Last week, in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, under the umbrella of the European Platform for Urban Greening and PoVE Water project, we started BARCOVE - Building an Applied Research Facility into CoVE. The new spin-off project aims to develop an innovative and norm-setting model for school company collaboration around VET. It focuses on applied research as a lever for technical innovation in urban space and water management.
We started building applied research facilities on urban greening and water management into 5 of the Centers of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) that we develop in the European Platform for Urban Greening.
The project links the companies’ need for skilled employees and to VET’s need to attract highly motivated students committed to science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and entrepreneurship.
After an initial mapping and analysis of existing knowledge of applied research in VET, through a Hackathon that will take place in Denmark in September 2023, the project develops and tests a forward looking and innovative VET setting, where VET students, professionals and educators develop innovative solutions to concrete challenges that companies face in urban space and water management.
Subsequently, BARCOVE mainstreams the knowledge gained with applied research into two training modules for VET educators/employers, and into a transferable “Recipe book”.
BARCOVE involves about 50 professionals and VET trainers from 8 partners in 4 partner countries (DK, NL, ES, and RO). In addition, about 40 VET students will participate in the project’s Hackathon and in the testing of the technical solutions. The project servs also as a platform for start-ups and scale-ups from the filed of urban greening and water management, that want to make their ideas, prototypes, or products better.
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