SECOVE and Smart Specialisation: Building Future-Ready VET Curricula

From regional strategy to educational action

The transformation of industry towards more digital, sustainable and energy-efficient models is creating new skillsrequirements that Vocational Education and Training must be able to address rapidly. In the Basque Country, this challenge is particularly significant because Energy and Advanced Manufacturing are strategic areas of the regional Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3), alongside priorities such as digital technologies and sustainable mobility. The regional strategy is based on close cooperation between government, companies, research institutions, education providers and other stakeholders, reinforcing the idea that skills development must evolve together with the regional innovation ecosystem.

This strategic direction is further reinforced by the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Plan, PCTI 2030, whichidentifies advanced manufacturing and energy among the principal technology-enabling priorities, while the digital world and energy are included among the priority markets.

Within SECOVE, the analysis of the Basque skills ecosystem translated these regional ambitions into a clear recommendation for VET: curricula should respond to current and emerging labour-market needs, particularly in cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and Information Technology, while learners should have access to advanced technological infrastructure and real industrial experiences. The analysis also highlighted the importance of collaboration with industry, continuous professional development for teachers, innovative teaching methodologies and, crucially, theregular review and updating of curricula as technologies and labour-market requirements evolve.

Turning SECOVE recommendations into an updated VET curriculum

Politeknika Txorierri has translated these strategic recommendations into educational practice through thedevelopment of a specialisation programme: a VET Master in Digital Transformation in Industry..

The programme was designed in close collaboration with companies. Industry partners contributed directly to curriculum development, helping Politeknika Txorierri identify the technologies and competences most relevant to current industrial transformation. The resulting programme integrates IoT, cybersecurity and programming, complemented through the IoT Lab and the Sustainable energy units with the support of VR.

This is particularly relevant to the objectives identified by SECOVE because digital technologies are increasingly interconnected with sustainable energy. The project’s Basque analysis stresses that cybersecurity is needed to protect increasingly digitalised energy infrastructures, while AI can support energy management, efficiency and better decision-making. IT and digital technologies are similarly fundamental to improving industrial processes and resource efficiency.

Consequently, the updated curriculum does not treat digital transformation as an isolated ICT topic. Through the IoT Lab, students use these technologies in projects linked to energy and resource efficiency, creating a direct connectionbetween the Basque Country’s digital, industrial and sustainability priorities.

Companies involved directly into the learning process

A major feature of the curriculum is its direct connection with industry. Students following the Digital Transformation specialisation programme participate in a dual training system, dividing their learning between Politeknika Txorierri and companies, where they work on projects related to the competences being developed at the school.

This reflects one of the central recommendations of the SECOVE Basque analysis: VET institutions and companies should jointly develop training so that learning outcomes remain aligned with industry standards and emerging employment needs. The SECOVE recommendations specifically call for industry professionals to participate incurriculum development and for internships and apprenticeships to bridge the gap between vocational education and the labour market.

Students also learn through ETHAZI, the collaborative learning methodology developed within the Basque VETinnovation system. This approach allows technical learning to be combined with the development and assessment of transversal professional competences, increasing students’ ability to work collaboratively and respond to complex real life problems.

The wider Digital Transformation Lab strengthens this connection between curriculum and practice. For example, through the SECOVE Smart School initiative developed with an industrial partner, an IoT system has been installed at Politeknika Txorierri to monitor energy and material consumption. Learners can install and configure devices, work with the IoT platform, analyse consumption and propose improvements, transforming the school itself into a practical environment for learning about digitalisation and sustainability.

A curriculum designed for continuous adaptation

The experience also demonstrates that curriculum modernisation cannot be understood as a one-off exercise. Technologies such as AI are developing extremely quickly, and Politeknika Txorierri identifies their continued integrationinto training as an ongoing challenge. The school’s response is to maintain cooperation with industry experts and continuously improve its training facilities, knowledge and capabilities.

This approach reflects SECOVE’s broader vision for the Basque CoVE: analysing developments in cybersecurity, AI and IoT, identifying emerging qualification requirements, developing specialised programmes, strengthening teacher skills, experimenting with new technologies and maintaining close links with stakeholders in order to anticipate future labour-market needs.

Conclusion

Politeknika Txorierri’s Digital Transformation VET specialisation programme represents one concrete updated curriculum resulting from the alignment between VET, regional Smart Specialisation priorities and emerging industrial needs. By combining IoT, cybersecurity, programming, data management and AI with energy and resource-efficiency applications, dual training, collaborative learning and direct company involvement, the programme translatesthe strategic recommendations developed through SECOVE into an operational educational pathway.