Voltage at the European Forum on Vocational Excellence 2025

The workshop addressed a key challenge in vocational education and training (VET): how to develop Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) in industries that are evolving as rapidly and dynamically as today’s battery and hydrogen sectors. CoVEs are European networks in which vocational education, industry, and research collaborate closely to design innovative and practice-oriented training opportunities.

Vocational education in transition: How can we remain future-oriented?

During the interactive workshop, participants discussed four guiding questions in small groups:

• How can companies be involved in vocational education in sectors that are still emerging?
• How can we ensure that training programmes remain flexible as industries continue to evolve?
• Which strategies can strengthen learners’ awareness of and interest in these new fields?
• How can we highlight career opportunities in sectors that are not yet fully established?

The role of CoVEs in dynamic industries

The discussions made it clear that CoVEs can play a crucial role, especially in fast-moving industries such as batteries or hydrogen. They identify new skill needs at an early stage and develop appropriate training measures through flexible cooperation between industry and education. In doing so, they help to train skilled workers for the future and actively shape industrial transformation.

Voltage as a European network for the battery industry

Voltage’s participation in the Forum underlines the project’s commitment to transnational cooperation for forward-looking vocational education. The project is an Erasmus+ funded network of vocational training centres and industrial partners from Sweden, Finland, Germany, Portugal, and Türkiye. Its goal is to develop new, practice-oriented, and internationally compatible training programmes for the battery industry, aligned with the evolving needs of companies across Europe.