According to the recommendations from the European Union (EU) Council on Vocational Education and Training (VET), skills “are a pathway to employability and prosperity”. With well-skilled people, employers can achieve higher levels of competitiveness and growth, and citizens can apply for good-quality jobs and reach higher standards of living. In a fast-changing global economy, skills will be the key to enhancing our ability to innovate.

Academic institutions need to understand labour market trends, be aware of how readily their alumni find jobs, and adapt their programmes accordingly. In close cooperation with the relevant stakeholders, they should make a particular effort to help bridge the gap between education and training and the labour market. Additionally, the creation of large-scale partnerships, including the organisations, public and private, and the industrial ecosystems, will benefit from up and reskilled workforce. By promoting collaboration between companies and educational centres and establishing alliances, both learners and teachers improve their knowledge of the workplace and the level of skills required.

This proposal aims to design a VET-applied research developmental framework that creates a win-win-win situation providing benefits for all major stakeholders involved – the learner, the employer, and society. Conducting applied research projects with a real-world focus requires a team effort between VET educators, research partners, other professionals, and the industry. This experience is carried out in one of the fastest-growing industries in Spain and in Europe, the logistics industry, in which the skilled workforce is scarce and the companies find it very difficult to fulfill their positions.

This methodology encourages inquiry, evaluation, and reflection, that is, students are prepared to be able to apply evidence and technology to change products and processes, have some qualitative and quantitative research skills, and ensure that work follows ethical and environmental guidelines.

In the "Transportation and Logistics" VET, a learning experience has been designed focused on the study of urban mobility in large urban centres and metropolitan areas, both for goods and passengers. To achieve this, the three main agents have been involved: citizens, private companies, and the public administration. With students' participation, the diagnosis and search for solutions have been carried out from a holistic perspective.

From an institutional perspective, private transportation is an important source of CO2 emissions that pollute the atmosphere. Therefore, by promoting sustainable mobility, we aim to reduce air pollution, which in turn can improve public health. To address this part, we have collaborated with Mancomunitat de l'Horta Sud. This is defined as a supra-municipal local entity.

The main objective of this project is to carry out an urban mobility study in municipalities with more than 10,000 inhabitants, to improve its efficiency and reduce the impact generated on the environment. The municipalities are from the metropolitan area of Horta Sud located between the west and south of Valencia.

The main goals that had to be achieved were:
(1) Identify the current challenges in the mobility of goods and people in these municipalities;
(2) Propose solutions that improve the mobility of goods and people in Horta Sud, based on the results obtained from both primary and secondary sources of information.

Keywords: Teaching innovation, active learning, vocational education and training, urban mobility.