Research report

Unai Ziarsolo, Steven Dhondt, Peter Totterdill

European industry faces a pivotal transformation, guided by Industry 5.0 principles: humancentricity, sustainability, and resilience. The Bridges 5.0 project explored how educationfocused interventions, especially Learning Factories, can drive this change. Learning Factory 5.0 moves beyond technical training, integrating values and collaboration between schools, businesses, and stakeholders. Seven educational ecosystems piloted new models, each adapting Industry 5.0 to local needs. These experiments fostered innovative pedagogy, stronger ties with companies, and new learning outcomes. Trainers and trainees recognised the importance of aligning technology with human capabilities. Companies benefited from improved employee retention, new job profiles, and access to emerging technologies. The project highlighted the need for cultural and organisational change, not just curriculum updates. Scaling up requires cross-institutional collaboration and targeted investment. Ultimately, Learning Factory 5.0 offers a blueprint for sustainable industrial transformation, but success depends on strategic cooperation between education and industry.

For Policymakers (EU, national, regional).

• Promote Awareness: Increase understanding of Learning Factory and Industry 5.0 concepts among companies and vocational education providers.
• Support Innovation: Encourage pedagogical innovation and provide in-service learning opportunities for trainers and educators.
• Invest Strategically: Allocate targeted funding to support the development and scaling of Learning Factory 5.0; companies alone cannot bear the cost.
• Enable Benchmarking: Facilitate evidence gathering and benchmarking to guide intervention design and delivery.

For Educators.

• Embrace Ecosystem Collaboration: Foster partnerships between education, businesses, and intermediary organisations for curriculum alignment.
• Innovate Pedagogy: Implement interdisciplinary project work, laboratory-based education, blended learning, and values education.
• Focus on Human-Centricity: Integrate human-centric, sustainable, and resilient values into training programs.
• Adapt Curriculum: Regularly review and update curricula to reflect Industry 5.0 requirements and feedback from trainers and trainees.

For Companies.

• Engage with Education: Collaborate with educational institutions to co-develop relevant training and innovation pathways.
• Prepare for Change: Recognise that transformation requires cultural and organisational adaptation, not just technical upskilling.
• Benefit from Innovation: Leverage Learning Factory 5.0 to access new technologies, improve employee retention, and develop future-ready job profiles.
• Support Scaling Efforts: Participate in cross-institutional networks to share methodologies and frameworks for broader impact.