Policy approaches to strengthening VET-business partnerships

Context

As Europe faces accelerating green and digital transitions, demographic change and persistent skills shortages, strengthening partnerships between vocational education and training (VET) providers and businesses has become a strategic priority for building resilient and competitive skills systems. The 2025 Herning Declaration calls for supporting partnerships with the social partners and other VET actors. Within this broader governance ecosystem, such cooperation plays an important role in ensuring that VET remains relevant, responsive and aligned with evolving economic and societal needs. to align VET with the evolving labour market and societal needs. 

This Insight is part of a series drawing on evidence from the Timeline of VET policies in Europe in the EU-27, Iceland and Norway. The Insight highlights different partnership models and includes a collection of policy examples that readers can explore on their own.

Facts and findings

• Countries are engaging employers through both formal governance and consultation mechanisms and informal partnerships and awareness-raising initiatives.
• VET-business cooperation increasingly covers skills foresight, VET governance and excellence, teacher training and entrepreneurship education, in addition to work-based learning and apprenticeship.
• France's Campus of Excellence Industry of the Future South connects VET, business and public authorities in a regional skills ecosystem and reaches out to thousands of learners each year.
• Spain’s ‘Digitalízate’ initiative expands access to digital skills through free industry-backed training with 58% of certification completers being women.
• Multi-stakeholder partnerships strengthen employability, business productivity, innovation capacity and regional competitiveness. 

Key messages

• The most effective VET-business partnerships combine shared governance, clear responsibilities and a commitment to lifelong learning.
• A challenge remains to move beyond ad hoc interactions towards long-term, institutionalised and strategic partnerships that support active employer engagement in VET governance but also in VET design, investment and implementation.
• Strong partnerships help VET keep pace with digital, green and economic transformations.
• Centres of Vocational Excellence, sectoral skills councils and regional consortia are emerging as successful partnership models.
• SMEs need brokers: economic chambers and sector bodies play a crucial role in bridging the gap.
• Partnerships create value for all: learners gain employability, businesses access skills, and VET providers strengthen quality and relevance.

Policy pointers

• Partnerships over projects - build strategic and mutually beneficial partnerships for skills development.
• Employers in the driver seat - structure stakeholder dialogue and support SMEs.
• Raising the bar - strengthen quality assurance, transparency, and innovation in partnerships.
• Working together for better skills - extend partnership models to lifelong learning and workforce development.