With the European project AIRMOB, Puglia becomes a strategic hub for training and employment in the Innovative Air Mobility (IAM) sector. Local centers of excellence, including universities, businesses, and technical institutes, are involved. The Italian partners of AIRMOB – Developing skills and capabilities for Innovative AIR Mobility—a four-year European project launched last March—include Deep Blue, EuroUSC Italia, the Aerospace Technology District (DTA), the Department of Innovation Engineering at UniSalento, and the ITS Academy for Sustainable Aerospace Mobility. The aim is to accelerate training and create qualified professionals in a rapidly growing sector, such as Innovative Air Mobility.

AIRMOB aims to serve as a skills accelerator in the field of Innovative Air Mobility (IAM), involving students, workers, trainers, companies, and institutions. The project is developing new educational pathways for:

• students in technical and university education,
• professionals seeking upskilling and reskilling,
• trainers interested in innovative teaching methods,
• companies interested in co-developing tailor-made training programs,
• public institutions and regulators involved in shaping the sector’s strategies.

The AIRMOB project will introduce 20 new training programs in five European countries, including VET (Vocational Education and Training) and university-level courses, as well as one transnational course. At least 200 students will take part in pilot programs, while 240 students will have access to international internships. Fifteen career kits will be developed to promote emerging professions in the sector.

For professionals, AIRMOB will offer continuing education courses, including 10 blended-learning programs and 3 online transnational courses, involving up to 150 specialists. The project will provide access to up-to-date training resources and networking opportunities with experts.

An Artificial Intelligence-based Virtual Assistant Will Guide Learning

In AIRMOB, Deep Blue—an Italian SME specializing in aviation research and training—coordinates the project and will develop a multilingual online platform offering free access to educational materials, job opportunities, and an AI-based learning assistant (IAM-GPT).
Aurora De Bortoli Vizioli, Senior Consultant and Project Manager, stated:

“AIRMOB is a crucial project as it provides a strategic opportunity to strengthen the development of Innovative Air Mobility in Italy and across Europe. As project coordinator, Deep Blue will work to foster synergy between industry, academia, and policymakers at both national and transnational levels to ensure the sector’s sustainable growth and development opportunities.”

Alongside Deep Blue is EuroUSC Italia, a leading company in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) regulation and safety. It will serve as a bridge between industry and academia, promoting sustainable collaboration to foster innovation, create job opportunities, and improve the conditions for co-creation—key factors in enhancing the attractiveness of VET (Vocational Education and Training) in this sector.

European AIRMOB Project in Puglia: Local Excellence in Support of Vocational Education and Training

DTA is a non-profit consortium operating since 2009. It was founded and has been led since its inception by Dr. Giuseppe Acierno, who serves as President and General Director. DTA’s members include research institutes and universities (UniSalento, University of Bari, and Polytechnic of Bari), as well as large, medium, and small aerospace companies.

Around 80 companies are involved in aeronautical and space activities in Puglia, generating a total turnover of €1.5 billion and employing around 8,000 people.

Over the years, DTA has developed research and technology transfer initiatives that have led to collaborative projects with medium and large aerospace companies. These projects have resulted in the testing and commercialization of drone-based services in sectors such as healthcare, precision agriculture, and civil protection (e.g., monitoring sea discharges and detecting illegal landfills using drones).

Antonio Zilli, DTA Program Manager, acknowledges that the AIRMOB project expands DTA’s scope of action in the drone sector, complementing its numerous R&D and experimentation efforts with the training of professionals who, in the coming years, will help spread new aerial services, particularly in the field of Innovative Air Mobility.

As part of experimental projects in collaboration with large and medium-sized companies, DTA has hired around 200 engineers over the years, many of whom have been absorbed by local and national aerospace companies. DTA operates with a systemic approach, enabling it to achieve increasingly ambitious goals at both national and international levels.

DTA President Giuseppe Acierno emphasizes:

“From the outset, the project allowed us to leverage the district’s consolidated skills and experience by involving our partner UniSalento and the ITS Aerospazio Puglia, of which we are founders. Together with all our partners, we are initiating a path of excellence focused on future mobility and technologies, working from today to build the skills needed to support development in both the Italian and European contexts.”

The Department of Innovation Engineering at UniSalento has been conducting international research in the aerospace sector for many years and has structured its academic programs, accordingly, offering both bachelor’s and master’s degrees—jointly with POLIBA—in Brindisi and Taranto. In this dynamic context, UniSalento experts see AIRMOB as an exciting opportunity to share knowledge with European partners and to work together to build the strong, collaborative network that the project envisions.

From Classroom to Company and Fieldwork: Building the Future of Mobility

ITS Academy for Sustainable Aerospace Mobility operates with a forward-looking mindset and offers two-year post-secondary technical programs that aim to develop specific skills and guide young people toward careers in aerospace innovation and sustainable mobility.

Courses at ITS Academy are delivered in close collaboration with businesses. Backed by years of experience in education, ITS experts will work with AIRMOB with a strong focus on VET (Vocational Education and Training), particularly in organizing international mobility opportunities.

Professor Antonio Ficarella, Director of the Department of Innovation Engineering at UniSalento and President of the ITS Academy for Sustainable Aerospace Mobility, explains:

“We are witnessing major developments in aerospace and integrated, sustainable mobility. Transport is no longer seen as a set of individual modes, but rather as a comprehensive and complex system. It’s also crucial to acknowledge the extraordinary growth of the space and aerospace economies, with a wide range of services—from satellite and remotely piloted or autonomous aircraft monitoring to technologies for urban mobility, last-mile delivery, smart cities, and smart communities. There’s enormous potential in integrating aeronautical technologies with connected vehicles and sustainable mobility systems, including new fuels and hydrogen. In this context, training plays a vital role, and we are ready to contribute—both as UniSalento and as ITS.”

The Aerospace Industry and Regional Development

The project aligns with ENAC’s National Strategic Plan, which promotes safety, sustainability, and the creation of Centers of Vocational Excellence. At the same time, the Puglia Region, through its Smart Specialization Strategy (S3), identifies the aerospace industry as one of the key drivers of regional development.

The challenges to be addressed include:

• a shortage of highly specialized skills,
• a low rate of innovation,
• difficulties in technology integration for SMEs,
• a lack of a qualified workforce.

AIRMOB was created to offer concrete solutions to these challenges, providing tools, knowledge, and networks to strengthen Puglia’s educational and industrial systems.