Deadline: 8-Jun-23
The European Commission (EC) is calling for proposals for Partnership for Excellence – Centres of Vocational Excellence.
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 economy3 . The CoVE initiative also supports the implementation of the European Green Deal, the new Digital Strategy, and the new Industrial and SME Strategies, as skills are key to their success.
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, 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.
Levels
Centres of Vocational Excellence will 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 sectors or industrial ecosystems,
- innovative approaches to tackle economic and societal challenges (e.g. climate change, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, sustainable development goals, 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.
Duration: Projects should normally last 48 months (extensions are possible, if duly justified and through an amendment).
Eligibility Criteria
The applicants (coordinator and full partners) must be:
- Legal entities (public or private bodies) active in the field of vocational education and training or in the world of work;
- Established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme (Countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature are eligible).
- Organisations from third countries not associated to the Programme may also participate but not as coordinator. They must be public or private organisations active in the field of vocational education and training or in the world of work.
Exception: organisations from Belarus (Region 2) and the Russian Federation (Region 4) are not eligible to participate in this action.
For more information, visit European Commission.