A new regional initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation in vocational education and training (VET) across the Eastern Partnership countries has officially been launched.

The kick-off event, “Vocational Training in the Eastern Partnership – Knowledge Transfer,” brought together representatives of regional education authorities, management teams from two Ukrainian vocational schools currently on their path to becoming Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) – the Kvasyliv Vocational Lyceum and the Higher Vocational School No. 41 of Tulchyn – as well as representatives of KfW, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine,  the Ukrainian Social Investment Fund (USIF), Internationale Projekt Consult GmbH (IPC GmbH), Rivne Oblast State Administration (ROSA) and Vinnytsia Oblast Military Administration (VOMA).

Participants discussed current progress, expected results, and plans for 2025-2027, focusing on building a sustainable network of CoVEs and enhancing regional collaboration in skills development.

The Knowledge Transfer initiative aims to:

• Support the transformation of selected VET schools into CoVEs;
• Foster cross-border partnerships between Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia and EU countries;
• Promote the exchange of innovations and best practices in management, digitalisation, teacher development, work-based learning, cooperation with employers etc.

Over the next two years, the programme will include a series of activities – webinars, study visits, winter schools, and online training sessions –  engaging more than 45 participants from CoVEs across Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia and EU partner countries.

“This kick-off marks the first step in our shared knowledge transfer journey. Through sustained partnership and collaboration, we aim to build more connected and forward-looking teams within our target VET schools, with strong support from regional state and military administrations. Our common goal is to ensure that the expertise gained by the future CoVEs is effectively applied to deliver tangible, results-oriented solutions that contribute to the socio-economic development of their regions,” noted one of the organisers.While this event marked the start of the regional phase, a national Knowledge Transfer event will follow soon, offering to the broader audience of Ukrainian stakeholders an opportunity to exchange experience and coordinate the next steps in the transformation of the country’s VET system.

This cooperation represents an important step towards advancing skills development, innovation, and workforce resilience through collaboration and mutual learning across the Eastern Partnership region.