This Research Report on 3D Printing Education is an in-depth investigation carried out by all partners about the availability and structure of existing 3D Printing training programmes and education specifically aimed at teachers, the use of 3D printing in schools and qualitative research on materials and methods. The report also includes the results and analysis of a questionnaire created by the consortium’s leading partner for this report (UNINETTUNO) and sent to teachers, VET trainers and stakeholders in Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain and Portugal.

This report focused on finding out more about the essential skills and competences that educators should have in order to be able to integrate 3D Printing in VET classes. While the need for better practices and a sound methodology of 3D training for trainers of VET is evident, each society and national context are different. For this purpose, a needs analysis of the state of affairs and specific requirements of individual countries had to be carried out. The report, led by project partner KIT, comprises the results of a small-scale qualitative research survey distributed in each partner country, the analysis of these results according to each partner’s national report and a comparative analysis with a transnational report to inform on the future methodology of the project’s training package.

The overarching goal of the 3DP-VET course is to design a highly innovative, internationally competitive training programme on 3D printing for teachers and trainers in Vocational Education and Training (VET). With this in mind, the 3DP-VET course (3D Printing in Vocational Education and Training) seeks to introduce VET teachers/ educators to the use of 3D Printers in Vocational Education and Training in Europe. The 3DP-VET curriculum is a detailed plan of the course with a clear definition of learning outcomes and the sequence of activities designed to help the participants attain them.

The training guide for VET teachers and educators will provide practical information and background knowledge for teachers on the curricula and training materials developed by this project. It will also provide general information on the purpose and the goals of the training, on the curricula and the content of modules, explain the assessment and evaluation process. It will describe the methods used and their advantages, highlighting a description of blended learning.

This training methodology will be based on the use of a web platform, specifically created on the project website, which participants have access to with their username and password. The training activity will be realised through downloading didactic materials elaborated and uploaded on the platform in a structured and intuitive path that will involve, motivate, and encourage participants to use any previous knowledge, provide them with documents and information according to their possibilities and to the characteristics of available tools, offer support and feedback, and constantly monitor the learning level of topics.