MOBUILDING joined the EUROPEAN EXCELLENCE CENTER OPENING WEEK Science & Tech SPACE Park Skopje
From 12–18 September 2025, the MOBUILDING project took part in the EU Excellence Center SPACE Park Opening Week in Skopje, North Macedonia, a key European event dedicated to innovation, excellence, and cooperation in vocational education and training (VET). The SPACE Park initiative promotes the creation of regional hubs for excellence in VET, research, entrepreneurship and smart specialisation, in line with the EU’s goals for the digital and green transitions. The Opening Week brought together partners from across Europe, with a special focus on Smart Electricity, Advanced Manufacturing, Mobility, Digital Skills, and Sustainability. On 15 September, Jesús Boyano (INFODEF) presented MOBUILDING during the high-level session “EU-Funded Projects for Excellence”, where the project was highlighted as an innovative response to the challenges of apprenticeship mobility in the construction sector. The presentation showcased the project’s main outcomes, including its digital platform, training programme, policy tools, and pilot mobility experiences designed to support VET providers, SMEs, and apprentices across Europe. The session was part of a broader programme that included project showcases, keynote speeches, networking labs, and policy dialogues. MOBUILDING was presented alongside other major European initiatives such as SEBCoVE (Smart Electricity for Buildings) and ELeVATE (European Learning VET Alliance for Transition and Employment). Throughout the week, participants engaged in hands-on workshops, co-creation sessions, and thematic panels on how Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) can act as drivers for innovation and regional development. The event also featured demonstrations of new learning technologies, discussions on inclusive excellence, and the launch of cross-border partnerships aimed at scaling up impact. For MOBUILDING, the event was a valuable opportunity to strengthen its visibility, connect with other excellence-driven initiatives, and share its vision for a more mobile, skilled, and future-ready construction workforce in Europe.
MOBUILDING team joins the IV Vocational Education and Training Forum of Castilla y León
The IV Vocational Education and Training Forum of Castilla y León was held on April 8–9 at Valladolid Congress Centre (Spain). INFODEF’s director, Jesús Boyano Sierra, joined the roundtable on Mobility and Internationalisation, contributing insights from INFODEF’s and MOBUILDING team work on Centres of Vocational Excellence and our commitment to global cooperation in VET education. The forum gathered key voices from across Europe — from the European Commission, CEDEFOP, European Training Foundation, and EfVET to address the most pressing challenges and opportunities in vocational training today. The forum coincided with the Castilla y León Skills 2025 competition, highlighting the region’s young talents in fields like mechatronics, cooking, renewable energy, and more. This event is an important showcase that helps young people discover first-hand the various career alternatives available to them. Effective career guidance and an educational system that enhances Work-Based Learning experiences are key to unlocking their potential. MOBUILDING project team joined the event for these two remarkable days dedicated to vocational education and training, and to VET excellence.
Kick-off Meeting for MOBUILDING project launched in Valladolid, Spain
On April 9–10, INFODEF hosted the kick-off meeting of the MOBUILDING project in Valladolid, bringing together partners from seven countries for the first in-person meeting of the consortium. The event marked the formal launch of this ambitious initiative, which aims to enhance the mobility of apprentices in the European building sector through innovative tools, strategic partnerships, and policy-driven action. Prior to the meeting, partners participated in the Castilla y León Skills Forum and visited the Regional VET Skills Championship, gaining valuable insights into regional excellence strategies in vocational education and training. The meeting was officially opened by Agustín Francisco Sigüenza, General Director for VET at the Regional Government of Castilla y León, who welcomed the consortium and underlined the importance of European collaboration to modernise VET systems and improve apprentices’ employability. The project coordinator, Jesús Boyano (INFODEF), provided an overview of the project’s objectives and outlined its framework within European Policy Experimentation, emphasising its three guiding dimensions: – Policy and Advocacy – Experimentation – Mainstreaming During the two-day meeting, all partners presented their institutions, roles and expected contributions. The consortium, composed of nine partners from seven countries, includes VET providers, public authorities, business associations, research centres and policy stakeholders. The meeting also welcomed several associated and guest organisations from North Macedonia and Greece, contributing to the project’s openness and future outreach. The working sessions covered the structure and objectives of each Work Package, including and each session concluded with action points and deadlines to ensure a smooth and coordinated start to project activities. Key milestones discussed include the launch of the digital platform, the design of the training programme, and the upcoming research on institutional and structural barriers affecting apprenticeship mobility. The meeting also stressed the importance of visibility, impact, and quality assurance throughout the project’s lifecycle. A dedicated Communication Committee was established to lead outreach efforts, and INFODEF presented the first draft of the visual identity and communication tools. The Kick-off Meeting set a strong collaborative foundation for the MOBUILDING partnership, reaffirming the consortium’s commitment to building a more inclusive, connected, and future-oriented apprenticeship mobility system in the building sector.
MOBUILDING – A strategic approach to support mobility of apprentices in the building sector
MOBUILDING is an Erasmus+ Policy Experimentation initiative that aims to develop a strategic and sustainable approach to support, expand and institutionalise apprenticeship mobility in the building sector across Europe. A critical industry to Europe’s economy, as it is the building sector, needs action. Designing and implementing a digital and physical network and infrastructure to facilitate effective apprenticeship mobility, enhancing the capacity of VET providers, employers, and other stakeholders to engage in and support high-quality mobility experiences, address the legal, cultural, and educational barriers to mobility and promote more inclusive and accessible opportunities. Through these strategies and new resources, MOBUILDING will directly contribute to achieve the EU’s target of 8% mobility of VET learners, improve employment outcomes by aligning training more closely with industry needs, strengthen VET systems through sector-specific focus and transnational collaboration, and enhance policy integration by providing valuable insights and data to support the refinement of VET policies at both national and European levels. Main objectives The MOBUILDING project meticulously pursues enhancing the infrastructure for apprenticeship mobility, making it more efficient, scalable, and aligned with both regional and EU-wide policy objectives. With that focus on this core objective, the project also addresses: 1. Targeting barriers and structural obstacles to mobility of apprentices by: Develop an Inquiry into Apprentices’ journey through institutional and structural challenges for mobility in the building sector to identify key obstacles. Formulate an Action Plan to foster Apprenticeship Mobility in the Building Sector in Europe, providing a strategic, evidence-based framework to address barriers in mobility of apprentices. 2. Supporting sending and hosting organisations by: Make mobility a realistic possibility for any learner in the building sector IVET and CVET programmes, and increase the average duration of mobility for VET learners to boost its quality and impact. Build the capacity of VET providers to carry out high quality mobility projects, and their ability to form quality partnerships in the building sector while developing their internationalisation strategy. Foster the quality, transparency and recognition of learning outcomes of mobility periods abroad, especially by using European tools and instruments for this purpose. 3. Enhancing outreach to apprentices and employers and improving the quality of learning mobility experiences by: Synthesise findings and lessons learned from project development to draft evidence-based policy recommendations aimed at enhancing apprenticeship mobility in the building sector. Support partnerships between organisations to implement stable and regular mobility schemes in the building sector as part of the curricula and test new bilateral mobility opportunities derived from those partnerships. Create and implement quality assurance standards to ensure the effectiveness and quality of mobility programmes.
