Building bridges: CoVEs from Europe and Asia come together for Forum on Vocational Excellence

This month, the fifth annual Forum on Vocational Excellence 2026 was held in Graz, Austria, organised by CoP CoVEs, in conjunction with the European Dual Studies University (EU4Dual). The European Training Foundation (ETF) participated alongside members of the ETF Network for Excellence (ENE) and – for the first time – the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The theme of this year’s edition was "Dual Education for Resilient Regions". 

Over the course of three days, TVET providers, educational institutions, industry representatives, and members of local and national government shared their thoughts and experience on CoVE projects, European Universities alliances, and various national and regional initiatives they have taken part in. This year’s proceedings included a host of enlightening panel discussions, compelling keynote addresses, and engaging workshops and study visits. 

Since its first iteration in San Sebastián in 2022, the Forum has become a flagship event in the global vocational excellence calendar and a powerful vehicle for asserting TVET’s importance on the global educational policy agenda. In relation to skills and human capital development, it is also an opportunity for the ETF to reaffirm its role as a conduit between neighbourhood countries and beyond, on the one hand, and EU policies, approaches and strategic priorities, on the other. 

In particular, the ETF recognises the Forum’s considerable value in promoting successful TVET conventions and practices among global peers, as a way to foster greater competitiveness, stability and security across regions and countries, and a means of extending the influence of EU neighbourhood policy, strengthening global partnerships on behalf of Team Europe, and engaging youth across these dimensions.

The right tools for real learning

Among the highlights of this year’s edition was a workshop held on Wednesday 9 September, led by ETF Expert Jolien van Uden, entitled “From Local Excellence to Global Impact: The International Dimension of CoVEs”. The session was split into three panels: one featuring representatives from Erasmus+-funded CoVE Catalyst, another comprising ENE members with activities developed as part of the EU-funded initiative Internationalising Vocational Excellence, and a third facilitated by the ADB, with representatives from the organisation’s partner countries.

Wednesday's workshop was a prime opportunity for CoVEs and VET providers from both near and far to share their experiences, gain insights into unique regional and national contexts, and stress the importance of peer learning for advancing the global TVET agenda. Speaking to this point in her opening remarks at the Forum, ETF Director Pilvi Torsti highlighted the critical nature of trust, commitment and the sharing of tools and expertise when it comes to building partnerships in human capital development.  

“The tools and knowledge that the ETF has been developing in vocational excellence create common ground and appetite for partnerships – like the one we have with the ADB – to thrive and have impact,” said Torsti. “Platforms like this week’s Forum are great places to host these partnerships and make internationalisation a reality.” 

Indeed, the very instruments mentioned in Torsti’s address were commended by various participants over the course of the event. During her panel discussion at Wednesday’s session, Anabel Menica, Director of Strategy and Innovation at Basque vocational school Politeknika Txorierri, was quick to point out the particular benefits of the International Self-Assessment Tool for Centres of Vocational Excellence (ISATCOVE), funded by the EU and developed by the ETF.

“On our side, ISATCOVE has been really useful,” said Menica. “It has helped us identify our strengths, things we can share with others, points that we would like to improve on, and where we can learn from our counterparts elsewhere. This helps identify partners for peer learning and collaboration.” 

Collaboration beyond borders 

Undoubtedly a major highlight from this year’s edition was the fruitful cooperation between the ETF and the ADB. Shanti Jagannathan, Director of Human and Social Development and the Education Practice Team at the ADB, eagerly acknowledged the event’s success in offering a platform to compare notes and tangibly cooperate on the advancement of TVET, both in Europe and Asia.

“Joining the CoP CoVEs annual event has been a great learning and sharing opportunity for the 25-member ADB team, made up of ADB staff and representatives from ten ADB partner countries,” said Jagannathan. “As the ADB continues to support centres of excellence in TVET and higher education in Asia and the Pacific, experiences and insights from the EU’s journey in advancing similar institutions are very valuable.”

In his own remarks at the Forum, Rafaqat Ali, Secretary at the Planning Development Board of the Government of Punjab Pakistan, went one step further. From a governmental and policy implementation perspective, he referred to the immense potential in developing international synergies and bolstering cooperation between Europe and Asia in this field. In particular, he pointed to the tangible benefits that international cooperation could offer not just in terms of learning outcomes and human capital development at home, but also in relation to labour mobility. 

“The EU and Asia need to become closer in terms of collaboration to address challenges,” Ali stated. “The EU faces shrinking populations, whereas countries in Asia, like Pakistan, have young and growing populations. The opportunities this can offer are self-evident. We will use the insights gained during the Forum to enhance the learning and competences of our learners.”