UpGrad_Me 2.0_Research_FV_EN

15 4. UPGRAD_ME 2.0 RESEARCH METHOD Participants The research involved 83 subjects, professionals in the field of career guidance, human resources, and related disciplines. We assume that this profile has the necessary experience and knowledge to adequately answer the different questions that were specified during the research. The research participants were located in Malta (n= 21), Cyprus (n=21), Italy (n=20) and Spain (n=21). Data were collected during the months of November 2020 and January 2021. Measurement instruments Participants individually answered individually the "UpGrad_Me 2.0" questionnaire, which is described below: " UpGrad_Me 2.0" questionnaire: this questionnaire aims to collect the different professional competences and skills, in 10 different professional families. The questionnaire includes a first section with the following socio-demographic variables: (1) Age, (2) Profession, and (3) Country. Subsequently, 10 differentiated sections were created according to each resulting professional family. These were: "Agriculture, Livestock Farming & Fishing", "Social Services and Health", "Construction", "Production and Manufacturing", "Transportation and Storage", "Sales and Communication", "Accommodation & Food Services", "Technical & Scientific Activities", "Office Work" and "Art, Entertainment, and recreation". Each of these sections included a list of competencies, skills, and personal traits, which the subject could select according to whether agreed – or not – that these variables belonged to the corresponding occupational family. It is worth mentioning that this questionnaire has been constructed for the specific implementation of the project and, consequently, does not have associated standards of validity and reliability. The competences, skills and personal traits included are set out below.