The Erasmus+ call ERASMUS-EDU-2023-PEX-COVE marked a significant milestone in the European Commission’s drive to modernise and internationalise vocational education and training systems across Europe. Under Key Action 2 – Partnerships for Excellence – this initiative aimed to support the development of Centres of Vocational Excellence through collaborative, transnational platforms. With a maximum grant allocation of €4 million per project and a typical implementation period of four years, the call provided substantial support to institutions and regions seeking to align skills development with evolving labour market demands.
CoVEs serve as engines for local and international cooperation. They offer lifelong learning opportunities, promote the validation of prior learning, and provide career guidance and innovation services. Their function extends beyond education, contributing directly to regional development strategies such as Smart Specialisation and supporting sectoral innovation. By bridging the gap between education and the workplace, CoVEs strengthen employability, mobility, and the overall quality and relevance of VET in Europe. These initiatives are expected to produce long-term impacts not only within the VET community but also across industries and communities involved.
The CoVE project “EQAVET 4.0 for quality in outcome-oriented VET” proposes an advanced quality assurance framework for vocational education and training (VET) that centres on a dynamic and outcome-oriented quality loop, aligning VET provision with evolving labour market needs. It builds on the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework (EQAVET) and extends it to a full-cycle process known as the “EQAVET 4.0 LOOP.”
A key innovation of EQAVET 4.0 is its focus on stakeholder engagement. Employers, VET authorities, training providers, and learners are involved throughout the entire loop, ensuring a shared understanding and co-ownership of vocational excellence. By fostering dialogue and shared responsibility, the project seeks to modernise qualification frameworks, increase the relevance of VET, and bridge the persistent gap between education and employment. EQAVET 4.0 Centre of Vocational Excellence is operated in Spain by Rinova, CPIFP Alan Turing, and the Chamber of Commerce of Zaragoza.
EQAVET 4.0 is led by Folkuniversitetet (Sweden), which coordinates a consortium of 20 organisations. The work is co-financed as a centralised action of the Erasmus+ programme. It formally commenced on 1st February 2025 and the consortium has been commissioned by the EU to implement the work until 31st January 2029.