From 6 to 9 May 2025, AREA participated in the first in-person meeting of the MetaVET consortium, held in Brașov, Romania, and hosted by Iceberg Plus.

MetaVET is an ERASMUS+ project, co-funded by the European Commission, that brings together academic, technological, and educational institutions across the Western Balkans and Europe to rethink vocational training by introducing metaverse-based learning environments and collaborative robots (cobots). The Brașov meeting marked a crucial step forward in aligning efforts and consolidating the partnership’s vision for more inclusive, future-oriented training systems.

AREA, as Italian SME focused on technology and knowledge transfer between mature and emerging markets—played a leading role throughout the three-day programme. The team provides innovation services to SMEs by bridging research and business, supporting the commercialisation of R&D, and assisting public institutions in building international innovation communities.

Within the MetaVET project, AREA is responsible for Stakeholder Collaboration in Curriculum Design and leads the integration of the training programme in the Smart Step elearning platform, which counts over 2,000 members already.

Working closely with Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, AREA ensures the curriculum reflects the needs of the local industry. During the meeting, our team presented the stakeholders’ mapping and skill gaps analysis and the project’s Dissemination and Communication Plan.

Back from Romania, Adriano Mauro, AREA Managing Director, shared his reflections with the team following the METAVET project meeting in Brașov

“During my visit to Brașov, I witnessed first-hand how the collaboration between public and private technical schools and the industrial sector is shaping the future workforce. The Technical Campus of Brașov is a remarkable example of how educational institutions can actively engage with local industry to bridge the gap between education and employment. In a region with only 3% unemployment, the challenge is not finding jobs, but finding highly qualified professionals.

At AREA, we value dynamic projects’ partners like FabLab Sarajevo, led by Edin Skaljic and Mirza Suljagić, whose innovative projects in cooperation with our regional research ecosystem are setting a benchmark in regional collaboration. We look forward to exploring new joint initiatives with them in digital skills, prototyping, and smart manufacturing.

Through the METAVET initiative, we are also working on pathways to support students from Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzegovina. The migration of young people from the Balkans due to lack of job opportunities can only be countered by equipping them with the right skills—skills that make a difference. Once they complete their training, their profiles will be made available to SMEs and industries in Friuli Venezia Giulia—one of Europe’s most advanced manufacturing regions.

Moreover, for Italian companies, regions like Transylvania offer exciting opportunities, with a highly skilled workforce and technological know-how that goes beyond the traditional Italian hubs like Timișoara.

Together, through international cooperation, we are building a more resilient and inclusive industrial-educational ecosystem across Europe—capable of responding to the challenges of the green and digital transitions.”