As part of the module ‘Vocational Education and Training for Sustainable Development’, Alina Hank and Alicia Janica Moss were given the opportunity to present the NaTuL project once again at the University of Leipzig on 25 June 2026.

The focus was on the project and the specific design of the AI-supported serious game. The students gained an insight into the development of the game and the underlying pedagogical considerations.

On 23 June 2026, a livestream took place during which game scenarios and potential applications of the serious game were presented live. This enabled participants to experience first-hand how the serious game is structured and what learning and action scenarios are incorporated into it.

In issue 50 of bwp@, Alicia Janica Moss, Alina Hank, Heye Saathoff and Andreas Slopinski take stock, for the time being, of the efforts to embed sustainability in initial and further education within the transport and logistics sector. Based on a content analysis of the teaching materials for the training programmes for wholesale and foreign trade management assistants, freight forwarding and logistics services assistants, warehouse logistics specialists (including qualified warehouse operators) and industrial business administration apprentices, as well as an interview study with 13 apprentices from these vocational training programmes, it was clearly established that the regulatory concept of sustainability remains a marginal issue. At the same time, however, it is precisely these apprentices who emphasise the importance of sustainable business practices. The full article can be downloaded free of charge here .

On 19 and 20 May 2026, the project team met in Oldenburg for a face-to-face meeting. Together, they discussed key next steps and laid important foundations for further collaboration and the transfer of the project.

As part of the ‘Lunch & Learn’ series, the project team from the University of Oldenburg, together with C3L and the Berlin-based games developer Beyond Bytes, presented the NaTuL project and the current stage of development of the serious game on 21 April 2026.

Representatives from schools and businesses took part in the one-hour online event. Following the presentation, there was an opportunity to discuss the project and the further development of the serious game.

On 12 March 2026, Bianca Prang had the opportunity to attend the training network meeting for companies in the Oldenburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) district that have been awarded the IHK’s TOP Training seal. Around 50 training managers from the region gathered there to discuss current developments and challenges in vocational training.

The NaTuL project was presented during the event. During the break that followed, there was an opportunity to talk to interested training companies and explore potential ways of participating in the project.

As part of a one-hour interactive workshop, Alicia Janica Moss and Jennifer Rengers (Beyond Bytes) presented the NaTuL project’s blended learning concept at didacta in Cologne on 12 March 2026.

Participants had the opportunity to test the first playable scenarios from the core gameplay of the serious game. During the subsequent discussion, the current stage of development was reviewed and discussed collectively.

In issue 49 of bwp@, Alina Hank, Alicia Janica Moss, Heye Saathoff and Andreas Slopinski provide an insight into the target group analysis that was carried out to ensure the serious game being developed in NaTuL is tailored precisely to users’ needs. Drawing on a fully standardised questionnaire survey, the authors provide insights into the expectations of potential players. A total of 372 commercial apprentices were surveyed for this purpose. The article can be downloaded free of charge here .

The NaTuL project explores transformative learning in the context of vocational education and training for sustainable development. A review article setting out the theoretical foundations of the project has now been published. In their article entitled ‘Transformative vocational learning through the use of AI-supported serious games’, Karin Rebmann, Heye Saathoff and Andreas Slopinski set out how sustainability-oriented learning processes can be supported by AI-supported serious games. The article was published in the anthology *Innovation through Sustainability: Research in Vocational and Business Education*. The complete anthology can be downloaded free of charge here .

On 11 December 2025, Alina Hank and Alicia Janica Moss presented the project to business education students at Leipzig University in an online event as part of the seminar "Theory and Practice of Company Instruction Processes". The focus was on the specific design of the serious game and the underlying didactic principles.

From 8 to 10 December 2025, the project team gathered for an in-person workshop at the games developer Beyond Bytes. The focus was on face-to-face discussion, as collaboration otherwise takes place predominantly via regular online meetings.

Together, they analysed the current stage of the game’s development and agreed on the next steps. Another key focus was on the learning modules, which were reviewed and further developed jointly.

At the Transfer Centre for Artificial Intelligence - BREMEN.AI in the Digital Hub Industry, Dr Eva Unruh and Alicia Janica Moss presented the NaTuL project as part of the lecture event "Digital Logistics - Innovation | AI | Sustainability" on 18 November 2025.

Building on the online event in April, the two presented the current state of development of the AI-supported serious game. Our project "Sustainability in the transport and logistics industry" was an excellent addition to the series of presentations. The participants provided valuable feedback that will be incorporated into the further development of the project.

As part of the "RZ.NORDBEAT - Der Norden macht Zukunft" theme week, the project team held a one-hour seminar on 7 October 2025, which was attended by representatives from schools and companies. During the event, the project and the current status of the needs analysis were presented. The concluding discussion was used to gather further ideas and perspectives from the field.

On 1 September, Alina Hank and Alicia Janica Moss took part in the 6th BHV Sustainability Dialogue. The event focussed on the key question: "How can sustainability be promoted despite increasing resistance?"

The NaTuL project was presented as part of a panel discussion. In this open format, questions were answered about the objectives and content of the project, the challenges of designing teaching and learning processes around sustainability topics, possible co-operations with companies and the next steps in the project.

During an online presentation at the regional group meeting of the Federal Logistics Association (BVL), Dr Eva Unruh, Alina Hank, Alicia Janica Moss, Philipp Klein and Jennifer Rengers presented the NaTuL project. The event focused in particular on the question : “What do apprentices in the transport and logistics sector really need to learn in order to act sustainably?” This question, along with the subsequent insights into the development of the game by Beyond Bytes, sparked a fruitful discussion with the participating company representatives. In the process, practical aspects of sustainable logistics were identified, and appropriate ways of incorporating them into both the game and the training course were discussed.

On 28 March 2025, Alina Hank and Alicia Janica Moss took part in the Adult Education Round Table and gave an insight into the NaTuL project. The round table regularly brings together further education providers from the region to discuss current developments and challenges in the field of adult education.

For NaTuL, the event provided a valuable opportunity to make new contacts and identify potential points of contact for future cooperation.

The 23rd University Days for Academic Appointments took place in Paderborn from 17 - 19 March 2025. NaTuL took part in the "Market of Opportunities". There, the project team gave an insight into the innovative development of the AI-supported serious game and the course on sustainability in the transport and logistics industry in line with the conference topics of sustainability, digitality and equal opportunities. The exhibition of the project proposal provided a good basis for discussion and led to a lively exchange with interested visitors to the University Days.

The kick-off workshop for the InnoVET PLUS programme organised by BIBB took place in Bonn on 11 and 12 February 2025. Under the motto "Shaping collaboration, thinking about transfer from the outset", InnoVET PLUS project participants from all over Germany came together to lay the foundations for successful collaboration.

After getting to know each other interactively, the participants were divided into thematic cluster groups. The aim of the groups was to identify support needs and develop initial ideas for future cooperation between the end of projects and BIBB. The second workshop day was characterised by two workshops on the topics of "Transfer" and "Attractiveness". The workshops deepened the previous findings on the topics and emphasised how crucial transfer is within the project duration - but also beyond.

The event was characterised by a constructive exchange and many new impulses that we will take with us into our daily project work.

The InnoVET PLUS projects were officially launched at the InnoVET conference in Berlin on 6 November 2024. After an interesting exchange with the first-generation InnoVET projects, the NaTuL project was officially launched together with 27 other projects at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in the afternoon. At the subsequent networking event on 7 November, the InnoVET PLUS projects were divided into different thematic clusters to facilitate the search for commonalities between the various projects. The exchange in the topic clusters "Digital learning - utilising AI opportunities" and "Creating the energy transition" resulted in great added value for NaTuL.

At the end of October, the time had finally come: the joint project got off to a flying start with great anticipation at a face-to-face kick-off meeting between the consortium partners, held from 23 to 25 October 2024 in Oldenburg. The event began with a relaxed get-together on the evening of 23 October – an informal dinner provided the perfect setting to get to know one another and hold initial discussions. The following days were centred on an in-depth exchange of ideas. Beyond Bytes provided fascinating insights into the company’s existing game concepts. In a constructive session, initial rough project milestones were defined and the roadmap for the coming months was discussed.

In addition, an open brainstorming session saw numerous ideas gathered and various aspects of the planned game discussed – ranging from game mechanics and storytelling to design and target audience strategy.

All in all, it was a successful start that laid the foundations for a fruitful and inspiring collaboration.

In October 2024, the joint project “NaTuL – Sustainability in the Transport and Logistics Sector” was launched. In collaboration with the Chair of Sustainability and Supply Chain Management (SSCM), the Centre for Lifelong Learning (C3L) and the game developer Beyond Bytes from Berlin, the Department of Vocational and Business Education (BWP) at the University of Oldenburg will carry out the project from 2024 to 2027 as part of the InnoVET PLUS funding programme of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

NaTuL, along with 27 other projects, forms part of the InnoVET PLUS funding programme, which, as a central measure of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research’s (BMBF) Excellence Initiative for Vocational Education and Training, aims to further develop vocational education and training through innovative concepts. NaTuL is aimed at a new generation of skilled workers who will drive forward sustainable practices in transport logistics through innovative ideas. In doing so, the project makes a significant contribution to the attractiveness and quality of vocational education and training.