What is Vocational Excellence?

Vocational excellence usually refers to high-quality training and education, but also to relevance to the world of work and to the attractiveness of the educational offer to learners and to employers. Vocational excellence may also imply an enlarged conceptualisation of skills provision – addressing innovation, regional and local development, lifelong learning, and smart specialisation.

The concept of Vocational Excellence promoted by the EU 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 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 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 professional development of training staff, innovative pedagogies, learners and staff mobility and VET internationalisation strategies.

By focussing on inclusive excellence, this model guarantees access to top-notch education for all learners, endowing them with essential and vocational skills. Such inclusive practices align with the goal of preparing individuals for quality employment, contributing to a dynamic, inclusive economy.

Discover the Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs)

Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) are the pillars of excellent vocational education in Europe. Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) are formed by networks of partners that develop local "skills ecosystems" to provide high quality vocational skills to young people and adults, and contribute to regional development, innovation, industrial clusters, smart specialisation strategies and social inclusion. CoVEs stimulate 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.

CoVEs are expected to go far beyond simply providing a quality vocational qualification. From available evidence, keys to CoVEs' success include: 

• Being integrated in frameworks of regional development, innovation and smart specialisation - this allows synergies to be identified between policies and amongst stakeholders. 
• Strong and enduring relationships between stakeholders - stakeholders include VET providers (including VET at the tertiary education level), higher education institutions, and businesses, in which interactions are reciprocal and mutually beneficial. 
• Integration of activities - there is great potential in CoVEs to achieve more than sum of their parts, in particular, where CoVEs build on the expertise and activities of each partner to provide both young learners and adults with skills and opportunities for professional and personal development. 

Fostering Vocational Excellence through international collaboration

The EU aims at introducing a European dimension of vocational excellence, both by encouraging Member States to establish CoVEs that contribute to create skills ecosystems responding to local needs, and by supporting international collaborative networks bringing together CoVEs that share a common interest in developing skills ecosystems. The Erasmus+ funding for Centres of Vocational Excellence and the International Self-Assessment Tool for Centres of Vocational Excellence support this endeavour.

Engaging with the CoVE initiative connects you with a community deeply invested in vocational excellence across and beyond Europe, where stakeholders from various sectors engage, share experiences, and collaborate on projects that enhance vocational training's quality and relevance. Whether you're looking to make a commitment, explore partnerships, or simply stay informed about the latest developments in vocational training, CoVEs provide a platform for meaningful participation and innovation.

Join the CoVEs discussion on LinkedIn or X!