Erasmus+ is not just about student exchanges. It also includes many other areas of funding, including capacity building in the field of Vocational Education and Training (CBVET). In 2023, 62 new VET projects were selected under the 2023 ERASMUS + capacity building call. CBVET aims at enhancing the quality, accessibility, and responsiveness of VET systems in the above regions. It does this by reinforcing the capacities of VET staff and teachers and by strengthening the link between VET providers and the labour market.

The pivotal role of VET organisations contributes to other critical Erasmus+ and EU priorities, particularly those related to the green transition and digital transformation. More than €22 million has been allocated to these 62 projects, selected from 145 eligible project proposals.

Examples of selected projects in 2023 include enhancing nurses’ digital skills in the Western Balkans.

Building the capacity of VET providers in preserving and restoring cultural heritage sites in the Neighbourhood East, Improving the digital skills of workers in the footwear and leather industry in the South Mediterranean and similar

The Erasmus+ programme encourages cooperation between educational institutions in 33 countries (27 EU countries and six countries associated to the programme) and those in the Western Balkans, Neighbourhood East, Africa and the Southern Mediterranean, Latin America and the Caribbean.