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Cedefop celebrated 40 years’ contribution to vocational education and training (VET) in Europe and 20 years in Greece with the opening of an exhibition on its history (11 June) and a conference (12 June). Friends and stakeholders, Commission representatives, Governing Board members, and present and former staff were invited to the festivities.
Eurolib, the collaboration group of libraries of the EU institutions, EU agencies and services, held its 2015 general assembly on 21 and 22 May at Cedefop in Thessaloniki, Greece. Discussions mainly focused on library management tools, collaboration and information sharing.
Reform of training systems under the voluntary European framework for cooperation in training, known as the Copenhagen process, has improved training in Europe. However, the full benefits of the changes made still need to be felt by people and enterprises.
Since 2010, all countries have been actively reforming their vocational education and training (VET) systems, following objectives set out in the Bruges communiqué. Even countries with strong training systems, such as Germany, France Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Malta, Austria, Finland and the UK, have all adapted existing and introduced new measures since 2010. Others such as Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Portugal, Poland and Romania have improved their systems and made up ground over the period.
Τα κράτη μέλη της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης και οι κοινωνικοί εταίροι έχουν επωφεληθεί από το έργο του Cedefop, του Ευρωπαϊκού Κέντρου για την Ανάπτυξη της Επαγγελματικής Κατάρτισης, στη 40χρονη πορεία του, σύμφωνα με τον Διευθυντή του οργανισμού, Τζέιμς Καλέγια.
Vocational education and training (VET) reform is opening up new routes for people into employment and for enterprises to develop the skills of their workforce to compete. However, reform still has some way to go for VET to meet 21st century expectations. But progress is being made, argues Cedefop Director James Calleja* on the occasion of the European agency’s 40th anniversary.
The challenges of the 21st century require new approaches to learning for work. Vocational education and training (VET) in Europe is evolving, but we need a clearer vision of what modern VET systems should look like.
This was the central message of Cedefop Director James Calleja’s* presentation to the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs committee, in Brussels today.
Κατά την πρώτη του επίσκεψη στο Cedefop ο νέος υφυπουργός Παιδείας Γεώργιος Γεωργαντάς διεμήνυσε στους υπευθύνους του οργανισμού τη διάθεσή του για ουσιαστικότερη συνεργασία με στόχο την επίλυση των προβλημάτων που αντιμετωπίζει η επαγγελματική εκπαίδευση στην Ελλάδα.
Cedefop presented its work to the Greek Parliament, for the first time, on 23 October. A delegation headed by Director James Calleja addressed MPs of the Education and Social Affairs select committees and answered questions on the agency’s contribution to the development of vocational education and training (VET) and its cooperation with Greek authorities and VET institutions.
Η συμβολή του Cedefop στην ανάπτυξη της επαγγελματικής εκπαίδευσης και κατάρτισης και η συνεργασία με τις ελληνικές αρχές και οργανισμούς ήταν το θέμα κοινής συνεδρίασης των κοινοβουλευτικών επιτροπών Μορφωτικών Υποθέσεων και Κοινωνικών Υποθέσεων, στην οποία αντιπροσωπεία του ευρωπαϊκού κέντρου παρουσίασε το έργο του και απάντησε σε ερωτήσεις βουλευτών.
‘Europe’s true problem is not one of a deficit of skills, but primarily a deficit of creation of good quality jobs,’ Cedefop Director James Calleja told the European Parliament of Enterprises on Thursday in Brussels.
The issue of permeability between different sections of education was the subject of two speeches Cedefop Director James Calleja gave at international conferences in September.
Last May, Cedefop held an expert workshop on how credit transfer systems can open doors between vocational and higher education. Participants investigated how credit transfer systems work in practice, and sought complementary and alternative solutions to the challenges these systems face.
Cedefop report finds that to best serve individuals, validation of non-formal and informal learning must take experience of companies into account.
Head of Area Enhanced Cooperation in VET and Lifelong Learning Mara Brugia has been appointed to the post of Deputy Director by Cedefop’s Governing Board. Ms Brugia will take up her new duties on 1 September 2014. She will replace outgoing Deputy Director Christian Lettmayr who is retiring at the end of August.
Qualifications that correspond to level 5 of the European qualifications framework (EQF) appeal to learners as they open up prospects on several fronts - immediate employment, career advancement, and further learning.
Early findings of a Europe-wide Cedefop study of the effect of vocational education and training (VET) on the dropout rate reveal that this effect is largely positive.
A new Cedefop project, which will look into the apprenticeship systems of Lithuania and Malta, has been launched. The project, to be completed in 2015, is in support of the European alliance for apprenticeships and will involve government ministries, vocational education and training (VET) institutions, social partners and other stakeholders in both countries.
At a high-level dinner, organised by weekly newspaper European Voice in Brussels on 20 May, Cedefop Director James Calleja said that ‘educational reform must have relatively the same speed as developments in the labour market’ to make it easier for young people to move from education to employment.
Apprenticeships and similar work-based schemes have proven to make it easier for young people to move from education to work. But not all countries have highly-developed apprenticeship schemes, and many wish to benefit from others’ experience. A Cedefop event on 7 and 8 May helped to pave the way towards new partnerships for apprenticeship between EU countries.
To reduce high unemployment among their young people, countries are looking to others for help. In countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands and Austria youth unemployment has remained relatively low. This is attributed in part to their apprenticeships or ‘dual’ systems and so interest in them has increased.