The News Post
of the COVE-WENDT Project

From 21 to 25 September 2026, teachers, trainers and future trainers from Romania, Spain, Italy and Hungary met in Madrid for the COVE-WENDT International Campus – Train the Trainers. The Spanish Welding Association (CESOL) hosted the event as part of our Erasmus+ Centre of Vocational Excellence in Welding and Non-Destructive Testing.

The week had 10 working sessions, each chaired by a project partner. Every session ended with hands-on work.

Key topics:
▪ European Digital Credentials (EDC): issuing and verifying tamper-proof, EU-wide recognised certificates for learners;
▪ The transnational collaborative IT platform and the COVE-WENDT job board;
▪ Digital teaching materials and immersive technologies (VR/AR) in welding and NDT training;
▪ Green Welding: measuring energy per accepted joint, first-pass yield as an environmental lever, waste prevention and workplace safety;
▪ The Living Labs network: co-creating solutions with industry, research, public bodies and society;
▪ Digitalisation and Industry 5.0: AI-assisted quality control, digital NDT and human-robot collaboration, with the expert kept in the loop;
▪ Harmonised EWF/IIW qualifications, business–education partnerships, career guidance and the long-term sustainability of the CoVE network.

One message came up again and again: a digital tool or a green claim only creates value when it is backed by verified evidence and by people qualified to interpret it. That is exactly what we need to teach.

Every participant left Madrid with one concrete commitment to implement at their own institution:
→ sign a new business–education partnership agreement;
→ publish a vacancy or placement on the COVE-WENDT job board;
→ share one good practice on the platform and adopt one from another country.

Our warm thanks to CESOL for the excellent hosting, and to our partners IIS, SZC and the University of Miskolc for a week of genuine collaboration.