Artificial Intelligence in Vocational Education and Training: A Micro, Meso and Macro Perspective From the AI Pioneers Project

Vocational education and training (VET) is facing new challenges as a result of the digital transformation, particularly with regard to the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Various funding programmes have been set up to provide support: One of these is the Erasmus+ funding programme, which funds the AI Pioneers project. A central aim of AI Pioneers is to research, promote and evaluate the use of AI in adult and vocational education. This includes establishing an interdisciplinary, international network and communities of practice. Various research methods were used in the project to generate findings at the three levels of VET: Macro, meso and micro. At the micro level, practical use cases for the application of AI in vocational schools were investigated. The meso level includes an egocentric social network analysis of the funded project partners and their networks. In addition, a European survey was conducted at the macro level. This survey aimed to expand the European Commission's digital competence framework for competences for educators (DigCompEdu) to include AI competences. The results show that ethical aspects play a crucial role in the implementation and utilisation of AI. It also demonstrates that the establishment of a sustainable network requires the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, as AI is an interdisciplinary issue. This holistic perspective facilitates a comprehensive identification of both the challenges and opportunities of AI in VET and ensures knowledge transfer.