Over the past months, the EUVECA Regional Vocational Excellence Hubs have organised their final regional conferences, bringing together health and care professionals, educators, universities, policymakers, innovation actors and regional stakeholders to reflect on the project’s achievements and future perspectives for healthcare education and workforce development.
From Southern Denmark to Valencia, from Trentino to Twente, the regional events showcased the diversity, innovation and collaborative spirit that have characterised the EUVECA project throughout its implementation. Each regional conference highlighted how vocational excellence, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation can support more resilient, future-oriented and sustainable healthcare systems across Europe.
The regional events explored a broad range of themes linked to the transformation of healthcare education and training, including digitalisation, simulation-based learning, artificial intelligence, interdisciplinary collaboration, workforce planning, lifelong learning and the development of future skills for healthcare professionals.
In Southern Denmark, discussions focused on competence development, lifelong learning and the importance of stronger collaboration between educational institutions and healthcare providers in responding to increasing complexity and technological transformation within healthcare systems.
In Germany, the regional symposium explored the use of Extended Reality (XR), virtual reality and artificial intelligence in healthcare education and training. Participants exchanged experiences on simulation-based learning, immersive technologies and innovative approaches to preparing healthcare professionals for increasingly complex clinical environments.
In Trentino, the Italian regional conference highlighted the relationship between European policy frameworks, territorial implementation and digital transformation in healthcare education. Discussions addressed digital competencies, the Electronic Health Record, artificial intelligence and innovative training models such as FormLab.
The Dutch regional event focused on the concept of the “adaptive healthcare professional” and explored how collaboration between healthcare, education and innovation ecosystems can support workforce resilience and innovation capacity in the face of ongoing transformation within the healthcare sector.
In Norway, regional stakeholders from municipalities, hospitals and universities reflected on practical approaches to workforce planning, competence development and cross-sector collaboration, highlighting the importance of sustainable cooperation models for future healthcare services.
The Slovenian conference focused on interdisciplinary collaboration and simulation-based learning as key drivers for strengthening patient safety and healthcare quality. Participants discussed innovative approaches to vocational education and training and the role of experiential learning in preparing healthcare professionals for complex care environments.
Finally, the Valencia regional event showcased successful practices and implementation experiences linked to nursing education, digital transformation, innovation and primary care training, while also discussing the long-term sustainability of the Valencian Regional Vocational Excellence Hub.
Beyond the individual themes addressed in each region, the conferences collectively demonstrated the strength of the EUVECA approach: connecting education, healthcare, research, innovation and regional ecosystems around a shared ambition to strengthen vocational excellence and future-proof healthcare workforce development across Europe.
The events also marked an important moment to celebrate the networks, partnerships and collaboration mechanisms established throughout the project duration. Through workshops, discussions, expert presentations and stakeholder exchanges, the Regional Vocational Excellence Hubs created spaces for dialogue and cooperation that will continue beyond the project lifetime. Together, the Regional Vocational Excellence Hubs have demonstrated how European collaboration can translate into meaningful regional action, innovation and long-term impact for healthcare education and training.
