April 11, 2020
The final online conference of the Live Skills project

The final conference planned to take place in Brussels on March 26th, 2020, with a series of important guests from the European Commission, has turned into a large online meeting, given the less favourable context imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The final conference brought two projects together, which shared the theme of new digital skills in the performing arts, on the audio-visual field and on the publishing sector in common, namely the Live Skills project and that of the European Federation of Editors.
The online conference of March 26th, 2020 brought together 73 online participants, from over 40 organizations from 8 countries in Europe, including EU institutions, embassies and cultural organizations, educational centres and research institutes.
Developing creative skills in a digital age: webinar of case studies and policy opportunities
Everyone who has experience working on European projects knows that an event like this one is one of those special occasions in the life cycle of a project; scheduled months in advance, the final conference requires involvement and input from all partners, involving a lot of administrative arrangements, such as flight and hotel reservations. In short, it is a key, long-awaited, moment, which marks the closing of the project and offers the organizers the opportunity to share the achievements, results, challenges and lessons learned with stakeholders and the general public. About two weeks earlier, it became clear that meeting with project partners would neither be a viable option nor permitted. Converting something originally designed for face-to-face interaction with partners, to a digital format, was a challenge, but at the same time, it was a very interesting, instructive and rewarding process.
Despite a full agenda and more than 20 speakers, the presentations were short, and the participants engaged on the live chat throughout the day; the question and answer sessions followed one another in a very structured way, with lots of consistent comments and feedback from the participants.
With a dense content, the one-day webinar presented the results of two EU-funded projects (the Skills Alliance Sector) aimed at developing innovative skills and learning programs for the broad creative and cultural industries:
- The Live Skills project– which involves education and professional training for the performing arts and audio-visual sectors on the new digital technologies, artistic management and cultural entrepreneurship.
and
- The ASAP project, of the European Federation of Editors regarding the changes of skills and abilities needed in the publishing sector, in an increasingly digitalized world.
Following the welcome statement of the organizer of the virtual meeting, the British Council and the European Federation of Editors, speakers from both projects presented their views on the challenges posed by the new competencies and the “multi-abilities”, presenting the impact of the two projects on learners and employers, sharing experiences, best practices and lessons learned.
Regarding the Live Skills project, the partners from Bulgaria, Greece, Northern Ireland and Romania described how the project contributed to the improvement of skills and employability in the cultural sector. Essential research at a national level has highlighted the emergence of small businesses and a tendency for self-employment while identifying skills gaps that have led to the development and piloting of 3 innovative training programs in the field of cultural entrepreneurship, new digital technologies and that of artistic management. The presentation of the alternative piloting schemes, adapted to the local context and the needs of the performing arts and audio-visual industry, highlighted the adaptability and innovation of the project in the training of the individuals involved, while the testimony of a student practising at the Northern Ireland Opera revealed the potential of new employment opportunities and brought to the project a testimony of daily life.
The external evaluator of the Live Skills project shared some important aspects of the report indicating that the project reached almost 600 students in 4 states, 70% of the students, teachers and employers reported that they directly benefited from the pilot programs.
The final session of the online meeting was dedicated to exploring the sustainability and opportunities of public policies. The partners analysed the possibilities of accreditation and certification of the training resources developed within the two projects.
More details can be found at: https://www.live-skills.eu/live-skills-asap-webinar.
Latest articles

- News
75th anniversary of the Council of Europe in Bucharest

- News
Romania is organising a Special Session focused on Culture and Heritage in the context of the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe

- News
Call for papers: Romanian Journal for Museums No. 1/2024

- News
The 2022 Cultural Consumption Barometer. Cultural participation and democratic perspectives was launched during the National Theatre Festival

- News
Call for papers: Romanian Journal for Museums No. 1/2023