Almost 80 vocational education and training (VET) representatives from the EU Member States, Iceland and Norway, members of the ReferNet network, discussed latest developments and exchanged information, including on ways to deal with the repercussions of the war in Ukraine in the VET field.
The 2022 ReferNet partnership forum, which marks the 20th anniversary of the network, took place virtually on 5, 6 and 7 April and was attended by ReferNet coordinators, team members and national representatives.
Partners presented latest information on the situation of refugees from Ukraine in their countries and the supporting measures taken as regards access to VET, education and the labour market, revealing once again Cedefop’s network as a precious source of information.
Further topics were addressed, such as the recognition of foreign qualifications (Norway and Germany), digital transition (Estonia and Italy), individual learning accounts (France) and skills shortages (Austria and Slovakia).
The meeting was also dedicated to the preparation of the upcoming deliverables:
- The survey on measuring and monitoring early leaving from initial VET in Europe
- Updating the Mobility Scoreboard
- Discussing the look and feel of the forthcoming Cedefop Timeline of VET policy developments, a new data visualisation tool
On the last day, partners reflected on several network-related topics, such as future challenges concerning the next Framework Partnership Agreement (2024-27), renewal of the Charter and the celebration of the 20th ReferNet anniversary (2002-2022).
