Agenda
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Cedefop hosted the fifth Policy learning forum on apprenticeships at Cedefop’s premises in Thessaloniki, on Wednesday 2 October 2024 (in-person event).

The forum was only open to the members of Cedefop’s Management Board, i.e. representatives of governments, employer and employee organisations. It was held ahead of Cedefop’s Management Board meeting.

As part of the series of Cedefop’s PLFs on apprenticeships, the overall objective of the 2024 PLF was to offer participants the possibility of peer learning, by sharing knowledge and reflecting on the experience of various countries.

The 2024 PLF was focused on the importance and the role of social dialogue in apprenticeships.

The programme and the presentations  of the event are available in the Downloads section below.

It was an opportunity for peer learning in relation to (a) how social dialogue can help better shape apprenticeship programmes in line with labour market needs; and (b) how it can contribute to attracting apprentices and therefore ensuring a qualified future workforce.

The forum combined plenary presentations, roundtable discussions, a closing panel and a structured networking session.

A summary of the discussions will be shared after the forum.

Examples of the topics discussed in previous PLFs:

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The 2024 annual meeting of the Cedefop Community of apprenticeship experts will take place at Cedefop’s premises in Thessaloniki on Tuesday 19 November 2024 (date to be confirmed, in-person event).

The meeting is only open to members of the Cedefop Community of apprenticeship experts.

During the meeting, apprenticeship experts will have an opportunity to:

  • share information on their work on apprenticeships and learn from one another;
  • discuss the preliminary findings of the 2024 Community activity on the use of incentives in apprenticeships;
  • explore potential ways to analyse and promote the topic further;
  • present their suggestions for future Community activities.

Exact duration to be confirmed. The agenda and preparation material will be shared in due course.

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The virtual workshop provided an opportunity for policy-makers, stakeholders, experts and researchers to discuss the initial findings of the project on VET excellence and inclusion.Listen to the recordingsPlenary session   BO session 1  BO session 2   BO session 3 

The virtual workshop provided an opportunity for policy-makers, stakeholders, experts and researchers to discuss the initial findings of the project on VET excellence and inclusion.

Listen to the recordings

Plenary session   BO session 1  BO session 2   BO session 3 

Its aim was to deepen Cedefop’s understanding of the challenges facing European vocational education and training (VET) in the coming decades. Discussions focused on how the concepts of excellence and inclusion are understood, addressed and operationalised across Europe. The workshop examined how these concepts are reflected in national policy documents and standards. It further complements the ongoing political discussion on the future of European VET.

 

Registration is closed 

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A workshop was organised by Cedefop to discuss the progress of EU27+ countries in implementing the Council Recommendation on VET and the  Osnabruck Declaration.

A workshop was organised by Cedefop to discuss the progress of EU27+ countries in implementing the Council Recommendation on VET and the  Osnabruck Declaration.

Participants discussed and validate Cedefop’s findings from national stakeholder interviews (conducted in April – July 2024) in combination with the analysis of the measures reported by ReferNet in line with countries national implementation plans. Selected stakeholders, European and national, including those interviewed, took part.

Among the issues, the participants discussed how stakeholders assess the progress of their countries, differences in perceptions, main obstacles to achieve the priorities and areas to work on in the future. The outcomes will feed into preparation of the synthesis report and developing policy pointers on areas to work in the future.

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Cedefop had the pleasure of holding the Eighth CareersNet annual meeting and related activities for core network independent experts on 13 and 14 November 2024 at Paviljonki Conference Centre, Lutakonaukio 12, in Jyväskylä (Finland). The meeting took place in connection with the IAEVG international guidance conference - Ri...

Cedefop had the pleasure of holding the Eighth CareersNet annual meeting and related activities for core network independent experts on 13 and 14 November 2024 at Paviljonki Conference Centre, Lutakonaukio 12, in Jyväskylä (Finland). The meeting took place in connection with the IAEVG international guidance conference - Riding the Wave of Change, held from 12 to 14 November 2024.

Cedefop was one conference partner and presenter, among other event partners (ETF, Euroguidance, National Agency for Education, etc.). The network meeting itself was restricted to core members (or alternates substituting core members or hosting), some of whom also participated in the parallel international conference sessions dedicated to supporting capacity and professional development in the field.

The CareersNet meeting, provided by the local hosts at a separate venue, was attended by 20 network experts. CareersNet alternate expert and guidance specialist Raimo Vuorinen, welcomed Cedefop and the CareersNet members on behalf of the local hosts in Finland including Jaana Kettunen, core expert for Finland (Professor at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research (FIER), University of Jyväskylä and IAEVG President).

The Conference was organised and hosted by the Finnish Institute for Educational Research (FIER), University of Jyväskylä, together with the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland. Cedefop was very honoured to be part of the events and to receive a warm welcome, and to hold the CareersNet meeting during the conference week.

The collegial network meeting (agenda below) intended to reset and reflect on changes for guidance systems amidst diverse challenges and concerns, and opportunities. It allowed for mutual learning, reflection, and exchange, in lifelong guidance and policy fields where guidance is provided and integrated, and career development needs to be supported. The meeting agenda (see below) was also an opportunity to learn about the lifelong guidance strategy in Finland and members attended conference plenary and paper sessions while enjoying the local ambiance.

Network core experts at the meeting discussed their views and inputs on future meeting formats, themes of interest, challenges/strategies in updating the Lifelong guidance inventory systems and practices (new records on the way; and updating the landing page for 2024-2025) and its template (and links to the revision of the Guidelines framework for lifelong guidance), and use of the Inventory contents, and future collaboration. Past and upcoming activity was discussed such as the next working papers. Member inputs inspired debate and exchange on two key themes: developments and challenges in professionalising the guidance services and private providers and related; and the connection between guidance and productivity, and socio-economic outcomes (referencing Cedefop’s 3 volumes of work and future plans on supporting careers and learning through finding common ground for building standards in monitoring and evaluating in lifelong guidance).  

Cedefop (Cynthia Harrison, CareersNet and guidance) was also represented during a plenary conference session (see agenda below) where agencies of the TVET Inter-agency working group on career guidance (IAG WGCG) presented its work (e.g., Global Careers Month), together with partners from the OECD, ILO, UNESCO (not all agencies were able to attend). In addition, Cedefop expert in validation Ernesto Villalba (in place of ETF’s Florian Kadletz, who was unable to attend) with Jaana Kettunen (IAEVG President) and panellists from OECD, and the Ministry of Education and Culture joined the final reflective conference panel discussion - Riding the Digital Wave.

Please see the Cedefop post of the CareersNet annual meeting 2024 and IAEVG conference on LinkedIn.

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The 22nd ReferNet annual plenary meeting took place in Thessaloniki, Greece and welcomed new partners under the 2024-27 framework partnership agreement, as well as national representatives of the network and representatives from the European Commission (EU) and the European Training ...

The 22nd ReferNet annual plenary meeting took place in Thessaloniki, Greece and welcomed new partners under the 2024-27 framework partnership agreement, as well as national representatives of the network and representatives from the European Commission (EU) and the European Training Foundation (ETF).

The event had a central thematic on “20th Years together” aiming to celebrate the anniversary of the 2024 enlargement of the EU with the accession of 10 additional countries. On 1 May 2004, 20 years ago, our European family grew bigger.

The citizens of Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia became citizens of the EU. Overnight, our Union became a greater political, economic and cultural entity, stretching from Tallinn to Lisbon, from Valletta to Stockholm, from Dublin to Nicosia. Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia’s accession a few years later has made our Union even stronger.

The aim of the meeting was to:

  • induct the newcomers, introduce them to the tools available, and provide assistance;
  • inform partners of the latest EU policy developments on VET, skills and qualifications;
  • take stock of the work carried out in 2024 and the outcomes published and disseminated;
  • prepare the 2025 work plan: VET policy reporting, Spotlight, news, visibility actions, etc.;
  • foster partnership and knowledge-sharing through interactive (joint) presentations of national developments, debates, etc.;
  • hold individual meetings for deeper cooperation among members and between members and Cedefop experts.
  • reinstall a physical network dynamic of cooperation and shared reflection by convening in a physical open space, which will encourage creative reflection on how partners would like ReferNet to develop in the 2024-27 period.

Participants also had an opportunity to exchange good dissemination practices in a dedicated space where they coul display their national publications, newsletters, videos, promotional items, etc and benefit from bilateral meetings.


20 years from the 2004 enlargement of the EU

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At this workshop, Cedefop and external experts presented cutting-edge research on the impact of the digital transition on skill mismatches in EU labour markets. Policies to prepare the EU workforce for an artificially intelligent future of work have also been discussed. The workshop mainly used unique data from Cedefop’s s...

At this workshop, Cedefop and external experts presented cutting-edge research on the impact of the digital transition on skill mismatches in EU labour markets. Policies to prepare the EU workforce for an artificially intelligent future of work have also been discussed. The workshop mainly used unique data from Cedefop’s second European skills and jobs survey.

 

The presentations, posters, programme and photos of the event are available in the Downloads section below. 

Recent improvements in autonomous digital technologies, such as fast developments in generative artificial intelligence (AI), can markedly affect skill demand in workplaces and foster skill mismatches. Technological change can substitute human capital, resulting in automation and job loss, but it can also contribute to mainly high-skilled work, augmenting labour and improving job quality.

Policy debate has recently been calling for a ‘human-centred’ technological change; yet further research is needed on how new digital technologies may have negative or positive labour market outcomes for workers, and on how they may interact with their job tasks, upskilling needs and overall job quality. Greater focus should also be placed on the relationship between digitalisation and worker upskilling/reskilling needs, and on how these may be governed by different forms of work organisation. Deeper understanding of the interaction between technology adoption in workplaces, (algorithmic) management practices and investment in workers’ continuing skill development may assist in the design of a human-capital-friendly regulatory framework.

This Cedefop workshop focused on investigating underlying factors of different forms of joined agency between humans and technology, and how these may differ across various workplace environments with diverse human resource management practices. Understanding the conditions under which different digital technologies may have positive or negative implications for workers’ upskilling and skills matching outcomes is a key aim of the workshop. To achieve it, experts presented new evidence, mainly but not exclusively based on data from Cedefop’s second European skills and jobs survey (ESJS2) microdata.

The workshop was organised around the following themes:

  • How do (new) digital technologies interact with human capital and what factors determine if there is complementarity or substitutability of technology for skills?
  • How do (new) digital technologies increase or  reduce workers’ skilling needs?
  • How is the effect of digitalisation on the labour market mediated by different job-skill requirements and alternative forms of work organisation?
  • What types of skill mismatches are associated with the adoption of new digital technologies in workplaces?
  • How does the adoption of digital technologies in firms interact with their human resource management and skill utilisation strategies?
  • What drivers and policies may influence workers’ participation in education and training activities to cope with new digital technologies?

The keynote lecture was given by Professor Chris Warhurst, Director of Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick.

Professor_Chris_Warhurst

Professor Chris Warhurst FRSA FAcSS is Director of the Institute for Employment Research at the University of Warwick in the UK. He is an internationally recognised expert on job quality and skills. He has published 18 books including the Oxford Handbook of Job Quality (2022) and the Oxford Handbook of Skills and Training (2017). He is currently the UK lead for a Horizon Europe project on Industry 5.0 (Bridges 5.0) and about to lead a new UK project to create healthy jobs. He is/has been an expert advisor to the UK, Australian and Scottish Governments and the OECD.

Participation in the event was by invitation only to authors of accepted papers from the following call for submissions and to a limited number of registered individuals.

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Reference
CEDEFOP/2024/OP/0003
Closing date
19/07/2024