Lithuania: inclusion and opportunities for all VET students

Challenges to inclusive participation in VET

Equipping young people with essential skills for work and life is key to boosting their employability and addressing skills mismatches in the labour market. However, students with special educational needs (SEN) and those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds (SEB) face additional challenges in accessing and successfully completing VET programmes. Key barriers to their participation and success include a shortage of support specialists, insufficient learning support, and a lack of specialised learning and training tools.

Lithuania’s response: making VET accessible for all

To tackle these challenges, Lithuania launched a 55-month project in October 2024 titled Profesinis mokymas – prieinamas visiems ( Vocational education and training a Accessible for all), aiming to ensure high-quality VET for all learners. The project focuses on increasing the accessibility of VET and creating a more inclusive learning environment that meets the needs of a diverse student population.

The project’s primary objective is to strengthen VET institutions so they can offer flexible, student-centred education tailored to individual needs. By implementing targeted support measures, the initiative seeks to promote equity and maximise the benefits of VET for specific student groups (SEN and SEB). The project’s target groups include students with SEN, students from disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as teachers and educational support professionals working in the VET system.

To achieve its aims, the project will support VET institutions in creating inclusive learning environments and adapting VET curricula and content to meet individual needs better. It will provide specialised in-service training and methodological support for teachers and educational support specialists, encouraging the adoption of a wide range of teaching methods and promoting positive attitudes towards evolving teaching and learning processes. It will also organise non-formal educational activities, such as career days and other targeted initiatives, to support the personal and professional development of students with SEN and those from SEB.

The project is expected to support 790 disadvantaged students, significantly improving their access to VET. It aims to create the necessary conditions for these students not only to access vocational education and training but also to obtain recognised qualifications and successfully enter the labour market. At the same time, the initiative will contribute to the continued development of a quality culture within VET institutions, based on the principles of inclusivity and social integration. This will lead to the expansion of VET opportunities for all individuals, irrespective of their personal needs, abilities, or socioeconomic context.

The project is promoted by the European Social Fund Agency. Its partners are VET institutions, the Qualifications and Vocational Education and Training Development Centre, the Lithuanian Centre for Inclusion in Education, and the Lithuanian Agency for Non-Formal Education. 

Financing amounts to EUR 5 106 147.82, funded by the European Union through the European Social Fund+ (ESF+) and national co-financing.

Read more

• Information about the project Vocational education and training – Accessible for all (10-020-P-0001) (only in Lithuanian)
• Information from Ministry of Education, Science and Sport about the support measures improving access to VET for students with SEN and from SEB (in Lithuanian)
• Information about the call for proposals providing support to improve access to VET for students with SEN and from SEB (in Lithuanian)