In 2025, the Estonian team of the AutoCoVE 2.0 project made a substantive contribution to national vocational education and training (VET) policy development in the automotive repair sector. Through structured dissemination of project results and close institutional cooperation, Ismail Mirzojev and Margus Ainsalu supported evidence-based decision-making aimed at aligning Estonia’s automotive VET system with future labour-market and technological needs.
Dissemination of Policy-Relevant Evidence on Skills Gaps
Within the framework of AutoCoVE 2.0 dissemination activities, the Estonian team delivered targeted inputs to national VET policymakers, focusing on emerging and critical skills gaps in automotive repair education. These inputs were derived from AutoCoVE 2.0 project outcomes, sectoral foresight, and feedback from both industry stakeholders and VET providers.
The analysis highlighted several structural challenges, including:
- Limited integration of electrified powertrain technologies (electric, hybrid, and hydrogen vehicles)
- Insufficient training in battery systems, diagnostics, and lifecycle management
- Gaps in high-voltage and hydrogen safety competencies
- The growing importance of transversal skills related to customer advisory, sales, and system-level understanding of modern vehicles
These findings were formally communicated to the Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia and other national stakeholders, contributing to informed policy discussions on the strategic modernisation of automotive VET.
Curriculum Review and Remodelling at National Level
As a direct continuation of this policy dialogue, 2025 also marked a coordinated national effort to review and renew existing automotive repair curricula. In cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia, Tartu Vocational College, and other Estonian VET institutions, the curricula were formally re-opened and remodelled.
Ismail Mirzojev and Margus Ainsalu played an active expert role in this process, ensuring that AutoCoVE 2.0 outputs were systematically embedded into national training programmes. The updated curricula now reflect a clear shift towards future-oriented competencies, including:
- Electric, hybrid, and hydrogen vehicle technologies
- Battery Management Systems (BMS) and advanced diagnostic methods
- Battery reuse, recycling, and sustainability principles
- High-voltage and hydrogen safety standards
- Sales, customer communication, and advisory modules aligned with contemporary automotive service models
This curriculum reform strengthened both the technical depth and labour-market relevance of automotive VET programmes in Estonia.
National Impact and European Added Value
The Estonian experience illustrates how Centres of Vocational Excellence initiatives can effectively bridge European project innovation and national education policy. By translating AutoCoVE 2.0 outcomes into concrete policy recommendations and curriculum updates, the project has supported the development of a more future-ready automotive VET system.
The work carried out by the Estonian team in 2025 contributes to AutoCoVE 2.0’s overarching mission: enabling VET systems across Europe to respond proactively to technological transformation, the green transition, and evolving skills requirements in the automotive sector.
Through continued cooperation between policymakers, VET providers, and European partners, Estonia is strengthening its position as a forward-looking contributor to high-quality, innovation-driven automotive vocational education.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
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Auto Cove 2.0