DEVOPS

Objectives of the project

The project aims to address the increasing disconnection between formal education and training and the world of work because of the emergence of new job roles and associated skill needs due to the development and operation of (DevOps) smart cities. Specific objectives are to:

• Identify Europe-wide emerging job profiles for smart cities DevOps professionals. The profession of DevOps needs to be described and especially for the sector of smart cities
• An attempt to map the produced job roles profiles to EQF and NQFs of the participating countries
• Apply a learning outcome based methodology to the design of training modules, using ECVET to facilitate recognition of learning and mobility. In general DevOps and Agile paradigms are transforming the technology workforce. The definition of DevOps curriculum in the context of SMART-DevOps project is critical since we need to ensure the smart cities professionals are not left technologically behind
• Contribute to a European standard for learning outcomes, to occupational and educational standards
• Develop a modular European VET curriculum (composed of a MOOC, eLearning modules, in presence training and work based learning) that can be adapted to national needs. With minimum effort the proposed curriculum can be used in other industry sectors (such as universities, ministries, etc.)
• Promote quality assurance in the VET curriculum using EQAVET principles
• Develop an integrated online platform to deliver the VET curricula and to stimulate sharing, exchange and flow of knowledge, experiences and best practices
• Pilot the VET curriculum in 4 project countries
• Evaluate the outcomes and produce handbooks and guidelines
• Promote, disseminate and exploit the results at national and European levels

Expected Results

The project will produce a multitude of diverse outputs and outcomes, printed and online, tangible and intangible, including reports, methodologies and policies, VET curricula, standards, digital content and tools, courses, publications, events and communities of practice. More specifically SMART-DevOps project will develop:

• Report on the Smart Cities Sector skills supply and demand and training offers at national
• Methodology and Handbooks on learning outcomes and principles of adult education for realizing modular high-quality VET curricula, the EQAVET and the requirements of the smart cities sector
• Application of ECVET principles and guidelines to facilitate recognition of learning and mobility, quality assurance of the VET curriculum using EQAVET principles and relevant documentation, contribution to a common European “language” for learning outcomes, adoption of eCF, mapping VET curricula to EQF and NQFs of the participating countries.
• Competence based modular VET curricula for the job role profiles
• Digital OERs that support the acquisition of approximately 40 competencies, such as agile application development, component integration, automated testing, solution deployment, as well as transversal competencies, such as innovating, communication, entrepreneurship, user support, business plan development, product service planning, etc. eCF and other standards will be used as a source of competences
• A MOOC for acquiring the basic competencies of job role profiles will be made available to all smart cities DevOps professionals in Europe and worldwide and a Specialization Training Course including e-learning and face-to-face lectures and a work based learning phase
• Online training and collaboration platform that stimulates sharing and exchange of knowledge, experiences and best practices, and provides community support even beyond the lifetime of the project
• Dissemination materials in English, German, Italian and Greek languages, the project web site, scientific publications, white papers and a book summarizing the outcomes of the project
• A European conference to sustain the dialogue among smart cities sector stakeholders regarding emerging job roles, skills shortage, training needs, and employability
• Awareness raising, promotion and exploitation events in all participating countries
• National sector alliances, including learners, smart cities, VET organizations and other stakeholders

Communities of practice that will be formed as a result of the training activities constitute an important sustainability mechanism for project outcomes.

Project Activities

1. Map skills needs of smart cities Development and Operations professionals (ICT project managers, coders, technical writers, web-designers, system administrators, technicians, etc.) working in municipal ICT departments.
2. Design and deliver a VET curricula combining digital and transferrable skills, including a MOOC, open educational resources (OERs), e-learning, face-to-face training and work-based experience.
3. Pilot the developed curricula in Cyprus, Germany, Greece, and Italy and valuate the experience.
4. Disseminate and exploit the project results beyond the partnership.