Proposals should address at least one of the themes below, or a combination thereof:

1. Developing innovative educational material, skills development modules, content, learning outcomes and curriculum, such as micro-credentials, to build and enhance digital, green, soft, transversal, interdisciplinary, managerial and entrepreneurial and project management skills;
2. Developing and piloting innovative teaching and training approaches (at both higher education and VET levels) and promoting career development in any sector of the sustainable blue economy, including but not limited to:

• aquaculture, algae, marine and coastal habitats conservation, blue biotechnology,
• eco-tourism, coastal protection, offshore renewable energy, marine knowledge, port activities, ocean monitoring, shipbuilding, maritime and underwater technologies, sustainable cruise tourism, digital skills for ocean observation, etc.

1. Establishment and maintenance of structured collaboration frameworks between blue industries/sectors and education/VET providers, to promote curricula and training programmes adapted to the needs of industries, addressing the gaps in the market and in line with ongoing technological developments. Besides stand-alone educational programmes and training/educational modules, projects proposing apprenticeships, on-the-job skilling and reskilling, mentoring, short-term placements or mobility schemes and job shadowing schemes run by companies are encouraged.
2. Pooling and sharing of resources (e.g. training simulators, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) learning objects, platforms, schemes, courses, micro-credentials, training materials, multipliers, digital tools, e-learning solutions, hybrid teaching, teachers’ kits, self-assessment tools, etc.) between VET providers, higher education and industry for the development and promotion of training programmes/courses, VET or higher education curricula and mobility schemes (learners and teachers).
3. Proposing, testing and piloting mutual recognition schemes (of training and/or qualification development)1 to enable an efficient uptake of graduates into the labour market.

Proposals should aim to strengthen and diversify the skills and competences available within the sustainable blue economy and attract new talents by carrying out activities related but not restricted to solutions that:

• Develop and test innovative training modules, identify schools and universities taking actions to include these modules in the educational programmes.
• Promote the necessary skills (soft, green, digital, transversal, managerial, entrepreneurial, inter-/multi-disciplinary, project management) through a variety of means: for example, traditional trainings, hybrid teaching, e-learning, practical placements, etc., at higher educational or vocational training levels.
• Strengthen operational links between academia and industry, including via the setting up of continuous training of the trainers, on-the job trainings, apprenticeships, mentoring, and/or job shadowing schemes for the up/reskilling (including career guidance) of blue economy professionals.
• Reinforce structured and continued collaboration, including improved pooling and sharing of resources, between educational and VET institutions and the maritime industry.
• Encourage sustainable and circular approaches in the blue economy via relevant training (e.g. fishing for litter, coastal tourism sustainable practices, port activities, environmental management for marine ecosystems, marine environmental practitioners, etc.) and give up obsolete or ineffective activities and adopt new, sustainable ones, also improving the image of the sector and its attractiveness to newcomers.
• Facilitate talent retention and mobility in the blue economy.
• Raise awareness campaigns amongst blue economy operators (including fishers) and harness their support and experience in achieving a sustainable blue economy, through upskilling and reskilling schemes.