Born in Perugia, Italy, Ms Brugia joined Cedefop in 1994 and rose through the ranks to become Head of Area in 2004. She has been managing teams of experts working in European VET policy analysis, the common European tools and principles for education and training, and adult and work-based learning with a specific focus on apprenticeship-type learning. She served as Acting Deputy Director from November 2012 to October 2013 and since September 2014 she is the Deputy Director of Cedefop. Ms Brugia holds a university degree in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Economics, Politics and Law of the European Union.
James Calleja
Mr James Calleja has been involved in vocational training since 2001.
Before his appointment as Director of Cedefop in October 2013, he served as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Employment (2011 – 2013) in his native Malta. In 2005 he was entrusted with the setting up of the Malta Qualifications Council where he served as Chief Executive up to December 2010. In 2009 he also took charge of the National Commission for Higher Education (2009 – 10). He was in charge of the merger between the two agencies in 2010 – 2011. Since 1988 Mr Calleja held a part-time lecturing position in the Faculty of Education and since 2001 in the Department of International Studies of the University of Malta. In summer 2013 he was promoted to the rank of a University Professor.
Mr Calleja is a graduate of the Universities of Malta, Padua (Italy) and Bradford (UK). In the UK he obtained his PhD from the Department of Peace Studies on a thesis on education and international relations in the context of Kant’s political philosophy. In 2001, he was appointed Administrative Director of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology and in 2004, he moved to the European Training Foundation in Turin as Administrator. Prior to these appointments he served in the Foundation for International Studies of the University of Malta (1986 – 1995), the United Nations International Institute on Aging (1995 – 1998) and in the Ministry of Economic Services.
A prolific writer, Mr Calleja has published books and articles and has edited various publications. He is the co-author of the Malta Referencing Report of the Malta Qualifications Framework to the EQF and the QF-EHEA. He has chaired, participated in and presented several papers at international seminars, conferences and workshops and conducted training programmes in various countries in Europe, North America, South-East Asia, Australia, South Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean region. He represented Malta on the EQF Advisory Group, on CEDEFOP’s Governing Board and on the Bologna Follow-Up Group. He was also a member of the Council of the University of Malta representing the Ministry of Education and Employment.
Carina Cronsioe
Carina Cronsioe is deputy director at the division for upper secondary and adult education in the Ministry of Education and Research in Sweden. Her main fields of expertise are vocational educational training and one of her areas of responsibility is to deal with matters concerning the Government’s steering and follow-up of the national Agency for Higher Vocational Education. The agency’s main objectives is to ensure that the supply of higher vocational education training meets labor market needs. To ensure this goal analysis, in close cooperation with the labor market organizations and sector representatives, and information about the needs for different competences are crucial tasks for the agency. Carina Cronsioe has formerly worked at the Ministry of Employment and the Swedish Public Employments Services with issues concerning labor market training and labor market forecasts.
Pascaline Descy
Head of Research and Policy Analysis, Cedefop (European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training)
Ms Pascaline Descy, Head of Research and Policy Analysis at Cedefop, manages a team of experts working in European VET policy analysis, identifying skill needs and mismatch in Europe and research on VET and adult learning.
She came to Cedefop in 1997 as an expert in VET research and developing comparable statistics on VET, lifelong learning and skills in Europe. In recent years, she has investigated the economic and social benefits to education, training and skills. Prior to joining Cedefop, Ms Descy was a researcher at the University of Liège in Belgium, where she was involved in comparative education projects.
Pascaline Descy holds a Master’s degree in education science from the University of Liège, Belgium.
Nicos Gavalakis
Nicos Gavalakis is an Advisor at the Social Affairs Department of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV). He is responsible for issues related to vocational education and training, the Greek Qualifications Framework, certification, in-company training etc. Nicos was a Training Supervisor at the Athens International Airport SA and the Organizing Committee of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. He has also an over ten years experience as a consultant in human resources development. He holds a Degree in Economics from the University of Athens and an MA in Development Economics from the University of East Anglia.
Auli Härkönen
Auli Härkönen works as a senior career counsellor at Amiedu. Amiedu is the leading adult education centre in Helsinki, Finland. Auli is involved in career management services for public and private sector customers. Her tasks include mentoring, too. Her career has included roles as director of personnel training and director of business development at Amiedu. Auli has worked as teacher trainer at HAMK, University of Applied Sciences Professional Teacher Education Unit. Auli was a member in the national education committee for education and guidance. The committee is a tripartite body established by the Ministry of Education and Culture to enhance collaboration between education and working life.
Auli is a member in ReferNet-network coordinated by the Finnish National Board of Education. Prior to ReferNet she was a member and the national coordinator at the Finnish TTnet network. Auli was one of the authors in PROFF – Professionalisation of VET teachers for the future in Cedefop Panorama series. She was involved in the Mentor Handbook, A Practical Guide for VET Teacher Training, published jointly by universities of Greenwich and Surrey in collaboration with Cedefop.
Iris Hermens
Iris Hermens studied and graduated Human Resource Development in 2009. Meanwhile, she trained teachers in coaching skills at the educational facility Hogeschool Van Arnhem en Nijmegen.
After her graduation she started her own foundation for coaching students in selecting study courses. In 2013, she joined the Entreprenasium Foundation where she helped developing the educational concept about entrepreneurial learning. The concept is nominated as one of the 20th most inspiring and innovative entrepreneurial educational concepts in Europe.
Adrijana Hodak
Adrijana Hodak obtained her university degree in German language at University of Ljubljana in 1998. She was a teacher in VET programmes as well as in classical and technical high school for 10 years then. In 1999 she joined to the coordinators of international projects in the frame of national institution for EU projects, CMEPIUS. She has run and coordinated many international and national projects. All the projects were about development, improvement of and innovation in VET. She was a leader of two biggest ESF projects in Slovenija MUNUS and MUNUS 2 implemented by Consortium of school Centres of Slovenija. In both projects we developed new VET programmes according to the labour market demands and new starting points confirmed by Slovenian national council for VET in 2001 and offered professional support to 82 Slovenian VET schools in order to implement this programes to the educational system. Since 2007 she is the head of Intercompany training centre, whose main goal is to take care for the cooperation between educational and working sphere, life-long learning in the field of gaining practical skills and development of VET.
Tamás Jankó
Mr Tamás Jankó has been working in the Ministry for National Economy, Hungary, for the VET and Adult Learning Department since May 2014. Previously, as a programme manager, he worked in the Worldbank and PHARE Management Offices of the Ministry of Education, and for eleven years at the Managing Authority for Human Resource (ESF) Programmes. He had supported the programming and implementation, also the monitoring, evaluation and closure activities, while holding responsibilities of the EQUAL Community Initiative of Hungary. Social innovation, integration of the Roma people and transnational activities are still in his fields of interest. Recently Mr Jankó has been engaged with the issue of how to tackle the early school leaving phenomenon and to improve youth employment.
Vigdis Lahaug
Vigdis Lahaug works as a senior adviser in the department for Basic skills at Vox - Norwegian Agency for Lifelong Learning. The department is working on developing new models for adult education at different levels (including VET), raising awareness of the need for basic skills in the adult population in Norway and has developed a national basic skills framework for adults. The main objective of the framework is to increase the quality of teaching and ensure that each individual receives education adapted to his/her needs. Vigdis has been working on this and is involved in work on quality matters in basic skills provision in the work place and VET for adults. To address the quality of basic skills practitioners in Norway a training model comprising part-time non-formal and formal further training was created for their professional development. Vigdis is involved in this as a teacher-trainer. She is also working on development and dissemination of models and tools for adult learning in and outside the workplace, with emphasis on basic skills in reading and writing, numeracy, digital and oral competence.
Petri Lempinen
Mr Petri Lempinen works as special advisor for lifelong learning in the Finnish Confederation of Professionals STTK. It is the second biggest trade union confederation in Finland representing white collar workers. He joined the STTK in 2002.
Between 2010 and 2013 he worked in the European Training Foundation as the country manager for Russian Federation.
He works closely with the MInistry of Education and Culture and National Board of Education participating currently in the working groups to develop new funding system for vocational education and training and to reform the system of competence based qualifications for continuing vocational education and training.
He has worked with education policies since early 1990’s covering both vocational and higher education. He is a specialist on social partnership in VET and use of sector skills councils. In 2009 he was nominated to be the first chair person of the newly established national Lifelong Learning Council.
Mr Lempinen is a board member in the National Education Fund (Koulutusrahasto) and in the Skills Finland. He has been a board member in the AEL (the biggest CVT training center in Finland).
In 2008-2010 Mr Lempinen was the vice-chair of management board of Cedefop, the EU agency for development of VET. He has been a member in two EU commission working groups: Technical working on quality in VET (2003-2005) and European Qualifications Framework (2004-2006).
Mr Lempinen holds a PhD from the University of Turku.
Salvatore Pirrone
Salvatore Pirrone is General Director for active labour market policies, public employment services and vocational training at the Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Policies.
He is consequently responsible for the coordination of active labour market policies and Public Employment services, the authorization of private employment agencies, the promotion and coordination of training policies, and the coordination of programming of the ESF. He is also in charge of the implementation of the Youth Employment Initiative National Programme.
From 2000 to 2012 he held several positions: as head of Unit at the Italian National Social Security Institute (INPS), he was in charge of different units, mainly dealing with unemployment benefits and the collection of social security contribution; at the Prime Minister Office he was advisor of the Undersecretary of State for social security issues; at the Ministry of labour he was in charge of the Statistics and Research office. In the meantime, he was member of a number of EU committees in the field of labour market.
Mr. Pirrone is author of a number of books, articles and publications in the field of labor law, employment services.
Liliana Preoteasa
Liliana Preoteasa is undersecretary of state for pre-university education within the Ministry of National Education, Romania. She has an extensive experience in the educational area, as a director general of the pre - university department, the General Directorate for Education and Lifelong Learning, but also as principal, teacher and author of mathematics textbooks for high school students. Since 2014, she was appointed undersecretary of state. In this capacity, she is responsible for the overall pre-university education - preschool, primary, secondary and tertiary – non university education, including: elaboration of educational strategies, policies and regulations, coordination of the ministry’s inspection or organization of national examinations and curriculum development. Mrs. Liliana Preoteasa has lead several projects focusing on increasing access to quality education for vulnerable groups.
Agnes Roman
ETUC / ETUCE
Agnes obtained her university diplomas on literature, history and Hungarian as second language in Budapest between 1998 and 2006 and on European studies and international relationship between 2008 and 2009. She published essays on literary theory. She was an adult learning and secondary school teacher of Hungarian language in Hungary and in the UK. After working for the Adult learning unit of the European Commission, she became a policy coordinator on education policy issues at the European Trade Union Committee of Education (ETUCE, teachers’ trade unions) in 2010. She has been an adviser to European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) on lifelong learning issues, such as VET, apprenticeship, work-place learning, skills development, since September 2012.
René van Schalkwijk
Drs R.W.F. van Schalkwijk MscBA MME (1953 Amsterdam) Master degrees in economics and business administration (1972-1978) and management in Education(2004-2005) Economic research and management consultant for small and medium size companies and municipalities and HRM manager.(1983-2000) Board member Horizon College (secondary VET) Alkmaar the Netherlands (2000-present) President of the European association of VET providers 2008- present (president as of 2014)
Eleonora Schmid
After her studies at Vienna university, Eleonora worked as a teacher in vocational education and training (VET). In 1989, after a year in the UK, she moved to the Austrian Ministry of Education where she worked with in-service teacher training and international cooperation in VET (incl. Council of Europe, OECD, UNEVOC, Cedefop study visits, ETF). Seconded to Cedefop from 2000 to 2004, she reported on VET systems and developments. After a year back at the Austrian Ministry, where her subunit focused on EU VET policy issues, she returned to Cedefop. She is involved in reviewing VET policy (Copenhagen process) and supports the director on general VET-related issues.
Ken Seery
Ken is a manager in SOLAS, the Further Education and Training Authority in Ireland. He has worked in a number of training roles, including delivery, development and management in both the private and public sector since 1990. He has a Degree in Education and Training and a post graduate diploma in Organisational Development. He is responsible for the delivery of training interventions to long term unemployed as well development of the policy direction for outsourced training within the Authority. In this role he has been instrumental in the introduction of an innovative delivery/outcome based management and payment model for out-sourced training provision for SOLAS.
Inta Susta
Inta Šusta started as an architect in regional planning, then turned her career towards the architecture of the business processes. Her professional profile is strategic business planning and financial management. Worked in different business sectors – aviation, steel and furniture production, postal services. Advised on the EU and international matters Latvian business society.
During the first programming period of the EU funding, she worked in the Ministry of Finance of Latvia supervising implementation of the EU Cohesion funding.
Ministry of Education and Science of Latvia has defined vocational education as one of the strategic priorities. Her knowledge and experience, both of business sector and of public service, are helping her developing recognition and quality of the vocational education in Latvia.
Obtained Masters Degrees in Architecture and in Economics, and MBA.
Michail Tzamalis
Michail Tzamalis has a theoretical background in Political Science and Public Administration and a Master degree in Lifelong Learning. He has worked as a team member in European programmes of Lifelong Learning Organisations that belong in the Greek Ministry of Education (Public sector). Since 2012 he is working at IME GSEVEE The Small Enterprises’ Institute of the Hellenic Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen and Merchants.
IME GSEVEE is a non-profit organisation that carries out studies and surveys, concerning the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises of the Greek economy. He was team member of the project "Lifelong Learning Programmes for Small Enterprises Employees, Employers and self-employed" in which he implemented vocational programmes. Now he is responsible for the planning and implementation of the project “Pilot programmes for technical training of employers and self-employed members of GSEVEE”. Finally, he represents IME GSEVEE in European programmes regardind vocational training and lifelong learning.
Giuseppina Tucci
Giuseppina is a graduating linguistics student, former VET student always active in the field of school students activism in Italy and Europe. In 2010 she was elected as president of the Regional School Students council working specifically on VET in a national committee. In 2011 she was elected as a board member of Unione degli Studenti the Italian school students union – UdS - and was reconfirmed as a vice chairperson in 2012 having as main porfolios Vocational Education and Training, participation and democracy in schools, International relations and gender issues; during her mandate she worked on a propasal of “Charter for quality apprenticeships, traineeships and internships” being currently discussed with the Ministry of Education in Italy. In 2011 she was even chosen to be in the VET Working group of the Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions – OBESSU-. In 2014 she finished her mandate in UdS and in August she was elected as a Board Member of OBESSU. Currently she also works for Rete della Conoscenza in Italy as administrative assistant and advisor on VET.
Martin Úlovec
Martin Úlovec is graduate of sociology at Charles University in Prague. Between 2006 - 2012 he worked as analyst and researcher in the market research. Since then he works as researcher in the Department for labor market analysis and career guidance in National Institute for Education and ESF project “VIP II Kariéra – KP”, where he is responsible for sociological and statistical analysis on labor market. He is responsible for information systems aimed on lifelong guidance and counseling in the National Institute for Education. He also works as analyst and expert in the area of recognition of previous learning outcomes in National Qualifications Framework.
Jasper Van Loo
Jasper van Loo (1972) is senior expert at Cedefop, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training. Jasper holds a master’s degree in economics from Maastricht University and a PhD in social sciences from Utrecht University and has a wide experience in research on skills, skills mismatch and obsolescence, competence analysis and employability. Currently, he works on lifelong learning issues, analyses skill mismatch policies and coordinates Cedefop’s monitoring of vocational education and training policies in Europe. Previously, Jasper worked for an education and labour market research institute in the Netherlands. Jasper has a number of articles and book chapters to his name (on lifelong learning, ageing and skills obsolescence, skill mismatch, workplace diversity and other topics), acts regularly as a reviewer for academic journals and has organised several international events.
