Workshop description:

The EU-funded CERTIFY project seeks to help individuals wanting to work in the Cultural and Creative sectors in the UK, Italy, Lithuania, Belgium, Greece and Austria by developing and testing a new methodology based on digital tools for people to identify and recognise their transversal skills.

The characteristics of the Cultural and Creative sectors, with less-structured recruitment processes and key competencies often acquired over longer periods of time and outside the formal education system, mean that recognising such skills is essential both for candidates embarking on their early careers and the adult population seeking to work in this sector. Research by the CERTIFY team about the sectors in the project’s six partner countries has found that the four most important skills are creativity, collaboration, flexibility/resilience, and self-management.

In this three-session, online workshop, we will be focusing on the skills of creativity and collaboration. Using the Digital Storytelling method, participants will be invited to create a story that shows their experience with and understanding of these skills through a personal story.

Digital Stories are 2-4 minutes long and convey personal narratives about powerful moments through a combination of words and images. By taking part in the method and creating a digital story, participants will have an opportunity to reflect on their skills from a fresh perspective, learn something new through the process, and be part of a group of supportive and inquisitive storytellers.

The digital stories created during the workshop will be featured on the project’s website and will contribute to research about if and how the digital storytelling method can be used to amplify the skills needed to work in the cultural sector.

If you are interested in the workshop about flexibility, resilience and self-management as well, information and registration can be found here.

Practical Information:

The workshop will be in English, and participants must be based in/looking for work in the UK, Italy, Lithuania, Belgium, Greece or Austria to take part.

The contact hours over the three days for which participants must be available for are between 17.00-19.00 GMT each day, and the workshop requires some preparation beforehand and outside of the sessions.

The workshop process involves both individual and group work. There will be guidance at every step of the process, and participants will be given a demo on how to use WeVideo to make their story. A zoom link for the three sessions will be sent out by email prior to the first day.

Storytellers will be offered a £25 voucher for an ethical online retailer in return for taking part.

More about the project:

Over the last decade, open, non-formal and informal learning pathways have been recognised at the centre of the European debate as a key component in achieving the objectives of the lifelong learning program. However, in many cases, people themselves may not be aware of the transversal and basic skills they are developing through such learning and the important role these can play in finding work.

The CERTIFY project seeks to help individuals wanting to work in the Cultural and Creative sectors, considered to be a sector for investment by the European Commission, by developing and testing a new methodology based on digital tools for people to identify and recognise their transversal skills, as identified in the 2020 strategy.

The two digital tools which will be developed and tested as part of the project are: a smartphone application to create digital ‘curricular’ stories and an e-learning platform to support and guide job seekers in applying for jobs. Together these tools will help adults better align their competences with those in job descriptions, so that they become more confident and better placed to promote their professionalism.

Project website

Loughborough University Storytelling Academy

Project partners:

Led by LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY, UK (PI Dr Antonia Liguori)

ATIT BVBA, Belgium

DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY, UK

SPES GMBH, Austria

ISTITUTO LUIGI STURZO, Italy

RESEARCH PATHS ETAIREIA EREYNAS, Greece

Siena Art Institute Onlus, Italy

VsI “Lyderystes ir verslo akademija”, Lithuania