Cedefop

This past summer (8 June) the European Parliament adopted a resolution, initiated by MEP Nadja Hirsch, on European cooperation in vocational education and training to support the European 2020 strategy. Looking back at almost 10 years since the launch of the Copenhagen process for better cooperation in vocational education and training (VET), the resolution called on the Member States to live up to their promises and implement the measures needed to make VET fit for the future. Among such measures, the common European tools and principles for VET play a leading role in making it easier to compare various forms of learning between countries and sectors, and allowing people to have this learning recognised across Europe. This past November, Cedefop organised two events at the European Parliament in Brussels to discuss these tools and principles: a workshop on the general impact on the tools; and a conference with the European social partners on the role of employers and workers in further developing and implementing the common tools and principles.

Success of learning outcome approaches to curricula in vocational education and training depends on design, delivery and assessment

Learning outcomes-based curricula are meant to be holistic, flexible, motivating and inclusive both for teachers and learners. But if they are to be successful, teachers must be properly trained, leaning environments must be properly designed and learning outcomes must be carefully defined and assessed. Nor should reforms focus too much on outcomes: learning inputs and pedagogical processes should not be neglected when developing VET curricula. These were among the topics discussed at a recent Cedefop workshop.