The Irish Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) welcomed representatives from the Estonian Aviation Academy to Future Mobility Campus Ireland (FMCI) in Shannon on 20 April 2026 for an international engagement focused on aviation education, skills development and the future of Innovative Air Mobility.
The engagement was organised as part of the Irish CoVE’s ongoing stakeholder activities under the AIRMOB project, providing an opportunity to share the work of the Irish CoVE, exchange knowledge with an international aviation education institution, and explore opportunities for future collaboration.
Representatives from FMCI and Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) hosted the delegation for an interactive afternoon of presentations, discussion and a tour of the FMCI facilities.
Connecting the Irish CoVE with the European aviation community
AIRMOB is focused on strengthening skills development and education for the emerging Innovative Air Mobility sector. As the sector continues to evolve, collaboration between education and training providers, industry, research organisations and innovation ecosystems across Europe will be essential to ensuring that the workforce is equipped with the skills needed for the future.
The engagement with the Estonian Aviation Academy provided the Irish CoVE with an opportunity to connect directly with an organisation that brings significant experience in aviation education and training.
The session began with an overview of FMCI, presented by Wassim Derguech, providing the Estonian delegation with an insight into the development of the Irish mobility innovation ecosystem and the evolution of Innovative Air Mobility in Ireland.
The discussion also explored how the aviation and mobility landscape has been changing and why skills development needs to evolve alongside emerging technologies, business models and operational concepts.
Introducing the AIRMOB vision
The Irish CoVE subsequently introduced the AIRMOB project, outlining the Irish CoVE partnership and its ambition to develop the skills ecosystem required to support the growth of Innovative Air Mobility.
The presentation from Wassim Derguech highlighted the role of the Irish CoVE in bringing together education, training, industry and innovation stakeholders to address emerging skills requirements and create new opportunities for learners and the existing workforce.
The discussion was followed by a presentation from TUS, with Brendan Dolan and Sumana Biswas presenting the provisional AIRMOB roadmap and providing further insight into the activities planned under Work Packages 3 and 4.
This provided the Estonian delegation with a more detailed understanding of how the Irish CoVE is approaching skills development and how the project intends to translate its ambitions into practical activities.
Learning from the Estonian Aviation Academy
The engagement was also an opportunity for the Irish CoVE partners to learn from the experience and expertise of the Estonian Aviation Academy.
The Academy presented an overview of its activities, areas of expertise and future development plans, highlighting its ambition to further strengthen its capabilities in aviation education and training.
Particular emphasis was placed on innovation, digitalisation and ensuring that education and training remain aligned with emerging industry needs.
The exchange highlighted a strong alignment between the Academy’s strategic direction and the objectives of the Irish CoVE and AIRMOB.
Both sides recognised the importance of ensuring that education and training systems are capable of responding to rapidly changing technologies and preparing a future-ready workforce for Innovative Air Mobility.
Building international collaboration around skills
One of the key outcomes of the engagement was the identification of opportunities for continued knowledge exchange between the Irish CoVE and the Estonian Aviation Academy.
The discussions were open and constructive, with representatives of the Academy expressing their willingness to remain engaged with the Irish CoVE partners as AIRMOB progresses.
In particular, the Academy indicated an interest in contributing as an external advisor, providing feedback on future work programmes and supporting the refinement of project activities where appropriate.
For the Irish CoVE, this type of international engagement is particularly valuable. Bringing perspectives from outside Ireland allows the partnership to test its ideas against international experience, identify opportunities for collaboration and ensure that the development of AIRMOB activities reflects wider European developments in aviation education and training.
From skills development to practical innovation
The engagement concluded with a tour of the FMCI facilities, giving the Estonian delegation an opportunity to see the practical environment in which mobility technologies are tested, demonstrated and developed.
The visit provided a useful link between the strategic discussions around skills development and the practical innovation activities taking place within the Irish mobility ecosystem.
For the Irish CoVE, connecting education and training with real-world innovation environments is an important part of preparing learners and workers for emerging sectors such as Innovative Air Mobility.
Strengthening the Irish CoVE's European dimension
The engagement with the Estonian Aviation Academy marked an important step in the international engagement activities of the Irish CoVE and the AIRMOB project.
It demonstrated the value of looking beyond the existing stakeholder network to identify organisations that can bring relevant expertise, experience and new perspectives to the project.
As AIRMOB progresses, the Irish CoVE will continue to engage with stakeholders in Ireland and across Europe to strengthen collaboration, share knowledge and contribute to the development of a skills ecosystem capable of supporting the future of Innovative Air Mobility.
The engagement with the Estonian Aviation Academy is an example of this approach in practice — connecting the Irish CoVE with European aviation education expertise and creating new opportunities to learn, collaborate and shape the skills needed for the mobility sector of the future.
About AIRMOB
AIRMOB (Developing Skills and Capabilities for Innovative Air Mobility) focuses on the provision of excellent vocational education and training (VET) aligned with the IAM sector’s need. The AIRMOB pathway to excellent VET includes the design of joint curricula and training courses, professional development of teachers and trainers, internships, mobilities and other multi-level collaborations
Learn more about the project here.
Acknowledgement
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. [Grant Agreement number: 101194074]
