AI project

AI in ACTION Officially Launched: Bringing AI Closer to Vocational Education

We’re happy to share some exciting news - our new Erasmus+ project AI in ACTION has officially kicked off!

Since September 2025, we’ve been working together with partners from Germany, Cyprus, and Sweden on a shared goal: making Artificial Intelligence something practical, understandable, and genuinely useful for vocational education.
Because let’s be honest - AI is everywhere right now. It’s changing how we work, how we learn, and how different industries operate. But in many classrooms and training centres, it still feels distant, complicated, or even a bit intimidating.
That’s exactly where this project comes in.

A partnership across three countries

This journey brings together three organisations, each with a different perspective:
- Simson Private Akademie (Germany) – working closely with industry and vocational learners on a daily basis
- A & A Emphasys Training Centre (Cyprus) – bringing strong experience in digital training and innovative learning methods
- Goodness of People (Sweden) – focusing on digital responsibility, inclusion, and how technology impacts society

Together, we’re combining practical experience, technical know-how, and a human-centered perspective on digital change.

What we’re working towards

Over the coming months, the project will focus on:
+ Helping educators feel more confident using AI
+ Creating simple, practical teaching tools supported by AI
+ Organising an international training for educators in Cyprus
+ Sharing what we learn so others can benefit too

Looking ahead

Right now, we’re in the early stage - listening, exploring, and building a clear picture of what’s really needed.

Because AI shouldn’t feel like a threat or a buzzword. It should feel like something useful. Something supportive. Something that makes everyday work a bit easier.

With AI in ACTION, we’re taking a step in that direction - together.

Listening First: How SPA Educators Are Shaping AI Integration in VET

As part of AI in ACTION, we have completed one of the most important steps of the project’s first phase: the interviews and focus groups with educators and staff at Simson Private Akademie (SPA).

This phase was not only about collecting opinions. It was about understanding how AI can realistically fit into the daily work of a vocational training provider.

SPA works closely with learners, trainers, and companies in technical vocational education. This means that any use of AI has to be practical, reliable, and connected to real training situations - not just interesting in theory.

Why we started with educators

The project is based on a simple idea: AI integration in education should not be designed only by technology experts.

Educators need to be part of the process from the beginning, because they understand the classroom, the workshop, the learners, and the actual challenges of vocational training.

That is why the first project phase focused on listening to SPA educators and staff. Through interviews and focus groups, we explored their current experience with digital tools, their expectations towards AI, and the areas where they see both risks and opportunities.

What we discussed

The conversations focused on several practical questions:

- Where could AI support teaching, preparation, or administration?
- What tasks take too much time and could potentially be simplified?
- What concerns do educators have regarding AI-generated content?
- What kind of training would help them use AI with more confidence?
- How can AI be introduced without making educators feel replaced or overwhelmed?

These discussions showed that many educators are interested in AI, but need clear examples, safe spaces to test tools, and training that is directly connected to their work.

What we learned

One important insight from this phase is that AI should not be presented as a “big innovation topic” only. For educators, it becomes relevant when it helps with concrete tasks.

For example, AI could support:
- preparing lesson plans and training materials;
- adapting explanations for different learner levels;
- creating exercises, examples, and reflection questions;
- improving documentation and administrative workflows;
- introducing learners to responsible and critical use of digital tools.

At the same time, educators also raised important concerns: How reliable are AI-generated materials? How can mistakes be checked? What happens to the role of the teacher? How can AI be used responsibly and not blindly?

These questions are central to the project, because AI in ACTION is not only about using tools. It is also about building confidence, critical thinking, and responsible digital practice.

From needs assessment to training design

The results of the interviews and focus groups will now feed directly into the development of the training programme and educational modules in the next project phase.

This means that the upcoming training in Cyprus will not be generic. It will be based on the real needs identified at SPA and will focus on practical AI applications for vocational educators.

The needs assessment will help the consortium define:
- the main competence gaps among educators;
- the most relevant AI use cases for VET;
- the structure and content of the training modules;
- the balance between technical skills, teaching practice, and ethical questions.

Looking ahead

By starting with the educators’ perspective, AI in ACTION is building a stronger foundation for the next steps of the project.

The aim is not to introduce AI for the sake of innovation. The aim is to make AI understandable, useful, and responsible in vocational education.

The next phase will turn these findings into practical training modules and hands-on learning activities for educators.

Preparing for Cyprus: Partners Align on AI Training for VET Educators

As the AI in ACTION project moves from the needs assessment phase into the development of training activities, partners have started preparing the next major project milestone: the AI training for VET educators in Cyprus.

A recent partner meeting between Simson Private Akademie (Germany) and A & A Emphasys Training Centre (Cyprus) focused on turning the findings from the first project phase into a concrete training programme for educators.

From research to practical training

The first phase of the project helped identify where SPA educators see potential, uncertainty, and concrete needs when it comes to AI in vocational education.

The next step is to translate these findings into a training experience that is practical, structured, and directly connected to the work of VET educators.

During the meeting, partners discussed:
- the overall structure of the training programme;
- possible session topics and learning outcomes;
- how to connect AI tools with real vocational teaching situations;
- how to balance technical input with practical exercises;
- how to collect feedback during and after the training.

The focus is clear: educators should not only hear about AI, but test tools, reflect on their use, and explore how they can be applied in their own teaching contexts.

Preparing the training mobility

The partners also discussed the practical organisation of the upcoming mobility in Cyprus, including participant preparation, travel planning, accommodation, the daily programme flow, and documentation.

The aim is to create a training environment where participants can focus fully on learning, exchange, and experimentation.

For SPA educators, the mobility will be an opportunity to step away from daily routines and explore AI in a dedicated learning setting. For Emphasys, it will be a chance to connect its digital training expertise with the concrete reality of vocational education in Germany.

A shared learning process

The Cyprus training is not designed as a one-way transfer of knowledge. It is part of a shared development process.

Emphasys will contribute its experience in digital education, AI tools, and interactive training methods.
SPA will bring the practical perspective of vocational trainers working with learners and companies.
Goodness of People will support the ethical and digital citizenship dimension of the project, helping ensure that AI is discussed not only as a tool, but also as a responsibility.

This combination is important because meaningful AI integration in VET requires more than technical skills. It also requires confidence, judgement, and a clear understanding of how AI can support learning without replacing the educator’s role.

Looking ahead

The upcoming training in Cyprus will be one of the central activities of AI in ACTION.

It will allow educators to test AI-based approaches, give feedback on the training modules, and help refine the materials before they are finalised and shared more widely.

Step by step, the project is moving towards its main goal: making AI more accessible, useful, and responsible in vocational education.

The project “AI in ACTION: Integration of AI-powered tools and methodologies in the VET sector” is co-funded by the European Union.
Project Number: 2025-1-DE02-KA210-VET-000364083

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.