July-December 2024 – Latest highlights from Cedefop’s VET toolkit team and the Ambassadors tackling early leaving from VET

The presence of our VET toolkits in Europe

Peer Learning Activity of the Teacher Acquisition project, 8 October 2024, Lisbon, Portugal

Irene Psifidou, coordinator of the VET toolkit team, participated in the 2nd Peer Learning Activity on the ”Teacher Acquisition project – supporting experienced professionals in accessing the teaching profession in vocational education and training” organised by the European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE). This 2-year transnational project aims at identifying and sharing relevant practices, investigating current legal frameworks, and proposing effective methods when it comes to boosting teacher acquisition in vocational education and training (VET) in Europe. =. The main objective of this project is to facilitate the transition of industry professionals into VET teaching by exploring alternative pathways and building their necessary skills, ultimately addressing research gaps, and proposing solutions to attract and retain qualified teachers from diverse backgrounds. Moreover, by identifying and sharing successful methods from across the EU, the project aims to empower involved organisations and fosters collaboration between VET providers and employers. The project seeks to create a competence framework for VET teachers, specifically targeting hybrid teachers and second-career professionals. Additionally, the project will develop an induction programme curriculum to facilitate the transition of industry professionals into teaching roles, supplemented by practical guidelines for school leaders as well as policy recommendations for implementation of innovative practices across the EU.

Irene presented insights from Cedefop as a key player shaping policies for VET teachers in Europe, shedding light on the main reasons for teacher shortages across Europe. She also referred to the upcoming European VET Teachers Survey (EVTS) which will look into continuing professional development (CPD) of teachers across 23 EU Member States. The EVTS is a unique survey as it will provide directly comparable data across the EU. Data regarding VET teachers’ CPD experiences and information on the motives, drivers and contextual factors affecting them have not previously been available in a harmonised way across EU Member States.

International Conference: Preventing and tackling bullying and youth violence, 3 December 2024, Athens, Greece   
Irene Psifidou gave an opening speech at the International Conference on tackling bullying and youth violence, held in Athens, co-organised by the European Antibullying Network and "The Smile of the Child" organisation. The conference celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the European Antibullying Network (EAN) and aimed to raise awareness about the importance of creating safe, positive, and inclusive learning environments. Irene highlighted that preventing bullying and violence is closely linked to preventing early leaving and promoting school success. Reducing the risk of young people dropping out of VET or becoming NEETs (not in employment, education, or training) requires a whole community approach which includes VET institution leaders, teaching and non-teaching staff, trainers, parents and families.

At the same event, our ambassador Paul Downes, Professor of Psychology of Education, Director of the Educational Disadvantage Centre, Institute of Education, Dublin City University, Ireland and Affiliate Professor, University of Malta, Centre for Resilience & Socio-Emotional Health, spoke about bullying and aggression. Paul Downes emphasises the intricate relationship between bullying and early school leaving, highlighting that space is not just physical but relational, where hierarchical structures can make students feel powerless. He advocates for a systemic approach that includes family support and communication, cultural change to address bullying, and a whole school system with clear interventions and inclusive practices. He underscores that bullying is also affecting school attendance, peer relations, academic performance, and students’ overall well-being. 

ETF Webinar “Needs of female NEETs: outreach and career and life skills learning” on 10 December 2024

Cedefop’s sister agency the European Training Foundation (ETF) organised a second webinar under its Skills Lab Network of Experts series. The webinar looked at the gender specificities of NEETs as well as examples of prevention, career and life skills training targeting NEETs from EU and ETF partner countries. It was another great opportunity to learn about good practices from different countries and to present and draw attention to the VET toolkit for empowering NEETs. Stefanie Ledermaier, Cedefop expert, attended this online event and shared the recently published intervention approach on female NEETs with participants. 

Upcoming event: Webinar  with the network of ambassadors tackling early leaving from VET to take place on 10 March 2025

Mark your calendar!

On 10 March 2025, we will host a webinar with our network of ambassadors tackling early leaving from VET. The webinar will address support initiatives for young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) from a variety of different angles. More information on the content of the webinar, as well as a save-the-date email, will be sent out in early 2025.

Recent additions to our two VET toolkits

A great amount of new material has been uploaded to our two VET toolkits: the VET toolkit tackling early leaving and the VET toolkit for empowering NEETs. This year and next, our main focus is to enrich the toolkits with resources on NEETs.

See what is new on the VET toolkit for empowering NEETs

Six new good practices

Good practice examples from across the EU have been added, which aim to support young people not in employment, education, or training (NEETs) or different sub-groups of NEETs (those aged 25 to 29, NEETs living in remote areas, female NEETs, and other diverse groups of NEETs such as migrants, low-skilled, young people with disabilities). From these good practices, you may learn about:

• How to use innovative outdoor learning methodology to support female NEETs (Polish Outdoor Learning)
• Mentoring provisions integrated into support measures (Back on Track);
• Digital education and training programmes for NEETs (PreseNEETi);
• How to foster cooperation with employers to offer job placements (Supporting the Economic Mobility of Young NEETs through Targeted Training, Mentorship, and Job Placement);
• New job opportunities for NEETs in the green sector (INTERCEPT), and;
• How to design impact assessment methodologies to evaluate NEETs initiatives (Youth Impact).

The VET toolkit team will soon publish more good practices, so please visit our toolkit regularly!

Two new intervention approaches

Offering mentorship programmes to NEETs

Mentoring can provide NEETs with access to new opportunities and networks that they may not have encountered otherwise. NEETs often face multiple barriers to education and employment. Mentoring can help them break this cycle of disadvantage by providing guidance, support, and opportunities for growth from a perspective of someone they can look up to and ideally identify with.

Helping female NEETs (re)integrate into education, employment or training

Women are disproportionately represented among young people not in employment, education, or training (NEET). Family responsibilities often contribute to this disparity, as women may drop out of education and training or not enter the labour force to care for family. Targeted support and policy measures can play a crucial role in helping female NEETs overcome the challenges they face in the labour market to ensure they achieve their full potential.

More intervention approaches on re-engaging NEETs on the way

Forthcoming intervention approaches on NEETs will be available early next year. These aim to support policymakers and VET practitioners to design and implement supporting measures for NEETs living in remote areas, older and female NEETs, through mobility programmes, development of green skills, training on digitalisation and AI.

40 new publications

A total of 40 new publications on NEETs are now available online. These publications emphasise the need to address disparities in education and employment opportunities,  explore innovative interventions and  evaluate existing policies. The persistency of the NEET status, particularly in Southern Europe is also addressed in some of the published work.

2 new tools

The frequently referred to Aim-Learn-Master-Achieve (ALMA) initiative by the European Commission has now also been added as a tool in the VET toolkit for empowering NEETs. Its aim is to support disadvantaged NEETs by providing tailored training, a supervised work-related experience abroad, and continued support upon return. Another tool which has been recently added is a hands-on checklist, a practical checklist for designing and implementing prevention projects for young people not in employment, education, or training. This checklist includes seven key questions to guide project proposals, focusing on needs analysis, holistic partnerships, skilled youth workers, flexibility, low participation thresholds, follow-up, and outcome measurement.

See what is new on the VET toolkit tackling early leaving

There are 20 new publications now available online. These focus on improving education and training provision to support learners at risk, caring for students’ and educators’ social and emotional well-being in light of digitalisation, and new European policy guidelines and frameworks. 

News from our toolkit's ambassadors

• Our ambassador from Romania, Larisa Ile, working for the Edu4Tourism Teachers and Mentors Association, informed us about their initiative on “Tools for Addressing Early Leaving from VET Schools in Tourism Education: The Role of Mentors and Practicum Tutors”. This work highlights the value of mentorship and the importance of creating a supporting environment for a successful mentor-mentee relationship in the tourism sector. 
• Our ambassador from Sweden, Joanna Giota, has authored a governmental inquiry on creating more pathways to the labour market for upper secondary school graduates. A video presentation of this proposal is available online (in Swedish). You may also see her recent publications on school achievement in inclusive vs exclusive systems and linking teaching practices in Swedish schools to students' achievements and mental health complaints.
• Our ambassador from the UK, Russell Hogarth, spoke about "Thriving not just Surviving" in a conference organised by the British Association of Social Workers (BASW). The two-day event brought together colleagues from practice, organisational leadership and academia.The highlights of this event are available online.
• Our ambassador from Finland, Tanja Halttunen, shared the results of the ongoing Erasmus+ KA2 project Connecting Europe which aims to support all students in taking part in Erasmus+ mobilities. The project includes students with fewer opportunities and  the pilot testing generated very good outcomes. Involved students not only gained memories for life but also found inner strength and a motivation to study.
• Our ambassador from Portugal, Maria Ribeiro, shared an interesting example from the "Lisbon City of Learning" network initiated by the Lisbon City Council in April 2023. It aims to promote partnerships with the public, private, and third sectors to boost and promote learning opportunities in and out of school. The project is part of a global "Cities of Learning" initiative, which is implemented in 82 cities worldwide. 
• Our ambassador from Spain, Patricia Olmos, shared insights from the Orienta4VET project. She also shared a publication on the conceptual framework for researching the risks to early leaving which investigates the risks associated with early school leaving combining ecological systems theory and the concept of educational "binds" of poverty. The framework identifies five key risk categories for early leaving and through understanding these interconnected risk factors, policy makers can develop effective strategies to offer holistic support for young people.
• Our ambassador from the Czech Republic, Martin Majcík, shared a link to a recently published paper on biographical aspects of self-regulated learning during repeatedly failing in upper-secondary exit examination.This study explores how repeatedly unsuccessful students in Czechia approach and reflect on their failures in the upper-secondary exit exam. It highlights that initial failures often lead to ineffective preparation strategies, but subsequent failures prompt students to adopt more effective learning methods and motivational strategies, significantly impacting their educational and professional trajectories.
• Our ambassador from Spain, Francisca Salva Mut, shared a new article  on Spanish validation of the Vocational Engagement Instrument in Vocational Training utilising the concept of student engagement (available in Spanish only). 

Meet our new ambassador: 

Mr Minh Huy Lai
Generation: You Employed Europe, Inc.
France

I am Minh Huy Lai, the Europe Chief Operating Officer at the global NGO Generation, that works for the economic mobility of the unemployed, disadvantaged, and underprivileged communities. I oversee governance, strategy, and training portfolio development across five European countries, focusing on providing vocational training and employment services to young people not in employment, education, or training with a core mission to address early leaving and drive economic mobility of youth.

News from the European Commission

You may have come across the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) toolkit for school success in the past. Now, DG EAC will soon re-launch its online tool, a self-assessment tool on inclusion and wellbeing for teachers, which is currently in its testing phase and will be translated in all EU languages.

During a recent informal exchange with the VET toolkit team, it was agreed to focus on creating stronger synergies in the upcoming months.

Get to know our new VET toolkit team member

In October, a new team member joined the VET toolkit team: Maria Toskidou, Cedefop trainee, welcome to our team! 

Maria has a diverse background in education and administration across public, private and humanitarian sectors. She has expertise in planning, designing, and implementing programmes, coordinating inclusion projects and conducting specialised training.  Motivated by her passion for professional development and lifelong learning, she assists our team’s projects on tackling early leaving and empowering NEETs to promote quality and inclusive vocational education across Europe. Maria is helping us to enrich the resources of the toolkits by identifying new good practices and getting in contact with our ambassadors.