Forum for Vocational Excellence 2023

Rethinking vocational education—collaborative, future-driven, and European at heart.

At the Forum on Vocational Excellence 2023 in Amsterdam, over 900 participants came together to shape the future of skills development across Europe. The momentum was unmistakable.

Among the key contributors: representatives of the BuildSkills Academy project.
In the inspiring setting of Circa—the Netherlands’ first fully circular event venue—Maria Nakova (Cleantech Bulgaria) and Ivana Russiello (Sistemi Formativi Confindustria) presented our CoVE initiative and engaged in meaningful exchanges with stakeholders from across the vocational education and training (VET) ecosystem.

With focus on:

  • Sharing best practices among Erasmus+ Centres of Vocational Excellence
  • Exploring how VET can drive the green and digital transitions
  • Emphasizing the need for agile, regularly updated curricula
  • Highlighting the role of applied research and innovation in empowering SMEs with future-ready skills

The message was clear: collaboration between education providers, industry, and policymakers is essential to deliver inclusive, high-quality training that meets real-world demands.

This forum was more than an event—it was a catalyst.
A growing community of practitioners is now working together to co-create solutions that scale across regions and sectors.