CATALYST European VET Excellence Centre for Leading Sustainable Systems and Business Transformation In the transition towards a climate-neutral and digital Europe, many businesses, professionals, or vocational education and training providers face simultaneous challenges. These include adapting to new sustainability requirements, keeping pace with digital transformation, developing relevant green and digital skills, and translating knowledge into practical organisational change. In particular, SMEs and education providers often have limited time, resources, and capacities to respond to these developments strategically. Our CATALYST project focused on supporting SMEs, students and professionals with upskilling and reskilling for the green and digital transitions and worked on strengthening the sustainable competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Europe. Through cross-sector collaboration and exchange, CATALYST promoted new approaches to vocational education and training (VET) and encouraged collaboration between educational institutions and businesses. Centre of Vocational Excellence The CSCP led the establishment of a German Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE). Together with developed educational offers to support personal and organizational transformation in German SMEs. Within the CATALYST project, a total of five CoVEs were established in Germany, Austria, North Macedonia, Greece, and Portugal. The CoVEs acted as catalysts for positive change on regional, national, and European level, inspiring the transition towards more sustainable and resilient systems and societies. The CATALYST Online Platform: Eleven Free Online Courses for Sustainable Transformation Sustainability starts with the right skills. Whether you want to understand your company’s environmental footprint, develop innovative business models, or successfully manage change processes, the eleven free online courses developed by the CSCP, BNW and Bells as part of the German CoVE provide you with practical knowledge for your next step. Who are the courses for? The courses is aimed at professionals and managers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as students who want to actively contribute to sustainable transformation. The courses are modular and cover different levels of experience – from compact introductions to more in-depth programs. Content and Focus Areas The courses provide key competencies for sustainable business practices and organisational change. They focus in particular on the following topics: Sustainable behaviour: Understand individual and organisational drivers and learn how to promote sustainable decision-making. Circular economy: Gain a practical introduction to circular principles and develop innovative business models. Organisational transformation: Strengthen your skills in change management and sustainable leadership. Strategy development: Learn how to develop a robust sustainability strategy based on materiality analyses. Flexible, practical, and free of charge The online courses are designed to be flexible and can be easily integrated into your daily work routine. They combine theoretical foundations with practical exercises, enabling you to directly apply what you have learned in your professional context. Get started now Take the opportunity to build your skills and actively contribute to sustainable transformation. Green Up Our (Work) Life: an Introduction to Sustainable Behaviour (beginner level, 8 hours) by CSCP Green Nudges – Bridging the Intention–Action Gap and Shaping a Sustainable Future (intermediate level, 20 hours) by CSCP Closing the Loop – Introduction to the Circular Economy (beginner level, 8 hours) by CSCP Circular Business Strategies and Innovation (advanced level, 32 hours) by CSCP Transformation and Change Leadership – How to Navigate Through the Transition Successfully and Inspiringly (intermediate level, 20 hours) by CSCP Sustainability Strategy – Developing a Tailor-Made Strategy Based on Materiality (advanced level, 32 hours) by CSCP Introduction to Business Transformation Towards Sustainability (beginner level, 6 hours) by BNW SustainAgility – How Agile Ways Help to Continuously Improve Sustainability in Business (intermediate level, 16 hours) by BNW Personal and Organisational Values (advanced level, 20 hours) by Bells Sustainable Professional Growth (advanced level, 24 hours) by Bells Beyond Boundaries: Navigating Team Dynamics and Development (advanced level, 50 hours) by Bells From learning to practice In addition to the free online learning offers, the German CoVE partners also explored and developed practice-oriented support formats to accompany sustainability transformation processes in SMEs. These activities complemented the educational programme by enabling organisations to apply sustainability knowledge in real-world contexts. The formats included: live training sessions focusing on sustainability transformation and organisational change, mentoring, coaching, mastermind, and consulting approaches supporting organisations in navigating sustainable business transformation, and facilitated business pilot projects in which students and companies collaborated on real business challenges, applying sustainability concepts and tools in practical organisational contexts. These formats combined theoretical learning with hands-on application and strengthened collaboration between education providers, learners, and businesses. The approaches were piloted during the project and may provide a foundation for future follow-up activities. Additional information about the CATALYST project, the online learning platform, and further educational and transformation activities developed by project partners across Europe is available on the CATALYST platform. The CATALYST project was implemented between 2022 and 2026 and brought together 16 partners from North Macedonia, Germany, Austria, Greece and Portugal, all aimed at contributing to achieving the goals of the European Green Deal. The project was funded by the Erasmus+ Programme. 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.