What is vocational excellence, why is it important, and how is it developed and for whom? This paper tries to: address the complexity of vocational excellence; explain the different types of centres of vocational excellence (CoVEs), which embody vocational excellence, their missions and functions; and identify good practices that work well in different contexts. The paper investigates issues such as: How can CoVEs deepen their engagement with the labour market and cooperate with other skills providers to form part of a comprehensive, inclusive, high-quality network? How can the design and development of CoVEs be linked to other elements of human capital development strategy, for example the development of lifelong learning or the emergence of smart specialisation? This study researches CoVEs as an international phenomenon but also through their local specificities with the aim of understanding better the different missions and functions and the reasons that have led to their development. Inevitably, the absence of a single all-inclusive definition of CoVEs has often raised questions about the status of the centres that were identified and examined. At this point in time the definition of the term and its scope and value are all up for debate. This study explores different perceptions and reveals some of the differences in policy, rhetoric and practice that underpin them. This paper is intended to offer a different perspective on vocational excellence. It aims to help with understanding of the phenomenon and its links with vocational education and training (VET). Furthermore, it focuses on countries outside the EU with the aim of bringing forward perceptions of vocational excellence that are not yet fully realised in terms of partnerships and cooperation. In this respect, this paper is ultimately aimed at educationists, VET experts and, where appropriate, policy-makers.