Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) are networks of partners that develop local 'skills ecosystems' to deliver high quality vocational skills to young people and adults and contribute to regional development, innovation, industrial clusters, smart specialisation strategies and social inclusion.

Launched in 2022, Care about IT is a European project that aims to create a new ecosystem of vocational training in healthcare by combining seemingly distant sectors such as technology-informatics and social care.

Care about IT links regional excellence with international cooperation and industry, IT innovation with VET knowledge sharing. Mobility of students, staff and experts is foreseen. Innovative educational programmes will be developed, enhanced by micro-credentials, and knowledge will be shared through a European professional platform in HealthTech. Work-based learning, online courses, collaboration with industry and policy makers will ensure that education in the field is up-to-date and accessible to all. In this way, a new generation of European students and healthcare professionals will be educated and trained to meet the challenges of the future, especially in terms of IT and digital innovation.

Changing and adapting existing systems takes time, commitment and trust.  That is why the 15 international project partners, led by Noorderpoort (NED), have decided to get involved both locally and at European level, coordinating their knowledge and experience.

This partnership will ensure that education and training in the care sector is ready to meet the challenges of the present and the future: the productive use of information technology in the health sector can reduce the pressure on health services, increase interest in the health professions and provide state-of-the-art care and nursing services.