ABOUT THE PROJECT
Building a European benchmark for vocational excellence in Powder Metallurgy
PMEXCEL develops a responsive, industry-led educational ecosystem that transforms regional workforce capabilities, integrating advanced manufacturing competences, sustainability principles and international co-operation.
BACKGROUND & CONTEXT
Why PMEXCEL was born
Powder Metallurgy (PM) is a set of multidisciplinary manufacturing processes with a rich history dating back to the earliest civilisations. The related technologies that have developed over time, including press and sinter (P&S), metal injection moulding (MIM), hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and additive manufacturing (AM), play an important role in today’s European industrial ecosystem, particularly in the automotive, aerospace, renewable energy and medical sectors.
However, the sector faces a significant labour shortage. There is a clear mismatch between the skill needs of PM related technologies and existing vocational education and training (VET) programmes. In this context, PMEXCEL was born to close this gap by developing a responsive, industry-led educational ecosystem that transforms regional workforce capabilities.
The PMEXCEL project sets a benchmark for vocational excellence by integrating advanced manufacturing competences, sustainability principles and international co-operation.
MAIN OBJECTIVES
Five objectives, one skills ecosystem
From identifying labour market needs to aligning with EU policy, every PMEXCEL activity serves one of these five objectives.
- Identifying the current and emerging labour market needs and enhancing the responsiveness of the VET systems to these needs.
- Enabling education providers and industry to collaborate and co-create programmes and initiatives, closing the gap between them.
- Increasing the attractiveness of Powder Metallurgy by promoting vocational education and training as a valuable career for individuals.
- Fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange between the participating regions to endorse the skills ecosystem and share best practices in vocational education and training.
- Advancing VET excellence through alignment with EU policy and initiatives, driving growth and innovation within project activities and contributing to “upward convergence”.
PROJECT STRUCTURE
Five work packages, from research to recognition
Project Management & Coordination
Lead: European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA)
Overall coordination of the consortium, planning, reporting and quality assurance across the 48 months of the project.
Teaching & Learning
Lead: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) — supported by the EPMI for curricula development
Conducting deep-dive research into industry shortages, defining joint European occupational profiles, and structuring the 8 target learning modules.
Cooperation & Partnership
Lead: Fraunhofer IGCV
Creating the digital learning infrastructure, developing Open Educational Resources (OER), and upskilling VET teachers to deliver advanced technical content.
Governance & Funding
Lead: Bursa Coskunöz Egitim Vakfi (CEV)
Deploying the pilot programmes across the regional CoVEs, establishing a long-term governance model, and issuing recognised European micro-credentials.
Impact & Dissemination
Lead: European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA)
Maximising external visibility, engaging students, running regional competitions, and driving policy recommendations.
In addition to the project partners, the EPMI (European Powder Metallurgy Institute) supports the curricula development. EPMI is a working group of EPMA, comprising about 25 research and department group leaders and main researchers from major European PM research centres.
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
A curriculum of 8 specialised modules
The core output of our project activities is a comprehensive curriculum split into 8 specialised modules. Together, they cover the entire PM ecosystem, bridging advanced materials, processing technologies and industrial applications.