VET teachers at a turning point

Context

Drawing on responses from 735 teachers across 23 EU Member States, the analysis identifies key factors shaping professional learning and wellbeing. Findings point to a profession under growing strain, marked by heavy workloads, limited recognition and heightened risks of burnout. Teachers report rising expectations linked to classroom diversity, digitalisation, the green transition and stronger cooperation with workplaces. Professional development is driven less by formal training alone and more by informal and self-directed learning, supportive organisational environments, favourable working conditions and a sense of professional accomplishment. By shedding light on everyday realities of VET teachers, the EVTS demonstrates strong potential to inform EU and national policies aimed at strengthening and sustaining the teaching profession.

Facts and figures

• Low recognition and weak attractiveness
  Only 9% of IVET teachers believe that society values their profession, and just 13% consider their salary adequate. This persistent lack of recognition weakens the status of VET teaching and directly affects recruitment. As many Member States already face ageing VET teaching workforces, low attractiveness threatens to deepen shortages in key occupational areas.
• Staff shortages, workload and stalled career development
  Almost half of IVET teachers (49%) have taken on additional responsibilities due to lack of staff. More than one third (37%) experience heavy administrative burden, while over a quarter (27%) constantly manage behavioural challenges. Consequently, 34% feel their career progression is slower than it should be, with limited time for innovation, pedagogical development or sector-specific upskilling. Competition from private industry, offering higher salaries and clearer career paths, further exacerbates recruitment difficulties.
• A growing wellbeing crisis
  Sixty percent of teachers report physical exhaustion and sleeping difficulties, and 42% often or very often feel emotionally drained. Stress-related symptoms such as anxiety, cardiovascular complaints and depression are widespread. These patterns point to a Europe-wide wellbeing crisis, driven by heavy workloads, complex learner needs and a sense of being undervalued. At the same time, commitment remains: 35% still find their work intellectually stimulating, and 43% report access to abundant professional development opportunities.
• Rising classroom complexity and inclusion demands
  One in five teachers (21%) feel significantly unprepared to teach highly diverse groups, and one in four (25%) need more training to identify vulnerable learners. Nearly a third (32%) identify misbehaviour, including bullying or violence, as a major issue. Expectations linked to inclusive education have grown faster than the training systems supporting teachers.
• Green, digital and AI transitions outpacing preparedness
  Only around one third of IVET teachers feel ready to integrate sustainability into teaching. Nearly 30% report a significant need for digital upskilling. While 29% already use AI tools regularly, around one third need stronger competences to identify relevant applications and to address ethical risks. More than half (57%) expect intelligent systems to perform parts of teachers’ work within the next decade, reflecting uncertainty about future roles.
• Strengthening basic skills and labour market relevance
  These challenges have direct implications for the development of learners’ basic skills and for the overall labour market relevance of IVET systems. Strong foundations in literacy, numeracy, digital skills including AI literacy, problem-solving and transversal skills are prerequisites for successful acquisition of vocational competences and for adaptability in rapidly changing labour markets. When teachers are overstretched, insufficiently supported in advanced digital technologies, inclusion, or lack up-to-date sectoral expertise, the capacity of VET to systematically reinforce these basic skills is weakened. Conversely, investing in teachers’ pedagogical and sector-specific competences, strengthening cooperation with employers, and ensuring time and support for innovation enables IVET to integrate basic skills development within occupational learning pathways. This is essential not only to prevent early leaving and skills mismatches, but also to equip learners with the resilience and learning-to-learn capacities required for lifelong employability in the context of green and digital transitions.

Key messages

• IVET teachers remain highly committed, but they are operating at the limits of sustainability. Strengthening professional recognition, improving working conditions, ensuring competitive and transparent career pathways, and providing systematic, targeted continuing professional development - particularly in inclusion, green skills, digitalisation and AI - are essential to safeguard the quality and future of vocational education and training in Europe.
• Indeed, across Europe, substantial efforts are being made to strengthen and modernise support for VET teachers. Countries are prioritising digital competences – including AI and immersive technologies – and embedding sustainability as a core element of teacher training in line with the twin transition. At the same time, targeted incentives, structured induction and mentoring systems, and stronger links between schools and workplaces are being introduced to improve attractiveness and retention. Continuing professional development (CPD) is increasingly embedded in quality assurance frameworks and aligned with updated teacher standards, while several countries are moving from ad hoc training to coherent, system-wide professional development structures. Together, these reforms reflect a strategic recognition that investing in teachers is central to delivering high-quality, future-oriented VET.

Policy pointers

• See Chapter 6 of the report.