This is achieved by developing two unique solutions:

1. The Employability Growth Index (^EGROW Index) – a comprehensive taxonomy of individuals’ employability growth, including their empowerment and transformative (digital & green) capabilities (Objective 1). The ^EGROW Index will act as a measurement tool for classification and segmentation of user groups regarding the content and format of learning programmes.
2. The Modular and Versatile Platform for Engagement and Employability (MOVE^E) – a digital platform for lifelong learning with person-centred micro-credentials and learning formats (Objective 2). On MOVE^E individuals can grow their employability based on ^EGROW and skill forecasts by participating in concise skill programmes recommended by an AI-supported system.

To benchmark the impact breadth of the ^EGROW Index and MOVE^E, econometric cost-benefit analyses and a stochastic life-cycle model are applied (Objective 3).

The objectives are enabled by a vibrant research and innovation environment – the Grassroot Living Lab. State-of-the-art social innovation experiments, iterative research and stakeholder-integrated co-creation will validate the DIAMOND solutions. DIAMOND directly targets the main impact goals associated with the call.

The ^EGROW Index will help individuals to assess their employability growth and to empower them to self-manage their skill development on MOVE^E. The increased engagement due to tailored learning programmes will facilitate increased labour market participation. The economic analyses and models provide an improved understanding of macroeconomic effects.

DIAMOND contributes to inclusive growth, reduced vulnerabilities and strengthened economic resilience due to its person-centred and data/technology-driven grassroot approach.

The central goal of DIAMOND is to strengthen economic fairness and resilience of active labour market policies (ALMPs) and address high unemployment by rethinking and disrupting training for re-, and upskilling. The increased skill gap in the economy and society due to the digital transformation and green transition poses a threat to the various pathways to employment of unemployed people, especially those with a vulnerable socio-economic background. By challenging the current approach of skill development as well as skill strategies and by turning the threats on employment caused by digital and green transformation into opportunities, the DIAMOND pathway to employment offers a novel and interdependent set of pro-active stages – Envision, Engage and Employ (see figure above).

Diamond’s pathway to employment will for the first time connect (i) a comprehensive knowledge base about individuals’ employability growth (Envision) with (ii) predictive and human-centric solutions for skill and capability development (Engage) to (iii) tailor and increase individuals’ labour market participation and employment transition (Employ).

This is achieved by developing two unique DIAMOND solutions: (1) the Employability Growth Index (^EGROW Index) as a comprehensive taxonomy of empowerment and transformative capabilities to improve skill development strategies (Objective 1, from current TRL3 to TRL6 at the end of the project) and (2) the Modular and Versatile Platform for Engagement and Employability (MOVE^E) as an ecosystem for lifelong learning to facilitate an increased labour market participation and employment (Objective 2, from TRL3 to TRL6 at the end of the project). Furthermore, to support an improved understanding of the macro effects of ALMPs and to benchmark the impact breadth of the ^EGROW Index and MOVE^E on their effectiveness including displacement and substitution effects, econometric cost-benefit analyses and a stochastic life-cycle model will be developed, tested, and validated (Objective 3, from TRL3 to TRL6 at the end of the project).

The overall framework underpinning DIAMOND (see figure below) relates to the three main objectives and associated key exploitable results (KER) – the ^EGROW Index (Obj1; KER1), MOVE^E (Obj2, KER2), and the economic analyses and model (Obj3, KER3) – and will be facilitated by the Grassroot Living Lab (KER4). DIAMOND is distributed among 9 corresponding work packages (WPs).

The framework and conceptualization of DIAMOND are uniquely constructed to fulfil the ambition of each objective and to innovate ways in which re-, and upskilling programmes strengthen economic fairness and resilience of ALMPs. The DIAMOND framework for the three stages of the DIAMOND pathway to employment – envision, engage, and employ – builds on four main propositions.

First, re-, and upskilling programmes as crucial components of ALMPs need to be human-centred, agile, affordable, accessible, and suitable for lifelong learning. 

Second, the effectiveness and efficiency of re-, and upskilling programmes are determined by the level of individuals’ potential to self-determine their programme participation. 

Third, besides their employment history, an individual’s commitment and engagement in re-, and upskilling programmes is strongly connected to an individual’s learner typology, which creates insights about their specific needs for developing human-centric learning formats.

Fourth, DIAMOND acknowledges the two-sided nature of digital technologies as a problem-maker and problem-solver. On the one hand rapid developments in the digital and green sectors increase educational boundaries and barriers for different employment pathways and associated ALMPs. On the other hand, digital technologies enable the transition to human-centric and agile learning platforms and have the potential to reduce inequalities by enabling learning independence (i.e., online training, and time-flexibility).

Work Packages (WPs)

WP 1 – Development, Validation, and Facilitation of the ^EGROW Index

WP1 will develop, validate, and facilitate the ^EGROW Index (Objective 1 of the DIAMOND Framework in the figure above). WP1 will primarily include, i) the selection of dimensions of empowerment and transformative capabilities based on a systematic literature review, ii) the application of the ^EGROW Index for group classification and segmentation of learner typologies to support WP5 and WP6, and iii) continuous and agile improvement of the ^EGROW Index (e.g., adjustment of dimension weights) based on ML techniques for deriving a final setup of the ^EGROW index for exploitation based on continuous knowledge integration of WP2-WP4.

WP2 – Insights Into Empowerment Capabilities

WP2 will provide a comprehensive understanding of individuals’ empowerment capabilities and will include, i) a comprehensive mapping of drivers and outcomes related to empowerment capabilities and to identify different learner typologies (e.g., autonomous learner, social learner, goal-oriented learner) used in WP5 and ii) an examination of the interdependencies between individuals’ empowerment capabilities and a) their change mindsets, and career determination/indecision, b) their approach and avoidance orientations in learning, and c) their performance in learning tasks (connected to WP6). Thus, by continuously integrating insights and data, WP2 will support the development of the ^EGROW Index (WP1) and MOVE^E (WP5).

WP 3 – Insights into Transformative Capabilities

WP3 will provide a comprehensive understanding of individuals’ transformative capabilities (e.g., digital, green skills) and will include, i) a mapping of individuals’ transformative capabilities with the goal to identify critical and missing capabilities for skill development and skill strategies used in WP5, ii) a mapping of potential drivers and inhibitors of transformative capabilities, iii) an examination of the interdependencies between people’s transformative capabilities and potential drivers and inhibitors, and iii) an examination of the interdependencies between people’s transformative capabilities and their employment probability (connected with WP6). Thus, by continuously integrating insights and data, WP3 will support the development of the ^EGROW Index (WP1) and the facilitation of MOVE^E (WP5).

WP 4 – Economic Analyses

WP4 will provide an in-depth examination of the effectiveness of re-, and upskilling programmes from a micro- and macro perspective, considering various factors such as individual traits, labour market dynamics (e.g., skill mismatches, cyclical unemployment), and associated risks (mismatch between training and labour market needs, limited access and participation). WP4 will include i) an empirical meta-analysis with a focus on re-, and upskilling programmes, ii) the development of a stochastic life-cycle model, iii) the application of econometric cost-benefit analyses, and v) the derivation of implications for policy re-designs of re-, and upskilling programmes as active labour market policies. WP4 will strongly interrelate with WP1 and WP5 to benchmark the effectiveness and efficiency of the ^EGROW Index and MOVE^E and will integrate data and insights from WP2-3 and WP6.

WP 5 – Development, Validation and Facilitation of MOVE^E

WP5 will develop, validate, and facilitate MOVE^E (Objective 2 of the DIAMOND Framework in the figure above). WP5 will include i) the establishment and maintenance of the cloud-native platform, ii) rethinking existing and co-development of new micro-credentials for increasing transformative capabilities, iii) innovating existing and co-development of new learning formats, and iv) the development, validation and facilitation of an AI model supporting the modular learning environment (i.e., as recommender system). WP5 is in strong interdependence with WP1 (to integrate the ^EGROW Index and ^EGROW profiles) and WP6 for integrating research, innovation, and engagement activities.

WP 6 – Grassroot Living Lab and Social Innovation Experiments

WP6 will establish and manage the Grassroot Living Lab as a vibrant research, innovation, and engagement infrastructure and focus on the social innovation experiments in phases 2 and 3 (KER4). WP6 will contain, i) preparing the ground – setting up a common framework for the establishment and operation of the Grassroot Living Lab, ii) envision – embed preliminary knowledge of WP1-WP3 to plan and facilitate the social innovation experiments, iii) engage – invitation of stakeholders to follow a co-creation approach in the social innovation experiments by iterating and prototyping solutions provided by WP1-WP3, and iii) employ – for a joint validation of the ^EGROW Index and MOVE^E in the social innovation experiment.

WP 7 – Dissemination, Exploitation and Communication

The main objectives of WP7 are to define and implement the DIAMOND Plan for Dissemination, Exploitation, and Communication (PDEC), including i) raising awareness towards EU initiatives and policies, and contributing to these initiatives on relevant topics, providing industry, and policy recommendations concerning ALMPs, ii) providing clear communication to all stakeholders and the public about project information and results within and outside the project, iii) developing and maintaining PDEC and iv) develop appropriate tools and strategies to engage key stakeholders about the potential of DIAMOND for providing sustainable tools and methodologies to disrupt the use of skill development programmes and to improve employability.

WP 8 – Project Management

All the tasks in WP8 will be carried out during the entire project. The management of DIAMOND is structured in a way that scientific and technical issues are managed separately from finance and administration. Qualified personnel are assigned to the management tasks so that researchers can pay all their attention to the RTD and innovative activities. The management is composed of individuals with complex project records and management experience. This balanced composition promises a successful project and minimises development risks. 

WP9 – Ethics Requirements, Cyber Security and Data Management

WP9 supports project management (WP8) and is responsible for managing sensitive and important issues regarding i) ethics requirements, ii) data management and iii) cyber security associated with DIAMOND solution, research, and innovation activities (WP1-WP6).

DIAMOND will adopt a unique research, innovation, and engagement environment – the Grassroot Living Lab – as an overall methodological design, which will lead to an additional key exploitable result at the end of the project (KER4). A common understanding of a Living Lab as a research, innovation and engagement infrastructure is the underlying concept that different stakeholder groups are engaged as testers and co-creators of new technologies, products and services in open real-life communities and environments. Research and innovation activities within a Living Lab often follow a co-creation and co-production approach with agile, iterative stages. By adding the term ‘grassroot’, DIAMOND highlights its unique bottom-up and human-centric approach by explicitly integrating vulnerable groups into all activities on DIAMOND’s pathway to employment. The Grassroot Living Lab will create the playing field for the consortium and their research and social innovation activities to be vivid and ‘living’ themselves. Thus, the Grassroot Living Lab is integrated into the entire project and associated work packages. It will support the continuous promotion of research and innovation and is highly connected to work on the ^EGROW Index and MOVE^E.