college of vocational excellence
London
Implementing vocational excellence approaches features prominently in the
overall EU policy agenda for skills and for Vocational Education and Training
(VET). The European Skills Agenda, the European Education Area, the 2020 Council
Recommendation on VET1 , as well as the Osnabrück Declaration2 , all include
very clear references to Vocational Excellence as a driving force for reforms in
the VET sector. 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
