"<< Background >>The logistics industry is one of the productive sectors with highest economic growth and trade integration, influencing social welfare and new technological advancements in this and other transversal industries (food, health, tourism,). An optimal logistics performance relies on the type of national infrastructure and trade facilitation which, in turn, depends on the level of training, skills and qualifications of the logistics employees. In consequence, the extensive modernization of logistic services and operations (mechanization, automation) have incurred in a higher diversification of occupations and professional profiles, and in particular, the rapid digital transformation of the logistic sector is changing the industry and therefore the need to change the VET education provision. The logistics industry encounters difficulties in Europe to fill in these new jobs, as this technological modernization clashes with a lack of adequate skilled labor to adapt to the recruiting needs and perform the assigned tasks. That impacts negatively in a higher level of youth unemployment rates. Moreover, this has been aggravated by the lately changes in supply chains and markets behaviour that the Covid-19 pandemic and digitalization are bringing into this sector.Europe is considering these shortcomings an opportunity to convert into logistics-based training centers. These new challenges require a larger and cooperation investment between logistics business and VET education to rethink human capital and get qualified logistic graduates to acquire the specific knowledge and training to fit in the new job occupations and environment, and be prepared to work in any point of the value chain. By focusing on the key role of VET as the best education line to better adapt to new and future challenges to overcome the high levels of youth unemployment, the Logistics VET Hub is the first of its kind to become an international partnership of VET schools, companies and institutions over 6 countries in Europe gathering together in mutual interest upon their will to cooperate, share good practices and learn experimental approaches to reshape their VET systems to the world logistics scenario. In future, the Logistics VET Hub will be expected to become the foundations of a long sustainable collaboration in time, based on common issues and stimulating direct exchange among strong partners with common difficulties and solutions.The main needs to be addressed in the project are the following: -There is a low supply of technical skilled labour across operational workers; -There is a lack of/low adaptation of VET curricula at schools sensitive to the real recruiting needs of logistics companies according to the market trends;-The VET specialization in Logistics is transversal and/or belong to different fields: International Trade, Marketing & Trade Management, Transport Management, IT applied to Logistics.-There is a high demand of employees in the logistics subsectors (e.g. transport,, delivery, warehouse management, plant logistics, air & shipping transport, distribution, etc.);-There is a high demand of qualified employees competent to use new technologies (identification of products, data transmission) and digital devices used along the value chain; -There is a high demand of language, transversal and social skills;-There is a low level of awareness about the importance of recruiting VET graduates to fill some of the jobs positions;-There is a general misinformation among VET students about the potential of logistics as a professional careerThe LVH project will address these needs by putting all European partners together to work closely with companies in their territories to understand their demands, to have the opportunitiy to exchange what good practices are working in other contexts with same challenges, and to find solutions to adapt their VET offer according to the future expectations of the sector.<< Objectives >>The general objective of the Logistics VET Hub is, therefore, to build a sustainable strategic partnership based on the cooperation among international logistics and VET experts in Europe to exchange good practices on VET logistics specializations in line with the professional profiles, skills, needs and trends of the logistic sector in Europe. Besides, it contributes with recommendations to address the improvement of quality and innovation of the EU VET systems for logistics field of specialization.The specific objectives are the following:(1) To influence logistics companies in all partner countries about the advantages of VET as fundamental educational path to meet their sector demands in terms of recruiting high skilled staff; (2) To adapt/modify VET logistics-related studies curricula and training offer, according to new sector trends and skills demanded by the companies;(3) To raise awareness and attractiveness of VET logistics studies and professions as a strategic career option for present and future youngsters.For doing this, the Logistics VET Hub will use its transnational approach to bring together regions and cities located in different EU countries in Northern (Finland, Sweden), Southern (Portugal, Spain), Central (Netherlands) and Eastern Europe (Estonia) with shared needs to jointly tackle common challenges that cannot be solved separately by each in their territories.Partners will be required to do so by working together to help them to address challenges together in the field of VET logistics by building a sector Hub based on trust and mutual interest among project partners, but also with their respective logistic sector upon their will to cooperate and share experiences, developing new ideas and creating experimental learning approaches to better adapt VET systems to the rapid evolution of the logistics scenario in Europe. In the age of globalization, transnational cooperation is gaining more and more importance to tackle common concerns and there is special interest in combining the best characteristics of the more and less advanced VET systems in Europe in the field of logistics. In addition, partners will be able to offer better education to their population in general, more open to internationalisation and digitalization, but especially in logistic-related fields, that in the long term will help to invest in the future of youngsters and, in turn, of the future of the European Union.<< Implementation >>The project activities will be structured into 4 work packages (WPs) and will be the following:WP1. Coordination & Quality: Overall project coordination and guarantee of quality and dissemination transversally during the entire project life: project calendars, budget, dissemination and quality plan; circulation of quality procedures, monitoring & evaluation tools; preparation of initial project materials; tracking of partner roles, tasks and responsibilities -Celebration of the 1st transnational/Kick-off meeting in Lisbon to launch the project-Elaboration of the main research methodological tools (e.g. surveys, focus groups, interviews) to identify and analyse the present (WP2) and future (WP3) state of affairs of the logistics and education sector, as well as good practices' templates for the final Manual.WP2. Present Situation Scenario:Identification of the present situation on existing type of logistics profiles, employment needs, specializations and skills, as well as momentum of the VET education-work nexus in each country, using the agreed methods, tools & templates.-Partners to collect data on detailed characteristics of the logistic business sector, type and quality of the VET logistics-related studies and skills taught and existing initiatives to promote logistics and VET education among youngsters in order to elaborate the project results ""Infography on logistics companies, training and skills needs"" and the ""Report of Present Scenario"" (as part of Manual of Good Practices & Recommendations) -Celebration of the 2nd transnational meeting in GroningenWP3. Future Situation Scenario:Analysis of the future situation on future trends of the logistics sector; how a VET curriculum can be modified/adapted to better orientate to future logistics sector needs and initiatives could better promote VET logistics specializations among youngsters in order to elaborate the project results """"Report of Future Scenario"" (as part of Manual of Good Practices & Recommendations);-Celebration of the 3rd transnational meeting online in Rovaniemi-Celebration of the Staff training activity in SkellefteaW4. Recommendations Compilation of strategic recommendations at the local, national and European level for logistic companies, for VET schools with logistics-related studies and for youngsters/society to increase the attractiveness of logistics as a career option, in order to elaborate the recommendations that will be integrated into the ""Manual of Good Practices & Recommendations"";-Celebration of the 4th transnational meeting in Kuopio-Celebration of the Student learning activity in Tartu -Organization of a Forum/event (hybrid) in Barcelona-Celebration of the 5th transnational meeting in Barcelona to close the project<< Results >>At the short term, the LVH will help to identify, as reflected in the first project results of the “Infographic” and “Report of Present Scenario of VET & Logistics in Europe”, the logistic profiles, occupations and types of skills required by the sector companies in the local and EU level, as well as the existing initiatives to promote logistic VET within all partner countries, all compiled in the “Manual of Good Practices & Recommendations"" (or Manual). Partners will also gain deeper understanding on the real information levels that companies have on the VET offer in their city/country, trends in recruitment levels in the years and present causes of the lack of existing cooperation between VET and business occurring in all project countries. In addition, a new space of debate will be open about the additional difficulties found in the logistic sector due to measures taken in the context of COVID-19.At the mid-term, the results are expected to improve significantly and we will be expected to achieve deeper knowledge on what can be done in future to match the trends of the companies with regards to future skills and jobs, reflected in the “Report of Future Scenario of VET & Logistics in Europe"". In addition, partners will share the best practices in every country among their VET schools, logistic companies and youngsters/communities to acquire the consensus upon which to create the tools and mechanisms to finally make recommendations, included in the ""Manual"". The logistics VET studies will hopefully be considered both an attractive and strategic career option among youngsters and potential students, and a career option of strategic meaning to entering the labor market and achieve full youth employment. It is also expected to consider the LVH as a half-way progress towards the common adaptation of VET studies to the needs of logistics industry as whole sector across all project countries. In addition, a Forum will be organise by the end to help review of project results and continue working with stakeholders on how the logistics sector looks like and how will change in the future as part of the digital transformation, but also to keep pursuing companies about the benefits of VET education for logistic to favourably face common logistic-skills mismatch. At the long-term, we hope to continue running the LVH after EU funding to keep adapting curricula of VET studies to the needs of the sector in other countries. Also, future projects might emerge from this other innovative hub in logistics, for example a more geographically extended Hub to adapt to the need of other regions (EU-Med or Latin America where we currently have started logistic-related collaborations). Ideally, other future editions of this Forum after EU funds will continue beyond our partnership. Other expected outcomes will be:-Creation of a stronger network of trust among project partners on this common topic and for other related projects in future;- ¡Visible internationalization of the project partner organizations based on the openness to other realities and contexts in Europe where also facing common problems of logistic-related skills mismatch and lack of VET awareness;-Exchange and implementation of new working processes, tools and research methods for project staff that will be implemented systematically in every partner country;-Developing together new actions to be implemented to adapt the curriculum of VET logistic specializations to the needs of the logistics companies;-Real exchange and implementation of best practices exported from every country and elaboration of recommendations;-Share of experiences resulting from the learning activities;-Exchange of points of view from educators and business involved and also from target groups in each local/national context."