The ADELE project pursued three interconnected strategic objectives aligned with European educational priorities. First, we aimed to advance STEM digital transformation by enhancing the open learning platform developed in our previous IDADOHS project, incorporating innovative technologies including artificial intelligence to provide personalised learning pathways and interactive assessments for vocational students. Second, we sought to promote inclusion and diversity by applying universal design principles and culturally responsive pedagogy throughout all developed materials, ensuring learners with visual, auditory, or cognitive differences could fully access educational content. Third, we committed to creating high-quality open educational resources released under Creative Commons licensing, enabling free use, adaptation, and sharing across European vocational institutions. This supported lifelong learning opportunities beyond our immediate partnership. Underlying these objectives was our goal to strengthen educators' digital competencies, building their confidence and skills to develop and deliver technology-enhanced instruction that prepares students for modern labour market demands.
The ADELE project was a direct reaction to the fact that digital transformation of vocational education and training on the European continent was in dire need. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, the process of educational delivery had completely changed and revealed some serious flaws in digital preparedness of vocational institutions and their employees. Our four secondary vocational schools consortium in North Macedonia, Croatia, and Slovenia realised that teachers and learners needed enhanced digital literacy to keep pace with the fast-changing labour markets. The two had worked together before in the ERASMUS + IDADOHS project that created an open learning platform of educational resources. Although the technical infrastructure was available, there was an obvious missing element in terms of high-quality STEM content to fill such a setting and a consistent training on how to utilize it. Educators in our schools were not confident and competent in developing digital learning contents and learners were not able to access many interactive technological enhanced materials in their home learning situations. An additional necessity that was discovered by us was the necessity to have inclusive and accessible educational resources.