WP4 ONLINE COORDINATION MEETING Industry Collaboration and innovation Initiatives

Project: CoVE STEM EUROPE

Date: 02 July 2025

Location: Microsoft Teams (Online Meeting)

Organized by: ENAIP VENETO - ITALY (WP4 Leader)

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On July 2, 2025, the latest online meeting for Work Package 4 (WP4) of the COVE STEM EUROPE project took place. This important initiative, co-funded by the European Union, aims to strengthen inclusion, equity, and collaboration between vocational education and the industrial sector in the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

Photo during the on-line meeting 02.07.2025

The meeting brought together representatives from educational institutions, Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs), partner organizations, and industry stakeholders. The main objectives were to review the progress made so far within WP4, discuss ongoing challenges, and plan the next steps in the implementation of the project.

The work under WP4 focuses on two key pillars:

Raising awareness and building capacities in the field of diversity for STEM industry professionals through structured training and the development of sustainable public-private partnerships.

Developing cooperation and engaging underrepresented groups in STEM through practical activities such as hackathons, where students tackle real-life industry challenges and interact with potential employers.

Coordinated by ENAIP Veneto, the meeting focused on three specific WP4 activities:

T4.1: Training on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM Companies

This activity aims to provide STEM companies with research-based guidance and training, inspired by best European practices, to increase the inclusion of marginalized groups, making work environments more attractive and equitable for all.

T4.2: Building Public-Private Partnerships in STEM

The goal is to establish an effective collaboration model between educational institutions and industry through the exchange of knowledge, resources, and experience. During the meeting, steps were discussed for the active involvement of at least five industry representatives in each regional training.

T4.3: Organizing Hackathons

Hackathons are competitions where vocational education and training (VET) students solve real-world challenges proposed by industrial partners. In the project's second year, regional competitions (either online or in person) will be held, followed by an international competition in the third year, featuring winners from each CoVE partner.