A shift has been taking place in the European vocational education and training scene. When setting objectives for education and training, and when defining qualifications, policy-makers now focus less on input factors, such as the duration, location and particular pedagogical method underpinning a qualification. Instead, their attention is increasingly directed towards what a learner knows and is able to do at the end of a learning process – i.e. the learning outcomes.

To address the various issues arising from this important change, Cedefop has invited practitioners, researchers and policy makers to take part in the European conference on Rhetoric or reality: The shift towards learning outcomes in European education and training policies and practices, to be held in Thessaloniki on October 15-16.

The conference discussions will be underpinned by the preliminary findings of Cedefops ongoing comparative study (of 32 European countries) on the shift towards learning outcomes.