Ljubljana - The Ljubljana Biotechnical Educational Centre (BIC) received on Friday the EU Commission's award for excellence in vocational education and training (VET). The centre had been shortlisted for the VET Innovators Award along with Finland's educational consortium Sasky.

The aim of the award is to recognise European providers of vocational skills education and training who have contributed to excellence in its field using innovative practices, the BIC wrote in its press release.

"We're proud of our work and we're glad that it has been recognised at the European level as well. Our main mission is to educate and we will continue to strive to provide all our students with excellent conditions for education," BIC head Jasna Kržin Stepišnik said.

The centre showcased various activities in a promo video, including its microbrewery, operating as part of the KULT316 centre of gastronomy and tourism, and students of food science and nutrition who developed Newdels, durum wheat pasta containing barley fractions, a brewing byproduct that is otherwise discarded.

This year marks the fifth time the EU Commission presented awards for VET excellence.