s: vocational/professional training, employability training and entrepreneurship training.
- Vocational/professional training - This component of the project aimed to show young people a vision of a future opportunity, while at the same time imparting skills that are within their reach. Developed as part of a partnership/cooperation between educational, research and business institutions, this component of the project was aimed at raising awareness, educating and training high school students in the marine and maritime areas, in order to stimulate young people’s interest in careers blue.
- Employability training - This component of the project aimed to respond to issues related to the lack of communication and cooperation between education and industry; and a skills gap between education provision and labor market needs. In order to respond to these problems, the project identified the needs felt by companies, in the selected sectors, innovative technological solutions and training and qualification profiles for work. And consequently, a specific professional training program was designed in the key areas identified by the companies.
- Training for entrepreneurship - Entrepreneurship based on innovation currently represents an opportunity for economic development and employment. Blue entrepreneurship poses new challenges, particularly in the field of maritime spatial planning and management policy, economics and business management, knowledge of the law of the sea, together with specific scientific areas – for example, biotechnology, aquaculture, tourism and exploration mineral, as well as environmental management in the marine environment, among others.
- Coordination and Communication – Global coordination of the TECATLANTIC Project, in technical, executive and administrative terms, ensuring together, promoter and partners, the quality and pursuit of the established objectives taking into account the achievement of each WP and the interaction between them, ensuring the accomplishment of defined tasks and the expected results. And realization and implementation of the Communication and Disclosure strategy, focused on ensuring adequate visibility of activities, results, financing program and impact on society.
It is also important to highlight the events that started the TECATLANTIC project and its closure, due to the impact they had on the dissemination and debate about the project and its themes and causes. The first in the format of a Workshop that was held at the beginning for the presentation of the Tecatlantic Project at One Sustainable Ocean - Ocean Science & Business2Sea, an official parallel event, in the context of the United Nations Ocean Conference, which took place at the Portugal Pavilion, in Lisbon. And the event that was held at the end of the project, the Final Conference of the TECATLANTIC Project in the Auditorium of the IPMA Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, in Algés, which reflected the achievement of the qualitative objectives of the project, to disseminate the results highlighting the study carried out and the respective capitalization, with two round tables on the project theme. Both events publicized the importance of the Financing Program and the donor States for carrying out the project and its impact on society.
One of the essential issues for the success of the economy and blue growth, both in the short, medium and long term, is the training and updating of human resources. In this context, the project developed a pilot program at secondary education level, dedicated to raising awareness of new professional opportunities in the area of the blue economy, and articulated with the official curriculum, introducing concrete training units for these professional activities, national and international case studies .
Thus, the project came to encourage young people to seek higher education or technical-professional training in the blue economy area, reinforcing basic skills and knowledge and, in the future, the availability of human resources. In terms of professional updating, both for upper secondary staff and specialized technicians, in training units equivalent to a basic model of 3 ECT’s as specialization courses duly certified by higher education institutions and accredited training centers, the project responds to needs of professional training and qualification, simultaneously contributing to increased employability.
In other words, the project came to develop a training program, linked to corporations, aimed at updating professional skills, acquiring new skills and diversifying the workforce in the ocean economy. Finally, the project responded, in an innovative way, to a national gap in terms of higher education, with a postgraduate course of 30 ECT’s specializing in the area of marine sciences, maritime law, intellectual/industrial property, management and entrepreneurship responding , simultaneously, with the need for multidisciplinary training. The new course had not only the support of the Portuguese higher education institutions in which it is based, but also the support of international institutions with recognized competence in the area of RTD, connection to blue entrepreneurship and SMEs, contributing decisively to one of the objectives from the project. In summary, the project responded to training and awareness raising at secondary school level, professional training and
As a pilot project, its results and respective impact were discussed at the final conference, with the recognition that, in view of the success of this project, looking to the future, in the context of Hub Azul and its partners, the interest and enthusiasm of the various parties was demonstrated. in the importance of continuing the TECATLANTIC project, making sense to continue and reinforce training for employability, stimulating innovation and the blue economy, increasing participation in vocational training and continuing training for entrepreneurship.
Therefore, they are being considered in the context of validating a new work methodology, which allows its replication to a wider range. As can be seen, the project was financially, calculated and budgeted in a coherent and precautionary manner, correctly foreseeing the allocation of the necessary technical, financial and human resources and a calendar considered adequate, within the school calendar, and having room to frame the availability of companies and institutions that were willing to support the project through research and interviews and also by receiving study visits.
In final conclusion, we believe that this report has demonstrated that the TECATLANTIC Project, in all its components, contributed directly and/or indirectly, to the global objective of the Blue Growth Program, of reducing economic and social disparities and strengthening the bilateral relationship in perspective from the areas of business development, innovation and SMEs, Research and Education, Literacy and Young Entrepreneurship, with the contribution to the following results:
1) Increased competitiveness of Portuguese companies in the Blue Growth area.
2) Support for resource efficiency in companies in the maritime sector.
3) Improving the performance of Portuguese research organizations.
4) Strengthening education, training and cooperation in marine and maritime issues.
5) Greater collaboration between the beneficiary and the donor States involved in the program. updating for intermediate levels, training and appreciation of entrepreneurship at higher level.
Summary of bilateral results
By including Norwegian partner GCE Ocean Technology, selected for its technological know-how, technology transfer capability and blue entrepreneurship, new ''blue career opportunities'' were also highlighted; in addition, it has contributed to broadening the horizons of internationalization, adding value to the project. Regarding new opportunities for ocean discovery and monitoring, the project benefited from the partnership with GCE Ocean Technology, which shared its extensive experience in technological innovation for renewable marine energy, robotics for deep-sea mining and exploration and monitoring of the sea. The Norwegian partner GCE Ocean Technology, also presented a set of new techniques and technologies, originated from cutting-edge science, that fascinated the present, definitely contributing to stimulate students for innovation. This partnership has also contributed to strong links between education, training and cooperation on marine and maritime issues, including greater collaboration between Portugal and Norway through their partners.The development of this project has also contributed to the strengthening of bilateral relations, since the existing partnership between promoter/national partners and the donor state partner (Norway – GCE Ocean Technology – https://www.gceocean.no/) will benefit and strengthen, consolidating the relationship and extending it to new areas and themes.