The organization of their workforce is one of the biggest challenges of landscape garden companies throughout Europe. That is why this topic is high on the agenda of the European Landscape Contractors Association (ELCA). Vocational training is a key to the solution for finding sufficient and well-trained employees. In a letter to Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, EU-Commissioner for Skills, Education, Quality Jobs and Social Rights, ELCA has launched its ambition to initiate a European network of Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE’s) for landscape gardening. A CoVE is a regional cluster of schools and landscape garden companies, that work together on the promotion of the profession, the development of innovative curricula and the exchange of students and workers for traineeships in other EU-countries. ELCA wants to establish a strong network that contains CoVE’s in every EU- state. By bringing them together, the aim is to enhance the development of high standard vocational training for landscape gardening throughout the EU. ELCA wishes to discuss this ambition with Commissioner Mînzatu as part of her Union of Skills initiative and the upcoming Strategy on Vocational Education.

The landscape garden sector is vital for the green transition of the urban area. With greenery and nature-based solutions the sector adds to a better climate, biodiversity and public health. The European Commission has taken different initiatives, amongst others the Nature Restoration Regulation, to make our urban living environment sustainable and a healthy place to live. The landscape garden sector wants to take up its role in making the aims of these initiatives come true. One key element of success is a well skilled workforce, supported by vocational education.

ELCA works now on an introduction plan that focusses on having an operational European wide network of Centres for Vocational Excellence for landscape gardening by the end of 2028. The position paper, in which ELCA describes its ambition for this European CoVE-network and that is sent to EU-Commissioner Mînzatu, is published on www.elca.info.