The TOI EXPAND QUALITY ASSURANCE IN VET (BENCHMARKING TOOL) LLP-LdV-TOI-2012-LT-0117 project addresses the problem of improving quality assurance systems in VET. The project EXPANDVET will transfer good practice and innovation techniques to four EU countries (Lithuania, Austria, Poland and United Kingdom) from previous Leonardo da Vinci development of innovation project "Benchmarking Tool for Quality Assurance in VET (BEQUAL)". Main reason of the project is development and adoption of self-evaluation approaches, assessment culture also practical application of CQAF which is poor in partner’s countries.

BEQUAL + is a project under the Transfer of Innovation Leonardo da Vinci Multilateral Projects that transfers innovation techniques for quality assurance in vocational education and training, aiming at developing quality assurance in VET institutions through promotion of self-evaluation, quality benchmarking and networking.

The project approaches the problem of recruitment to technician training for the construction industry. In the partner countries, there is a major labour market and skills gap in the construction industry, which is a sector which could provide many jobs for unemployed and disadvantaged youth and is of vital economic importance. This labour skills shortage is particularly acute at technician level.

The Bony’s project aim is to develop an intelligent platform for social networks of students/professors able to assist the trainee, in order to satisfy her/his education needs. The core technology proposed by the Bony’s project is based on the most recent advances from the Artificial Intelligence, Social Networks and ICT technologies, and offers a solution to the mentioned problems.

The aim of the project is to contribute to the improved understanding and evidence base of the benefits and impact of computer simulations on the efficiency of learning/teaching biology and other science subjects, to provide teachers with a tool/model necessary for the efficient implementation of computer based simulations in their teaching process and consequently foster the uptake of these simulations in their teaching practices.

Renewable energies create significant employment in education, R&D, consultancy, engineering, agriculture, finance and government. The sector net employment growth is expected to be 1,660,000 by 2010 with a total of 2,463,000 new jobs by 2020. The current and future shortage of skilled personnel in renewable energy-related occupations is a major obstacle to the success of RES development.

Stress is now recognised as one of the most prevalent and serious work-related health problems. It is associated with psychosocial hazards and represents a challenge for effective health and safety management due to the constantly changing nature of work in today's knowledge-based economy.

Whilst there have been a considerable number of initiatives dealing with informal learning, the main focus has been the accreditation of informal learning seeking to develop instruments and strategies to recognise such learning for the purpose of qualification.

The objectives of the BEQUAL project is to promote quality assurance in VET by developing:

- an electronic benchmarking tool, which allows training providers in VET to online benchmark their quality approach against CQAF core criteria and database collections of good practices.

- a web based “quality sharing network” in VET, which is based on quality profiles gained through benchmarking and enables training providers to ad hoc search for CQAF compliant good practice matching with their internal quality process.
- a thematic portal that is the main reference point for practitioners, researchers and policy makers that are looking for information for quality assurance in VET training institutes.