Etelä-Kymenlaakson ammattiopisto (Ekami), a vocational college in Finland, has become a partner in a project called CEDCE, Colleges for Data Center Education, which received Erasmus+ funding in autumn 2023. The project started on March 1, 2024. The entire project is coordinated by the Dutch Alfa College, and Ekami is one of the project partners. At Ekami, the project is led by the project manager and lecturer Niklas Paasalo.
The CEDCE project creates centers of excellence across Europe
The main goal of the project is to produce a skilled workforce for the data center industry in Europe. Large data centers are built in Europe, and there is a shortage of multi-level talent in the field. The aim of the project is to build an educational path and develop curricula for different educational levels from vocational colleges up to a higher university degree (EQF-levels 3-7).
The project creates centers of excellence (Center of Vocational Excellence, CoVE) in the project partner areas: Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Holland, Belgium and Portugal. These excellence units connect operators, educational institutions and students of the data center industry. The aim is to develop training in cooperation with the needs of the constantly developing data center industry.
How and where was the project idea born?
The idea for the CEDCE project was born in a Google’s Cloud Connection meeting, which Ekami participated in 2019. Educational institutions from different Google locations participated in the meeting. At the event it was recognized that Europe will need a lot of skilled employees in the near future, because the amount of data in the world is growing almost exponentially, and new data centers are constantly built. Therefore, the need for skilled employees is growing as well. “Erasmus+ funding appeared as a suitable funding model, because our consortium was so large that the traditional Erasmus KA2 funding model didn’t fit the purpose and the educational institutions represent different educational levels,” explains Niklas Paasalo.
Tips for the international application process
The project manager Paasalo describes the application process as quite laborious and encourages using the expertise of consultants in the application process. According to Paasalo, consulting services should be considered especially if the consortium applying for the project doesn’t already have people who are familiar with the application process. The applicant should also be prepared for costs during the application phase.
“Another important consideration is that you don’t necessarily get funding on the first or the second attempt,” says Paasalo. Applicants receive feedback on each application, and the application can be further developed based on the feedback. The CEDCE project got funding on the third attempt. The later application rounds were easier and less time-consuming. Practically only minor modifications were made to the original application during the second and third application. Business partners who participate in the project had to be involved in the application process. The share of self-financing in CoVE projects is 20%.
Project summary
Project name: CEDCE – Colleges for European Data Center Education
Financed by: Erasmus + / CoVE
Project organizers: Etelä-Kymenlaakson ammattiopisto & European Consortium
This article was first published at the website of Regional Council of Kymenlaakso, and it is part of the activities of the Boost up JTF project, which is co-financed by the Regional Council of Kymenlaakso and the EU.
Authors: Lecturer, Project Manager Niklas Paasalo (Ekami) and Project Manager Jaana Puhakainen (Regional Council of Kymenlaakso)
