VET is crucial for equipping young people and adults with knowledge and skills to thrive in the labour market and society, embracing the digital and green transitions. What are European countries doing to make their VET systems agile, flexible, excellent, attractive, inclusive and quality-assured? How do different stakeholders contribute to making this happen and how do they overcome the challenges they encounter? Participants of Cedefop’s 9th virtual get-together, in the context of the European Year of Skills, discussed these questions on 17 April 2024.
Listen to the recordings on YouTube
The EU VET policy agenda was renewed in 2020 when the first ever Council Recommendation on vocational education and training (VET) and the Osnabrück Declaration on VET had set common EU priorities on VET for the following years. In 2022-23, EU Member States, Norway and Iceland developed their national implementation plans (NIPs) to address the common EU priorities. Cedefop analyses the measures countries have been implementing, using information collected annually by its European network of expertise in VET (ReferNet). In this virtual get-together, Cedefop shared its first findings on how countries implement their NIPs and discussed opportunities for moving them forward. ReferNet Representatives from the countries reflected on and illustrate the findings through their national examples.
Cedefop invited representatives from national, regional and local authorities, social partners, VET institutions, experts and practitioners, decision-makers and those interested to find out:
- the priorities countries have set for the coming years;
- their progress so far – about 400 policies and initiatives in the EU-27+ have been implemented since 2020;
- their main achievements and remaining challenges;
- how all stakeholders contribute to achieving common goals;
- how to make progress sustainable.
Take part in the discussion #VETnationalplans #ReferNet 
Listen the recordings of all Virtual Get Together on Cedefop´s YouTube channel.
Programme (CET)
| 13.50–14.00 | Joining online - technical tests |
| 14.00–14.05 |
Welcome and introduction
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| 14.05–14.20 |
Working together towards attractive, inclusive, innovative, agile, flexible and quality-assured VET
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| 14.20-14.45 |
Panel discussion: Making VET agile, flexible and quality assured
Moderators:
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| 14.45-15.10 |
Panel discussion: Making VET attractive, excellent and inclusive
Moderators:
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| 15.10-15.20 |
Questions and answers |
| 15.20-15.30 |
Wrap-up and way forward
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Speakers
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Dawid Dymkowski, PhD in National Security Studies, expert at the Educational Research Institute. He supports industries in the Polish economy in creating Sectoral Qualifications Frameworks. Dawid coordinated SQFs for Waste Management, Marketing Communications, and Cybersecurity. Recently, he worked as a team leader designing the validation process for learning outcomes. |
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Jordana Gasparinho, a 25-year-old native of the beautiful Algarve region in Portugal. My journey began with a passion for sports, leading me to study and qualify in sports management. However, upon completing my studies, I felt a yearning for something different. This curiosity led me to briefly relocate to the UK in my early twenties, only to realize that my heart truly belonged in the stunning landscapes of the Algarve. View moreUpon returning home, I embarked on a quest to discover my true calling and find fulfilment in life. It was during this time of exploration that I found myself drawn to the captivating worlds of film and photography. Looking back, I realize that my path had been subtly guiding me in this direction all along, as I had always been deeply passionate about capturing moments through the lens of a camera. Photography and film became not just hobbies, but a way of life for me, consuming my free time and igniting a sense of purpose within me. Now, immersed in the dynamic realm of the film and photography course I embarked on, I find myself continuously inspired by the stories waiting to be told through my lens. Each project allows me to explore new perspectives, connect with people, and share my view. As I continue on this exhilarating journey, I am driven by a desire to create meaningful, visually compelling narratives that resonate with audiences far and wide. |
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Irina Jemeljanova has been an expert in Cedefop since 2005. She worked in the study visits programme (2007-13) team and coordinated the work on teachers and trainers’ professional development in vocational education and training (VET) in 2011-19. In 2013-19, Irina also conducted thematic country reviews on apprenticeship in Croatia, Cyprus, Lithuania, and Slovenia. View moreSince 2020, she is part of the team on VET policies and systems and coordinates its work on monitoring progress toward EU priorities in VET, as set in the Council recommendation for VET and the Osnabrück Declaration, in the EU-27, Norway and Iceland. |
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George Kostakis is the Department Coordinator on VET and qualifications in Cedefop and leads Cedefop’s work on VET policies and systems which analyses developments and implementation of national VET policies in line with the VET Recommendation and Osnabruck Declaration. His thematic expertise includes quality assurance in VET and international qualifications. |
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Inga Kukk is adviser of the analysis unit at the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research. She coordinates the activities of ReferNet and Eurydice teams in Estonia. |
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Gabriel Radu is inspector, regional coordinator at National Centre for TVET Development Romania. Main tasks:
View moreOther information:
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Lisa Rustico is an expert in human capital development at the European Training Foundation and country liaison for North Macedonia, working mainly on work-based learning and adult learning. She developed her international experience in this field working for eight years as an expert in Cedefop and before that as researcher and consultant in universities and other public and private national and international bodies. |
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Sabine Tritscher-Archan is mainly involved in research and development work on IVET (in particular, apprenticeship training) and higher VET. Her tasks cover the design of new qualifications, the creation and implementation of quality assurance measures, the evaluation of educational policies as well as the provision of background information for decision makers. She also heads the NQF Service Centre at ibw, which supports providers of non-formal qualifications in submitting their qualifications to the Austrian NQF. |
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Jan Varchola works in Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, in the unit dealing with vocational education and training (VET). He leads a team working on the VET policies, relations with EU presidencies, Advisory Committee for Vocational Training, VET providers associations and implementation of the EU VET tools. View moreJan Varchola joined the Commission in 2004. Since then he has been working on a number of themes related to education and training, such career guidance, Leonardo da Vinci Programme, skills competitions, Agenda for New Skills and Jobs and attractiveness of VET. He was in charge of the main policy documents in the field of VET since 2010: Commission Communication on the future European cooperation in the field of VET (2010), Commission Staff Working Document on excellence in VET (2012), Riga Conclusions on the medium-term priorities in the field of VET (2015), the Opinion of the Advisory Committee on Vocational Training on the future of VET (2018), the Council Recommendation on vocational education and training (2020) and the Osnabrück Declaration (2020). |
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Paula Zvejniece has been the coordinator for ReferNet Latvia since 2021. Her previous professional experience includes working as a teacher in a VET institution, a moderator's assistant for developing occupation standards and professional qualifications at the Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia and the Latvian Agricultural Organization Cooperation Council, and a senior expert in vocational education curriculum in the EU Erasmus+ Skills Alliance Project ‘SkillMe’ at the National Centre for Education |
Dawid Dymkowski, Integrated Qualifications System Expert, Poland
Jordana Gasparinho
Irina Jemeljanova, Expert in VET policies and systems
George Kostakis, Department for VET and Qualifications Coordinator
Inga Kukk, Estonia ReferNet coordinator
Alexandru-Gabriel Radu, Romania ReferNet Team member
Lisa Rustico, Human capital development, European Training Foundation
Sabine Tritscher-Archan, Austria ReferNet Team member
Jan Varchola, Team leader, Unit B3 – 'Vocational education and training, Cedefop', Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission.
Paula Zvejniece, Latvia ReferNet coordinatorEvent details
Contacts
