In a context of rapidly changing labour markets, keeping pace with increasing needs of inclusive, digital and green societies hinges on the continuing professional development (CPD) of teachers in vocational education and training (VET) schools.
What is the EVTS and why is it unique?
While continuing professional development is widely recognised as important, there is a lack of comparable evidence on its effectiveness, drivers and barriers across the European Union. The main aim of the EVTS is to provide new evidence on the opportunities, experiences, challenges and other factors affecting the CPD of representative samples of teachers working in initial VET schools, at ISCED level 3, across EU Member States.
The EVTS is a unique survey, as it will provide directly comparable data across the EU and will enable the collection of robust data to inform the design of EU and national policies that can improve VET teachers’ participation in high-quality and accessible CPD.
Objectives of the EVTS
The survey aims to answer the following key questions:
- How do VET teachers across Europe try to improve their skillsets and develop themselves professionally?
- Which professional development activities can develop teachers’ skills the most?
- What are the skill gaps of VET teachers, with focus on their use of new digital and green technologies and in shaping more inclusive classrooms?
- Are VET teachers happy with their school, job and work conditions?
- Is teaching in a VET school attractive and are VET teachers adequately supported in their careers?
What topics will the survey address?
How it will be done?
The survey will target teachers working in ISCED level 3 initial VET schools across 23 EU Member States who wish to participate, namely Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden. Teachers will be asked to contribute to the survey online or through other modes such as telephone or virtual communication. A random two-stage sampling strategy will ensure the representativeness of the sample and the confidentiality of participants resulting in 14 000 interviews in total.
Timeline
The survey will be conducted from October 2025 to June 2026, with the first findings expected in 2027.
Key Stakeholders Involved
National authorities, education providers and social partners play a key role in the success of the European vocational teacher survey. To support the planning and implementation of the EVTS, Cedefop has established an EVTS stakeholder group, composed of:
- Cedefop experts from the VET4Youth and Skills and Work teams;
- the contracted research team Verian and its network of national VET experts;
- representatives from the Commission’s Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL);
- representatives from national authorities from participating EU Member States;
- Members of the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE); and
- Members of the European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE).
Cedefop is working closely with all stakeholders supporting the survey campaign to secure the endorsement of the EVTS by Member States and a high response rate among teachers across all participating countries.
What our stakeholders think about EVTS
Key stakeholders across Europe, including ministries from countries who participated in a feasibility study carried out by Cedefop during 2020-22, pointed out that upscaling the EVTS for all European countries can provide valuable evidence enabling policy-makers to design well-informed national and regional policies.
The European Commission also endorses this survey, as it may address existing research and information gaps on teachers’ and trainers’ CPD, while the new evidence collected may directly supportthe strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (Osnabrück Declaration), the Council Conclusions on European teachers and trainers for the future, the new Council Recommendation on VET, and the implementation of the New Skills Agenda.
The European sectoral social partners for education (ETUCE, EFEE) have also expressed their support for the survey. They have indicated that it can provide unique information on the attractiveness of teaching in VET schools, school leadership, wellbeing and on enhancing the relationship between teachers, schools, and employers.
The European associations of VET providers (EURASHE, EVTA, EVBB, EfVET, EUProVET, EUCEN) also support the implementation of a European survey in initial VET.