The Commission is providing funding to promote vocational excellence across Europe, with calls for pilot projects published in 2019 and 2020.

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The Commission is working to promote vocational excellence in the EU, by supporting the establishment of platforms for centres of vocational excellence (CoVEs). These transnational platforms promote cooperation between local CoVEs. Two calls for pilot projects have been published, and a first list of projects has been selected for funding.

Information on the 2020 Erasmus+ call

In 2020 the Commission published a specific KA3 call to establish Platforms of Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) with a total budget of €20 million to support 5 platforms running for 4 years. These platforms closely resemble the future model that the Commission intends to support in the Erasmus programme in its 2021-2027 programming period. 

The design of this call already benefits from the analysis of the first set of pilot projects selected for the 2019 call.

The deadline for the presentation of the applications was 20 February 2020, and a decision on the 5 best projects to be funded is expected before the summer.

Results of the 2019 Erasmus+ call

In 2019, the Commission launched a first call for pilot projects under Sector Skills Alliances with a budget of €5 million to support a first set of up to 5 projects running for 2 years. 15 applications were submitted for funding, with a budget demand of over €13 million. The projects included partners from all EU countries, except Hungary and Luxembourg, and from one candidate country. Applications included the participation of 177 organisations, with an average of 12 partners per project. Partners were mostly VET centres, SMEs, Chambers and Social partners.

On 25 July 2019 EACEA published the lists of the first 5 pilot projects selected for funding, and the projects started to be implemented as of November 2019:

• Digital innovation Hub - to establish a state-of-the-art European wide cluster of interconnected nodes for innovation development, education, and for generation of new start-ups benefiting from the latest cloud computing technologies. The project is led by Helsinki Business College, in Finland.
• European Open Design School - aiming to set-up a network of innovative ecosystems for urban sustainable development through creative platforms and spaces that foster peer networking and mutual learning opportunities, social interaction and networking, and involve knowledge producers (research and VET providers) and companies. The project is led by Fondazione Matera-Basilicata 2019, in Italy.
• Excellent advanced manufacturing 4.0 – driving innovation in the advanced manufacturing sector. The project will establish a platform of excellent advanced manufacturing VET centres. The EXAM 4.0 hub aims at becoming a reference in skills governance in the participating regions/countries and at European level, setting up European regional skills ecosystems that bring together VET/HVET centres, companies, policy makers and individual lifelong learners. The project is led by TKNIKA, in Spain. See video.
• Pilot Platform of Vocational Excellence Water - a transnational project that draws on existing and emerging vocational competences and skills needs in the water sector, translating them into an approach of vocational excellence. The project is led by Freisland College, in The Netherlands. See video.
• Talentjourney - a transnational platform of vocational excellence in the field of Connectivity Devices and Services/CDS (Internet of things) in smart manufacturing. The project is led by Solski Center Nova Gorica, in Slovenia.