Projects

The purpose of this project is to support the design, diffusion and implementation of VET policies and measures helping adults, especially the low-skilled, to achieve the knowledge, skills and competences required for work, employability and lifelong learning.

The overall aim of the project is to expand protection and solution opportunities through complementary pathways of admission to Europe and legal intra-EU mobility. For this purpose, the project will design a VET, skills and qualifications supported complementary pathway mechanism; such a mechanism takes from the beginning VET, skills and qualifications into account as a way to support legal mobility of refugees and has the potential of increasing labour market integration possibilities in the medium to long run.

Cedefop’s “AI futures of work” project analyses how fast advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies are affecting skill demands and fostering skill mismatches in EU labour markets. It also examines digitalisations’ implications for new forms of work and learning, such as platform, gig, remote or other types of hybrid work. The insights of the project aim to inform policy regarding the future of vocational education and training and how to achieve the EU digital transition ambitions.

Cedefop’s European skills and jobs survey (ESJS) has revealed that about 45% of EU adult workers believe that their skills can either be better developed or utilised at work. European policy that mitigates skill mismatch can thus be conducive to raising productivity and improving worker well-being.

But better matching a country’s skill supply to the needs of its economy is a dynamic process that requires policies to increase education and training responsiveness to labour market needs. Mitigating skill mismatch in an era of fast-paced digitalisation, AI and automation requires a well-developed skills anticipation infrastructure in countries and an integrative approach to skills governance.

Apprenticeship and other forms of work-based learning can be an opportunity for empowering young people and adults, boosting their long-term employability through quality education and training.

The aim of the Changing nature and role of vocational education and training (VET) in Europe project is to improve our understanding of how VET is changing in the European Union countries (including Norway and Iceland). Over a three-year period (2016-18), the project will analyse how vocationally oriented education and training has developed and changed in the past two decades (1995-2015) and, on this basis, point to the main challenges and opportunities facing the sector today and in the future.

The project aims to find the link between the comparison and recognition of VET qualifications and learning outcomes, clarify difficulties in this process, analyse the tools used and propose solutions. The project builds on previous Cedefop work on comparing qualifications and is closely linked to the ongoing project on the transparency and transferability of learning outcomes, as well as the projects related to the EQF and NQFs. 

As digital transformation spreads across industries and workplaces, the demand for modern, adaptable skills is rapidly increasing. Vocational education and training (VET) is essential for equipping young learners with the digital skills and competences they need to navigate and succeed in this evolving digital environment. Ensuring that digital skills are effectively integrated into initial VET (IVET) curricula is crucial for preparing learners to meet the challenges of the digitalised labour market and empowering them with the tools necessary to build a successful future.

Cedefop conducts research and develops tools to support policy-makers and practitioners to promote inclusion in Vocational education and training (VET). Cedefop’s work on inclusion has a dual focus: to tackle early leaving from education and training (ELET) and to empower young NEETs through VET.

The European Company Survey explores the strategies deployed by companies to meet their skill needs, through recruitment, HR development practices and work organisation; with special emphasis will be put on the impact of digitalisation.

The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) is a common European reference framework whose purpose is to make qualifications more readable and understandable across different countries and systems. Covering qualifications at all levels and in all sub-systems of education and training, the EQF provides a comprehensive overview over qualifications in the 41 European countries currently involved in its implementation. In close cooperation with the European Commission, Cedefop provides analytical and coordination support for the implementation of the EQF and carries out a number of comparative studies and analysis on issues related to the implementation of the framework at EU, national and sectoral level.

The European skills and jobs survey (ESJS) is Cedefop’s own periodic EU-wide survey aimed at collecting information on the skill requirements, skill mismatches and initial and continuing learning of adult workers in EU labour markets.

Cedefop’s European Skills Index (ESI) measures the performance of national skills systems using a composite indicator approach. ESI monitors countries’ performance over time and provides insights into possible improvement areas. ESI delivers evidence that supports the EU policy framework for VET and skills, in particular the European Pillar of Social Rights and the European  Skills Agenda.

In a context of rapidly changing labour markets, keeping pace with increasing needs of inclusive, digital and green societies hinges on the continuing professional development (CPD) of teachers in vocational education and training (VET) schools.

The project's objective is to monitor EU member states’ strategies and mechanisms for financing vocational education and training (VET) and to investigate their effectiveness and efficiency. This site provides information on investment in VET and on developments in VET funding systems and instruments. The analysis focuses on cofinancing, looking at roles of different stakeholders in sharing costs and responsibilities in VET.

The Future of vocational education and training (VET) project, covering the 27 EU Member States as well as Iceland, Norway and the UK, will contribute to a better overall understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing European VET in the coming years.

Purely occupation-specific skills are not enough for vocational education and training (VET) learners to adapt to new life situations and career shifts, manage change, take initiative and risk, innovate, and engage in further learning; they also require key competences.

To support development of learning at work in Europe there is a need to increase awareness of training and adult learning’s positive impact on enterprise innovation and competitiveness.

The learning outcomes principle is - explicitly since 2004 - systematically promoted in the EU policy agenda for education, training and employment. The learning outcomes approach binds together important European tools developed during the last decade, notably the European Qualification Frameworks (EQF). At national level, the learning outcomes form the basis on which national qualifications frameworks  are built and is increasingly influencing the definition and writing of qualifications and curricula as well as the orientation of assessment and teaching and training.  

Lifelong guidance aims to provide career development support for individuals of all ages, at all career stages. It includes careers information, advice, counselling, assessment of skills and mentoring. Quality guidance services should be available to all individuals, regardless of their employment situation, socioeconomic status, ethnicity or gender. Cedefop’s lifelong guidance project develops research and knowledge exchange for the improvement of guidance and counselling across the European Union.

The project provides a better understanding of the role microcredentials play in supporting labour market-related and employment-relevant education, training and learning. The first phase of the project (2020-23)   offered new knowledge about the characteristics of microcredentials, their added value for individual learners and employees, as well as their impact on existing qualifications and recognition systems. The current research phase (2025-27) is looking at microcredentials emerging outside formal education and training systems, focusing on specific labour market sectors and independent initiatives of companies and professional bodies. 

The IVET mobility scoreboard is a tool for monitoring developments in IVET mobility policies and the implementation of the 2011 Council recommendation 'Youth on the move' in European countries.

In this project Cedefop monitors the implementation of the common EU priorities in VET and analyses key achievements and challenges in the European cooperation in VET since 2002 (known as Copenhagen Process).

National qualifications frameworks (NQFs) help to make qualifications easier to understand and compare. They can also encourage countries to rethink and reform national policy and practice on education, training and lifelong learning.  

NQFs classify qualifications by level, based on learning outcomes - that is, what the holder of a certificate or diploma is expected to know, understand, and be able to do. This classification reflects the content and profile of qualifications. The learning outcomes approach also ensures that education and training subsystems are open to one another. Thus, it allows people to move more easily between education and training institutions and sectors. Cedefop’s National qualifications frameworks (NQFs) online tool provides detailed and interactive information on national qualifications frameworks. 

In 2016 Cedefop launched its first ever opinion survey aimed at investigating European citizens’ opinions on Vocational Education and Training (VET). A total of 35,646 interviews were conducted among the citizens of the Member States. The survey provides unprecedented data on European’s opinions on awareness, attractiveness and effectiveness of vocational education and training in Europe.

Quality assurance in vocational education and training (VET) is a key priority at EU level to improve the quality of VET systems, and increase transparency of VET developments between Member States, thereby supporting mutual trust, mobility of workers and learners, and lifelong learning.

In cooperation with the European Commission, Cedefop supports the implementation of the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training (EQAVET).

Environmental change has been one of the key drivers of labour demand and skills supply across all sectors for the past years. Cedefop has been exploring the implications on jobs and skills for over a decade now. Since 2019, the European Green Deal (EGD) is the EU's new growth strategy, aiming at transforming the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use. Leaving no person and no place behind this transition is another pillar of the EGD.

Implementing the EGD will affect all EU sectors and occupations, albeit in different intensities and directions. To better understand the implications in jobs and skills, as well as the role of VET in supporting the green transition, Cedefop's relevant work explores employment effects, skill requirements and implications for vocational education and training (VET) at EU, sectoral and occupational level. The main aims are to investigate the expected impact of the EGD and other EU environmental and climate change policies on future skills demand within and across sectors, and to provide insights for effective training and education policies and initiatives.

To learn more about Cedefop's recent work on skills and jobs for the green transition, you can listen to our podcast.

Cedefop Skills Forecast provides comprehensive information on future labour market trends in Europe. The forecast acts as an early warning mechanism to help alleviating potential labour market imbalances and support different labour market actors in making informed decisions.

In today’s dynamic labour market, understanding employers’ requirements is crucial for shaping responsive skills formation systems and plays a key role in helping people make well-informed career and training choices. Such information can also vitally contribute to strengthening employment services, facilitate the work of guidance counsellors to assess individual training needs, and support training providers in adapting curricula and training programmes. Policy-makers can benefit from up-to-date insights into current and emerging skill needs and new jobs being created, helping them shape forward-looking employment and skills policies.

It is essential that teachers and trainers have opportunities to develop and maintain their technical, pedagogical and transversal skills to the highest standards. Cedefop supports the implementation of European strategic objectives for high quality professional development accessible to all VET teachers and trainers in Europe.

The project looks at European and national policy initiatives promoting transparency and transferability of learning outcomes of the past two decades (2000-20) to examine how they have supported individual citizens’ lifelong and life-wide learning. Over a period of 3 years (2021-25), the project will analyse how the diverse initiatives have increased flexibility, allowing individuals to enter, re-enter and combine education, training and learning according to their specific needs and circumstances. Potential future polices choices and their implications will also be explored through a scenario approach.

The importance to Europe of skilled and knowledgeable citizens extends beyond formal education to learning acquired in non-formal or informal ways. Citizens must be able to demonstrate what they have learned, to use this learning in their career and for further education and training.

The project on VET excellence and inclusion, covering the 27 EU Member States as well as Iceland, Norway and the UK, will support policy makers and stakeholders in strengthening the overall relevance and quality of European vocational education and training in 21st century.

Cedefop’s work on VET statistics and indicators supports evidence-based policy and practice in VET. It works to improve the availability, quality, relevance, use, analysis and dissemination of data on initial and continuing VET, adult learning and skill development, including labour market and other VET-related data. Cedefop cooperates with key stakeholders to develop and improve international statistics, including Eurostat and OECD. Project outputs include online access to statistical data and indicators at European and country level related to European VET policy, publications, data insights, analyses and updates to help interpret data meanings and trends.

‘VET systems in Europe’ is the most comprehensive information resource on vocational education and training (VET) systems in European countries.