Press corner
Christian F. LETTMAYR
Cedefop Acting Director |
To access the largest source of information on vocational education and training in Europe, visit our library and documentation service.
To receive schedules of events and alerts of our latest publications, subscribe to our e-mail alerts.
Our RSS feeds will help you to keep up with our latest news and features.
You are welcome to visit our premises in Thessaloniki. Our staff will introduce you to our activities, arrange interviews with staff members, and prepare material in various EU languages.
The communications team
To contact the communications team: 
Rozalia Voudouri
Press and News Service
Corinna Frey
Stakeholder Relations
Gerd Oskar Bausewein
Head of Communication, Information and Dissemination
Catherine Wintrebert
Assistant
Cedefop press releases
- Press release - What about the (older) workers?(19/03/2013)
- The reality of the UK’s ageing workforce is that most of us face the real prospect of having to get out of bed in the morning to go to work until we are around 70.
The recent House of Lord’s report Ready for Ageing? discusses the implications of an older workforce for pensions, health and social care. Things mainly provided by the state. Although the report entreats employers to be more positive about employing older people, it doesn’t say much about jobs or working conditions for older workers.
- Press release - Study visit grants for education and training specialists - Application deadline: 28 March 2013(13/03/2013)
- Education and training specialists are invited to apply for the next round of the study visits programme, comprising 119 study visits in 28 countries between September 2013 and February 2014. Participants – policy-makers and other specialists from education, training and the social partners - will receive an EU grant covering expenses.
- Press release - A new initiative focuses on practical training for youth(13/12/2012)
- Cedefop has been invited to provide practical support to a new European initiative intended the help young people integrate more easily into the labour market. The initiative, which focuses on apprenticeship-type, work-based learning, was launched on 11 December 2012 in Berlin. Germany and six other Member States have signed Memoranda defining the scope and objectives of future collaboration.
- Press release - Δελτίο τύπου - Ο κόσμος της εκπαίδευσης πιο ανοιχτός στη σύνδεση με την αγορά εργασίας(23/11/2012)
- Η εκπαιδευτική κοινότητα της χώρας είναι πλέον πιο ανοιχτή στην ανάγκη στενότερης σύνδεσης της εκπαίδευσης με την αγορά εργασίας. Παράλληλα όμως και οι οικονομικοί φορείς οφείλουν να αναλάβουν περισσότερες πρωτοβουλίες για την αξιοποίηση και αναβάθμιση των δεξιοτήτων και επαγγελματικών προσόντων των εργαζομένων τους.
- Press release - Despite changing attitudes, employers are not yet prepared for an ageing workforce(22/11/2012)
- Attitudes toward what used to be called “the demographic time bomb” are improving: Europe’s ageing workforce is increasingly seen as a factor of growth and innovation. Yet while employers are fully aware that the workforce is ageing, they do little to prepare for this change, and certainly not enough to make the best of it.
- Press release - For young people, vocational education is a better route to employment(03/10/2012)
- Vocational education graduates of upper-secondary or post-secondary schools have a greater chance of being employed than graduates of general education at the same level. They are also less likely to spend prolonged periods without work, and more likely to stay on in their first job for more than four years.
- Press release - Growing importance of international qualifications affects training landscape(26/09/2012)
- International qualifications - awarded by social partner organisations or multinational companies rather than public authorities - now cover fields as diverse as ICT, welding, sports, air transport, financial services and hairdressing. A recent Cedefop study asks what this trend means for education and training standards and for the wider recognition of qualifications.
- Press release - In 2013, study visits bring together education, training and work(24/09/2012)
- Subjects of particular interest in today’s economic climate, such as cooperation between companies, schools and local communities, and methods of improving skills and employability, are among the highlights of the next round of study visits, scheduled between March and June 2013.
- Press release - Austrian vocational training needs to become more open to adult learners(12/07/2012)
- Pressemitteilung - Die österreichische Berufsbildung muss sich erwachsenen Lernenden stärker öffnen
- Press release - Governments and employers must act to help people develop skills for green jobs(20/06/2012)
- The greening of the European economy, as outlined in the EU 2020 strategy, will have profound effects on the labour market. Yet not enough is being done to make sure people are acquiring the right skills.
- A new publication for navigating education and training terms across Europe(15/06/2012)
- Education and training issues tend to be similar across Europe and, thanks to informal cooperation among Member States, policies are growing closer to each other as well. But how can we be sure we mean the same thing by the same term? Cedefop’s new language tool is here to help.
- Press release - Member States to take charge of European mobility instrument for vocational students(11/06/2012)
- Starting in 2012, responsibility for the implementation of the European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training will lie mainly with the Member States. The co-organisers of the third annual ECVET Forum demonstrated how useful communities of practice can be for the smooth implementation of the system by setting up the event itself as just such a community of practice.
- Press release - Learning and working in Europe: a seminar on new opportunities for young people(05/04/2012)
- Press release - Skills forecast reveals risks and opportunities in Europe’s labour market(21/03/2012)
- Cedefop’s latest skill forecast shows that the European Union can expect a net increase in employment of 8 million new jobs between 2010 and 2020. Nearly ten times more jobs (around 75 million) will be generated to replace workers who leave the labour market.But skill mismatches and, in some sectors, skill shortages raise risks for the European labour market and the competitiveness of the European economy.
- Press release - Increasing shortage of green skills in Germany raises concerns(08/03/2012)
- Deutschland: Qualifikationsengpässe bei grünen Arbeitsplätzen geben Anlass zur Sorge
- Press release - Underinvestment in green skills raises concerns(29/02/2012)
- For many companies in the environmental field, the current crisis means easier access to qualified workers. This situation encourages firms to cut back training for green skills. But without long-term investment, particularly in science and technology training, employers may soon experience a shortage of people with the right skills. In fact, countries with low unemployment are already facing such shortages. The potential repercussions for the European economy and labour market are serious. A forthcoming Cedefop publication suggests this outcome can be avoided if, among other measures, countries integrate skills strategies into their environment and energy policies.
- Press release - How learning professionals benefit from study visits – and why you should apply(15/02/2012)
- After participating in a study visit, education and vocational training professionals come back to work with new ideas and new connections.
- Press release - Validation workshop for teachers and trainers: a mutual learning experience(01/12/2011)
- Press release - The involvement of employers and trade unions is crucial to achieve an open labour market that values all forms of learning(28/11/2011)
- The common European tools for education and training - such as Europass, the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and the European credit system for vocational education and training (ECVET) - will make it easier for citizens to pursue learning throughout their lives, and to document their skills and knowledge in a form which is recognised by employers and the labour market across Europe.
- Press release - Do citizens benefit from the new European tools in vocational education and training?(24/11/2011)
- The common European tools for education and training , Europass, European and National Qualification Frameworks, Credit transfer systems and Quality Assurance, will make it easier for citizens to pursue learning throughout their lives, and to have their skills and knowledge recognised across Europe. The question now is how to release the full potential of these tools.
- Press release - The right approach to training can help companies get the best out of an ageing workforce(22/09/2011)
- Music and arts classes have been shown to improve wellbeing and life satisfaction at an older age. Yet formal training does not have the same effect. What is formal training doing wrong? Is it ill adapted to the needs of older workers? An international seminar takes a close look at what is needed to make the best use of an ageing workforce.
- Press release - Study Visits Programme launches second round of 2011-12 call for applications(20/09/2011)
- Would you like to explore education and training issues with your peers in other European countries? Are you interested in expanding your professional network and cooperating with other education and training institutions in Europe? Do you wish to learn more about education and training policy and practice across Europe? You can do all this if you apply by 14 October for an EU grant to participate in study visits.
- Press release - Migrants and minorities more likely to face skills mismatch on EU labour market(07/09/2011)
- The mismatch between skills and jobs does not affect everyone in the same way. Cedefop’s most recent research paper, ‘Migrants, minorities, mismatch? Skill mismatch among migrants and ethnic minorities in Europe’ shows that migrants from outside the EU typically find jobs beneath their real skills level (‘overeducation’), while ethnic minorities are more likely to lack the educational level required by jobs (‘undereducation’).
- Press release - Focusing on what matters most: Cedefop’s priorities in 2012-2014(28/07/2011)
- Cedefop’s medium-term priorities set out the main areas of our work in 2012-2014, including how the Centre will support the modernisation of vocational education and training systems, its skills forecasting activities and its study of adult and work-based learning.
- Press release - Training schools are key to the success of credit transfer system(31/05/2011)
- Participants at a workshop on European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) warn of persisting ‘cultural gap’ between policy makers and practitioners.
- Press release - Outcome based curricula found to benefit learners(28/04/2011)
- Recent evidence suggests that curricula based on learning outcomes can increase learner motivation, forge stronger links between theoretical and practical learning, raise participation rates and improve learners’ prospects on the labour market. But to ensure success, these curricula need to be carefully designed, delivered and assessed - a process which requires the involvement of key stakeholders and well-trained teachers.
- Press release - European VET policy conference: pace of reforming vocational education and training must be stepped up(17/03/2011)
- ‘While not all of the Europe 2020 objectives will be solved through vocational education and training (VET), almost none of them will be solved on a sustainable basis without VET,’ said Cedefop’s Acting Director Christian Lettmayr in Brussels today.
- Press release - Vocational education and training: how to plan for the next ten years(10/03/2011)
- In the coming decade the European labour market must deal successfully with several challenges: the legacy of the financial crisis, the need for sustainable growth, the trend toward skill-intensive jobs and the ageing of the population.
- Press release - Skill forecasts are important tools for policy, but there is room for improvement (28/02/2011)
- Press release - Successful start to the agencies’ exhibition at the European Parliament(02/02/2011)
- Press release - European policy cooperation on vocational training looks ahead to concrete measures(17/12/2010)
- Press release - Success of policy cooperation encourages countries to continue reforms in vocational education and training(07/12/2010)
- Cedefop’s latest policy report, A bridge to the future: European policy for vocational education and training 2002-10, reviews the progress achieved during the past eight years of European cooperation on vocational education and training policy, and suggests new directions within the Europe 2020 agenda.
- Press release - Over 10 million Europass CVs generated online(23/11/2010)
- Press release - For effective social care services, workers and managers must improve their generic competences(09/11/2010)
- Press release - Departing Director Aviana Bulgarelli looks back on five years of achievement (07/10/2010)
- Director Aviana Bulgarelli will leave Cedefop on 15 October 2010, the end of her present mandate. Deputy Director Christian Lettmayr has been appointed Acting Director.
- Press release - European goal of sustainable growth drives creation of new skills in all sectors(28/09/2010)
- The goal of achieving a green economy in Europe now affects all EU economic and social policies, including education and training.
- Press release - Reception in honour of Greek MEPs(09/09/2010)
- Press release - Training for a green economy: urgent tasks for Europe(05/08/2010)
- Skills for a low-carbon economy are of vital importance to Europe. Cedefop’s latest work suggests priorities for policy-makers.
- Press release - A seminar on European VET for Bulgarian journalists(26/07/2010)
- Press release - Exploration of work transitions wins Cedefop Photomuseum Prize 2010(10/06/2010)
- The Cedefop/Photomuseum Prize 2010 has been awarded to Eileen Kennedy (US) for her collection ´Beyond Success´.
- Press release - Skills forecast reveals common European trends, but national developments vary(08/04/2010)
- Skills supply and demand in Europe: medium-term forecast up to 2020, published today by Cedefop, shows that while general trends are common throughout Europe, there are substantial differences among Member States.
- Visit of Ms Theodora Tzakri, Greek Vice-Minister of Interior, Decentralisation and e-Government(16/03/2010)
- On 15 March, Cedefop welcomed Ms Theodora Tzakri, Greek Vice-Minister of Interior, Decentralisation and e-Government. Ms Tzakri expressed her keen interest in the work of Cedefop and promised the close cooperation of the Greek government both in making better use of Cedefop's expertise and in supporting the agency in operational matters.
- Press release - To get the right skills for its economy and citizens, Europe must integrate education and employment policies(03/03/2010)
- The need to develop fully integrated skills policies for education and training, employment and innovation at all levels was a dominant theme in the workshop “Skills and competence to overcome the crisis”, which Cedefop co-organised with MEP Ole Christensen on 2 March at the European Parliament in Brussels.
- Press Release - European support for the (Greek) qualifications framework(01/03/2010)
- On Thursday, 25 February 2010, the (Greek) Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs presented for public consultation a proposal on the establishment of a National Qualifications Framework.
- Press Release - Forecast shows jobs in Europe becoming more skills- and knowledge-intensive (04/02/2010)
- Cedefop’s latest forecast on the demand and supply of skills to 2020, presented today in Brussels at the European Commission conference New Skills for New Jobs: Action Now, foresees a steady rise in knowledge- and skill-intensive occupations.
- Press release - A new Web portal for vocational education and training in the EU(26/01/2010)
- Cedefop, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, has brought its redesigned and updated Web pages under a new roof. The new Web portal (www.cedefop.europa.eu) has been conceived primarily with the needs of policy-makers, researchers and social partners in mind, but also aims to serve practitioners and interested European citizens.
- Cedefop invites local guidance counsellors to a seminar on European developments related to their field(15/12/2009)
- Press release - Report highlights risks of trial-and-error approach to training policy(15/12/2009)
- The process of modernising vocational education and training is driven by the need to respond to socioeconomic challenges, with little input from research. But as Cedefop argues in its recent research report, Modernising vocational education and training (see link below), this carries the risk that the efforts to modernise VET will not achieve the desired results.
- New European tools for training quality and credit transfer reach practitioners(16/11/2009)
- On 17 and 18 November Cedefop and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education and Culture will be holding a launching conference for two new European tools: the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework (EQARF) and the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) in Brussels, with the participation of over 300 representatives of training providers and other bodies and institutions from across Europe.
- New approaches to learning lead to fresh challenges in curriculum development(02/11/2009)
- New ideas on teaching and learning, as well as recent European policy developments on qualifications are affecting the way in which curricula are drawn. At the same time, changes in curriculum organisation are affecting teaching and learning patterns at all educational levels. This dynamic is to be the main topic of discussion at the Cedefop workshop on Curriculum innovation and reform: policies and practices, to be held in Thessaloniki on 9-10 November.
- Cost-sharing schemes for training in the newer Member States: what works, what doesn’t(12/10/2009)
- A Cedefop conference on Sharing the costs of training in the newer EU Member States, (Thessaloniki, 15-16 October 2009) will show that overall investment and participation in training can both increase if there are well designed financing schemes combining public and private funds for vocational education and training (VET).
- Qualifications: expanding their power, overcoming their limitations(06/10/2009)
- Qualifications largely determine our chances at employment, our ability to access further education and our social status. But they also have limitations: much of the knowledge and competence we acquire through life is left out of our diplomas, certificates and titles. To close this gap, both the education and employment worlds need to engage in redesigning and updating qualifications. This was the main theme of Cedefop’s Agora Conference, Qualifications for lifelong learning and employability (Thessaloniki 5-6 October), which examined how qualifications are used in today’s economy.
- Tax incentives for education and training: can we use them better?(21/09/2009)
- Cedefop and the European Commissions Directorates-General for Education and Culture and for Taxation and Customs Union are holding an international conference on tax incentives for education and training on 22 September in Brussels.
- The changing nature of qualifications has implications for both policy-makers and individuals(20/09/2009)
- A recent series of Cedefop publications, to be presented at an upcoming conference on lifelong learning and employability (Thessaloniki 5-6 October) examines how qualifications are established, evaluated and renewed in todays economy.
- Hμέρα της Ευρώπης στo Cedefop(13/05/2009)
- Cedefop reviews the fruits of European policy cooperation in vocational education and training(19/03/2009)
- On Monday 16 March, Jan Figel’, European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, announced the publication of Cedefop’s latest Policy Report, Continuity, consolidation and change at the Agora conference of the same title, held in Thessaloniki under the auspices of the Czech Presidency of the EU.
- Conference debates Europes progress and prospects in reforming vocational education and training(11/03/2009)
- Innovative professional development for teachers and trainers drives vocational education and training reform forward(20/02/2009)
- The European Union's encouragement of social dialogue pays dividends for training(13/02/2009)
- The recent joint study by Cedefop and Eurofound, “Contribution of collective bargaining to the development of continuing training” (see link below) - one of the first to address the issue of how social dialogue affects opportunities for continuing training – demonstrates that collective agreements have a largely positive impact on employee training. But it also shows that training provision in small and medium enterprises, and training offered to workers over 45, is still lagging behind.
- Social dialogue raises opportunities for continuing training at work(05/02/2009)
- The findings of a forthcoming Cedefop-Eurofound study, The role of collective bargaining in the development of continuing vocational training, which covers the EU-27 and Norway, will be discussed at a joint seminar organised at Cedefop with Eurofound, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, on 9-10 February.
- Cedefop's policy analysis provides evidence base for recent developments in vocational education and training in the EU(23/12/2008)
- Cedefop's contribution to EU initiatives highlighted during EuroSkills 2008(25/09/2008)
- During the EuroSkills competition held in Rotterdam on 18-20 September, Cedefop experts contributed to an open workshop, organised by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture, to present the various EU tools and initiatives now being implemented in cooperation with Member States.
- Active ageing: keep learning, keep working(08/07/2008)
- Cedefop is at present carrying out extensive work on how older workers learn, particularly on the neglected issue of how to retrain and retain workers nearing retirement age – and what motivates people to keep working past it. An international workshop on ‘Working at old age – Emerging theories and empirical perspectives on ageing and work’ is to be held at Cedefop, Thessaloniki, on 29-30 September 2008.
- Cedefop hosts concert by the Vienna Swing Factory(30/05/2008)
- Οn the occasion of the annual meeting of Cedefop’s Governing Board, Cedefop and the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs are co-organising a concert by the 20-strong Vienna Swing Factory (Big Band), to be held on 11 June at 20.00 at Cedefop’s premises in Thessaloniki, Europe 123, Pylea.
- Agora Thessaloniki XXVII - Conference announces results of first Skills Forecast(20/02/2008)
- Cedefop, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, is announcing the results of the first Europe-wide forecast of skill needs at the international Agora conference, “Skills for Europe’s future”, being held at the Cedefop Conference Centre on 21 and 22 February.
- Annual Meeting of the Study Visits for Education and Vocational Training Specialists, Cedefop, Thessaloniki, 2-3 October 2007(25/09/2007)
- On 2 – 3 October 2007, Cedefop will hold an annual meeting of the study visits programme for education and vocational training specialists. This is the first meeting of the representatives of the National Agencies who will implement the programme in the participating countries in the future.
