The RACE21 project brought together seven partners from across Europe, including six vocational education and training (VET) colleges from the UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Finland and Romania, alongside a VET host organisation in the Czech Republic. Over the course of three years, the project engaged 12 VET staff and 270 students in an innovative, problem-based learning programme focused on robotics and automation. At the heart of the project was the Robot Club, a collaborative platform involving VET learners, lecturers and 60 local industry partners across participating countries. RACE21 aimed to close the gap between education and employment by developing new teaching methods that promote applied skills in robotics and automation, while fostering creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship among students. The project built upon the success of the earlier RACE initiative, which revealed the dual benefits of automation – boosting productivity and unlocking workers’ creative potential.