Increasing the competitiveness of youngsters under 25 in woodhouse industry

Programme 2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-A Finland-Estonia-Latvia-Sweden (Central Baltic)

Date of latest update: 2025-01-21

Description

Description (EN):

The project aims at increasing the competitiveness of youngsters at the international construction labour market. The more specific challenge of the project is related to attracting youth to study practical skills that would raise their competitiveness for working at woodhouse manufacturing companies. As the woodhouse manufacturing industry is steadily growing along with the increasing popularity of wood as a sustainable construction material, the industry is in constant need for the skilled labour force. The construction industry has always had a very traditional approach to education, but it needs to be changed in order to be sustainable and attractive for today’s youth. This requires launching and piloting new learning methods (more engaging, more inclusive) and programs, including internships for hands-on learning of practical skills. The project team representing the best know-how of the industries and universities of applied science will jointly create training programs based on interactive e-learning and hands-on practical internships and run the programs twice during the project with altogether 150 graduates (ca 50 from Estonia, ca 50 from Finland and ca 50 from Latvia). In the Wood for Youth project, we strive to produce high-quality teaching material and courses that meet the requirements of a university of applied sciences. Team is aiming to create training program for 30 credit points. As extra, these trainings can be included in other universities and (vocational) schools via microdegree, open course program. As well it's possible to provide additional credit points and certifications (non-degree). To train competitive youngsters for the international labour market of the Central Baltic countries, the partners integrate also international standards of woodhouse manufacturing and cross-border internships in the training programs. All Universities, who are project partners, are working under national legislations and which in turn bases on the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (EQF) and it responds to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) levels 0-7/8. Although vocational schools are not directly project partners, then partners are involving them project as mentors and distributors.

Actual Achievements (EN):

In the first period of the project, we achieved several significant milestones. Here are the key accomplishments: - Team Building: in the first period of the project, the partners worked on recruiting the necessary people, who will play vital roles in the administration and content development of the project. In addition, the structure of the learning programme was designed and the topics were divided among the partners. Each partner recruited people to work on the respective topics. - Kick-off meeting: the project was launched with a successful face-to-face meeting in Estonia. Additionally, 10 online project management meetings were held to keep everyone aligned. The meetings are constructive, and all partners participate actively. - Steering Group Committee: a Steering Group Committee was established, and the first meeting was held online, project goals were introduced and agreed on decision-making process. There are currently three members in the Steering Group, but negotiations are ongoing to include a fourth member from Finland. The SG group currently includes the Development Director of Tallinn School of Construction, who has extensive experience in working with young people and organising internships abroad; the Development Manager of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, who works in an organisation that deals with one of the target groups of the project - unemployed youngsters. From Latvia, the head of the construction department of Riga Building College is involved in the SG group, also providing a competent perspective from the college. It is planned to involve a representative from a vocational training institution in Finland. - Target Group Analysis: in cooperation with partners, questionnaires were designed to survey two target groups: youngsters and industry representatives. In 2nd period target personas will be created accordingly the analysis. - Training Program Structure: based on the results of a survey of the target audience and industry, a more detailed structure of the training programme was developed. As analysis showed that there is a big interest in studying design and management and a need from the industry to teach these skills. Design and Management training modules were added to the program. - Mapping educational materials: partners gathered existing materials they have, in order to have an overview of all the materials that can be used to create learning programmes. In summary, the first period of the project has been characterised by preparatory work, team building and following project action plan. The commitment of our partners and the in-depth analyses carried out will make a significant contribution to the success of Wood for Youth. We are excited about the journey ahead and the positive impact it will have on the timber industry and youth education. In the second period of the project there were two main activities all project partners were working on: drafting and compilation of study materials and visualisation and layout of the study programs. Additionally project communication and project management are ongoing activities through all project periods. Here are the key accomplishments: - Content creation: creating study materials for all four specialisations was the main task in period two. Evaluation process for introduction module and module 2 (Production of wooden elements) content was started. In evaluation process, companies and partners are giving their feedback and making comments for the material created. In third period the corrections will be made, and the module will be finalized for content production (videos, animations etc). - Visualisation of study materials: To get better understanding how the final study materials need to be visualised for the study program, demo filming for instructional videos in the factory was done according to the study book. This also gave to the team better understanding of the whole process – what else needs to be considered and done before finalizing the content. - Face-to-face workshop in Helsinki was organised to go through the instructional design topics with the partners. - Preparations for the platform and filming procurements were done. - Project landing page was published in EE, FI, LV. Project implementation was actively promoted by partners. - Weekly project management meetings were held together with meetings between LP and partners separately. - Project report and partner reports were prepared. - Steering Group Committee: a Steering Group Committee got fourth member from Finland. Online Steering group meeting was held to give overview of the processes ongoing. In the second period, the project focused on drafting and compiling study materials, visualizing study programs, and maintaining continuous communication and management. Content creation for all specializations progressed, with evaluation and feedback from partners and companies to finalize the modules, while demo filming and workshops enhanced instructional design. The project was promoted through landing pages in Estonia, Finland, and Latvia, and the Steering Group Committee expanded with a new member from Finland to review ongoing processes.

Project outputs: Number of participants at the training programmes(EN)

Thematic information

Labour market and employment Education and training

Priority: (VI-A_CB_P3) Improved employment opportunities

Priority specific objective: RSO4.1. Enhancing the effectiveness and inclusiveness of labour markets and access to quality employment through developing social infrastructure and promoting social economy

Priority policy objective (Interreg specific objective): PO4 A more social and inclusive Europe implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights

Type of intervention: 136 Specific support for youth employment and socio-economic integration of young people

Partners (5)

Lead Partner: Eesti Puitmajaliit

Partner’s ID if not PIC: EE101310916

Address: Vabaõhumuuseumi tee, 13521 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Interest groups including NGOs

Website: http://puitmajaliit.ee

Total budget: EUR 667 959.52

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 534 367.61

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 133 591.91

Contractors:

Name: OÜ Teooria
VAT registration or tax identification number: EE101467186
Name: Estfilm Production PÜ
VAT registration or tax identification number: EE101142663
Name: OÜ Nordic Render
VAT registration or tax identification number: EE102691294

Vidzemes Augstskola (ViA)

Name: Vidzemes Augstskola (ViA)

Partner’s ID if not PIC: LV90001342592

Address: Cesu, LV-4201 Valmiera, Latvia

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://www.va.lv

Total budget: EUR 438 151.66

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 350 521.32

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 87 630.34

Puutuoteteollisuus ry

Name: Puutuoteteollisuus ry

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 0201935-4

Address: Siltasaarenkatu, 00530 Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Interest groups including NGOs

Website: https://puutuoteteollisuus.fi/

Total budget: EUR 355 466.40

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 284 373.12

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 71 093.28

Contractors:

Name: Tovari Oy
VAT registration or tax identification number: FI26243852
Name: Lingsoft Language Services Oy
VAT registration or tax identification number: FI09610307

Tallinna Tehnikakõrgkool

Name: Tallinna Tehnikakõrgkool

Partner’s ID if not PIC: EE100247336

Address: Pärnu mnt, 10135 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://www.tktk.ee

Total budget: EUR 239 674.60

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 191 739.68

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 47 934.92

Satakunnan Ammattikorkeakoulu

Name: Satakunnan Ammattikorkeakoulu

Department: Faculty of Technology, Construction engineering unit

Partner’s ID if not PIC: FI23889244

Address: Satakunnankatu, 28130 Pori, Finland

Department address: Satakunnankatu, 28130 Pori, Finland

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://www.samk.fi

Total budget: EUR 558 338.88

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 446 671.10

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 111 667.78

Partners map

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Increasing the competitiveness of youngsters under 25 in woodhouse industry

Project acronym: Wood for Youth

Project ID: CB0100085

Project start date: 2023-03-01

Project end date: 2026-02-28

Project status: ongoing

Relevant linked projects:

LEF network to China, 2017-2022; Central Baltic programme project (EN) | The Central Baltic programme funded project LEF network to China focused on wood sector, especially on wood products with added value. The main goal was to develop wood interior design industry product export to China by developing joint corporation network and activities. The project recognised the value of competent but first of all sufficient number of employees in the wood sector, as export contracts cannot lay on vague staffing or uncertain human resources in production. This was seen as one of the additional outcomes from the project, requiring boost to employment in wood sector in general. EWA and SAMK were project partners in the LEF network to China. (EN), Reconciliation training in construction production, 2019-2021; SAMK, Finland (EN) | The increased volume of construction and building required reconciliation training to persons that either already had a degree in technology but in a different field, or wanted to upgrade their construction field relevant secondary-level education. This project was to directly address to the nationally recognised maintenance backlog - actions, that had been incurred by failing to make the necessary maintenance on time, and the resulting lack of employees in the field after a long period of underuse of the qualified labour. The project carried out by SAMK was funded by the Ministry of Education in Finland. (EN), tPUUr - industrial wood construction education project, 2021-2022; FFWI, Finland (EN) | The created material will be utilised and elaborated in Wood for Youth project. The tPUUr project, funded by the Ministry of Environment covered the whole wood construction sector from industrial processes to environmental impact and construction economy. The project consortium, including FFWI as a partner, was led by PUUINFO, which is cooperating with the Wood for Youth project to apply the already existing material in international context and ensuring all the CB region outputs being included as well as the regional requirements for the sector being acknowledged. (EN), HiTimber, 2017-2020: “Sustainable High-Rise Buildings Designed and Constructed in Timber; TTK and EWA, Estonia (EN) | HiTimber project supported by Erasmus+ project focused on the construction of woodhouses and compilation of respective study materials, hence the experience with coordination of the work and usability of the materials will be utilised in the current project. (EN)

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 2 259 591.06

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 1 807 672.83

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 80.00%

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 1 807 672.83. Co-financing rate, 80.00%.

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Deliverables:

Report
Report
Package of the study materials in 3 languages (EE, FI, LV) for the training programmes.
Visualised and laid out e-learning modules of the training programmes.
Functional e-learning modules of the training programmes.
Woodhouse industry’s vacancy promotion tool
Piloted training programmes.
Implemented training programmes.
Regularly monitored and improved training programmes.
Enrolling campaign 1
Enrolling campaign 2
Communication plan of the project
Final event of the project

Contribution to wider strategies and policies:

EUStrategyBalticSeaRegion The project will link and contribute to the policy area (PA) Education of EUSBSR. More specifically to its Action 1 that focuses on early school leaving and improving transition from school to work. Like the action 1 of PA Education, the project will focus on NEET (not in employment, education or training) youth and re-integrating young people in NEET situations into education or labour market, using vocational education and training as an important vehicle to achieve this. Also, the project’s result indicator (youngsters with increased competitiveness on labour market) is similar to one of the indicators measuring implementation of Action 1 of PA Education (re-integrating young people in NEET situations).
Other The project is linked and contributes to several aims of the "Development plan of Estonian Education sector 2021-2035", as both target the need to make the needs of the labour market match the skills provided at schools, make more use of modern teaching methods and tools, and the necessity to provide educational programmes based on the needs and specifics of the trainees/students.
Other The project is linked and contributes to one of the objectives of the "Estonian Construction Industry's long-term plan 2035", which aims at improving the educational basis of construction industry and internationalising the development of study tools and study programmes.
Other Finnish Government Programme 2019-2023 states every citizen should have at least a degree in secondary-level education to achieve the objectives of the programme chapter 3.7 ‘ Finland that promotes competence, education, culture and innovation’. This is seen necessary not only to raise the level of education and competence of population, but also to increase educational equality, to lower gender segregation of education and work, and support the employment of the groups including first and second-generation immigrants. Wood for Youth will address the recognised challenges by offering a low-threshold online education accessible for the wide audience.
Other Wood construction Programme 2016-2022 of the Finnish Ministry of Environment endorses the industrial manufacturing business, and the expertise of internationally competitive wood construction in Finland. The use of wood in public and urban construction and large wooden structures are supported with activities including education and training to ensure obtaining and developing skills in the sector. This programme is addressing the wider programme ‘Low-carbon Built Environment Programme 2021-2023’ which on its behalf is a part of the long-term Sustainable Growth Programme for Finland. Wood for Youth is seen to accomplish the programmes’ objectives by providing practical tools for education and training in wood construction sector.
Other The European Green Deal and especially its policy area "Building and renovation" has a direct link to the project, as the project promotes the shift from the use of non-renewable to renewable building materials aligned with energy efficient building methods.

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 081 - Participations in joint actions across borders, Measurement unit:

Programme Result Indicator:

PSR6 Number of people with increased competitiveness on labour market, Measurement unit: number of people

Project part of European Union Macro-Regional or Sea Basin Strategy: EUSBSR

EUSBSR Priority (Policy) area / Horizontal action:

EUSBSR Degree of compliance:

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-A Finland-Estonia-Latvia-Sweden (Central Baltic)

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2025-01-21

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

63 / 63 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

251 / 251 (100%)

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Increasing the competitiveness of youngsters under 25 in woodhouse industry

Description

Thematic information

Partners (5)

Partners map

Summary

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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