The WIN4SMEs conference on 19th May 2026 in Hamburg brought together partners and Centres of Vocational Excellence from across Europe to discuss how workplace innovation can strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises in times of technological, economic and demographic change.

SMEs are facing a range of structural challenges, including a growing shortage of skilled workers and young entrepreneurs, low participation in vocational education and training, skills gaps, limited cooperation between education providers and SMEs, and insufficient internationalisation. The WIN4SMEs project responds to these challenges by developing, testing and implementing practical tools and educational programmes for workplace innovation and entrepreneurship.

The Erasmus+ project brings together 20 partners from 9 countries and works across three educational levels: initial vocational training, further education and higher education. The conference presented approaches and results from the project, with a focus on how SMEs can improve employee engagement, strengthen adaptability and make better use of the potential of their workforce. The different COVEs showed their new national websites and tools, like this one about AI learning for VET schools,  as well as many videos, like this very moving one from the Lithuanian partner about giving weaker learners a chance.

The first session focused on attracting and training the future workforce. Contributions from Centres of Vocational Excellence in Lithuania, Finland, Ukraine, the Netherlands and Hungary addressed topics such as vocational counselling, differentiated training, inclusion of people with learning difficulties, diversity and equity, support for women, young people and veterans, dual education for newcomers, and entrepreneurial camps for innovative young talents.

The second session addressed the upskilling of today’s workforce. Partners from Germany and Poland presented developments in curricula and micro-credentials, new forms of cooperation, the use of artificial intelligence in knowledge transfer and teacher onboarding, as well as practical implementation examples from vocational schools and Platform 3L.

The final session focused on international cooperation between Centres of Vocational Excellence. The Danish Centre of Vocational Excellence presented approaches for identifying and designing collaborative forms of work, followed by a concluding discussion led by Hanse-Parlament.

The conference showed that workplace innovation is a practical approach to improving the competitiveness and resilience of SMEs. By linking vocational education, higher education, further training and business practice, WIN4SMEs supports SMEs in developing the skills, structures and partnerships needed for sustainable growth.