The idea of forging close links between higher education and VET has been gaining momentum in recent years. This Agora highlights the challenges inherent in successfully integrating general and technical knowledge in the future knowledge society.
The conference focuses on three themes: the issue of access from initial vocational education to higher education, including methods of accreditation; how higher education integrates and develops vocational careers and to what extent universities are themselves engaged in purely vocational education; and the impact of initiatives such as the Bologna process and the EQF on both higher and vocational education.

Agora conferences, conceived as a bridge between the actors, institutions and disciplines involved in the field, provide an opportunity for researchers and policymakers to openly exchange views on current issues of importance in vocational education and training.