For three years, AI Pioneers has been more than a project — it has been a movement. What began as an Erasmus+ Forward-Looking initiative with a clear mission has evolved into a dynamic international network shaping the future of AI in Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Adult education. As the funded phase comes to an end, the work, relationships, tools, and momentum we created continue to grow well beyond the project timeline.

This final reflection looks back at what we’ve achieved, the impact our partners have made, and the foundations now in place for the next phase of AI-enhanced education.

Moreover, we invite you to take a look at our final newsletter which provides even wider overview and discloses the impact of our network not just for the last 6 months, but of the whole project.

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Bringing AI Literacy, Practice and Ethics into VET and adult education

Across the lifespan of AI Pioneers, we mapped emerging technologies, explored pedagogically sound ways of integrating AI into VET and adult education, and supported practitioners in navigating rapid technological change. Our work approached AI not as a tool to be adopted uncritically, but as a complex socio-technical system that reshapes how educators teach, how learners learn, and how institutions prepare the workforce.

Through blogs, webinars, workshops, and consultation meetings, we developed a shared understanding of:

• The shift from procurement to co-creation in EdTech
• The emergence of AI marking workflows and assessment innovation
• The challenges of AI misinformation, AI slop, and market volatility
• The need for democratic, ethical, and critical approaches to AI
• The opportunities of open-source and Small Language Models for education
• The increasing importance of AI literacy, as reflected in DigComp 3.0

In each case, AI Pioneers positioned VET and adult educators and learners not as passive adopters, but as active shapers of the digital transformation.

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Creating Resources That Will Continue to Support the Sector

A major outcome of AI Pioneers is the creation of high-quality, openly accessible resources designed with and for practitioners. Among the most significant:

📚 The Supplement to the DigCompEdu Framework

A comprehensive resource built upon the existing DigCompEdu framework from the European Union and integrating critical competencies relating to artificial intelligence (AI) in education. The supplement examines the dual challenge of AI as a tool for training and learning but also a subject for learning in VET and adult education. 

📘 The AI Knowledge base

A growing collection of:

• curriculum recommendations
• pedagogical best practices
• AI technologies
• guidelines on how to design your own AI project and initiatives

This toolkit reflects what we heard from practitioners: VET needs simple, reliable, human-centred AI support that strengthens—not replaces—teaching expertise.

🧭 Evaluation Schema and Handbook for AI in Education

Our work connected directly with emerging ethical regulations and frameworks, leading to development of an evaluation schema, designed to support educational institutions adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI). Its purpose is to guide institutions in ensuring they are implementing the use of AI in an ethically sound way while helping teachers and learners build the capacities needed for responsible AI use.

• diversity
• transparency
• privacy
• sustainability
• AI literacy

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A Network That Continues to Grow

One of the strongest legacies of AI Pioneers is the community we built.

• Over 36,000 LinkedIn impressions in the final year
• A diverse audience of educators, researchers, and practitioners from Europe, Australia, USA and other continents.
• Cross-continental exchange, including the AI & Skills in Australian Education webinar
• Strong engagement with policymakers, industry, researchers, and frontline VET practitioners

What started with a small consortium has become a pan-European and international reference network, with partners reporting lasting benefits: new collaborations, improved AI literacy, stronger pedagogy, and increased confidence in navigating rapid AI change.

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Consortium Voices: What the Project Changed

Throughout the final month, we shared on LinkedIn powerful testimonials from our partners — voices from universities, international associations, VET organisations, NGOs, and research centres. They highlighted:

• increased confidence and capability in discussing AI
• stronger professional networks
• deeper understanding of ethics, democracy, and agency in AI
• concrete adoption of resources in VET centres
• new ideas for pedagogy, design, and assessment
• recognition that pedagogy must lead technological innovation

Their reflections underline a simple truth: AI Pioneers has strengthened not just knowledge but community.

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What Comes Next?

Although the funded project has ended, AI Pioneers continues as a living network, supported by new projects, new partnerships, and ongoing community activity.

The work ahead includes:

• advancing AI literacy across sectors
• strengthening ethical and democratic approaches
• supporting educators in co-designing tools and workflows
• developing inclusive frameworks for future AI skills
• continuing to share resources, research, and practice

The network remains open, active, and driven by a shared vision: to ensure AI serves education—not the other way around.

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Thank you to everyone who contributed, shared, created, challenged, and imagined with us.

The next chapter of AI Pioneers begins now.