- Spain
Politeknika Ikastegia Txorierri (PIT)

Profile
Politeknika Ikastegia Txorierri is a subsidized High School for Science and Technology and Vocational Education and Training (both EQF level 4 and 5) in the Spanish Basque Region. Each year the school provides education for over 400 full time students and 1000+ adult part time learners with a staff of 48 people.
Research/teaching facilities
PIT counts with a Career Guidance department that provides our students with educational and professional support. We are also an authorized Employment Agency. Politeknika Txorierri operates as a Cooperative made up of families, companies and local councils, and staff. We form part of the Mondragon Group with a strong emphasis on community and cooperative ethics. The Mondragon Group is a business group made up of 289 companies and entities and 15 Technology Centres.Since 2013, PIT is also an associated member of the neighboring Science and Technology Park of Bizkaia and has collaboration agreements with key business and industrial clusters in the Basque Country which permits close collaboration between businesses and the college. Txorierri has a strong embedded QUALITY culture. The centre was the first VET school in Bizkaia to earn the Golden Q Award for QUALITY management in 2005 based on the EQFM Quality Model. WE are ISO9001 certified.
Projects
PIT has extensive experience in project-based collaborative work in the education space. For example:
- Digital Twin: A European Digital Twin Skills ecosystem consisting of 2 VET providers, 1 HVET provider, 2 HE institutions, 4 SMEs, 1 cluster of companies and 1 chamber of commerce from 5 Countries will design, test, refine and exploit an integral curriculum about digital twin for EU mid-high level IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operational Technology) technicians at EQF Levels 4-8, available in English and in all partner languages by 2026.
- smartAInnovators – Promoting AI-Driven Digital Transformation and Innovation in VET Schools for Social Change and Better Skills Match with The Labour Market.
- DTAM-Digital Transformation in Advanced Manufacturing. The working methodology used to set up an innovative curriculum in advanced manufacturing, the learning content about big data, cybersecurity and advanced sensorica could be transferred and applied to this project.
- DICYSTECH-Digital Transformation in Industrial Fields. The project has developed curricular training and 3 virtual labs for hands-on training.
Expertise
The center specializes in: Environmental Education, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Robotics, Sales and Commercial Management, Mechanical Design and Mechanical Production.
Key tasks
PIT will be a key partner for the participatory development of the DR framework in WP2, as well as the empirical validation of technological developments in WP4 and WP5. Further, PIT will provide access to VET educators and learners to disseminate the project’s results.
Team
Anabel Menica
Project Manager / Researcher
Anabel Menica, Head of Internationalisation at Politeknika Txorierri, strengthens DIRECT as a project-management specialist and PIT researcher. Drawing on extensive experience coordinating cross-border initiatives and mobility schemes, she steers stakeholder engagement and ensures smooth alignment of the consortium’s training pilots, dissemination plans and quality milestones with European standards.
Jokin Goioaga
Researcher / Teacher
Jokin Goioaga is Telecommunications and IT engineer with 26 years of teaching experience and Manager of Politeknika Txorierri’s IT & Electronics department. As PIT coordinator in DIRECT he channels industry-aligned curricula, CISCO-certified expertise and European project know-how to design digital-responsibility modules and mentor trainers across the consortium.
Xabier Ugarte
Researcher
Xabier Ugarte is a Mining Engineer specialized in Energy Resources and joins DIRECT from Politeknika Txorierri. With over fifteen years of teaching experience and a background in engineering consultancy at IDOM, Xabier Ugarte bridges academic insight with applied industry knowledge. He brings expertise in European projects focused on collaborative robotics and leads the institution’s pedagogical digital transformation, ensuring future-ready, digitally enriched learning environments.
Miren Arrien
Researcher / Project Manager
Miren Arrien is a researcher at Politeknika Txorierri with four years of experience managing international projects in areas such as personal branding, digital agriculture, and Artificial Intelligence. With a strong background in skill development, teacher excellence, and innovative pedagogy in VET, she fosters future-ready education aligned with emerging societal needs. In the DIRECT project, Miren Arrien will lead communication and dissemination efforts, ensuring that the alliance’s vision of embedding digital responsibility into education and society reaches diverse audiences and drives meaningful impact across Europe.