Fourth Policy learning forum: Launching the European Vocational Teacher Survey (EVTS)

With his management team and all staff, Jürgen has led Cedefop to strengthen its position as a go-to ally for the EU institutions, social partners, researchers and practitioners when it comes to analysing the impacts of megatrends on the labour market, on skills, and on training ecosystems – and on how vocational education and training enables a fair digital and green transition.

Jürgen has a background in human-resources management with particular emphasis on learning and education, earned his MSc in economics at the University of Hamburg, and his PhD in business administration from the University of Vienna. 

Prior to that she held several other positions in the Commission, including as a Deputy Head of Unit for “Future of Work, Youth Employment”. Her professional experience includes also labour law, occupational safety and health, human resource management and organisational development. Anna holds MA degrees in sociology and psychology.

An economist by training, Antonio has taught regional economics at the University of Rome si.nce 2002. He also lectured at the National High School of Public Administration on cost-benefit analysis and public expenditure.

Prior to joining Cedefop, he was Head of Research and Studies at the public services authority of the Municipality of Rome. Until 2007, he was Head of Area at CLES, an independent centre of studies on labour market and economic development based in Rome.

She holds a university degree in Economics and a Master in Economics, politics and law of the European Union. Her mother tongue is Italian (born in Perugia) and she is fluent in English, French, Greek and Spanish.

Irene is in charge of Cedefop’s “European VET Teachers Survey (EVTS): Supporting teachers’ professional development in VET schools”. A novel survey to furnish new robust data on the opportunities, challenges and effectiveness of teachers’ professional development in Europe. She also co-manages a research project on Digital skills for tomorrow: promoting inclusive excellence in VET to map and assess the current landscape of digital skills provision by employing natural language processing (NLP) techniques.

She is the creator of Cedefop’s knowledge hub on inclusion: the “VET toolkit for tackling early leaving” and the “VET toolkit for empowering NEETs” and coordinates the European virtual community of ambassadors for tackling early leaving.

Before joining Cedefop, she worked as education consultant at the World Bank, Washington DC Headquarters in the Human Development Network, supporting the preparation of the World Bank’s new agenda for Secondary Education.

She has published extensively in peer-reviewed academic journals on European policy in education and training, inclusive education, tackling early leaving from VET, curriculum reform, learning outcomes, and professional development of teachers and trainers.

A doctoral comparative education specialist by training (Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona), Irene holds also two Master degrees, one on International Relations (Universidad de Barcelona), and another on Applied Linguistics (Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona). She graduated from the University Aristotle in Thessaloniki, Greece.

He has been scientific advisor and author on skills anticipation and skill mismatch for the European Commission, the World Economic Forum, ILO and the Greek Ministry of Labour and is regular instructor for the ILO-ITC.

He is currently a core member of the scientific committee of Greece’s National Skills Commission.

Before joining Cedefop he held posts at the University of Aberdeen and the University of Cyprus and worked for the Bank of Greece and HM Treasury. He has been invited Professor at the Universita Degli Studi Roma TRE and Visiting Research Scholar at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He is Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen Business School and IZA Research Fellow. He holds an M.Phil from the University of Oxford (St. Antony’s College) and a D.Phil from the Scottish Graduate Program in Economics.

He has published widely in peer-reviewed economics journals (e.g. Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Oxford Review of Education, Economica, Journal of Economic Surveys, Research in Labor Economics, Education Economics, International Labour Review).

He has worked with Cedefop for nearly a decade, managing both the 2nd European Skills and Jobs Survey and the recent European Training and Learning Survey.

At Verian Belgium, Nicolas leads a team of researchers conducting major multi-country surveys and policy research for European institutions, as well as for universities, political parties, and think tanks. His work combines methodological rigour with policy relevance, supporting evidence-based decision-making across Europe.

Since 2001 she is working on European structural funds, European social Fund and policies areas related to the monitoring and evaluation of vocational education and training and active labour policies in national research agencies and within the Ministry of Labour and social policies.  She has been responsible for several projects and programs on the transparency and portability of skills and competences across Europe. Since 2016 she follows the implementation of the dual system in Italy, the work-based learning and dual apprenticeships through the support to national and European strategies and cooperation agreements. Member of the ET 2020 working group on vocational education and training, she follows since 2017 the bilateral governmental cooperation Italy-Germany, representing the Ministry of Labour and social policies, with a focus on the training models for teachers and in-company trainers. From 2017 to 2023 she joined the ANPAL- National agency for active labour policies, where she is in charge of the National Europass Centre and she is currently within the INAPP, a State-owned  research institution where she joins the EQF working team, dealing with the implementation of the EU Council Recommendations on the EQF and Validation of non formal and informal learning. 

He has extensive experience in European employment and skills policies, having previously worked on labour market analysis, EU labour law, and as an expert at Cedefop. He also served as a labour market economist in the research department of the public employment service in Brussels before joining the European Commission. Koen holds master’s degrees in economics and in political science.

He drove Skillman’s expansion with the CoVEs.eu platform in 2019 and the Digital Qualification Framework (dqf.eu) in 2024, which has achieved maturity in blockchain/EBSI-based credentialing.

As Director of CSCS Italy and Abuplus International GmbH Germany, he has coordinated international projects and, since 2009, led one of the most active consortia in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme. His collaborations extend across Europe, Africa, and Asia. He is also the author of publications on Springer about education and training.

He has worked as a schoolteacher, lecturer, District Schools’ Adviser, and published extensively  on  teacher professionalism; continuing professional learning and development, teachers’ work, lives and effectiveness, resilience and retention; successful school leadership in high needs communities; and school-university partnerships.

Henrik combines a data-driven approach with a strong commitment to social dialogue, quality education, and sustainable workforce policies. At the European level, he represents education personnel as a member of the European Sectoral Social Dialogue in Education (ESSDE) and contributes to global policy discussions through his role in the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD. In his work, he bridges stakeholders, promotes equity, and supports teachers and researchers in shaping the future of education.

Her work at EFEE focuses on advancing educational policies and projects that foster diversity, inclusion, and equitable opportunities within the European education sector. She is also actively involved in the work of the first-ever European Parliament Intergroup on Future of Education and Skills for Competitive Europe.

For the past six years, he has been leading the Lifelong Learning Department, where he focuses on vocational education, adult learning, career guidance, and non-formal education. His passion lies in creating an inclusive education system that empowers people to learn, grow, and succeed at every stage of life.

She has also been advising the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) for 13 years on VET and employee training matters, and in such a position, she also represents the workers’ trade unions in CEDEFOP’s Management Board as the coordinator of the employees’ group.

He has previously worked as a visiting professor at the University of Education Freiburg and as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Graz and University of Innsbruck in Austria. He received his PhD as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow in the European Doctorate in Teacher Education (EDiTE).