Early leaving from education and training does not represent an individual failure but reflects how effectively education and social systems engage, support, and retain diverse learners. In 2025, nearly 1 in 10 young people across the EU left education and training prematurely, limiting opportunities for employment, social inclusion and lifelong learning.
Although the EU average has fallen to 9.1%, significant disparities persist across countries, regions, and population groups. Drawing on Cedefop’s research and its VET toolkit for tackling early leaving, this policy brief reframes early leaving as a multifactorial phenomenon requiring coordinated, evidence-based and cross-sectoral responses. It identifies learner risk profiles and disengagement factors and presents 20 intervention approaches covering system capacity, early identification, targeted support and re-engagement pathways.
The brief also highlights the role of VET in preventing disengagement and supporting the reintegration of early leavers, and concludes with policy recommendations promoting inclusion, opportunity and the right to education for all learners.
Publication details
Cedefop. (2026). From risk to resilience: Policy guidelines for supporting learners at risk and early leavers from vocational education and training. Cedefop policy brief. Publications Office of the European Union. DOI: 10.2801/0047507 https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications/9211
Ke stažení
From risk to resilience: Policy guidelines for supporting learners at risk and early leavers from vocational education and training
