The demand for green hydrogen (H2) and related technologies will skyrocket in the coming years due to several reasons, including the European and global energy crises and European Union (EU)’s REpowerEU Plan which are pushing the markets for free energy transformation in Europe. The EU has the ambition to scale up green hydrogen projects and invest a cumulative amount of 470 billion euros by 2050. The EU’s ambitious targets set for 2030 include the production of 10 million tonnes of domestic renewable hydrogen and an additional 10 million tonnes imported hydrogen ultimately aimed at replacing fossil fuels in sectors that are particularly challenging to decarbonize. In response to EU’s targets, several European countries have already adopted a clear hydrogen strategy at the national level to become energy independent and reduce emissions from the energy sector. This will bring about large-scale adoption of hydrogen production and applications in various sectors. This will simultaneously create the need for a skilled workforce in the job market, the development of more and more educational and training programmes for students and engineers and the re-skilling of existing energy sector employees. At the moment, there is a limited specialized workforce in the sector.

The H2Excellence project will establish the H2Excellence Platform of Vocational Excellence in the field of fuel cells and green hydrogen technologies which will create and implement lifelong learning opportunities including online learning platform and develop national and international curricula and training programmes. The project will establish several local clusters, i.e., Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs), fully integrated into the innovation, skills, and job ecosystem in green hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in six Erasmus+ countries (Italy, Spain, Finland, Portugal, Poland, and France) and two support/associated CoVEs in the other two Erasmus+ countries (France and Poland). The project will continuously expand networks both domestically and internationally throughout the several European regions and countries in order for people to exchange knowledge and profit from one another. The project will also be internationalized in North America via cooperation and partnership for VET opportunities and exchange programmes between the EU and Canada.

H2Excellence will create world-class reference points for training in green hydrogen technologies for both initial training of young people, engineers as well as for up-skilling and reskilling of adults, through flexible and timely offer of training for the skills needs of companies in the green hydrogen sector. The VET clusters will undertake activities such as developing transnational, joint curricula, and lifelong trainings; interaction with universities to understand the current state-of-the-art technologies; exchange of VET teachers, students, and staff; partnerships between companies and professionals; regional ecosystems mapping and integration within the national/regional economic and innovation ecosystems. H2Excellence brings together 24 partners from 9 different Erasmus+ EU countries (+1 international partner). Fully in line with the EU Green Deal goals and energy transition targets, the project intends to create the infrastructure necessary to embed vocational excellence in the European hydrogen sector, as well as to contribute to transforming the sector towards quality employment and careerlong opportunities.