MSC joins Escola Europea’s “Forma’t al Port” programme as a new sponsor
MSC joins the Escola Europea’s Forma’t al Port programme as a new sponsor, strengthening collaboration between the logistics sector and education to support young talent.
Escola Europea and Spediporto Join Forces on Logistics Training
The Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport and Spediporto, one of Italy’s leading logistics associations, have signed a framework collaboration agreement in Barcelona aimed at strengthening cooperation in logistics training, intermodality, digitalisation, and innovation across the Mediterranean logistics sector.
Eduard Rodés, Director of Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport, and Giampaolo Botta, General Manager of Spediporto, during the signing of the collaboration agreement in Barcelona aimed at strengthening logistics training, digitalisation, and intermodal cooperation across the Mediterranean sector
The agreement was signed during a two-day institutional visit by representatives of the Genoa port community to Barcelona, bringing together members of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority, logistics operators, sector associations, and private companies active in transport and international trade.
The new partnership establishes a framework for the joint development of specialised training initiatives focused on intermodal transport, digital transformation, artificial intelligence applied to logistics and port operations, and participation in European projects.
For the Escola Europea, the agreement reinforces its commitment to building stronger links between Mediterranean logistics communities and promoting practical, industry-oriented training adapted to the challenges currently shaping global supply chains.
“Collaboration between logistics communities is essential to accelerate innovation and prepare professionals for the operational and technological changes transforming the sector,” explained representatives of the Escola Europea during the meeting.
The visit also included technical sessions and exchanges on current trends affecting logistics and transport in Europe, including sustainability, operational efficiency, digitalisation, and the growing importance of multimodal transport corridors connecting ports, inland terminals, and industrial hubs.
“The logistics sector is undergoing profound operational and technological transformation, and collaboration between Mediterranean logistics communities will be essential to prepare professionals for the challenges ahead,” said Giampaolo Botta, General Manager of Spediporto.
Training for a rapidly evolving logistics sector
The agreement aligns with the Escola Europea’s broader strategy of expanding practical and future-oriented training programmes designed to support professionals navigating the digital and operational transformation of logistics and international trade.
Among these initiatives is Going Digital – Digital Transformation of International Trade Operations, an advanced online training programme focused on digitalisation, ERP systems, simulation-based learning, and operational decision-making in international logistics. The course combines expert sessions with immersive simulations using the Port Virtual Lab platform, allowing participants to work on real operational scenarios linked to export, import, and multimodal transport processes.
The programme is designed for freight forwarders, logistics operators, port logistics professionals, and international trade specialists seeking to strengthen their understanding of digital tools and innovation in supply chain management. Participants will work with ERP environments, digital documentation systems, operational dashboards, and sustainability indicators while developing practical case studies in collaborative teams.
As digitalisation, AI, and sustainability continue reshaping logistics operations across Europe, partnerships such as the one established between Escola Europea and Spediporto aim to foster knowledge exchange and create new opportunities for professional development across the Mediterranean logistics ecosystem.
About Spediporto
Spediporto – Associazione Spedizionieri, Corrieri e Trasportatori di Genova – is one of Italy’s leading logistics and freight forwarding associations. The organisation represents companies involved in international forwarding, logistics, customs operations, and transport services, promoting innovation, professional training, and competitiveness within the Italian logistics-port ecosystem.
From the Mediterranean to the world: Escola Europea consolidates its growth and sets a new strategic direction
Barcelona, 22 April 2026 – Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport has presented its 2025 results during the meetings of its Executive Committee and Governing Board, confirming a year of sustained growth, international expansion, and consolidation of its educational model.
Representatives of the Governing Board and Executive Committee of Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport during the meetings held in Barcelona.
Bringing together key port and logistics stakeholders
The meetings gathered leading representatives from the international port and logistics ecosystem, including key figures from European port authorities and industry partners.
Participants in the Governing Board included José Alberto Carbonell (Port of Barcelona), Raffaele Latrofa (Port System Authority of the Central-Northern Tyrrhenian Sea), Annalisa Tardino (Port System Authority of the Western Sicilian Sea), Leonardo Picozzi (Port System Authority of the Western Ligurian Sea), Mario Massarotti (Grimaldi Lines), and Matteo Catani (GNV – MSC Group). Eduard Rodés, Director of Escola Europea, also participated.
The Executive Committee, chaired by Eduard Rodés, brought together representatives from partner institutions and companies, alongside invited guests from the Italian port system.
Experiencing port operations first-hand
The meetings were complemented by a technical visit to the Port of Barcelona, offering participants a first-hand look at key operational and strategic initiatives. The programme included presentations on the Nexigen project and the port’s cruise strategy, as well as visits to Onshore Power Supply (OPS) facilities and cruise terminals.
Participants also explored the Escola Europea’s training facilities and were introduced to innovation initiatives such as the Blue Tech Port, reinforcing the link between training, innovation, and real-world port operations.
A year of growth in training and outreach
In 2025, Escola Europea delivered 94 training programmes, reaching more than 3,200 participants.
A key element of its methodology remains experiential learning:
- 800+ participants embarked on vessels to experience logistics operations first-hand
- 1,000+ students engaged through local programmes such as Forma’t al Port and Port Academies
- 900+ participants used the Port Virtual Lab (PVL), the Escola’s digital simulation platform
These initiatives are complemented by maritime visits, through which the Escola reached over 4,500 people, offering direct insight into port infrastructure and strategies.
➡️ In total, more than 200 activities reached approximately 7,700 participants throughout the year.
From the Mediterranean to the world: Escola Europea consolidates its growth and sets a new strategic direction
A comprehensive training ecosystem
The Escola’s activities form a structured educational ecosystem covering multiple audiences and needs:
- Vocational training programmes, including Forma’t al Port and Port Academies
- University-level programmes, such as MOST (Motorways of the Sea Training)
- Specialised training, including SURCO rail-port operations and technical courses
- Logistics and port workshops with real operational exposure
- Innovation-driven programmes based on tools like the Port Virtual Lab (PVL)
- Tailor-made training developed with institutional and industry partners
- A growing international community
The Escola’s global alumni network now exceeds 23,000 professionals, strengthening connections across the port-logistics sector.
At the same time, digitalisation continues to expand its reach. The Port Virtual Lab (PVL) is now used by training centres across Europe, Africa, and the Mediterranean, enabling participants to simulate and manage supply chains in a practical, risk-free environment.
Looking ahead: a new strategic phase
2026 marks a turning point for the organisation, with the approval of its Strategic Plan 2026–2030.
As part of this new phase, Escola Europea strengthens its positioning as a “phygital” organisation, combining real-world logistics experience with digital simulation tools to deliver training adapted to an increasingly complex and digitalised sector.
Looking forward, the Escola will:
- Reinforce its role as a training hub through European projects
- Focus on sustainability, digitalisation, and skills development
- Expand its connections beyond the Mediterranean to Northern Europe, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East
“With this new strategy, we are not only training professionals — we are building a shared ecosystem where knowledge, innovation, and people come together to shape the future of global logistics,”
— Eduard Rodés, Director of Escola Europea
20 years connecting people, ports and progress
As Escola Europea celebrates its 20th anniversary, it reaffirms its mission:
to train, connect, and inspire the professionals who move global trade.
Areté: A Place to Celebrate Twenty Years of Port Cooperation
Cities also speak through their spaces. Sometimes they do so by carrying the name of a person who left a mark. Other times, they speak through a word – one that captures an idea.
Barcelona has just chosen one of those words.
Written by: Eduard Rodés, director of the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport
On 13 January 2026, the Barcelona City Council’s Nomenclature Commission approved, at the proposal of the Port Authority of Barcelona, the name “Jardins de l’Areté” for the space located in front of the headquarters of the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport, on the Moll de Barcelona in Port Vell.
At first glance, this might seem like a small decision in the life of a city. But for those of us at the Escola, it carries a special meaning. The name recognises the deep connection between the educational project of the institution and the concept of areté – a word from Greek philosophy that expresses the idea of virtue understood as the ability of individuals to contribute positively to society.
For the ancient Greeks, the virtuous person was not the richest or the most powerful, but the one who contributed most effectively to improving society. It is no coincidence that this recognition comes in the very year that the Escola celebrates its 20th anniversary.
A Word that Connects the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean is a sea of port cities that have shared trade, culture, and knowledge for centuries. It was within this common space that the idea of the Escola first emerged: to create a meeting point between the academic world and the professional community of transport and logistics.
For this reason, it is especially meaningful that the name Areté is beginning to appear in several Mediterranean ports. Not simply as a symbolic coincidence, but as something more straightforward – and more valuable: a shared commitment by the Escola’s partner ports to join in celebrating its twentieth anniversary, through a gesture that reflects what the Escola has always been – a collective project built on shared values.
A few months ago, the Port Authority of Civitavecchia approved the designation “Piazzetta dell’Areté” for the garden space located in front of the classroom where the GLIPS course is held – a programme developed by the Escola together with the Fondazione Caboto and the Port Authority of Civitavecchia, just behind its headquarters.
In Palermo, meanwhile, the Port Authority is finalising the installation of a pedestal that will support another sculpture dedicated to Areté, symbolically oriented toward Genoa.
Three ports. Three spaces. One word that expresses a shared intention.
A Journey to Celebrate Twenty Years
The inauguration of these spaces will take place this autumn as part of a programme that reflects the very spirit of how the Escola works.
On 14 October, the Jardins de l’Areté will be inaugurated in Barcelona alongside a sculpture created by artist José Luis Pascual that will preside over the space. Two days later, on 16 October, a corresponding ceremony will take place in Civitavecchia, followed by the inauguration in Palermo on 17 October. The programme will culminate on 19 October with the anniversary celebration of the Escola in Genoa.
These events will form part of the Escola’s teacher training programme, which will bring together educators – many of them closely connected to port and logistics communities from different countries.
As is tradition in our programmes, the course will take place on board vessels operated by the Escola’s partner shipping companies, with the collaboration of the ports that form part of its shareholder network. Learning while sailing, visiting ports, speaking with professionals, and sharing experiences remains – twenty years later – one of the most effective ways to teach logistics and transport, and in this special course, also new educational models.
A Place for Memory – and for the Future
The Jardins de l’Areté, located in the heart of Port Vell, will not be a monumental space, nor do they aim to be. They will simply be a place to pause.
A place to remember that behind every collective project there are values, people, and a shared story.
In some way, they will also serve as a tribute to the Barcelona port community, which from the very beginning has supported the development of the Escola and has understood that shared knowledge is a strategic investment in the future of the sector.
Cities change, ports evolve, and logistics chains transform.
But something endures.
The conviction that progress – whether in ports, their cities, or the societies they serve – always arises from the combination of knowledge, collective effort, and trust between people.
That, precisely, is what the Greeks called areté.
Escola Europea and Puertos del Estado Unite to Boost Port Skills and Innovation
Puertos del Estado and the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport held a high-level working meeting today at the headquarters of Puertos del Estado in Madrid. The meeting brought together Gustavo Santana, President of Puertos del Estado, and members of his executive team, alongside Eduard Rodés, Director of the Escola Europea.
Gustavo Santana, President of Puertos del Estado, and Eduard Rodés, Director of the Escola Europea, during their meeting at the headquarters of Puertos del Estado in Madrid.
The session focused on reinforcing institutional collaboration and advancing joint initiatives aimed at strengthening professional training, intermodal transport expertise, and innovation within the Spanish port system.
A central topic of discussion was the Open Trade Med project, an initiative designed to enhance capacity-building in international trade and port management across the Mediterranean region. The project is supported by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the Union for the Mediterranean. As part of the collaboration, Puertos del Estado will contribute directly to the training delivered to personnel from participating Port Authorities under a formal cooperation framework to be signed in the coming months.
Both institutions also agreed to renew institutional support for the Escola’s long-standing maritime and rail intermodal transport courses, reinforcing their promotion throughout the Spanish port system and encouraging broader participation from port professionals.
In line with ongoing digital transformation processes in the sector, the meeting also explored the potential expansion of the Escola’s training programmes in Artificial Intelligence applied to port and logistics environments. Already delivered in Italy and Barcelona, these programmes could be extended to additional Spanish Port Authorities and to Puertos del Estado itself, adapting content to strategic and operational needs.
The discussion further highlighted collaboration within the framework of the Short Sea Shipping Promotion Centre (SPC Spain). Puertos del Estado participates in the Academic Council of the Escola through a designated representative, who also represents the institution within SPC Spain’s governing body. This partnership is further strengthened by the active involvement of Puertos del Estado professionals as lecturers in the Escola’s training programmes.
This meeting consolidates a stable and forward-looking partnership between both institutions, centred on knowledge development, technical capacity-building, and the modernisation of Spain’s port system.
The Human Side of Digitalisation: A Conversation with Jaime Luezas
As the maritime and logistics sectors accelerate their digital transition, one idea is becoming increasingly clear: true transformation is not about technology alone. While systems become more advanced and interoperability grows more feasible, the real barriers – and opportunities – lie elsewhere.
To understand where the future is headed, Odiseo spoke with Jaime Luezas, Head of Port Community Services at Puertos del Estado (Spain) and one of the leading voices in port digitalisation. In this conversation, he reflects on the shift from documents to data spaces, the critical role of semantic standards, and why emotional intelligence may be just as important as artificial intelligence.
De izquierda a derecha: Antonio Vargas, Alexandre Ariza y Jaime Luezas durante el curso MOST
Below is the full interview.
Conversation with Jaime Luezas, Head of Port Community Services, Puertos del Estado (Spain)
Q: We often talk about sharing, committing and cooperating, yet when it comes to sharing data, there seems to be a reluctance. From your perspective, what is the current state of play, and how should we approach the future?
Jaime Luezas:
In my view, the technical problem has already been solved. Today, interoperability between different systems is technologically possible—even if those systems were developed separately or use different architectures. The real challenges are semantic interoperability and trust.
Semantic interoperability means that we all understand data in the same way. This requires ontology, common definitions and international standards, which are still under development. And then there is trust—not only between companies, but between people. Digitalisation also involves emotional management.
Q: In the past, initiatives like eb-XML attempted to create data dictionaries and harmonisation mechanisms. Is that approach still relevant?
Jaime Luezas:
The technology may have evolved, but the principle remains the same: either we agree on a common data standard, or we build translation mechanisms. Artificial intelligence can help automate translations, but the underlying semantic exercise still needs to be done.
Q:There is often confusion between digitisation and digitalisation. How should we define these concepts?
Jaime Luezas:
In English, we differentiate between digitization and digitalization.
Digitization is simply converting analog information, such as paper documents, into digital form.
Digitalization is much deeper—it means structuring business processes around data, rather than documents. That is where true transformation happens.
Q: You have worked extensively on the concept of data as the fundamental unit, beyond traditional documents like the customs declaration (DUA). How should we think about that?
Jaime Luezas:
Exactly. The DUA is a document, yes, but ultimately it is just a set of data elements. The future lies in exchanging those data elements directly, rather than sending whole documents.
Q: We are moving toward smart ports and increasingly complex logistics environments. What role does training play in this transition?
Jaime Luezas:
Training is essential. First, to understand the technology and governance models of data exchange, and to remove the fear of sharing information. Second, because training creates human connection. It builds trust and emotional intelligence—without that, digitalisation will not succeed.
Q: Simple has been a key driver of recent developments. Will it also transform logistics chains and sustainability efforts?
Jaime Luezas:
Yes. Simple provides the platform that connects systems and enables interoperability. Its success will be reinforced by new legislation such as the Sustainable Mobility Law and the mandatory use of electronic control documents. These changes will accelerate digital transformation across the logistics chain.
Q: What do you think are the main challenges for port communities over the next five years?
Jaime Luezas:
The main challenge is to transition from document-based processes to data spaces. This will fundamentally change how we operate. Additionally, ports must understand that they are not isolated hubs. They are nodes within global supply chains and must be fully integrated with broader logistics ecosystems.
Q: Jaime, thank you for your insights. Before we close, is there anything else you would like to add—something you feel is important to highlight, given the opportunity?
Jaime Luezas:
I would just say that the only real, practical experience I have seen of genuine coexistence and emotional collaboration is the Escola Europea. I have known it for many years, and I truly see it as a model of what we are talking about: emotional intelligence in logistics communities. Every time I have participated, I have seen people leave more open, more human, and more willing to collaborate.
Odiseo:
That is exactly what we aim for. Thank you, Jaime.
Mediterranean Journeys: The Italian Chapter of the Escola’s Story
Every journey has a point of departure. For the Escola in Italy, that moment arrived long before an office was opened or a partnership was formalised. It began with a simple yet powerful intuition: Italy was ready for a new way of learning logistics – one rooted in experience, immersion, and connection.
Years before 2019, Italian port communities were already showing a growing interest in experiential training. When the first editions of Formati al Porto were offered to students and professionals in Civitavecchia, something became immediately clear: Italy was hungry for knowledge that could be lived, not only studied. These early programmes were modest in scale yet rich in impact. Participants walked through terminals guided by experts, listened to ships’ crews explain real-life operations, and discovered how the port of Civitavecchia truly functioned, not in theory, but in practice. The enthusiasm that followed revealed a need, a gap, and an opportunity. By 2019, the momentum could no longer be ignored. With the inauguration of the Escola’s Italy office in Civitavecchia, a new phase began, one that transformed isolated trainings into a structured, national initiative.
The new office brought:
- A local team dedicated to the Italian logistics ecosystem
- A growing network of partners among port authorities, training institutions, and maritime clusters
- A stronger Mediterranean identity focused on Italy’s unique strategic position
This was not an expansion for expansion’s sake. It was the beginning of a journey of co-creation. From Civitavecchia, the Escola’s presence spread steadily: to Genoa, with its unmatched maritime heritage and to Palermo and Western Sicily, a region whose openness and strategic vision led to one of the Escola’s most significant milestones. In 2023, the Port System Authority of the Western Sicily Sea formally joined the Escola as a partner – an act that didn’t simply widen our map, but enriched it. Sicily brought new stories, new challenges, and new voices to our Mediterranean training ecosystem. As the Italian network grew, so did the programmes designed for it. Formati al Porto, now transformed into the Port Academy network – Rome Port Academy, Genoa Port Academy, and Sicily Port Academy – became the foundational gateways for students to discover port-community life from the inside. MOST (Motorways Of the Sea Training) Italy continued to bring participants aboard vessels, allowing them to experience maritime and intermodal transport firsthand. With MOST Italy+ reaching also France besides Spain, rail intermodality became an essential thread, reflecting the sector’s evolving priorities.
And 2024 marked a historic milestone: the first edition of MOST Sicily, connecting the ports of Palermo and Genoa. For the first time, every major Italian port in our ecosystem became part of a unified learning journey, one that allowed participants to experience the Mediterranean as a continuous, interconnected landscape. More recently, Italy became the testing ground for new thematic lines, including digitalisation and AI in port environments, with the first course on Artificial Intelligence for Port Authorities. Through all of this, the philosophy never changed:
- We do not operate ports. We reveal them.
- We do not move cargo. We move perspectives.
Behind every training are hundreds of conversations, observations, and moments that often matter more than the lectures themselves. I have watched students step off the bus after a terminal visit with eyes widened by the complexity they had just discovered. I have seen professionals rediscover pride in their work as they explained their roles to a new generation. And I have witnessed teams from different Italian regions connect as if the Mediterranean had always been their common language. These are the transformations that no metric can capture. And yet, the numbers tell a story too: rising participation, growing programme editions, expanding partnerships, and a steady increase in Italian institutions joining the Escola’s journey.
As we approach the Escola’s twentieth anniversary, Italy stands as one of the most vibrant chapters of our broader Mediterranean narrative. What began as a few training sessions has become a living network – fluid, collaborative, and constantly evolving. Italy has taught us that journeys in education do not unfold in straight lines. They grow in circles expanding outward through relationships, curiosity, and shared purpose. Today, the Escola doesn’t just work in Italy. It belongs to Italy, its ports, its communities, its ambitions, and its Mediterranean heart. The journey continues. And as with every true Mediterranean voyage, the horizon promises new encounters, new routes, and new stories waiting to be lived.
Written by:
Alessia Mastromattei
Country Manager – Italy
Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport
YEP MED by the Escola Europea wins the WestMED Best Project 2025 Award in Tunis
On the 28th of November, the YEP MED – Young Employment in Ports of the Mediterranean project, led by the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport, received the prestigious WestMED Best Project 2025 Award in the category of Blue Skills & Ocean Literacy during the ceremony held in Tunis. This award recognises Mediterranean initiatives that significantly contribute to the development of blue skills and ocean literacy.
Alessia Mastromattei, Country Manager for Italy, and Marta Miquel, Deputy Director General, accepted the award on behalf of the Escola Europea.
The ceremony took place within the framework of the 5th WestMED Stakeholder Conference (WestMED Conference 2025), organised by the WestMED Blue Economy Initiative and supported by the European Commission through the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) on behalf of DG MARE. The event gathered key regional actors to advance cooperation, innovation, and sustainable development across the Mediterranean.
Funded by the ENI CBC MED programme of the European Union, YEP MED has transformed the way young people, teachers, and professionals access maritime and port training. The project was particularly recognised for democratizing education through innovative tools such as the Port Virtual Lab, an immersive platform that allows users to simulate real port logistics chain operations. This hands-on methodology has helped develop essential skills related to digitalisation, sustainability, environmental management, international trade, and teamwork.
YEP MED connected eight Mediterranean ports – including Barcelona, Valencia, Marseille, Rome, Tunis, Beirut, Damietta, and Aqaba – creating an active collaborative network that has boosted youth talent in the port and logistics sectors. Thanks to this joint effort, the project achieved remarkable impact: 3,683 trained students, 161 courses delivered, 72 trainers trained, and over 1,093 internships and job placements across 514 companies, ensuring gender-balanced participation throughout.
Although the project officially concluded in 2023, YEP MED remains alive through the work of PLIKA – Port Logistics International Knowledge Academy, which continues to strengthen and expand the community created by the initiative. A recent example is PLIKA’s participation in the Mediterranean Day event on 27 November, where regional stakeholders exchanged experiences and reaffirmed their commitment to blue education and sustainable maritime economies.
Receiving the WestMED award reinforces YEP MED’s position as a regional benchmark in training, port cooperation, and blue talent development, demonstrating that transnational collaboration can generate long-lasting and replicable results across the Mediterranean basin.
The WestMED Stakeholder Conference 2025, where the recognition was presented, brought together government representatives, academic institutions, ports, companies, and international organisations from across the region. The event focused on strategic areas of the blue economy – including energy transition, sustainable aquaculture, maritime spatial planning, and especially training and blue skills – and served as a key platform to foster new synergies and projects that support the sustainable development of the Mediterranean.
The Escola Europea strengthens its growth in 2025 by training students, teachers, and professionals
The Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport shared today the main conclusions and developments from the Executive Committee meeting held in Barcelona on 17 November 2025. The meeting highlighted the remarkable growth of training activity during 2025 and approved the work plan and objectives for 2026, with a special focus on consolidating in-person courses and strengthening the Port Virtual Lab (PVL) and its complementary tools, such as the Chiron programme for educators.
En la foto (de izquierda a derecha): Eduard Rodés, Director de la Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport; Catalina Grimalt Falcó, Subdirectora General de Organización y Recursos Internos del Port de Barcelona; Matteo de Candia, General Manager de GNV España; Luca Lupi, Secretary General de la Autorità di Sistema Portuale del Mare di Sicilia Occidentale; Mario Massarotti, Consejero Delegado de Grimaldi Logistica España; y Marta Miquel, Deputy Director General de la Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport.
Training growth in 2025
During 2025, the Escola Europea delivered 229 training activities that brought together 7,431 participants, consolidating its practical training model oriented towards a sustainable port and logistics sector. These activities include vocational programmes in all its ports: the Forma’t al Port and Talent programmes and the Port Academies in Italy; university training carried out on board vessels through the MOST Management programme; and professional courses, including specialised courses on Artificial Intelligence for port-logistics communities, as well as a wide range of tailor-made courses and technical visits. Added to all this are the distance-learning courses based on the Port Virtual Lab simulation tool, which is increasingly attracting training centres to join the network.
The Port Virtual Lab (PVL) showed sustained and significant growth in 2025. The platform now includes 31 training centres across 11 countries. Throughout the year, the CHIRON programme, designed for teacher training, has been launched and has consolidated specific capacity-building sessions for teachers and educators. Multiple training-of-trainers activities were developed, bringing together dozens of institutions from different countries to train educators in the pedagogical use of the simulator.
New functionalities and products have also been introduced within the PVL ecosystem, including: a new insurance module, an inland waterway navigation module, and the creation of new port nodes within the Port Virtual World.
Among the new additions in 2025 is the first pilot edition of the SHIP course (Short-Sea High Efficiency Intermodal Planning), aimed at nautical and naval engineering students and opening the door to a new audience.
The diversity of the student body is reflected in the participation of 78 nationalities, and in the commitment to teaching in English across the entire catalogue. The Executive Committee highly valued these results and approved the 2026 growth plan and strategic lines, which include the consolidation of the international expansion of the PVL, the creation of logistics communities within the Port Virtual World, and the launch of the “Education Beyond Intelligence” programme to mark the Escola’s 20th anniversary.
The Escola Europea expresses its gratitude for the ongoing collaboration of its institutional and corporate partners and reaffirms its commitment to practical training, educational innovation, and capacity-building for more efficient and sustainable intermodal logistics and transport.
Escola Europea and DLTM Join Forces to Promote International Mobility and Maritime Education
Signed in La Spezia on 29 October 2025 by Eduard Rodés, Director of the Escola Europea, and Giovanni Lorenzo Forcieri, President of DLTM, the memorandum sets the foundation for joint initiatives under the Erasmus+ programme. These initiatives will support the development of training pathways and professional exchanges designed to promote sustainable transport, port logistics, and intermodal operations and maritime education.
The agreement reflects the shared commitment of both organisations to strengthen ties between the Liguria region – home to a vibrant maritime cluster that includes the ports of Genoa and La Spezia – and Barcelona’s thriving port and logistics community. By connecting clusters of enterprises and universities in Liguria with the Escola’s network of training programmes in Barcelona, the partnership aims to boost knowledge exchange and professional mobility across the Mediterranean.
“This agreement reinforces our educational bridge between Italy and Spain,” said Eduard Rodés, Director of the Escola Europea. “Through cooperation with DLTM, we can create new opportunities for students and professionals to experience intermodality in action, share best practices, and strengthen the future workforce of the maritime and logistics sectors.”
As part of this collaboration, the partners will also explore synergies with the Port Academies initiative in Italy – inspired by the Escola’s Forma’t al Port programme in Barcelona – which brings port operations and logistics education directly into vocational classrooms, helping to connect young learners with real-world port environments.
“The agreement with the Escola Europea of Barcelona strengthens DLTM’s international focus and opens up new growth opportunities in this sector for our companies,” added Giovanni Lorenzo Forcieri, President of the Ligurian District of Marine Technologies. “The memorandum of understanding just signed offers the chance to acquire advanced skills in the maritime and logistics sectors and to develop European projects of high innovative value, contributing to the competitiveness, sustainability, and internationalization of the Ligurian region.”
The agreement marks another important milestone in the Escola’s mission to empower the industry through education, expanding its footprint in Italy and contributing to a more connected and sustainable Mediterranean logistics ecosystem.
Recognition
Certified under UNE-EN ISO 9001:2015 for training activities in transport and logistics.
We have joined the #PactForSkills, an initiative by the European Commission to develop Europe’s workforce.
We are an accredited Agent de Suport a la Internacionalització of ACCIÓ.