Upskilling and reskilling are vital to keeping workers competitive and inclusive in the digital and green transitions. The recent Policy Session on Employment & Social Rights at the Horizon Europe Cluster 2 Coordinators’ Day emphasized the need for future-ready skills in line with the European Pillar of Social Rights.

More about the Coordinator’s Day: https://tinyurl.com/49bu5awv

Why It Matters:

📉 1 in 4 young people lack basic skills in reading, maths, and science.
📊 80% of companies struggle to find skilled workers.
🔄 Workers must adapt to automation, digitalization, and sustainability.

Key EU Initiatives Driving Change:

📚 Basic Skills Support & STEM Education Plan
🛡️ Skills Guarantee for at-risk workers
🏭 EU Skills Academies for green and digital industries

DIAMOND promotes gender equality and inclusion by ensuring access to upskilling opportunities for women and underrepresented groups. Our research:
✅ Identifies barriers to equal access
✅ Supports targeted training programs
✅ Provides data-driven policy recommendations for an inclusive workforce

DIAMOND ensures diverse, inclusive access to lifelong learning and helps build a future-ready workforce across industries. 💜 Let’s ensure everyone has the skills to succeed!

🔗 Learn more https://diamond-empower.eu/about/

Not all learners are the same – so why should training be? Traditional, one-size-fits-all approaches to re-skilling and up-skilling often miss the mark.

The Critical Need for Personalized Learning:

Many employees aren’t reaching their full potential due to irrelevant training. One-size-fits-all methods fail because learners have diverse needs and goals (tinyurl.com/3d9h2s2e).
Personalized learning increases engagement: 75% vs. 30% in traditional settings (tinyurl.com/55wshktu).

Key re-/up-skilling challenges include:

• Lack of human-centric approach
• Insufficient focus on digital/green skills
• Lack of personalization and agility
• Inadequate inclusion
• Limited digitalization and AI use

DIAMOND’s MOVEᴱ platform offers AI-powered, personalized learning experiences to revolutionize re-skilling and up-skilling.

How DIAMOND’s Transforms Re-skilling & Up-skilling:

✅ AI-Powered Recommendations with MOVEᴱ: Personalized learning paths based on ᴱGROW profiles and labor market needs.
✅ ᴱGROW Index: Helps assess employability potential.
✅ Micro-Credentials: Stackable certifications for focused skill development.
✅ Modern Learning Formats: VR, virtual collaboration, and flexible online courses to increase engagement.
✅ Focus on Inclusion: Ensures equitable access, considering gender, socio-economic background, and digital skills gaps.

Why It Matters:

Personalized learning leads to better engagement, retention, and employability, helping individuals succeed in today’s fast-evolving job market.

WP3 of the DIAMOND Project explores individuals’ transformative capabilities, such as digital and green skills, to better understand the skills needed for the future of work. The goal is to identify gaps, mapping drivers and inhibitors, and examining their impact on employment, WP3 will provide valuable insights to shape skill development strategies.

What Happens in WP3?
1️⃣ Mapping Transformative Capabilities
We’ll conduct surveys across several countries (🇵🇹, 🇪🇸, 🇵🇱, 🇩🇪, 🇮🇹) to identify gaps in transformative capabilities, focusing on DIAMOND target groups.
Leader: Aarhus University 🇩🇰
Partners: PM 🇵🇹, EMiT Feltrinelli🇮🇹, Deinde sp. z o. o.🇵🇱, FOB 🇵🇱, Youth Power 🇩🇪, and Fundación Miradas 🇪🇸

2️⃣ Mapping Drivers & Inhibitors of Transformative Capabilities
This task will identify and map factors (e.g., socio-economic background, technological readiness) that drive or hinder transformative capabilities.
Leader: Aarhus University 🇩🇰
Partners: Freie Universität Berlin 🇩🇪, ICCRAM University of Burgos Universidad de Burgos 🇪🇸, RWTH Aachen University 🇩🇪, and University of Vienna 🇦🇹

3️⃣ Generating Insights on Drivers and Inhibitors of Transformative Capabilities
We’ll conduct a second round of surveys in additional countries (🇩🇰, 🇦🇹, 🇧🇪, 🇫🇷) to refine insights into the drivers and inhibitors of transformative capabilities.
Leader: Aarhus University 🇩🇰
Partners: PM 🇵🇹, EMiT Feltrinelli 🇮🇹, Deinde sp. z o. o. 🇵🇱, FOB 🇵🇱, Youth Power 🇩🇪, and Fundación Miradas 🇪🇸,

4️⃣ Examining the Impact on Employment Outcomes
Field studies will measure how these capabilities influence job success, feeding insights into WP6.
Leader: Deinde sp. z o. o.🇵🇱
Parnters: Immersion 🇫🇷, PM 🇵🇹, EMiT Feltrinelli 🇮🇹, FOB 🇵🇱

By continuously integrating insights and data, WP3 will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of skills development and employability.

🔗 Learn more: https://diamond-empower.eu/about/

As part of the DIAMOND Project, MOVEᴱ is redefining lifelong learning with personalized, flexible, and AI-driven pathways designed to match real-world career needs.

What makes MOVEᴱ different?

MOVEᴱ  Platform Features:

✅ Modular Design – Flexible learning components tailored to individual goals.

✅ AI-powered Recommendations – Personalized learning paths based on EGROW profiles.

✅ Micro-credentials – Incremental skill-building with short, focused modules.

✅ Innovative Formats – Courses, simulations, and mixed reality experiences.

✅ Co-creation with Learners – Programs that are practical and relevant to real-world needs.

✅ Human-Centered Focus – Empowering individuals to take control of their own learning journeys.

Why does MOVEᴱ matter?

In today’s fast-changing job market, upskilling and reskilling are essential. MOVEᴱmakes learning:

📊 Flexible – Learn anytime, anywhere, at your own pace.

🔍 Personalized – Tailored to meet your specific goals and learning preferences.

🚀 Empowering – Equip yourself with the skills necessary for career growth and resilience.

MOVEᴱ supports lifelong learning through DIAMOND’s Envision, Engage, Employ framework:

🔎 Envision – Understand your skills, set goals, and map your learning journey.

🤝 Engage – Access tailored training and evolve with MOVEᴱ ’s AI-powered platform.

🚀 Employ – Track employability growth and apply your skills in real-world jobs.

With MOVEᴱ, learning is no longer a one-size-fits-all experience—it’s a personalized, evolving journey designed to empower individuals to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Learn more: 👉 https://diamond-empower.eu/about

We are thrilled to introduce the distinguished members of our DIAMOND Stakeholder Advisory Board (SAB)! 

Our three expert advisors will:

✅ Provide insights on DIAMOND’s tools, including ᴱGROW and MOVEᴱ

✅ Contribute to the DIAMOND pathway to employment

✅ Support Grassroots Living Labs

Meet our SAB members:

💎 Prof. Christian Brock – Professor and Chair of Marketing at the University of Rostock, Germany. His research focuses on retail management, services marketing, and the digital and sustainable transformation of businesses

💎 Prof. Víctor Abella García – Professor and researcher at the University of Burgos, Spain, and Director of the university’s Virtual Teaching Center since 2013. He brings expertise in digital education and technology-enhanced learning.

💎 Markos Giannopoulos – Technologist and entrepreneur with a career in software development since 1998. He has played a key role in the growth of several IT enterprises, driving innovation in digital solutions.

We look forward to their expertise in shaping the future of DIAMOND!

WP2 of the DIAMOND Project explores individuals’ empowerment capabilities. Through mapping, behavioral studies, and field research, we examine how empowerment influences learning, career decisions, and performance.

What Happens in WP2?

1. Mapping Drivers and Outcomes of Empowerment Capabilities

Lead by University of Vienna 🇦🇹, in collaboration with Aarhus University 🇩🇰, and Universidad de Burgos 🇪🇸, we will identify what drives empowerment (e.g., personality traits, supportive environments) and how these influence career choices and learning approaches.

2. Gathering Insights on Empowerment

University of Vienna 🇦🇹supported by Aarhus University 🇩🇰, FOB 🇵🇱,  Youth Power 🇩🇪, Freie Universität Berlin 🇩🇪, and Fundación Miradas 🇪🇸 , will conduct surveys across several countries (🇵🇹, 🇪🇸, 🇵🇱, 🇩🇪, 🇮🇹) to understand the drivers and outcomes of empowerment capabilities.

3. Exploring Empowerment’s Impact on Career and Mindset

Aarhus University 🇩🇰, together with University of Vienna🇦🇹, PM🇵🇹, and FOB 🇵🇱 , will explore how empowering environments influence career decisions, helping individuals embrace change and confidently define their career paths.

4. Interdependencies Between Empowerment and Learning Orientations

University of Vienna🇦🇹 in collaboration Aarhus University 🇩🇰 will investigate how empowerment affects learning orientations (e.g., mastery vs. performance) and contribute to effective learning strategies for diverse individuals.

5. Interdependencies Between Empowerment and Performance in Micro-Credentials

EMiT Feltrinelli 🇮🇹 will lead a field study to examine how empowerment influences performance in micro-credentials, alongside Aarhus University🇩🇰, FOB🇵🇱 & Youth Power Germany🇩🇪.

These findings will shape the ᴱGROW Index and transform learning programs for diverse individuals.

🔗 Learn more: HERE

The ᴱGROW Index, developed under the DIAMOND Project, is a groundbreaking tool designed to empower individuals by assessing both their empowerment and transformative capabilities—two crucial elements that enable success in today’s rapidly changing workforce.

What Makes the ᴱGROW Index Unique?

The ᴱGROW Index focuses on two key dimensions:

1. Empowerment Capabilities: Indicators like self-efficacy, learning style, and autonomy allow individuals to assess their learning preferences, helping them take control of their growth journey.
2. Transformative Capabilities: Focused on digital and green skills, ensuring individuals are prepared for the future economy.

How Does It Work?

The ᴱGROW Index empowers individuals to assess their own empowerment and transformative capabilities, identifying gaps in key areas like digital literacy and green competencies. This self-reflection process helps learners select personalized re- and upskilling programs to match their growth needs.

Key Features:

1. 💡 Empowerment-Based: Encourages individuals to recognize their personal strengths and take charge of their learning.
2. 🌱 Digital & Green Skills: Ensures learners are equipped for the workforce of tomorrow.
3. 🎯 Personalized Learning: Learners choose programs that fit their individual needs, enhancing motivation and engagement.

Results & Outcomes:

The ᴱGROW Index (KER1) will achieve TRL 6 by the end of the project, resulting in:

1. A comprehensive taxonomy and measurement framework to accurately assess employability growth (verified by 5000+ individuals and workshops, reports on measurement taxonomy).
2. An open-access compendium of guidelines for educators and policymakers to optimize skill development programs and strategies (validated by large-scale social innovation experiments and success stories).
3. ᴱGROW Profiles to classify and segment individuals for tailored learning formats and development programs (backed by machine-learning algorithms and data from 5000+ individuals).

The ᴱGROW Index is set to reshape employability, offering a powerful tool to foster empowered and transformative skills for individuals and organizations.

Learn more about ᴱGROW: HERE

🌟 Empowering Employability with the ᴱGROW Index: Introducing WP1 of the DIAMOND Project 🌟

The DIAMOND Project is on a mission to enhance employability growth with WP1, developing a human-centric Employability Growth (ᴱGROW) Index.

📌 What is the ᴱGROW Index?
The ᴱGROW Index is a human-centric framework that combines:
💎 Empowerment Capabilities 💡: Indicators like self-efficacy, learning style, and autonomy to assess growth mindsets and learning preferences.
💎 Transformative Capabilities 🌱: Focused on digital and green skills to ensure resilience in today’s evolving job market.

📌 What Happens in WP1?

1️⃣ University of Vienna🇦🇹 leads the first task, identifying key empowerment and transformative dimensions through a systematic literature review for the ᴱGROW Index. This task is supported by all partners, especially Aarhus University🇩🇰, Freie Universität Berlin🇩🇪, ICCRAM University of Burgos🇪🇸, and RWTH Aachen University🇩🇪.

2️⃣ Aarhus University🇩🇰 takes the lead in applying the ᴱGROW Index to classify learner typologies, guiding personalized re- and upskilling programs in later stages of the project. FUB, ICCRAM University of Burgos🇪🇸, RWTH Aachen University🇩🇪, University of Vienna🇦🇹, and Evolutionary Archetypes Consulting SL🇪🇸 support this task.

3️⃣ Later in the project, AU will lead the refinement of the ᴱGROW Index, using ML techniques and insights from WP2-WP4 to ensure inclusivity and effectiveness. CETIC🇧🇪, Immersion🇫🇷, and University of Vienna🇦🇹 will assist in this process.

📊 What Will WP1 Deliver?
💎 A comprehensive framework to assess employability growth.
💎 Open-access guidelines for educators, policymakers, and individuals.
💎 Tailored ᴱGROW Profiles to engage vulnerable groups and optimize learning strategies.

By addressing challenges like low engagement in skill development programs, digital/green skill gaps, and inclusion, WP1 sets the foundation for equitable employment opportunities.

Learn more about the DIAMOND project and WP1: HERE