Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) Initiative

The CoVE initiative also supports the implementation of the European Green Deal, the Communication on attracting Skills and Talent and the new Industrial and SME Strategies, as skills are key to their success, as well as the Communication on skills and talent mobility adopted in 2023, the Action Plan on labour and skills shortages, and the Council Recommendation ‘Europe on the Move’.

CoVEs operate in a given local context, creating skills ecosystems for innovation, regional development and social inclusion while working with CoVEs in other countries through international collaborative networks. They establish a bottom-up approach to vocational excellence involving a wide range of local stakeholders enabling VET institutions to rapidly adapt skills provision to evolving economic and social needs.

They provide opportunities for initial training of young people as well as the continuing up-skilling and re-skilling of adults through flexible and timely offer of training that meets the needs of a dynamic labour market, including in the context of the green and digital transitions. They act as catalysts for local business development and innovation, by working closely with companies (in particular SMEs) on applied research projects, creating knowledge and innovation hubs, as well as supporting entrepreneurial initiatives of their learners.

The networks aim for “upward convergence” of VET excellence. They will be open for the involvement of countries with well-developed vocational excellence systems, as well as those in the process of developing similar approaches, aimed at exploring the full potential of VET institutions to play a proactive role in support of growth and innovation.

The concept of vocational excellence proposed here is characterised by a holistic, learner-centred approach in which VET:

• is an integrated part of skills ecosystems, contributing to regional development, innovation, smart specialisation and clusters strategies, as well as to specific value chains and industrial ecosystems;
• is part of knowledge triangles, working closely with other education and training sectors, the scientific community and business;
• enables learners to acquire both vocational (job-specific) as well as key competences through high-quality provision that is underpinned by quality assurance;
• builds innovative forms of partnerships with the world of work and is supported by the continuous professional development of teaching and training staff, innovative pedagogies, learner and staff mobility and VET internationalisation strategies.

Objectives

• This action supports the gradual establishment and development of international collaborative networks of Centres of Vocational Excellence. The Centres of Vocational Excellence aim at achieving the following objectives:
  • to ensure high quality skills through flexible and learner-centred VET provisions that lead to quality employment and career-long opportunities, swiftly responding to the needs of an innovative, inclusive and sustainable economy as well as to societal needs;
  • to support and act as drivers for local and regional development, innovation and social inclusion in the context of the green and digital transitions;
  • to contribute to upward convergence on VET excellence, to increase the quality of VET at system level in more and more countries;
  • to ensure that outputs and results are taken into use and have impact beyond the project partner organisations and beyond the project period.
  • Centres of Vocational Excellence operate at two levels:
  • At national level, involving a wide range of local stakeholders creating skills ecosystems for local innovation, regional development, and social inclusion, while working with CoVEs in other countries through international collaborative networks.
  • At international level, bringing together CoVEs that share a common interest in:
  • specific sectors257 or industrial ecosystems;
  • innovative approaches to tackle economic and societal challenges (e.g. climate change, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, sustainable development goals259, integration of migrants and disadvantaged groups, upskilling people with low qualification levels, etc.); or
  • innovative approaches to increase the outreach, quality and effectiveness of existing CoVEs.

Funding Information

• The maximum EU grant per project is EUR 4 000 000.
• Financial support to third parties in the form of grants or prizes is not allowed.
• Costs for financial audits are not allowed.

Expected Impact 

• The gradual establishment and development of European networks of Centres of Vocational Excellence is expected to increase VET systems’ responsiveness to adapt skills provision to evolving economic and social needs, ensuring that VET is at the forefront of providing solutions to the challenges posed by rapidly changing skills needs.
• By forming an essential part of the “knowledge triangle” – projects should foster the collaboration between businesses, education and research – and playing a fundamental role in providing skills to support innovation and smart specialisation, the Centres of Vocational Excellence are expected to ensure high quality skills and competences that lead to quality employment and career-long opportunities, which meet the needs of an innovative, inclusive and sustainable economy.
• Through the wide dissemination of project outcomes at transnational, national and/or regional levels and the development of a long-term action plan for the progressive roll out of project deliverables, taking national and regional development and smart specialisation strategies into account, individual projects are expected to engage relevant stakeholders within and outside the participating organisations and ensure a lasting impact after the project lifetime.

Eligibility Criteria 

• In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities, if applicable) must:
  • be legal entities (public or private bodies);
  • be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e., EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme);
  • be active in the field of vocational education and training or in the world of work.
• Exception: organisations from Belarus are not eligible to participate in this action.
• Participating organisations can be, for example (non-exhaustive list):
  • VET providers
  • VET provider representative organisations
  • Companies, industry, other employers or sector representative organisations
  • National/regional qualification authorities
  • Research institutes
  • Innovation agencies
  • Regional development authorities
  • International organisations active in the VET field.

For more information, visit EC.