The Knowledge Network is based entirely on collaboration and was established as a collaborative network for educational services and research. The board of the Knowledge Network has eight members and is composed of representatives from local authorities, universities, colleges, research institutes and the business community.
The Knowledge Network also works in extensive collaboration with numerous partners and is based on providing regional services to the community; residents and businesses, throughout its entire area of operation in the Þingeyjarsýslur.
The Knowledge Network also bases its existence on participation in collaboration with other comparable institutions across the country, e.g. through the Association of Continuing Education Centres and the Association of Knowledge Centres. This is also reflected in the structure of the institution itself, which operates its services across the region rather than from a single central location.
International collaborative projects are a growing part of the Knowledge Network's activities, and the organisation has participated in a number of such projects. These are most often research and/or development projects in the Knowledge Network's fields of expertise, where funding is provided through competitive grants at a European or Nordic level.
NICHE 2 – Nurturing Intangible Cultural Heritage for Entrepreneurship. The aim of NICHE 2 is to develop and provide training for individuals who utilise intangible cultural heritage in their work, to promote the sustainable growth of this activity. The project aims to enhance professionalism by supporting the skills defined in the European Competence Framework for Sustainability, as well as digital skills. The knowledge network leads the project, which has a total of seven partners from six countries: Croatia, France, Iceland, Italy, Belgium and Spain.
The Knowledge Network is a partner in a two-year European project called: "EUropean NETworking as a method for further training and exchange of ideas in the lifelong learning sector" "European NET as a method for further training and for exchanging ideas in the lifelong learning sector" [EU-NET]. The overall aim of the EU-NET project is to support the networking of non-profit organisations and associations on a European level, which operate in the lifelong learning sector. The partners aim to design and develop guidelines on opportunities for European partnership projects for institutions and organisations working in the lifelong learning sector. The final product will be a handbook with information on how to apply for and manage partnership projects.
The Knowledge Network is a member of First Network but it is an international association of continuing education centres and research institutes from all over the world. The aim of the association is to strengthen and increase the cooperation of organisations and non-profit foundations working in the field of adult education, to enable them to operate on an international level, increase their capacity for innovation and their ability to adapt to changes in the modern world.
The Network of Knowledge of Þingeying, together with seven partners from six European countries, worked on the Erasmus+ project SPECIAL (Supporting and Promoting EntreComp through Innovative Advanced Learning), which was in the field of vocational education.
The project aimed to enhance the life skills and 'soft skills' of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), with the goal of increasing their participation in society and the labour market. Flexible training pathways were developed and tested, tailored to the needs of the target group.
The Network of Knowledge of Þingeying managed the project and based the project, among other things, on experience related to FabLab Húsavík.
See more: https://projectspecial.eu
The project's objectives were to support the work of entrepreneurs related to intangible cultural heritage and to develop a new educational offering on the subject. The target group was current and prospective professionals in the sector, with the aim of increasing its competitiveness and maintaining its growth.
The projects undertaken at NICHE were therefore, for example:
To examine what intangible cultural heritage entails and what qualities and skills need to be present in those working within the sector. This was assessed with reference to the European Qualifications Framework.
Developed a curriculum on intangible cultural heritage based on new methods. The topics covered included, for example, management, fundraising and digital representation.
Create teaching website which will be the centre for the dissemination of the project's teaching materials. The materials were intended to enhance the skills and competence of staff within the sector.
The NICHE project was carried out with a grant from Erasmus+, the EU's cooperation programme. It was a two-year project and began in November 2020. There were nine participants in the project from seven European countries; Iceland, Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Sweden. The project was applied for in Iceland and was managed by The Knowledge Network of Þingeyjar. Our partner in Iceland was Nýheimar Knowledge Centre in Höfn, Hornafjörður.
The project was recognised as a Good Practice Example, see more here.
The project is called Digital Communities –Digital skills and competences of local communities in rural areas. In everyday speech, the project is known by the name Digital communities. The project was carried out in partnership with six organisations from five European countries, namely Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and Iceland, but the participants from Iceland were two: Nýheimar Knowledge Centre and The Knowledge Network of Þingeyjar. The project is an Erasmus+ project and was funded by the European Union's partnership programme. Nýheimar Knowledge Centre applied for the project on behalf of the group and led it.
The project was about strengthening the digital skills of residents in rural municipalities. The focus was on older people in this context, along with volunteers, mentors and carers for older people. The project aimed to identify what is needed for older people to access various public services on the World Wide Web, thereby better adapting to the digital world. The aim was to boost confidence in using the internet, which can improve quality of life as services increasingly move online. Following the analysis, solutions were developed Guidelines for the digital participation of older people, e.g. videos, based on real-life examples from the lives of older people. The products were presented to older people and their carers, and they were offered training on how to use the material to provide their clients with education, support and motivation.
http://www.digital-communities.eu
The DEAL project aimed to enhance the skills of prospective entrepreneurs and develop new methods in teaching and training, promoting entrepreneurship in remote areas by placing a greater emphasis on a digital approach. The target group was adults with little formal education.
DEAL is a two-year project that started at the end of 2020 and finished in 2022. There were seven participants in the project from five European countries (Belgium, Iceland, Ireland, Italy and Spain). The project was applied for in Ireland, and the North East Network was a partner.
The project's homepage is: https://www.projectdeal.eu
SUSTAIN IT – Sustainability in Tourism - Innovation in Staff Training
Innovative Training in Sustainable Tourism
Þekkingarnet Þingeyinga were the project managers for this Erasmus+ project (2018-2020). Partners were Nýheimar in Höfn and institutions in Ireland, Cyprus, Spain, Italy and Belgium.
The project was recognised as Good practice example.
Objective SUSTAIN IT to increase the competitiveness of tourism companies that operate in the spirit of sustainable development by developing new, practical and implementable professional training for their managers. SUSTAIN IT The vocational training consists of traditional teaching and educational material available on the website. For more information, see the project's website. http://www.sustainit.eu/index.php
Objective sole trader The aim of the project (2018-2020) was to develop educational materials to enhance the employability of individuals in self-employment or entrepreneurial activities, e.g. jobseekers, those wishing to change their career path, and those seeking new opportunities. The project's output is a set of learning materials, all of which are available on the project's website: http://www.solo-preneur.eu/index.php
sole proprietor Self-Employability In Remote Regions Of Europe aimed at developing innovative training and learning solutions to enhance the employability of job-seekers, the underemployed/temporarily unemployed, and those seeking better or new opportunities through self-employment. sole trader The specific objectives were to support the acquisition of skills and tools to enhance self-employability. This was achieved by developing adequate training solutions, material and online tools.
See further on the project's webpage: http://www.solo-preneur.eu/index.php