There is a severe shortage of skilled workers in the EU, with a shortfall of more than 500,000 skilled workers. This is compounded by the growing importance of the circular economy in industrial maintenance, particularly in the automotive industry, as well as the ever-increasing demands for safety and quality in recycled metals. In 2025, the Erasmus+ project WELDNET was launched, with the aim of establishing a network of five Centres of Vocational Excellence (COVEs) over the next four years.
In the interview, Fazel Ansari, WELDNET project manager and head of the Research Unit of Production and Maintenance Management at TU Wien, provides an insight into the project and explains the role sustainability plays in the fields of maintenance, welding and metalworking.
Could you briefly describe the WELDNET project?
Fazel Ansari: Through the WELDNET project, we aim to facilitate modern training and further educational programmes as well as to establish regional competence ecosystems in the fields of industry, education and science. In addition to Austria, the project aims to establish five competence centres over the next four years in Greece, Romania, Serbia and Spain, one in each country. The focus is on maintenance, as well as on the fields of welding and sustainability.
What are the project’s objectives?
Fazel Ansari: The project has three defined main objectives: the development of a holistic teaching and learning programme, the establishment of skills ecosystems, and the creation of a transnational ecosystem. With the so-called Centres of Vocational Excellence (COVEs), we are pursuing a ‘living lab’ approach – or a learning factory – offering scientifically sound and practical training to improve the qualifications of skilled workers and enhance safety and quality in production. This holistic teaching and learning programme focuses on the acquisition of knowledge (skilling), the deepening of knowledge (reskilling) and further training (upskilling). The training of trainers is also a key aspect. Furthermore, the establishment of the COVEs is intended to support sustainable and circular industrial processes.
Why do we consider these particular objectives to be important in our project? Unfortunately, the fact that there has been a Europe-wide shortage of skilled workers for many years is nothing new. Job and skills profiles have changed significantly in recent years. It is also clear that technological developments are taking place at a rapid pace. If technology is to support and assist people, training is needed to show how people can use these new technologies most effectively in their work; acquiring software skills is also a key aspect of this.
The five centres are intended to support one another in their work and learn from each other; they will therefore maintain close contact with one another.
What role does TU Wien play in the four-year EU Erasmus+ project?
Fazel Ansari: TU Wien plays a very central role in this project. We see ourselves as a driving force for innovative training systems; we want to support the green, digital transformation and tackle the skills shortage in industry. TU Wien will be the COVEs Centre host in Austria, and we aim to bring together research, industry and vocational training into a single entity.
Which faculties, institutes and other TU-affiliated institutions are involved in the project?
Fazel Ansari: The Institute of Management Science is involved in the project, with its two research areas Production and Maintenance Management and Leadership & Strategy. I am responsible for the first area together with Brenda Özyilmaz, Milena Mann and Baris Tekin. The responsibility for the second area lies with my colleague Wolfgang Güttel from the TU Wien Academy, as well as Astrid Kleinhanns-Rollé and Sandrine Roche. We are also receiving support for the project from the Pilot Factory of TU Wien Industry 4.0. They will contribute their expertise in the areas of smart factories, digital production and human-robot collaboration to the project.
To what extent does sustainability play a role in the field of welding and metalworking?
Fazel Ansari: There are three main areas of focus within the project regarding sustainability: Circular Material Welding, Preventive Maintenance Systems, and Inclusive Training & Social Challenges.
The first area covers topics such as the use of recycled metals in automotive production, ensuring quality, strength and corrosion resistance, and reducing risks in critical components such as brakes, steering systems or structural parts. The topic of Preventive Maintenance Systems includes, for example, the prevention of failures and damage to infrastructure and facilities, with positive effects such as greater safety for people at work, energy savings, and resource conservation. The third area focuses on the integration of people with disabilities and disadvantaged groups, with the aim of creating equal opportunities for all.
Thank you very much for the interview.
About Fazel Ansari
Fazel Ansari studied mechanical engineering and mechatronics at the University of Siegen. He obtained his PhD summa cum laude in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Siegen, specialising in knowledge-based systems and knowledge management, and completed his habilitation in the field of industrial engineering at TU Wien.
Fazel Ansari is currently a university professor of data-driven maintenance management at TU Wien. He is the head of the Research Unit of Production and Maintenance Management at the Faculty of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. Since 2017, he has also held various positions at Fraunhofer Austria Research GmbH, most recently as Head of Flagship Projects and a member of the Board of Management.
