Centres of Vocational Excellence

Scope:CENTRES OF VOCATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Implementing vocational excellence approaches features prominently in the overall EU policy agenda for skills and for Vocational Education and Training (VET). The European Skills Agenda, the European Education Area, the 2020 Council Recommendation on VET [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32020H1202%2801%29 ], as well as the Osnabrück Declaration [https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/osnabrueck_declaration_eu2020.pdf ], all include very clear references to Vocational Excellence as a driving force for reforms in the VET sector.

The initiative on Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) aims to respond to this policy priority supporting reforms in the VET sector, ensuring high quality skills and competences that lead to quality employment and career-long opportunities, meeting the needs of an innovative, inclusive and sustainable economy(See brochure on VET skills for today and for the future). 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 2023247 ,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.

This initiative introduces a European dimension to vocational excellence by supporting the implementation of EU VET policy and actions agreed with member states, social partners and VET providers.

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 [Skill ecosystems are defined as regional or sectoral social formations in which human capability is developed and deployed for productive purposes (Finegold 1999). Their basic elements are business settings and associated business models, institutional/policy frameworks, modes of engaging labour, the structure of jobs, as well as the level of skills and systems for their formation (Buchanan et al. 2001). See A guide to the skill ecosystem approach to workforce development ], contributing to regional development [ Regional Development Policy - Regional development is a broad term but can be seen as a general effort to reduce regional disparities by supporting (employment and wealth-generating) economic activities in regions], innovation [An innovation is the implementation of a new or significantly improved product (good or service), or process, a new marketing method, or a new organisational method in business practices, workplace organisation or external relations], smart specialisation [Smart Specialisation is a place-based approach characterised by the identification of strategic areas for intervention based both on the analysis of the strengths and potential of the economy and on an Entrepreneurial Discovery Process with wide stakeholder involvement. It is outward-looking and embraces a broad view of innovation including] and clusters strategies [Industrial clusters are groups of specialised enterprises, often SMEs, and other related supporting actors in a location that cooperate closely. There are around 3000 specialised clusters in Europe. The renewed EU industrial policy recognises clusters as a powerful tool to support industrial innovation. See European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP).], as well as to specific value chains and industrial ecosystems;
• Is part of knowledge triangles [See Education in the knowledge triangle ], 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 [As defined in the Council Recommendation of 22 May 2018 on key competences for lifelong learning] through high-quality provision that is underpinned by quality assurance;
• Builds innovative forms of partnerships [See ETF work on Public-Private Partnerships for inclusive skills development] 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 OF THE ACTION

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:

1. 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.

2. At international level, bringing together CoVEs that share a common interest in:

▪ specific sectors [See for example the agricultural European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI) works to foster competitive and sustainable farming and forestry] or industrial ecosystems [See 14 industrial ecosystems as described in Commission Communication on Updating the 2020 New Industrial Strategy, as well as the SWD(2021) 351, Annual Single Market Report 2021];

▪ innovative approaches to tackle economic and societal challenges (e.g. climate change, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, sustainable development goals [See Berlin Declaration on Education for SDG ], 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.

The networks will bring together existing CoVEs, or develop the Vocational Excellence model by linking partners from various countries, that intend to develop Vocational Excellence in their local context through international cooperation. They could contribute e.g. to the delivery phase of the New European Bauhaus initiative by collaborating with the communities involved in the local transformations fostered by the initiative.

CoVEs achieve their objectives by bringing together and working closely with a set of local/regional partners such initial and continuing VET providers, higher education institutions including universities of applied sciences and polytechnics, research institutions, science parks, innovation agencies, companies, other employers, chambers and their associations, social partners, social enterprises, sectoral skills councils, professional/sector associations, national and regional authorities and development agencies, employment services, qualifications authorities, social inclusion and reintegration organisations, etc.

This call will thus support projects bringing together local or regional partners from various countries developing a set of activities under three clusters; 1) Teaching and learning, 2) Cooperation and partnerships, and 3) Governance and Funding.

CoVEs are required to apply EU wide instruments and tools [Such as the EQF, EQAVET, Council Recommendation on a European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships, Council Recommendation on key competences, etc.] whenever relevant.

They must include the design of a long-term action plan for the progressive roll-out of project deliverables after the project has finished. This plan shall be based on sustained partnerships between education and training providers and key labour market actors at the appropriate level. It should include the identification of appropriate governance structures, as well as plans for scalability and financial sustainability.

While the Erasmus+ CoVE initiative promotes a European dimension to VET Excellence, the EU policy on VET Excellence also has an international dimension, supported by the European Training Foundation (ETF). ETF has developed a self assessment tool (ISATCOVE), a concept for a label for excellence, and is providing support services to organisations interested in vocational excellence. To see the list of CoVEs already funded, please check EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Factsheets for the funded projects are also available on the website of DG Employment, Social Affairs and inclusion:

Projects funded under the 2020 call for proposals

Projects funded under the 2021 call for proposals

Projects funded under the 2022 call for proposals

For more information, see the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2025