NextGen Education
A simple way for schools to teach future-ready skills through practical learning journeys, partner school labs, and clear teacher support.
The challenge and the opportunity
Schools across Europe face a simple but deep problem. Technology changes faster than school structures can adapt. Teachers do not have time, guidance, or safe spaces to explore tools such as AI. Students risk shallow learning, unfair shortcuts, and confusion about authorship and ownership of their work.
NextGen Education respond to this challenge by creating clear and practical learning journeys that teach students how to work with new technologies in a safe, confident, and creative way. These journeys work in all device realities, from one device per learner to shared device setups.
The journeys are tested in real classrooms in partner schools. When new technologies appear, the journeys are updated so every child in Europe can keep learning with up to date material.
What is a NextGen Education Lab
A NextGen Education Lab is not a room or special building. It is a role a school takes on as a partner school in the project. Lab schools run early versions of the learning journeys with their own students and share feedback that helps improve the programme for all schools.
Lab sessions take place inside the normal timetable in any classroom. A school can run lab sessions with one group or many groups each week. The journeys fit into regular lesson blocks and do not require extra space.
After each cycle, the improved version of the journey becomes available for every class in the school and across Europe. Lab schools help shape the model. All schools benefit from the refined material.
A three layer structure for depth and scale
The project combines deep experimentation in a small number of pilot schools with simple, reusable assets that any school in Europe can adopt.
NextGen Education Labs
Clear and practical learning journeys where students learn how to use new technologies with depth, creativity, and ethical thinking. Each journey includes options for different device realities and different learner interests.
Lesson programmes
Partner schools test early versions of the journeys, help improve them, and share what works. These schools act as NextGen labs. Lab sessions are normal classroom sessions inside the timetable.
Teacher academy
Every journey includes simple ready support for teachers with low preparation. An optional deeper path offers micro credentials for teachers who want to develop future-ready practice.
The labs produce insight. The lesson programmes spread that insight. The academy builds long term capacity. Together they form a simple engine for system level innovation.
From local labs to a European learning network
The first phase of the project brings together four to five countries and twelve to fifteen pilot schools. Each partner school runs early versions of the learning journeys and shares insight through a European community of practice.
The project is being prepared as an Erasmus+ KA2 cooperation partnership with a planned submission in the 2026 call. European Schoolnet is the intended coordinator, connecting ministries, school leaders, and innovators across Europe.
The long term vision is a distributed network of NextGen Education Labs that help education systems learn in real time as technology and society change.
Why this matters for Europe
NextGen Education offer a practical way for schools to stay ready for every new wave of technology. Students gain real practice and teachers receive clear support without extra workload.
Teacher Support
Clear guidance teachers can use with low preparation
Student Empowerment
Real practice with new tools in a safe and ethical way
Scalable Impact
Learning journeys that work in all device realities and update every year
European Alignment
Aligns with priorities on digital education, inclusion, and trustworthy AI
For funders and EU programmes this is an opportunity to invest in a model that is both concrete in classrooms and scalable across systems.
Join the NextGen Education movement
We are now shaping the first wave of partner schools and country partners for the 2026 Erasmus+ proposal.