The Portuguese pilot of the NewEcoSmart project is being led by AD ELO, in Montemor-o-Velho. This aims to empower adults aged 45+ in digital, green, and entrepreneurial skills in rural areas. The pilot has received support from the Municipality of Montemor-o-Velho, which has been essential in providing the logistical conditions and infrastructure needed for its implementation.
The recruitment strategy focused on a personalized and community-based approach, utilizing AD ELO’s local networks. The team conducted a more personalized contact, ensuring that participants clearly understood the project, could express their doubts, and felt more involved and committed to their participation. Participants had two ways to engage:
- Through face-to-face group sessions
- Or exploring the tools independently, with remote support from the team
Sessions and Participation Numbers
- 4 face-to-face group sessions held between January and March
- 70 participants engaged with the Diagnostic Tool and the Learning Toolkit (no duplicates, ensuring that participants testing multiple tools are counted only once), including:
- 63 participants used the Diagnostic Tool
- 43 participants tested the Learning Toolkit, distributed as follows:
- 42 in the MOOC platform – 39 participants have already completed the “Green Skills – Basic Level” training. Additionally, some participants also completed training in basic digital skills, basic soft skills, and higher levels of green skills.
- 20 participants used the Microlearning App
Throughout the implementation, some challenges were identified: Low digital literacy, that required a slower pace and closer support during sessions; Minor usability issues with some tools, but valuable feedback was gathered to improve them; Unstable connectivity in some areas.
Despite these obstacles, the participants’ interest and commitment exceeded expectations. Many showed curiosity, a willingness to learn, and pride in earning their certificates, even though this was their first experience with digital platforms.
AD ELO continues to gather feedback from participants, both in person and via email. The responses are being used to improve the tools and adapt the training process to the local reality.
The pilot continues with new recruitment actions and scheduled sessions, maintaining a flexible and inclusive model, capable of reaching more people with different profiles and needs.