The Platform of Vocational Excellence Water (PoVE Water) is an international collaboration that aims to develop a new generation of water professionals and to expand Vocational Excellence in the global water sector by creating a strong position for Vocational Education & Training (VET) in different ecosystems. By expanding the network of Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) Water across different countries. It is a platform project for VET that includes activities related to water and focuses on improving the up-scaling of the water strategy among different relevant stakeholders.

Water is Life! PoVE is a joint initiative of 8 vocational schools, 7 water industry professionals, 4 academic partners and 3 support partners in Europe and beyond South Africa. The project focuses on educating VET students through activities that expose them to the needs of the water sector and the challenges and threats of the future.

The aim of the project is to integrate professional excellence in the water sector to ensure high quality skills that lead to quality jobs and careers that meet the needs of an innovative, inclusive and sustainable economy.

In addition to WP1 Project Management and Coordination, 6 Work Packages will be introduced among the activities that will take place in different countries and will be supervised by different organisations.

• WP2 Scaling up of CoVEs & PoVE: The main objective of this work package is to scale up the Centres of Vocational Excellence Water – CoVes and the Platform of Vocational Education.
• WP3 International mobility activities: Necessary parts of the project are learning, teaching and training activities. They will be organised to enhance internationalisation while sharing innovative approaches to water resources management and Vocational Excellence in Water education.
• WP4 Development of water learning, teaching and training materials: The main objective of WP4 is to enhance VET excellence in the water sector across regions (Western and Central EU, Mediterranean, Baltic Sea) through the coordination of specific modular VET programmes.
• WP5 Recruitment, retention and reputation in the water sector: One of the main outcomes of the PoVE Water pilot project is the need for all partners to make the water sector interesting again, for students to choose as a study programme, for employees to stay in the water sector and for the general public by raising awareness about the importance of the water sector.
• WP6 Impact evaluation: This work package aims to evaluate the impact on the target groups and participants involved in the PoVE Water Scale Up project. Based on the results of the impact evaluation measurements, impact stories will be developed and results messages will be communicated.
• WP7 Dissemination and reputation building of international PoVE Water: The Reputation Building of International PoVE Water will ensure consistent branding and targeted dissemination and will be central to the success of the project, enabling PoVE Water to become a global point of reference for VET in the water sector.

PoVE Water Scale-up is integrated in and contributes to regional development, innovation and smart specialisation strategies.

WECF is part of the Czech group implementing small-scale activities in 2 schools in Bavaria and also trying to expand some activities in a country in the Balkan region.

CoVE Water Central-EU – The Czech Republic, Germany (Bavaria)

In the Czech Republic the RIS strategy plan is derived from the national strategy plan based on European policy. There are though small differences among regional strategies across Czech Republic. South Moravia, where the Regional CoVE Water Central EU is situated, is adapting sustainability approaches for water resources management in the current RIS documents, very much in line with the PoVE Water Scale-up ambitions and activities. Water is becoming a central topic for agricultural as well environmental and forestry policy. Water due to the droughts in last years have become an issue in academic and political discussion. Central Europe faced the most severe droughts between 2015-2018 since 2110 years (!!). Regional government in South Moravia let different stakeholders prepare reports on the current state of droughts and water resources management in the region that was published in 2020. Among other actors, Mendel University in Brno cooperates with the regional government on setting priorities in landscape management with sustainable use of water. Region Olomouc implemented sustainable water resources management already in previous Regional Innovations Strategy (RIS3) and the topic is growing on importance also in this region. The Regional CoVE Water Central EU aims to be part of the scientific and political discussion and enable participants of the educational events to be informed about current issues and different strategies to tackle problems in water resources management. As a prioritized topic in politics water resources management education will be easier to enforce its priority.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.