Centres of Vocational Excellence

The Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) initiative aims to support reforms in Vocational Education and Training (VET) across the EU. The programme focuses on ensuring high-quality skills and competences to meet the needs of an innovative, inclusive, and sustainable economy. It also addresses societal challenges, such as the green and digital transitions, by promoting local development, social inclusion, and innovation. CoVEs operate in a local context but collaborate internationally to foster skills ecosystems that adapt quickly to evolving economic and social needs.
The call is looking for proposals focusing on three main clusters:

• Developing high-quality training practices.
• Building effective collaborations across sectors.
• Ensuring long-term sustainability through appropriate governance and financial planning.

Projects must align with EU-wide frameworks such as EQF, EQAVET, and key competence recommendations, and include a long-term action plan for scaling and sustainability after the project ends.

Objectives

CoVEs aim to:

• Provide flexible, learner-centred VET provisions that lead to quality employment and long-term career opportunities.
• Support regional development, innovation, and social inclusion in the green and digital transitions.
• Contribute to improving VET systems by promoting "upward convergence" of VET excellence.
• Ensure lasting impact beyond the project period, with results taken up beyond the partner organisations.

CoVEs will function at both national and international levels, working with diverse stakeholders from various sectors, such as education, industry, research, and government, to develop innovative solutions.

Eligibility

Applicants must be legal entities (public or private) established in: 

• EU Member States and overseas countries and territories (OCTs)
• EFTA/EEA countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway,
• EU candidate countries: the Republic of Türkiye, the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Serbia.

Organisations from Belarus are not eligible to participate.

Consortium requirements:

At least 8 applicants from a minimum of 4 eligible countries. Each country represented must include:

• 1 enterprise, industry, or sector organisation, and;
• 1 VET provider (secondary or tertiary level).

Funding

Total funding: 60 000 000 EUR

Deadline

The deadline for this call for proposals is set to 11 June 2025 17:00, Brussels time.
See more detailed information here.