What does vocational education look like when it can respond to the needs of industry, technological change, and the future of European regions? From 7 to 9 September 2026, we explored this question together with experts from across Europe at the Forum on Vocational Excellence 2026 in Graz, Austria.
This year’s conference, entitled Dual Education and Training for Competitive Regions, focused primarily on how high-quality vocational and dual education can contribute to the competitiveness and resilience of European regions.
The Moravian-Silesian Technological Academy was not there merely as a participant. We actively presented our activities, experience, and approach to developing vocational education in the Moravian-Silesian Region.
Bringing Regional Experience Together
The conference brought together representatives of vocational education, European institutions, higher education, and industry. Discussions focused on the future of European education, labour market needs, and ways to build strong regional education and training ecosystems.
The Moravian-Silesian Technological Academy had its own exhibition stand, giving us the opportunity to show international participants how we connect schools, companies, modern technologies, and hands-on learning.
These face-to-face meetings confirmed that many of the challenges we are addressing in the Moravian-Silesian Region are also relevant to other European regions. Our activities received very positive feedback, and most importantly, we established a number of new contacts with organisations interested in future cooperation.
New Partnerships Start with a Conversation
Our three days in Graz were not only about presentations and lectures. A significant part of our time was dedicated to meetings with international partners and exploring opportunities to connect our experience with other European projects and initiatives.
One of the important meetings was with Paolo Nardi, Executive Director of EfVET – the European Forum of Technical and Vocational Education and Training. Our activities attracted his interest, and we had an extensive discussion about potential opportunities for future cooperation.
We are returning home with new contacts, potential international partners, positive feedback, and, above all, many new ideas that we can further develop in the Moravian-Silesian Region.
