Project Objectives
Developing the skills, partnerships and learning pathways required by future-ready ports.
CoVE SShaRP connects vocational education, port operations, technology and industry to build a sustainable European skills ecosystem for safe, secure and resilient ports.
Responding to the Changing Needs of the Port Sector
WHY IT MATTERS?European ports are being transformed by digitalisation, automation, the green transition, cybersecurity requirements and the growing need to protect critical infrastructure.
These developments create new demands for specialised, adaptable and certifiable skills. CoVE SShaRP responds by strengthening the connection between vocational education and training, port operations, the labour market, technology providers and policy actors.
Understanding Skills Needs and Designing Modern Training
The first stage of the project establishes a clear evidence base and transforms identified needs into modern training pathways.
OUR SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
From Skills Needs to Sustainable Impact
CoVE SShaRP follows a clear and integrated pathway that connects skills analysis, modern vocational education, innovative learning technologies, practical training, certification, applied research and long-term European cooperation. Through seven interconnected objectives, the project transforms the changing needs of the port sector into practical, inclusive and sustainable learning opportunities.
01 — Mapping Skills Needs
The project will identify and map current and future skills requirements in the areas of port safety, security, resilience and digitalisation. Through research, stakeholder consultation, workshops and data collection, CoVE SShaRP will also identify gaps in existing vocational education and training programmes across the participating countries.
02 — Modern Curricula and Occupational Profiles
Based on the identified needs of the labour market, the project will design and modernise modular and inclusive vocational education and training curricula. It will also develop European occupational profiles for emerging port-sector roles, integrating green skills, digital competences, accessibility principles and modern pedagogical approaches.
03 — Digital Learning Resources and Innovative Experiences
CoVE SShaRP will create accessible digital learning resources and innovative training experiences that make learning more interactive, practical and closely connected to real port operations. These resources will use technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, digital twins and simulations, while also supporting open and flexible access to knowledge.
04 — Work-Based Learning and Train-the-Trainer
The project will strengthen the connection between education and real port environments through pilot work-based learning activities. Learners will gain practical experience in real or simulated workplaces, while trainers, educators, staff members and industry mentors will improve their ability to use modern training methods, technologies and learning tools.
05 — Skills Certification and Recognition
CoVE SShaRP will develop an operational framework for assessing, documenting and recognising the skills acquired through formal, non-formal and informal learning. This approach will support transparency, professional mobility and the transferability of competences across organisations, sectors and European countries.
06 — National Innovation Hubs
National Innovation Hubs will be established as bridges between vocational education, research, port operations, technology, entrepreneurship and regional development. The hubs will support applied research, cooperation with businesses and SMEs, the testing of innovative solutions and the exchange of knowledge across national port ecosystems.
07 — Skills Council and Sustainability Blueprint
A Transnational VET–Industry Port Skills Council will promote continuous dialogue between vocational education providers and the port sector. In parallel, the CoVE Sustainability Blueprint will define the governance model, exploitation strategy and future development pathway required to ensure that the project’s network, resources and partnerships continue beyond the funding period.
Together, these objectives create a complete pathway from identifying emerging skills needs to developing modern training, practical learning opportunities, recognised qualifications, innovation structures and a sustainable European ecosystem of vocational excellence for safe, secure and resilient ports.
Building a Sustainable European Port Skills Ecosystem
OUR GENERAL OBJECTIVE
The overall objective of CoVE SShaRP is to establish a transnational network of Centres of Vocational Excellence for the port sector.
The network will support skills development, innovation in vocational education and training, work-based learning, certification and continuous cooperation among education providers, port organisations, businesses, technology organisations and institutional actors.
Who the Project Is For
Direct Beneficiaries
Learners and students Port professionals and employees VET providers Teachers, trainers and industry mentors Port authorities and terminal operators Businesses and technology providersIndirect Beneficiaries
Indirect Beneficiaries Policymakers and public authorities Research and academic organisations Certification bodies Professional associations Regional and local communities The wider European port sectorFrom Objectives to Action
Discover how the objectives of CoVE SShaRP are transformed into practical activities, modern training opportunities and sustainable results for the European port sector.