RESULTS

The report presents results of studies on the availability, characteristics and demand of courses related to digital skills for the Health and Social Care Sectors in six countries: Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Germany, Ireland and Lithuania. The digital skill considered in this study are: robotics, Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR), Smart Home, Ambient Assisted Living (AAL), eHealth, Assistive Technology/ Devices (AT), Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), Brain-Computer Interface (BCI), Telemedicine, and Sensors. The methodology used for this report included a web research, a survey and a focus group.

The “Cutting-edge Digital Skills for Professional Care Givers of Persons with Disabilities and Mental Health Problems” course plan is at European Qualification Framework (EQF) Level 5, equivalent to intermediate higher education qualifications. It will accredit the participating professionals with an ISO 17024 certification after successful completion of the course.

D4.1 Course Plan
D4.2 Handbook on Cutting-Edge Digital Skills for professional care givers of Persons with Disabilities and Mental Health Problems
D4.3 Certification Schemes

The toolkits are used as training tools in order to offer hands on experience to the trainers on the new technologies available in the market. The toolkits include a VR application, an AR application and a Sensors Monitoring Solution that communicates with the user using an app that can be placed on telepresence Robots. An electroencephalography (EEG) device is also involved that measures stress and workload.

For the pilot trainings a dynamic and customizable learning environment was setup using Moodle Platform, promoting effective communication between trainers and trainees while promoting interaction among peers. An implementation plan for replication of the trainings was developed describing the perquisites and the assessment methods. Finally online community tools are setup for keeping the involved users active and inviting new ones to join.

The results of the pilot testing of the course in the six (6) EU countries of the consortium, which has been delivered through different learning pathways and has been attended by diverse groups of professionals in healthcare, serves as a basis for improving the training content quality and organisation as well as the training delivery methodology. Overall, the trainees found the topics interesting and useful, and the trainers had the opportunity to interact with professionals with different backgrounds, and experience their approach to different technologies for disabilities.