Our Success stories
Success stories – as described by the main actors
In the frame of SECOVE project, Innovation Hubs (IH) were built inside the CoVEs. The aim of this was to promote innovation in VET education, to develop digital and innovative skills of VET students, to create liaisons with the industry and other education institutions for the networking, in order to cultivate excellence in VET education.
During the project’s implementation, several activities were undertaken to achieve this goal: Collaboration between universities and/ or similar and relevant innovation projects, Collaboration with Industry Partners and companies, Promotion of Work-Based Learning (WBL), Integration of advanced technologies into educational methodologies, Incubator for tech startups, Empowering of VET Teachers, Participation in community events and technology fairs/Networking and awareness-raising events were some of the specific activities that were implemented in the Hubs.
Furthermore, 5 National and 1 International Applied research Competitions were organized, in order to include all of the above targets into one specific and practical application. Students were invited to develop innovative project ideas, engaging the industry/ SMEs to participate as possible. Then, the National Winners participated in the International Competition, where a 3-member Committee (with representatives of the Academia, Industry, and Institutions) evaluated the innovative projects to conclude SECOVE’s International Applied Research Winner.
Now the SECOVE project reaches the end, and concrete results are on hand. From the implementation of the IH, success stories have flourished, providing a framework for future similar activities.
One of the highest-rated achievements was the collaboration with the industry. One Hub established “formal cooperation protocols with companies operating in the sustainable energy and engineering sectors, creating a structured channel for ongoing VET–industry interaction”. Another developed a model in partnership with a company, which “created a practical learning environment that allows learners to apply digital technologies to real sustainability challenges, while also improving their professional and transversal skills through a collaborative learning methodology”, as described. Also, the collaboration with industry “transformed the Innovation Hub into a living interface between education, research, and practice. This collaboration ensured continuous feedback loops between labor market needs and training provision, significantly increasing the relevance and responsiveness of VET programmes”. Industries also enhanced the Work- Based Learning, resulting in the creation of a “genuine environment that grounded students in industry reality rather than simulated exercises. Students worked directly with company contacts, navigated real constraints, and were expected to deliver concrete prototypes and technical solutions, mirroring the dynamics of professional practice”.
The applied research competitions, ensuring the participation of SMEs/ industry, generated an exceptional engagement from both the students and the companies. In one Hub, the companies requested continued access to the students’ work beyond the competition. In another case, the competition “served as a powerful networking nexus”, while some exceptional projects “are actively being processed and structured into formal proposals for submission under Horizon Europe EIC Pathfinder Open call, demonstrating a direct, functional pipeline from VET training to elite European innovation ecosystems”, proving the sustainability of the project’s activities and the measurable impact to the community.
Other distinguished activities were the Collaboration/ networking with universities, since student mobilities, trainings, study and work visits, workshops for teachers and students were successfully organized. These activities also resulted the continuous skills’ development since the “Hubs successfully addressed emerging skills gaps related to the green and digital transition by delivering targeted training aligned with European priorities such as decarbonisation and digitalization”.
In conclusion, SECOVE’ Innovation Hubs were successfully implemented by the partners, achieving their targets, and as was indicated, “this collaboration significantly enhanced the employability of students and ensured that graduates possess skills relevant to current industry needs. It also strengthened mutual trust and long-term cooperation between academia and the private sector. Furthermore, the Hub contributed to positioning the region as a centre of competence for sustainable and innovative construction, with potential for replication in other regions.”
