Transnational and national dimensions of the INVESTech CoVE Platform

The INVESTech project aims to develop national centres of vocational excellence (CoVEs) in five countries and to interconnect them in a functional network. This objective is based on the conclusion that CoVEs typically operate at two levels:

National level -  a national or regional CoVE can be established in each country, based on a model that is closely embedded in the local innovation ecosystems and responds to the real needs for excellence in VET in a given sector or region. The national CoVEs in this project are not intended to build new VET institutions and infrastructure in their countries from scratch.

They aim to bring together a set of local / regional partners such as initial and continuing VET providers, tertiary education institutions including universities of applied sciences and polytechnics, research institutions, science parks, companies, chambers and their associations, social partners, sectoral skills councils, professional/sector associations, national and regional authorities and development agencies, public employment services, etc. All these skills ecosystems will become easily approachable by the target groups of all participating countries through the transnational CoVE platform.

Transnational level - at this level, the CoVEs, established in several countries, which are reference points for vocational training in these countries, are linked in a specific collaborative network to share the common resources, knowledge and interest in providing excellent educational services internationally. So, the INVESTech platform is generally understood as both a network (system or model) and technical (portal).

The CoVE’s platform means a network, system and interaction model that brings together existing or newly established CoVEs from different countries to exchange knowledge, resources and best practices on achieving excellence in VET. Such a platform facilitates cooperation and coordination between CoVEs by providing tools and mechanisms for effective communication and interaction. It is aimed at “up-warding convergence” of excellence in VET, which would be difficult to establish in isolation in the absence of EU incentives, technical support, and mutual learning opportunities. It is to be an institutionalised international network, initially created by 5 national CoVEs and open to subsequent accessions to pool resources and connect skills ecosystems in order to provide higher level VET training services for individual countries and for Europe as a whole. Such a transnational network itself will become part of a Common European Network of similar platforms.

The term Portal implies an online instrument that serves as a centralized place for CoVEs to collaborate, share information and resources, and facilitate interaction between them. The development of a collaboration platform between CoVEs in the field of ICT in several EU countries is a complex process that is currently underway through the sequential steps. Following these steps, the platform will promote knowledge exchange, stimulate innovation in the sector and facilitate cooperation between stakeholders and educational institutions on the national and European levels.

National CoVEs at a glance

As the InvesTech TCP represents a model for interaction and an online portal for networking of 5+ national CoVEs, it is important to consider their individual conceptual outlines, although they are still in the design stage. Below is a brief overview of the national CoVEs at the stage they are at the time of writing this article.

Bulgaria

The establishment of a CoVE in Sofia requires a centralized management structure and the active participation of universities and other stakeholders willing to create sustainable partnerships and collaborations. It is assumed that the establishment of a CoVE from scratch will not be economically feasible and methodologically sound, so the national CoVE in Bulgaria will be integrated into an existing and sustainable educational structure. With this in mind, the national CoVE will be an independent structure (most likely a consortium under the Obligations and Contracts Act), which will be integrated with the National Center for Excellence in Mechatronics and Clean Technologies (NCEMCT).

NCEMCT is an independent legal entity established by 5 universities and 12 research institutes. In the four member universities, there are 6 vocational education and training centers, 4 technical colleges, 3 vocational high schools and a dozen laboratories and workshops, all focused on ICT education and training in six Bulgarian cities. In addition, there are numerous educational units for this sector, identified in the fifth member - Sofia University, which is the oldest and largest university in the country. So, this group in itself represents a large and differentiated skills ecosystem in the deeptech sectors, in which many stakeholders have been identified. The mentioned universities, institutes and the educational units within them provide the so-called inner circle of stakeholders of the national CoVE.

At the time of this article, two options for the legal framework of CoVE in Bulgaria are being considered - the first option is based on a consortium agreement to achieve the general goals of CoVE, and the second option is an association under the same act. The first option considers the possibility of concluding an agreement for an unincorporated consortium between the three project organizations from Bulgaria and a lead organization, the Center for Excellence in Mechatronics and Clean Technologies or TEUS (through the Technical University of Sofia) or the same organizations united in a new association. The difference between the two forms concerns only the level of incorporation, but in both cases, it is talking about non-legal entities governed by virtue of a concluded contract, which gives flexibility in managing the resources.

Slovakia

The focus of the Slovak CoVe is on Eastern Slovakia, with the aim of ensuring conditions for achieving excellence in vocational education and training in the ICT sector with a triple vision: digital readiness, cooperation for a green society and contribution to future skills. A functional and sustainable vocational training ecosystem will be created, developing future skills, influenced by the needs of the green transition (for industry, academia and government), capable of supporting competitive movements. The activities of the national CoVE in Slovakia will be directly linked to the activities of the Technical University of Košice with specialization in providing high quality and excellence in vocational training for ICT competencies, mainly related to artificial intelligence, digital transformation and cybersecurity. The target groups are teachers, researchers, students, doctoral candidates, higher education graduates, improving their qualifications, students, interns and apprentices in business, etc., and stakeholders include leading representatives of ICT businesses, public institutions, training and VET centers and education service providers in Eastern Slovakia.

The CoVE model in Slovakia is still under development and proposals from key stakeholders are being sought. Stakeholders are defined as academia, industry, civil society companies, CVT/VET, training institutions, public authorities, scientific institutes, R&D laboratories, technology parks and incubators, centers of excellence in science and technology, innovation academies, certification centers and quality centers. It is planned to establish a committee in which representatives of these stakeholders will participate. The business model in Slovakia foresees the use of public resources (state subsidies), ongoing projects (INVESTech, EDIH Cassovium, Expandi 4.0, Ulysseus), national scholarship programs (SAIA, Erasmus+, IAESTE, ESN, BEST), the capacity of existing networks (USP TECHNICOM, Innovation Center), but also future project proposals (Horizon Europe, National Calls – VAIA, ITMS 21+) and cooperation with companies, organizations and educational institutions.

Greece

The national CoVE in Greece is to create synergies between different actors for improving VET in the whole country. INVESTECH is to become a paradigm for CoVE and a standard for a functional and sustainable VET ecosystem for future skills in green transition. It includes attracting stakeholders from industry, academia, and government with a focus on ICT competences, AI and digital transformation and cybersecurity with the specific goal to avoid future negative competitive moves in the VET training area. Already are preselected concrete stakeholders as, for example, the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports - General Secretariat of LLL and Youth, SPAEE of East Attica, Local Directorates of Education, Universities, SAEK and EPAL (post-secondary and secondary VET providers), DYPA - Public Employment Service and companies.

The main target group will be the entrepreneurial academies and the VET teachers and students. To this group also researchers, students, doctoral candidates, graduates improving their qualifications, pupils, interns and apprentices in business. One of the main presumed functions of CoVE will be organization of summer entrepreneurial school for VET girls, pitching days with the participation of companies and VET providers, conferences and events for all the stakeholders with a focus on green VET provision, capacity building of VET teachers. Still is not clear the organizational structure and the legal aspects of the national CoVE. The main activities envisaged are workshops for all stakeholders, microcredentials for VET students at levels 4 and 5, hackathons, bootcamps for companies and VET providers, co-fun and i-labs for all stakeholders together with skills competitions.

Lithuania

The national CoVe is primarily intended for the ICT sector and entrepreneurship at the Klaipeda region level, aiming to fill the gap in the ICT sector’s needs for highly qualified specialists with skills, primarily in the fields of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital transformation. CoVe will support cooperation between industry, academia and government for the development of innovation and the workforce in the region. Among the main priorities are increasing qualifications and skills in the field of green digital solutions and ICT, cybersecurity and strengthening the resilience of digital infrastructures. The target groups are teachers, researchers, students, doctoral candidates, higher education graduates, improving their qualifications, schoolchildren, interns and apprentices in business, etc., and the key stakeholders are organizations engaged in research and development in the field of artificial intelligence and industrial automation (Cluster, Innovation Center, ICT and Engineering Center, Infobalt, Startup Klaipeda). The stakeholder types include companies, BSO, VTC/VET, training institutions, public authorities, scientific institutes, R&D laboratories, technology parks and incubators, centers of excellence in science and technology, innovation academies, certification centers and quality centers, etc.

The structure and governance model of CoVE have not yet been declared. The business model includes self-financing through the provision of micro-certificates and ICT training, webinars, seminars and networking events, funding and co-financing through industry collaboration, participation in projects funded by national and regional programs as well as European funding mainly through EU programs Erasmus+, Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe program.

Cyprus

The national CoVe in Cyprus is envisaged to become a catalyst for the development of a highly skilled and adaptable workforce and a benchmark for excellence in VET in the ICT sector. CoVE is expected to deliver high-quality VET programmes that align the ICT sector with the digital economy and support the adaptability of the workforce and its response to changes in the industry. CoVE will provide national and international networking opportunities to share knowledge and good practices and promote the application of new technologies and teaching methods in vocational training. The target groups are teachers, researchers, students, PhD students, LLL graduates, school pupils, trainees and apprentices in business, etc. The priorities in VET are to provide high levels of qualification in the field of artificial intelligence and its related ethics, digital transformation, cloud computing and big data infrastructures, using e-learning and new educational technologies, micro-credits and methodologies for continuous professional development and lifelong learning.

The business model includes self-financing through micro-accreditations, training webinars and seminars and grant funding from EU programmes (Erasmus+, Horizon Europe and ESF) supporting education, training and innovation projects and initiatives. Cooperation with local authorities will be sought to access additional funding opportunities for regional vocational training initiatives. The organizational framework foresees the participation of representatives of stakeholders (companies, BSO, VTC/VET, training institutions, public authorities, scientific institutes, R&D laboratories, technology parks and incubators, centers of excellence in science and technology, innovation academies, certification centers and quality centers) in national CoVE committees, which will coordinate all activities. Although the legal form, structure and governance model of CoVE have not yet been specified, a CoVE management team is envisaged to implement the governance process, which will be responsible for overall operations, strategic direction and administration. The team is expected to coordinate the activities of the committees and the models of cooperation with stakeholders.