🔧 WELDNET Project Kicks Off in Thessaloniki: A New Chapter in Inclusive Vocational Excellence
The WELDNET Project – Network of Inclusive Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) on Circular Material Welding and Preventive Maintenance – officially launched on 29–30 May 2025 in Thessaloniki, Greece, with a hybrid kick-off meeting hosted by the project coordinator CERTH.
WELDNET is funded under the Erasmus+ COVE action and aspires to reshape vocational education and training (VET) across Europe by developing inclusive, innovative, and digitally-enabled ecosystems in the automotive and industrial manufacturing sectors.
🎯 Project Objectives
WELDNET aims to:
- Develop inclusive, learner-centred training programmes in Circular Material Welding (CMW) and Preventive Maintenance Systems (PMS).
- Support the upskilling and reskilling of diverse groups, including youth, people with disabilities, migrants, and minorities.
- Establish five regional ecosystems (CoVEs) that will become long-term skills hubs aligned with market, societal, and environmental needs.
- Launch a comprehensive digital platform providing access to learning, certification, and career guidance services.
- Strengthen public-private partnerships that connect education with real industry demands.
🌍 WELDNET’s Five Regional Skills Ecosystems
At the heart of the project lies a network of five local Centres of Vocational Excellence, each rooted in its regional context and committed to building forward-looking VET strategies:
- Austria (Vienna Region): A hub of innovation and foresight in skills anticipation, this ecosystem contributes policy-driven tools for long-term VET planning – EIT Manufacturing East, TUWIEN.
- Greece (Central Macedonia): Grounded in applied research and inclusive education, this region will pioneer accessible, human-centred training approaches – CERTH, ISALOS, YET, Region of Central Macedonia (Associate Partner)
- Romania (South West Oltenia): Addressing structural challenges in industrial development and VET transformation, this ecosystem focuses on green and digital transitions – ISIM Timisoara, SudoTim AS, ADRVEST (Associate Partner)
- Spain (Basque Country and Catalonia): Focused on welding and preventive maintenance in SME-dense industrial regions, prioritizing digital learning and employer engagement – CESOL, FEMEVAL.
- Serbia (Belgrade Region): This ecosystem supports emerging skills infrastructures in the Western Balkans, leveraging regional strengths in technical education and promoting social inclusion through cross-border cooperation – Helixconnect Balkans, MINDPARK, REDASP, SSSKG.
Together, these CoVEs represent a pan-European effort to embed sustainability, equity, and innovation into vocational training.
YET plays a central role in the project by:
- Leading the development of the WELDNET Digital Platform, which will act as the main gateway for training materials, career tools, micro-credentials, and accessibility features.
- Supporting dissemination and visibility efforts, in close collaboration with the other partners.
- Ensuring that inclusive and human-machine interaction principles are embedded into the platform and learning design.
🔗 Next Steps
Over the coming months, partners will:
- Conduct local needs assessments and stakeholder mapping
- Start designing curricula and platform architecture
- Launch visibility actions in each region
📢 Follow YET and the WELDNET consortium as we work together to build a greener, more inclusive, and skills-ready Europe through CMW and PMS excellence.
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