Empowering individuals for better mobility – transparency and recognition of VET qualifications

15th Cedefop Brussels seminar organised in cooperation with the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU

Cedefop, together with the Spanish Presidency of the Council, organised the 15th Cedefop Brussels Seminar as a physical event.

These seminars, organised in cooperation with the rotating EU-Presidencies, build on Cedefop research and address issues relevant to European debates on vocational education and training (VET) and employment.

In an increasingly dynamic European landscape, marked by a high degree of citizens mobility for learning and employment, the need for transparent qualifications is more important than ever. Recognising the value of what people know and are able to do, whether acquired in formal or non-formal settings, is a fundamental step to ensure fair mobility and social integrations for learners and employees moving across Europe.

Drawing upon recent Cedefop projects in this area, the event focused on discussing the main policy initiatives and developments from the past 20 years that have supported transparency of systems and qualifications. These efforts are considered key in enabling the comparison and recognition of VET qualifications and enhancing individual mobility across various sectors and countries for both learning and employment purposes.
What have been the key successes and what are the main challenges in making VET qualifications more transparent, comparable and recognisable across sectors and countries? What additional steps are required to improve individual mobility?

The meeting was followed by a light networking lunch, which provided opportunities to keep the discussion going!

The meeting was held in English and live-streamed via YouTube or via Webex

Registration has been closed

Programme

09.30‑10.00	Arrival and registration of participants Moderator: Loukas Zahilas, Head of Department for Vocational Education and Training (VET) and qualifications, Cedefop
10.00‑10.20	Welcome and setting the scene Yolanda González, Deputy Director, Spanish Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports Jürgen Siebel, Executive Director, Cedefop Chiara Riondino, Head of Unit – Vocational Education and Training, EMPL.B.3, European Commission
10.20‑11.15	SESSION 1 Pressing need for transparency and recognition: the way ahead Panel discussion moderated by Loukas Zahilas, Head of Department for VET and qualifications, Cedefop, followed by Q&A MEP Dennis Radtke, Coordinator of the EPP Group in the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, European Parliament Koen Nomden, Team leader – Skills and qualifications transparency and recognition, EMPL.B.2, European Commission Lydia Berrocoso Rufo, Head of VET International Relations Area, Spanish Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports Carita Blomqvist, Expert, Department for VET and qualifications, Cedefop
11.15‑11.25	Slido
11.25‑11.45	*Tea/coffee break*
11.45‑12.30	SESSION 2 Looking back to look ahead: two decades of EU tools and initiatives promoting transparency and transferability of learning outcomes and qualifications Zelda Azzarà, Expert, Department for VET and qualifications, Cedefop
12.30‑12.40	Slido
12.40‑13.00	Closing remarks Carmen Bermúdez, Education Attachée, Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU Jürgen Siebel, Executive Director, Cedefop Loukas Zahilas, Head of Department for VET and qualifications, Cedefop
13.00‑14.00	Networking lunch

Speakers

Dennis Radtke became a member of the European Parliament for the CDU (Christian Democratic Union of Germany) in 2017. Within Parliament, he is a member of the Committee for Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL), as well as a deputy member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). In July 2019, he was elected as coordinator of the European People's Party (EPP) for the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs. In addition to that, Radtke is a member of the delegation for relations with the Korean peninsula and a deputy member of the delegation for relations with Japan. Full CV

Jürgen Siebel – Executive Director, Cedefop

Jürgen Siebel joined Cedefop from the private sector in September 2019 as Executive Director.

Out of Thessaloniki, Cedefop supports the development of European vocational education and training (VET) policies, skills policies, and qualifications policies, and contributes to their implementation.

As Executive Director, Jürgen is responsible for managing the Agency’s operations in accordance with the strategic direction of its tripartite Management Board.

Before joining Cedefop, Jürgen served for more than 20 years as an HR manager with global governance and business-partner responsibilities at Siemens.

Jürgen earned his MSc in Economics at the University of Hamburg, and a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Vienna.

Yolanda Gonzalez Yolanda González – Deputy Director in the Cabinet of the General Secretariat of Vocational Training, Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports

Yolanda is Deputy Director in the Cabinet of the General Secretariat of Vocational Training in the Spanish Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports. She is in charge of the management of the economic and legal cooperation with companies and entities, together with the coordination with the International Relations and Distance Education team of the General Secretariat of Vocational Training. She has been Director of the Centre for Innovation and Development of Distance Education, which develops materials for distance vocational education and training in Spanish and English, and provides distance learning for primary education, secondary education for the young and adults, and vocational training to more than 30 000 students, distributed in more than 80 countries.

She holds a degree in Mathematics from the Complutense University of Madrid and a Masters in Publishing from the University of Salamanca. In her previous professional stages she has worked as a teacher in states centres in the Community of Madrid, being part of the management team and combined this work with that of author of educational materials for students and teachers in the main Spanish publishing companies.

Chiara Riondino, Head of Unit – Vocational Education and Training, EMPL.B.3, European Commission

Chiara Riondino is Head of Unit for vocational education and training in the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission, where she is also responsible for skills for the green and digital transformation. Chiara previously worked on employment policies, focusing mainly on employment opportunities and challenges in the changing world of work, active labour market policies and fair working conditions. She also worked more broadly on taking forward the European Pillar on Social Rights. Before joining the Commission, Chiara had worked in both the private and the public sector, including as Head of Unit in the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Loukas Zahilas – Head of the Department for VET and qualifications, Cedefop

Loukas Zahilas studied Chemistry and Information Technologies, and holds a PhD in educational policies (qualifications frameworks).

His more than 32 years of professional experience in education and training were mainly acquired at the Greek Ministry of Education, the University of Athens, and Cedefop.

He joined Cedefop in 2006 working initially as a senior expert on qualifications and the common EU tools, and as Head of the Department for VET and qualifications since 2014.

He is a member of Cedefop’s management team and his department’s work is based on research and analyses providing evidence on policy developments and implementation, as well as advice and support at European level.

It covers the Cedefop strategic area of ‘Shaping VET and qualifications’ aiming at improving the overall transparency, relevance, quality and inclusiveness of VET by facilitating close interaction between initial VET, continuous VET and general and higher education to serve the skills needs of all age groups at all levels.

Lidia Berrocoso Lydia Berrocoso – Head of the International Relations Area in the General Secretariat for VET in the Spanish Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports.

Lydia Berrocoso is the Head of the International Relations Area in the General Secretariat for VET in the Spanish Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports. The International Relations Area connects the General Secretariat for VET with European and international organisations seeking to develop initiatives linked to vocational training at international level.

Lydia’s previous VET experience comes from the Erasmus+ Spanish National Agency, SEPIE, where she worked for 3 years in the VET unit. Before that, she worked as secondary and VET teacher in State high schools in the region of Madrid.

Carmen Bermudez Carmen Bermúdez – Education Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union

Carmen Bermúdez works as Education Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union. She has participated in the negotiation of relevant initiatives in the Education Committee and has witnessed the process laying the foundations of the European Education Area. She previously held positions of responsibility in the Ministries of Education and Vocational Training regarding the management of scholarships and study grants.

Koen Nomden – Team leader, Skills and qualifications transparency and recognition, EMPL.B.2, European Commission

Koen Nomden is currently team leader for ‘Transparency and recognition of skills and qualifications, in the Skills Agenda Unit of the European Commission (DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion). He entered the European Commission in 2003 and has been working on topics such as qualifications frameworks, digital credentials, validation of non-formal and informal learning, career guidance and career guidance. Other positions he held within the European Commission include that of Erasmus Mundus programme manager, and of policy officer in charge of setting up a European Executive Agency in charge of implementing programmes in education, training, culture and media.

Zelda Azzara

Zelda Azzarà – Expert, Cedefop

Zelda Azzarà has been a Cedefop expert in the Department for VET and qualifications since 2021. She works on qualifications and EU transparency tools and principles, particularly within the context of the European and national qualifications frameworks and learning outcomes approach. Currently, she is responsible for the project on transparency and transferability of learning outcomes.

Previously, she worked at the European Commission, DG Employment and Social Affairs, where she was responsible for supporting the implementation of the EQF, including EQF Advisory Group activities, and was involved in initiatives related to Europass, validation of non-formal and informal learning, ESCO, and the Skills Agenda. Before that, she worked as a researcher, including in university. She holds a master degree in Political Science and International Relations from LUISS University, Rome, Italy.

Carita Blomqvist – Seconded National Expert, Cedefop

Carita Blomqvist is seconded national expert at Cedefop, Department for VET and qualifications since September 2023. In the past she worked as the Head of Unit (Recognition of qualifications and language competencies) in the National Agency for Education in Finland, with responsibilities including: competent authority as well as contact point in the professional recognition of qualifications, National Information Centre for Academic Recognition (ENIC/NARIC), and the Coordination Point for European and national qualifications frameworks.

She filled several international roles, including as the Finnish representative in the EQF Advisory Group and the Group of Coordinators for the EU Professional Qualifications Directive. She served as the President of the Lisbon Recognition Convention Committee and was in the drafting committee for the UNESCO Global Convention on the recognition of qualifications. She holds a doctorate in Administrative Sciences from the University of Tampere.