The Academy of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ASCCA) is a public higher education institution that places great importance on the application of digital innovations and the creation of digital education ecosystems, is pleased to announce the establishment of a state-of-the-art Digital Co-Production Lab as a significant step towards developing industry-academic cooperation within the framework of its international cooperation and project activities. The lab, operational since September 2023, was officially institutionalized through an ASCCA Decree in July 2024 to ensure its sustainability. This is one of the main outcomes of the Academy’s beneficiary partnership in the Cross-domain Competences for Healthy and Safe Work in the 21st Century (WORK4CE; 619034-EPP-1-2020-1-UA-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP) project, funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ program.

Aligned with the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the WORK4CE project focuses on preparing students for the future workplace, known as "Work 4.0," within a global digital environment. The project provided the Academy with 38,150 Euros to purchase equipment for the lab. This lab has played a crucial role in developing, piloting, teaching, and implementing nine comprehensive e-learning modules created collaboratively by 9 partner universities in five countries (Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Belgium, Germany, and Spain).

The digital lab plays a key role in bridging the gap between academia and industry. By fostering collaboration among lecturers, industry experts, and professional associations, the lab enables the co-production of job-related digital resources and the implementation of joint international education. Equipped with cutting-edge technology, the lab not only supports the development of educational resources but also promotes virtual classes and collaborative projects.

The main objectives of the WORK4CE project, implemented from November 2020 to mid-November 2024 under the Capacity Building in Higher Education category of the European Union's Erasmus+ program and coordinated by Ukraine's National Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic University, include the development of nine e-learning modules and Open Educational Resources (OER) among partner higher education institutions, the implementation of a co-production approach involving academic and professional experts in nine virtual Open Communities of Practice, the development of a certification system with professional standards to increase adoption and relevance by industry, the training of educators and trainers from interested parties and their integration into Open Communities of Practice, and the updating of the curricula of partner universities' master's programs with WORK4CE modules and specialization packages.

A crucial goal of the project is to create a Virtual Master School based on the modules developed among the partner universities, facilitating joint collaboration in master's programs and the implementation of exchange and double degree programs. Utilizing the nine e-learning modules created with the support of the Digital Co-Production Lab, the Customs Academy will become a part of the Open Educational Resources (OER) system and have access to joint e-learning modules. The laboratory, which has been instrumental in the fulfilment of the project objectives, will also support the ASCCA actions in the implementation of the Virtual Master School, upon the completion of the project.

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.

For more information, please visit the official website of the WORK4CE project: https://work4ce.eu/