A multifaceted strategic approach is necessary for Europe to reach the target of high-quality and inclusive continuing vocational education and training (CVET). This was the overarching conclusion of Cedefop’s Brussels seminar, organised virtually alongside Slovenia’s European Union presidency on 15 November.

Cedefop’s Brussels seminars build on the Agency’s research to highlight issues relating to vocational education and training (VET), skills and employment.

This latest event was dedicated to inclusive participation in skills development with a special focus on CVET and attended by Brussels-based stakeholders from the Permanent Representations of Member States to the EU, the European Commission, the European Parliament, European business and sector associations, trade union and employee organisations.

Commenting on the below-target figures of adult participation in CVET, Cedefop Executive Director Jürgen Siebel noted that to make CVET effective for the individuals and increase their participation we need to ensure synergies between the various supporting policies, including financial and non-financial incentives, guidance, validation, outreach policies and the professional development of trainers and mentors in vocational training.

Alison Crabb, Head of Unit at the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (EMPL), European Commission, said that in the next few weeks the EC will be coming forward with the final two proposals that are part of the European Skills Agenda, which will be opening up pathways for learning adults, focusing on microcredentials and the individual learning account as a tool to help trigger higher participation in adult learning.

Adult learning and the twin transitions

Nataša Kranjc, Director General at the Slovenian Ministry of Education, spoke of the priorities set by the Slovenian presidency of the European Council, which include the increase and improvement of the provision of high-quality adult learning opportunities, supported by awareness-raising, guidance and outreach activities; all that -she added- is part of the wider set of policies to assist economic recovery through the twin, green and digital, transformations.

Luka Živić, Chair of the Education Committee of the Slovenian Presidency, analysed the ‘holistic approach in a lifelong-learning perspective’ of the new European agenda for adult learning, which puts the adult learner at the centre and covers formal, non-formal and informal learning activities, both in general and vocational, after-leaving-initial, education.

Potential demand for adult learning and CVET

Cedefop’s Lidia Salvatore presented a paper on fostering adult participation in CVET and shaping learning conducive workplaces, based on the Agency’s research, pointing to the fact that the potential demand for adult learning is high, identifying reasons for non-participation and proposing ways to unlock this potential through creating suitable incentives.

Cynthia Harrison, Patrycja Lipinska and Ernesto Villalba-Garcia of Cedefop illustrated the Agency’s latest work on steps towards integrated and coordinated policies enabling individual learning and supporting company training.

The employers’ vital role

The event’s final session hosted a panel discussion on the role of employers in increasing participation in CVET, chaired by Cedefop Deputy Director Mara Brugia.

Agnes Roman, Senior Policy Coordinator on Education policy / Advisor on Education and Training policy at the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), although acknowledging that, unfortunately, in a crisis the training budgets suffer first, she asserted that CVET is definitely linked to quality of jobs and good working conditions.

Robert Plummer, Senior Adviser at BusinessEurope, noted that companies, particularly those of larger size, make considerable efforts to provide training but he added that businesses and workers representatives ought to work more on providing motivation, especially to those at the lower-skilled bracket of the workforce, so that they make use of available opportunities for further training.

As for the European Commission’s role in incentivising players for reskilling and upskilling workers, Felix Rohn, Policy Officer at EMPL, pointed to the role of the European Skills Agenda and the Pact for Skills, which has already attracted 450 signatories in its first year.

Concluding the event, Ms Brugia identified three key messages from the seminar:

  • Low participation in adult learning indicates that people lack awareness of their skill needs and do not see concrete exchange value on the labour market;
  • raising participation in CVET requires supporting people and companies, particularly SMEs, through stronger synergies among various policies, well-coordinated financing, guidance and validation;
  • to shape a new CVET culture, we need a strategic approach based on social dialogue and partnerships as well as governance arrangements that encourage effective collaboration.