<< Background >>From the Innovation Centre for Vocational Education and Training of Aragon (CIFPA) and at the same time as the National Reference Centre for Commercial Logistics and Transport Management (CRN) for Vocational Education and Training, we are in charge of designing an updated and innovative training aimed at teachers, employed and unemployed with the aim of improving the employability and strategic development of our region. In the framework of the DIGinLOGS project, we intend to carry out an analysis of the needs in digital skills that the logistics sector demands internally from an international perspective and offer VET teachers, trainers and employed people an online training focused on the digitization of the sector. The factors that drive us to develop this project are the following:- Technology and digital infrastructure play a fundamental role in our private lives and in commercial environments.- Europe's main priority is to create a greater number of quality jobs and the digitization of Vocational Training is a key factor in adapting to the digital transformation of productive sectors through more efficient training adapted to technological changes.- Our centre depends on both the Ministry of Education and the Department of Education, Culture and Sports of the Government of Aragon and we develop the strategic lines marked by these in the V Aragonese Plan for VET.- The V Aragonese Plan for VET has marked six strategic lines to continue promoting Vocational Training, among which are: keep on working to increase employability in the Autonomous Community of Aragon, Vocational Training for the qualification of all people, in the search that their employability and the capacity of our companies and a digital VET, aimed at promoting the digital transformation of our economy.- One more reason to apply for the project is the commitment of our centre to continue establishing alliances and strengthening international collaboration networks, especially around training, since international cooperation and activities increase the attractiveness and excellence of Vocational Training.<< Objectives >>The DIGinLOGS project is articulated around the following global objectives:1. As the National Reference Centre in the field of logistics for Vocational Training, there is a need to be part of a broad international observatory/radar that, in cooperation with the European partners, will provide us with data on the evolution of the sector, the new needs or knowledge the companies are currently demanding from their workers in this regard and thus, be able to develop and offer VET teachers of this professional family, trainers and workers, an updated training that responds to the real needs of the sector.2. In addition, another of the global objectives is focused on mutual learning between partners in order to create a collaborative network regarding the demand and digitization needs of the logistics sector, give visibility to our work across borders and improve our work at a regional and national level with the cooperation of international experts, share our experiences and introduce innovation in our daily work in relation to the pedagogical design of our online training.3. As a final product of our project, we pursue to define and design a training itinerary in digitization of the sector, to design its corresponding training programme and implement an online course (MOOC), for VET teachers and workers linked to this professional family.<< Implementation >>There is a number of activities that will be held in order to achieve the main objectives. 1) Regarding our peer learning and networking on needs detection and the improvement of our strategies of cooperation with the productive sector, a short-term training activity and periodic virtual meetings will be held, addressing in detail the topics on:• Monitoring of forward-looking and innovative technologies and trends• Monitoring of innovative educational trends• Basic concepts of community management• Improvement of educational programs with the help of businesses among others2) As regards the final product in the form of a learning path focused on the digitization in the logistics sector, the development and implementation of online training (Mooc), a second specific short-term training activity will be carried out focused on peer learning about the excellence in pedagogical design and content presentation of online training actions (MOOC type).For the design and implementation of the online training that we will offer to our respective target groups, each partner will work closely with their regional and national networks, carrying out the following activities:- The qualitative and quantitative analysis, through interviews and surveys of teachers, trainers and productive sector in the project's partner countries, results sharing and final agreement among partners on the definition of the training path. - The establishment of the common bases for the elaboration of the training programs, the pedagogical design of the contents and the methodology.- Design and implementation of online training with the target group of each partner country for further analysis and dissemination.For the correct development and management of the different parts of the project, three transnational meetings as well as periodic virtual meetings will be held.Likewise, to achieve greater dissemination and impact, multiplier events will be held by each partner country throughout the life of the project.<< Results >>Through the activities within the framework of the DIGinLOGS project and in accordance with the proposed objectives, it is intended to obtain the following products and results:Results at the association level:- Constitute an international observatory/radar, sustainable in time, to carry out reports on situation analysis, innovation and trends monitoring of the logistics sector by means of quantitative and qualitative analysis.- Introduce innovation and best praxis regarding the pedagogical design and the implementation of online training.- Improve instruments and strategies of collaboration between the education and the productive sector and be able to adapt professional training to the constantly changing needs of the labour market.- Greater motivation of the participating staff, greater visibility of the activities of each partner, expansion of their collaborative network and creation of sustainable networking opportunities.Tangible results:The final result of the project consists of the elaboration of an online training itinerary in digitization of the sector (MOOC type) for teachers, trainers and workers linked to this professional family.Result at the target group level:The aim is to achieve higher qualification of the teaching staff, which can be translated into an improvement in their professional and personal skills.Being aware of the latest trends in regard to logistics, especially digitalization, the teaching staff, apart from a higher level of self-motivation, achieves a higher qualification of the students, which helps to address the problem of lack of qualified talent that the productive sector demands.

The project fits the national and EU strategies for Vocational Education and Training (VET), enhancing the dual system through a closer collaboration between the business system and the Educational one, and widening the use of a work based learning approach. It must be considered that the 7 project partners are an institute of research (ITL - IT), a secondary school (CPIP - SP), a training centre (CIFPA - SP), a university (Antwerp - BE), a company (Freight Village of Parma - IT), a sectoral association (AFT - FR), and a society for technologies and communication (Poliedra - IT). Moreover, are up to 10 the organizations (companies, schools, public authorities) that have already proven their support to the project. Despite its ancient military origin, only today logistics (the sector addressed by this project) has been recognized as fundamental element for business competitiveness, but also as a pillar for the economic, environmental and social sustainability, and its introduction in the education and training system it is someway recent, therefore to be enhanced. For this reasons, the project aims to realize six simulation tools, addressing the main sectoral fields, that replicate the operational procedures of these areas, in order to allow to students and trainees the carrying out of the practical, typical and daily tasks that they will have to implement on the job. The main objective is clearly to facilitate dei job inclusion of these medium-high skilled professional profiles (4th and 5th EQF level in particular), reducing the gap between training and education, with their more traditional and theorical methodologies, and the practical business operativity. The tools will be realized in close collaboration with those working and operational contexts that they will replicate. Products will be the complementary element of the current VET courses and will benefits for the attraction that such ICT tools have in respect of the younger generations, as they will be realized as videogames with different scenarios, scores and stages, matching the uses and the today technologies, especially for youth. As mentioned, tools will be referred to six fields of activity, and to six professional profiles linked to these fields, that are highly relevant for the sector: Supply Chain Management, intermodal transport, maritime transport and seaport activities, customs procedures, road transport, warehousing. For each of these fields the processes will be described, together with the operations, the time scheduling, the other actors involved, the tools and the documents available and to be used, in order to desing the simulation tools or the interactive software that replicated the main task carried out by the professionals of the sector. In particular, it will be realized: an interactive tool for the calculation of the all costs related to the logistics and transport supply chain, a warehouse management software (WMS) for training objectives, a simulator for the operational management of an intermodal terminal, an interactive tool for the calculation of costs of sea-port activities and the planning of infrastructures and equipment, a simulated role game for the management of custom practices and a simulator for the monitoring of road transport missions. These applications represent the whole supply chain related to a container that from an extra-EU country is shipped to an EU customer, therefore their use allow to provide a comprehensive view of the sector and its main sub-sectors. The tools will be tested during the project through the wide involvment of teachers and learners, and only after the detection of the users' satisfaction, as well as of the quality of learning, they will be finalized. A specific technical and training documentation will be prepared in order to support the use: a user manual for the functionig, manuals on technical contensts and knowledge related to the simulated procedures, Competence (according to ECVET method) and Educational Standards for the inclusion in training courses and the transparency of learning outcomes. Expected impacts refer to increased operational skills of learners, in order to ease the job inclusion, making the training for the sector more attractive, thanks also to an innovative and quality-oriented methodology that merges the training competences with the business operations, and that can be complementary to actual and future courses. The launch of a collaboration between schools and companies will allow the creation of new initiatives, but also an evenutual enlargemnet of the project results (parametrs, stages).