Stakeholders and policy-makers from 15 countries took part in a Cedefop workshop on evaluating impact and success for vocational education and training (VET) policies to tackle early leaving from education and training (ELET) on 21 October in Brussels.

The central question of the workshop was what makes VET measures to tackle ELET successful.

Cedefop expert Irene Psifidou, who organised the event, said: 'The connection between educational attainment and employability is not a cliché. It is a fact. The consequences for early leavers affect their whole life. VET can empower these people to say "yes" to education and training.'

Ms Psifidou added: ‘Details in the design and implementation can make polices effective. And effectiveness is not a detail.’

Participants debated on a set of success indicators and criteria for policy transfer to different countries and contexts. The findings of this project aim to support the European Commission, Member States, social partners and other stakeholders in their effort to implement EU policies to reduce early school leaving and to achieve the EU target by 2020.

The workshop conclusions together with the findings of the study will be published in 2016 in a Cedefop research paper and two policy briefs.