Low level of digital skills appears to affect not only VET (Vocational Education Training) staff members but the entire Albanian population. Although various national policies explicitly refer to digital skills development, according to an assessment conducted between 2019 and 2021 by Eurostat, Albania has the lowest digital literacy rate in Europe, with only 21% of the population (aged 16-74) having basic digital skills. It is widely recognised that there is a direct correlation between the level of digital competencies and employability.

In order to address these needs, the project VR DigiVET focuses on two general objectives:

1. Improving the digital skills of VET staff members in Albania, particularly teachers and instructors, through the use of selected digital technologies, including virtual and augmented reality. Stronger digital skills will allow these professional figures to be more effective in their teaching and training activities.
2. Improving transversal digital skills of VET students in Albania, through the use of selected digital technologies, including virtual and augmented reality. Stronger digital skills will allow VET students to improve their level of employability.

To reach both objectives the project will rely on the participation of the main stakeholders involved in the development and management of the Albanian VET sector, namely the Albanian government, VET providers, representatives of the private sector, experts and VET students. This participatory approach, focused on the co-design of specific technical solutions, will ensure a high level of ownership among local actors involved, strengthening its long-term sustainability. This objective will be reached through the design, implementation and management of a public Albanian VR Metaverse for VET, managed by the National VET Authority, where national, European and international partners and their trained staff will design, manage and deliver immersive training activities, reshaping in the new digital environments all the traditional VET roles (Coordinators, Tutors, Trainers, Evaluators, etc.).

The Albanian VR Metaverse for VET is conceived as a web-based public space, usable through headsets (Oculos) or via Internet, where all public and private partners, including VET centres, companies, schools and universities can access virtual rooms and tools to integrate 3-D Objects and transform into immersive technologies their course catalogues, with personalized avatars, 360° videos and contribute to the creation of open libraries of 3D Objects, including libraries provided by private companies.

The project’s general objectives are In line with the objectives of the action, particularly the following ones: 

• Improve the quality and responsiveness of VET to economic and social developments to enhance the labour market relevance of skills provision;
• Build capacity of VET providers to strengthen cooperation between private and public stakeholders in the field of vocational education and training for demand-oriented and opportunity-driven VET interventions;

Furthermore, the project focuses on the following themes, indicated in the call document among the relevant thematic areas:

• VET teachers/trainers, coordinators and tutors professional development;
• Innovation in VET, through a metaverse approach;
• Skills matching with current and future job opportunities, to be transposed into the new 3D technologies and immersive solutions;
• Public Private Partnerships in VET.

In addition, the project has been developed on the basis of the needs expressed by the Albanian government policy document, in particular the NESS 2019-2022, and the European Training Foundation recommendations under the Torino process.