REthinking and FOstering Competence and skills for sUstainable transport, Shipping, and logistics

The REFOCUS project was initiated to address key gaps in the transport, shipping, and logistics sectors related to climate change, skills shortages, and social inclusion. As transport remained a major contributor to GHG emissions in Europe, REFOCUS aligned with the European Green Deal by developing student-centered, future-oriented curricula that emphasized on sustainability, resilience, and innovation aspects of the three sectors. The project specifically targeted learners with fewer opportunities, such as those from low-income or underrepresented backgrounds, offering flexible, micro-credentialed education through a combination of online courses and physical training schools. A co-creation process through Communities of Practice (CoPs) ensured that the curriculum was aligned with market needs and reflected input from academia, industry, and students. The training activities combined academic and real-world perspectives, incorporating blended learning approaches including lectures, team-based learning, student projects, simulation games, debates, and interactive exercises. The REFOCUS Competence Hub that was developed and used in the project provided an accessible digital environment for lifelong learning.

The REFOCUS project aimed to design an inclusive, future-oriented curriculum in the fields of transport, shipping, and logistics, aligned with evolving labour market demands and EU priorities on sustainability, resilience, and digital transformation. A collaborative, needs-driven approach was adopted, with transdisciplinary Communities of Practice (CoPs) that served as interactive spaces and brought together educators, learners and industry stakeholders. REFOCUS aimed to develop six modular courses and prototype them in three training schools across Europe, adopting a blended format and problem-based, collaborative, and research-based learning methods. A core aim was also to improve the capacity of educators to teach in inclusive, climate-conscious ways, through targeted Train-the-Trainer activities. To ensure broad accessibility and long-term impact, all course materials and tools were made available through the REFOCUS Competence Hub—an open, online platform designed following frugal innovation principles to reach a broad audience of learners. The project also aimed to increase employability by delivering micro-credentials, making learning outcomes visible and transferable.

The REFOCUS project successfully delivered tangible outputs that promoted inclusive, high-quality, and accessible learning in transport, shipping, and logistics. A series of national and 1 transnational Communities of Practice (CoPs) were conducted in Spain, Belgium, Greece, and the Netherlands (R2.1–R2.3), to understand skills and competences required in the labor market and co-create a curriculum tailored to current sectoral needs. A student-centered curriculum was developed (R3.1), based on the constructive alignment principle, and supported by six MOOCs (R3.2) and digital self-assessment tools (R3.3). The REFOCUS Competence Hub (R3.4) was developed and employed as a lifelong learning digital platform hosting the educational material created in REFOCUS. Three Training schools (in Chios Island, Delft, Antwerp) and one Train-the-Trainer seminar (R4.1) were conducted. Dissemination and communication actions were actively pursued (R5.1), along with synergies with other European initiatives and projects to enhance knowledge exchange and maximize our impact (R5.2). A sustainability and exploitation plan (R5.3) ensured continuity of the Competence Hub after the lifetime of the project.