OpenCom Italy

40 students, 6 months, a real challenge The pilot programme at the heart of it all

In the end, every training project is measured in one place: in the classroom. Or more precisely, in the laboratory. 🔬

MeDCare's pilot programme selects 40 Tunisian students and takes them through six months of integrated training combining VR-based sessions, interdisciplinary workshops, expert-led instruction from both European and Tunisian professionals, and competency-based assessments.

The pilot runs at Elemtiez and ATFP, with VR laboratories installed, the e-learning platform operational, and trainers already prepared through the ToT programme. Not an isolated experiment — the culmination of two years of preparation. 🗓️

Students who pass their assessments receive blockchain micro-credentials and Europass Digital Credentials. The pilot's results — data, feedback, evidence — then inform the final refinement of the curriculum, making it a replicable model ready for wider rollout.

Thirty-six months of work. 🇮🇹🇪🇸🇹🇳

🔗 Project website in bio.

Our partners: 🇮🇹 ITS — Istituto Tecnico Superiore per le Nuove Tecnologie della Vita (lead partner) 🇮🇹 OpenCom I.S.S.C. 🇪🇸 CIPFP Vicente Blasco Ibáñez 🇹🇳 Société Al Emtiez — Elemtiez 🇹🇳 Association Tunisienne d'Assistance Sociale — ATAS 🇹🇳 Agence Tunisienne de Formation Professionnelle — ATFP



🇪🇺 Co-funded by the European Union

European Commission
Erasmus+ Tunisia
OpenCom Italy
CIPFP Vicente Blasco Ibáñez
Elemtiez Formation
Agence Tunisienne de la Formation Professionnelle الصفحة الرسمية

🇸🇰 First seps were made with the world of work for the girls arriving from Slovakia!

The opportunity in the local businesses in Arezzo opened up for them to kick off their journey, with a visit to the tourism sector. 🧳🗺️

A chance to get a close-up look at the working environment, meet the professionals and discover the day-to-day dynamics that will accompany them over these three weeks. 👀

First impressions and plenty of expectations: the training experience is now in full swing! ✨💪

🇸🇰 First contact with the Erasmus working experience!

The doors of the local businesses in Arezzo opened up to kick off the most hands-on part of the mobility journey, with a visit to the social media and communication sector. 📱💬

A chance to get a close-up look at the working environment, meet the professionals in the field and discover the day-to-day dynamics that will accompany them over the coming weeks. 👀

First contact, first impressions and plenty of expectations: the training experience is in full swing! ✨💪

🇸🇰 A warm welcome to a new group arriving from Slovakia!

The in-person Info Day took place at the OpenCom offices, the very first official moment of orientation and a chance to discover what their journey will bring. 👋

A meeting designed to put the students at ease, guide them through everything that lies ahead and answer all their questions about the training experience and life in Arezzo, with a 22-day mobility ahead of them. 📋✨

An excited group, full of energy and ready to dive into their brand-new professional and cultural reality.

We are delighted to welcome them and to support them through this important step of their life experience! 🤝💙

Europass: the skills passport 40 students. 40 digital profiles recognised across Europe

Europass isn't a new tool. But within Tunisian vocational training, holding a Europass Digital Credential aligned with European standards is still far from standard practice. 📄

MeDCare ensures that all 40 students completing the pilot programme receive a Europass Digital Credential upon graduation. Not a formal add-on to the diploma — a practical instrument that describes acquired competencies in a standardised format, recognisable by any European institution.

The process isn't automatic. It requires aligning the curriculum with Europass standards, setting up the technical infrastructure, and defining learning outcomes in a format compatible with European frameworks. OpenCom leads this work within MeDCare. 🇪🇺

For students completing the programme, it means holding a professional profile that speaks for itself across Europe — without having to explain from scratch what they learned and where.

Thirty-six months of work. 🇮🇹🇪🇸🇹🇳
🔗 Project website in bio.

Our partners: 🇮🇹 ITS — Istituto Tecnico Superiore per le Nuove Tecnologie della Vita (lead partner) 🇮🇹 OpenCom I.S.S.C. 🇪🇸 CIPFP Vicente Blasco Ibáñez 🇹🇳 Société Al Emtiez — Elemtiez 🇹🇳 Association Tunisienne d'Assistance Sociale — ATAS 🇹🇳 Agence Tunisienne de Formation Professionnelle — ATFP



🇪🇺 Co-funded by the European Union

European Commission
Erasmus+ Tunisia
OpenCom Italy
CIPFP Vicente Blasco Ibáñez
Elemtiez Formation
Agence Tunisienne de la Formation Professionnelle الصفحة الرسمية

A thousand answers before we beginThe SHE-GROWS baseline survey in rural Béja and Jendouba

📋 1,038 answers. That is how many rural and farming households took part in the SHE-GROWS baseline survey across the Tunisian governorates of Béja and Jendouba.

The question behind it was a plain one: where do things actually stand, before anyone designs a training course?

The answer is unambiguous. For 82 per cent of respondents, farming is the household's main source of income. Not a sideline. The thing that keeps the house standing.

Three constraints press on that base. Water scarcity, which most respondents rate as having a moderate to high impact on production over the past three years: not a bad season, a permanent condition. Difficulty obtaining seeds, fertiliser and tools, reported by 53.1 per cent. And markets, within reach for only 40 per cent.

That last figure is the one that changes the thinking. If six households in ten struggle to sell, growing more will not mean earning more.

🌱 SHE-GROWS is an Erasmus+ capacity building project in vocational education and training. Coordinated by EFA El Soto 🇪🇸, it brings together OpenCom 🇮🇹, Libverda 🇨🇿, ELEMTIEZ, GIY and UTAP 🇹🇳 to train women in rural Tunisia in hydroponic farming and cooperative enterprise, leading to a qualification recognised in both Europe and Tunisia.

Next post: what these numbers forced the project to change.

📊 The full report will shortly be available on the project website..
🔗 Project website in bio.

🇪🇺 Co-funded by the European Union



European Commission
Erasmus+ Tunisia
Efa El Soto
OpenCom Italy
Elemtiez Formation
Grow It Yourself
الاتحاد التونسي للفلاحة والصيد البحري UTAP Tunisie
SŠZaZe A. E. Komerse, Děčín - Libverda, příspěvková organizace

All six countries studied by BGB-VET have gender equality laws, strategies or plans in place. None of them is starting from scratch. Yet vocational pathways remain sharply divided: few girls in technical trades, few boys in care.

The project's report, "Country Reports and Policy Reviews", pinpoints where the thread is dropped. What separates these systems is not whether the policy exists, but how deeply it reaches into everyday practice. Finland and Sweden show what happens when equality is built into teaching and assessment. Elsewhere the legal framework is sound, but what reaches the classroom varies widely.

And the lever is not hard to identify. Teachers are not neutral actors: their expectations, their language and the way tasks get handed out in the workshop shape what students believe they can become.

BGB-VET (Breaking Gender Bias in VET) brings together nine organisations from six countries to work on precisely that gap. 🇮🇪 🇫🇮 🇮🇹 🇧🇬 🇸🇪 🇹🇷

📄 The report will be available shortly on the project website.
🔗 Link to website in bio

🇪🇺 Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union



Teachers' Union of Ireland
Hälsinglands Utbildningsförbund
Forssan ammatti-instituutti
Bridgetown College
Euro Education Bulgaria
BOSEV Büyük Ortadoğu Sağlık ve Eğitim Vakfı
ПГХТТ - Пловдив
OpenCom Italy

🇪🇸 Si conclude l'esperienza aretina per i ragazzi arrivati da Sevilla!

Si è tenuto l'incontro conclusivo della loro esperienza formativa ad Arezzo, con la consegna degli attestati di partecipazione e tanta emozione nel ripensare al mese trascorso insieme. 🎓✨

Settimane ricche di impegno, nuove competenze e contatti preziosi con il mondo del lavoro locale. Un percorso che li ha fatti crescere, sia dal punto di vista professionale che umano. 💼

Accompagnare ragazzi così motivati è sempre una grande soddisfazione. Siamo certi che porteranno con sé il meglio di questa avventura. Buon viaggio di ritorno! 🍀👋

🇦🇹 Si conclude l'esperienza aretina per la nostra partecipante arrivata dall'Austria!

Si è tenuto l'incontro conclusivo della sua esperienza formativa ad Arezzo, un momento dedicato al racconto di tutto ciò che ha vissuto in questo mese trascorso nella nostra città. ✨

Giornate ricche di impegno, nuove competenze e rapporti costruiti con il mondo del lavoro locale. Un percorso che l'ha fatta crescere, sia come professionista che come persona. 💼

Accompagnare chi affronta questa avventura con tanta motivazione è sempre una gioia. Siamo certi che porterà con sé il meglio di questi giorni. Buon viaggio di ritorno! 🍀👋

Blockchain credentials: secure, verifiable, recognised What changes when a qualification can't be forged

A paper certificate can be lost, damaged, or falsified. It's also harder to verify internationally, where receiving institutions may not recognise the awarding body. 🔐

MeDCare uses a blockchain-based micro-credential system to certify both trainers and students. Each credential takes the form of a secure digital badge — immutable and verifiable in real time by any employer or academic institution, anywhere in the world.

The framework is the Council of the EU Recommendation on micro-credentials of May 2022, which establishes common standards for the recognition of partial qualifications across Europe. MeDCare doesn't propose this as a theoretical model — it implements it as a working system. ⛓️

For a Tunisian biomedical technician seeking to work or study in Europe, holding a blockchain-verified credential isn't a technical footnote. It's a concrete advantage.
Thirty-six months of work. 🇮🇹🇪🇸🇹🇳

🔗 Project website in bio.

Our partners: 🇮🇹 ITS — Istituto Tecnico Superiore per le Nuove Tecnologie della Vita (lead partner) 🇮🇹 OpenCom I.S.S.C. 🇪🇸 CIPFP Vicente Blasco Ibáñez 🇹🇳 Société Al Emtiez — Elemtiez 🇹🇳 Association Tunisienne d'Assistance Sociale — ATAS 🇹🇳 Agence Tunisienne de Formation Professionnelle — ATFP



🇪🇺 Co-funded by the European Union

European Commission
Erasmus+ Tunisia
OpenCom Italy
CIPFP Vicente Blasco Ibáñez
Elemtiez Formation
Agence Tunisienne de la Formation Professionnelle الصفحة الرسمية