3 June 2025
Building Better Futures: The LOTUS project leaves a lasting legacy in VET in Europe
After two years of collaborative effort across six European countries, the LOTUS Project – Resilience in VET Education has come to a successful close. Funded through the Erasmus+ programme, the LOTUS project was launched to address the evolving needs of vocational education and training in a rapidly changing digital and economic landscape.
Coordinated by Future in Perspective in Ireland and supported by partners from Portugal, Czech Republic, Croatia, Austria and Italy; LOTUS responded directly to the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic particularly the need for stronger digital competence, career management skills, and emotional resilience within VET education systems.
The project has delivered a comprehensive suite of educational tools, training programmes, and interactive resources that will leave a lasting impact on educators and learners across Europe.
At the heart of LOTUS is its In-Service Training Programme, designed to help VET professionals navigate the digital transformation of their classrooms. This modular, self-paced programme supports educators in developing digital pedagogy, creating engaging content and adapting to hybrid learning environments. Grounded in the European Commission’s DigCompEdu framework, the programme enables participants to work towards micro-credentials while building real-world skills that are directly applicable in modern teaching settings.
For learners, the LOTUS Career Management Toolkit offered a unique and engaging way to build job readiness skills. Comprising 18 interactive infographic resources, the toolkit guides learners through the stages of preparing for, searching for, and securing employment using QR-enabled links to connect them to bite-sized, media-rich learning experiences tailored for mobile use.
Recognising the emotional toll of an uncertain labour market, LOTUS also developed a 12-hour Resilience MOOC, available as an open-access course for both learners and educators. The course supports mental well-being through reflection tools, peer sharing, and digital journaling. It equips users with practical strategies to manage stress, build emotional strength and sustain motivation during challenging times.
In total, the project directly trained over 100 VET professionals and engaged more than 120 learners, with all partners hosting national Multiplier Events to showcase the project’s resources and outcomes to broader educational and labour market communities.
The impact of the LOTUS Project is both broad and deep. It has helped position VET educators as digital leaders in their classrooms and has provided young people with the tools and confidence to take ownership of their career journeys. By integrating digital transformation, employability and well-being into a single coherent package, the LOTUS project partners have set a benchmark for innovation and relevance in vocational education.
The project’s outputs are now available as open educational resources, freely accessible via the LOTUS website. They are already being used by VET centres and classrooms across Europe. As Europe continues to adapt to a changing world of work, the LOTUS Project offers a timely, practical and sustainable model for how education can rise to meet new challenges with creativity and collaboration at its core.
To explore the project results or download the resources, visit: www.lotusmooc.eu
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