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A national strategy on lifelong learning has been defined, together with the implementation of legislative norms on the identification and validation of competences acquired in different contexts, through which the National system for the certification of competences has been launched. Since 2012, as a consequence of the Recommendation for validation of non-formal and informal learning (2012), a national legal framework on validation of competences has been progressively developed in...

A 2016 ESF co-funded project entitled Training for employment covers several initiatives (the work placement scheme, the work exposure scheme, the traineeship scheme, the training pay scheme, and the development of an occupational handbook) to facilitate access to employment through the development of skills and competences of the working-age population.

Through the work placement, work exposure and the traineeship schemes, employers, in partnership with Jobsplus, are provided with an...

The National vocational and training policy mapped the VET sector in Malta and identified areas for future actions.

The board of directors restructured the executive management team of the PES under the direction of the chief executive officer. Six divisions replaced the existing three, so that Jobsplus operations and support services would be better managed.

The corporate planning division was re-dimensioned and became responsible for business planning and development, performance management, involvement of Jobsplus in activities of the European network of public employment services, people management and...

The national strategy to reduce early school leaving in Romania was adopted in June 2015. It is based on prevention, intervention and compensation in thematic/policy areas and addresses the following directions of action/pillars:

1. ensuring access to quality education for all children;
2. ensuring the completion of compulsory education by all children;
3. reintegration into the education system of people who left school early;
4. developing adequate institutional support.

The strategy targets children...

The ESF project Dual education and increasing attractiveness and quality of VET launched in 2016 and run by the State Institute of Vocational Education (ŠIOV) aims at improving career guidance and counselling services for learners in VET and those who consider entering this field. As part of this project an orientation centre was piloted in Nitra, targeting lower secondary pupils, teachers and educational counsellors.

VET teachers and trainers were targeted by in-service training offered by...

The education ministry has started an international project (with a budget of EUR 350 000) aimed at elaborating a National skills strategy for the Slovak Republic, in cooperation with the OECD. A launch conference was held on 29 January 2019 and a final OECD report is expected by the end of March 2020.

On 27 June 2018, the government approved the National programme for the development of education (NPDE). The NPDE was adopted, with 106 measures to be fulfilled until 2027. Some measures related to regional schooling and higher education are relevant also to VET. Measures directly aiming to align VET to labour market are as follows:

1. increasing the quality of dual VET through the funding of professional and employer organisations involved; they will receive approximately EUR 1 million annually...

In September 2017, the education ministry published the Learning Slovakia strategy paper, following a public discussion on a draft version from March 2017. The VET-related chapter of this strategy paper for the first time in the official documents clearly defines and distinguishes between the diverse forms of work-based learning: dual VET, as set in the 2015 Act on VET; work-based learning within VET school-enterprise agreements but without individual learning contracts; short-term...

The 2016-20 ESF project Dual education and increasing attractiveness and quality of VET provides support through its web portals. Eight contact points (officially called Dual points) have also been set up within this project. Their role is to support the implementation of the dual system and make the matching of supply and demand easier. The employer council maintains its own portal. The 2013-15 ESF project Development of secondary VET-related portal focused on matching supply and demand,...

The 2016-22 ESF project Professional support for development of key competences of adults focuses on encouraging participation in lifelong learning and raising the level of key competences for vulnerable groups through effective outreach, innovative instructional approaches and learning materials (including videos and other multimedia).

The National Agency for Education launched, in March 2018, a skills mapping web-based tool for persons who have experience in professional work, or equivalent experience, from other countries. The tool assists individuals to become aware of their skills, which in turn can shorten their study time and contribute to improved integration through access to the labour market. It provides information of core content and knowledge requirements for courses in the upper secondary education system in...

Since 2016, the Youth guarantee implementation plan has put emphasis on initiatives that combine employment with training of the workforce, which gives young people the opportunity to improve their skills obtained during initial education and to acquire new skills through participation in apprenticeships and traineeships. The new Youth guarantee implementation plan for 2017-20 continues all the measures of its predecessor.

The Youth guarantee implementation plan for 2017-20 focuses on...

The strategy for education and vocational training in Romania for 2016-20 was adopted in 2016 (government Decision No 317 on 27 April 2016). It proposes the development of both an open-access and attractive and competitive system, offering quality education and training services in order to respond quickly and relevantly to the needs of people and the economy through efficient management of available resources. All individuals should benefit from the opportunity to acquire high-level...

Lifelong learning strategy 2015-20 was adopted in 2015. It addressed the need for strengthening partnerships between VET providers and enterprises, to increase the quality and labour market relevance of VET. Measures supported the take-up of apprenticeship contracts for people with low qualifications, with a target of 125 000 contracts to be awarded by 2020. Financial incentives (subsidies) were set to stimulate employers to engage in apprenticeship programmes, internships and job...

In January 2016, the National Centre for Supporting Vocational and Continuing Education (KOWEZIU) launched the two-year ESF co-funded project 'effective educational and vocational guidance for children, adolescents and adults', aimed at creating an effective guidance system in education and training. In 2016, KOWEZIU was merged with the Centre for Education Development (ORE), which continued the implementation of this project. In 2017, testing of the newly developed educational and...

In 2017/18, the education ministry developed an ESF co-funded project to support 45 schools in becoming local centres for education and knowledge (lokalne osrodki wiedzy i edukacji - LOWE).

Beneficiary groups included adults with low levels of education, unemployed or economically inactive adults, adults aged 45+, and adults receiving certain forms of social assistance and family support.

The measures include diagnosis of participants' needs, vocational courses and other forms of adult...

Since 2016, expanded measures for NEETs have been provided to a large extent through the activities of labour offices at national and regional level, including ESF co-funded initiatives. This includes individualised comprehensive support through diagnosis and needs identification, vocational counselling and guidance, development of individual plans, job placement and various forms of support adjusted to the individual situation.

Labour offices are institutions providing vocational counselling...

In March 2017, Skills Norway designed a key competences mapping tool for young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs), and for the public in general. The goal is to ensure relevant training for each target group. This project is carried out in close cooperation with the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service, the Directorate for Education and Training and the Directorate of Integration and Diversity. In April 2017, Skills Norway completed designing an online learning platform...

The Count on Skills (Tel mee met Taal) action plans for 2016-2019 and 2020-2024 both aimed to combat low literacy in the Netherlands. However, the 2020-2024 plan introduced several key enhancements, such as increased funding, broadened target groups, enhanced local collaboration and focus on quality and monitoring.

Part of the new approach is to reach out to illiterate people who have Dutch as their native language. The new joint action plan to tackle illiteracy also includes more emphasis on...

Within the Youth unemployment action plan (Aanpak jeugdwerkloosheid) 2015-16, work agreements (werkakkoorden) have been concluded (75 in 2015; ended in 2017) between employer organisations, trade unions, large employers, and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. In these agreements, employers express their intention to support young people in finding a job by offering them a place to learn. Employers are also invited to open up jobs to...

In September 2016, the Secretary of State for Education announced in a letter to parliament measures to improve career orientation and guidance in general and in vocational education. The most important actions implemented were:

1. in collaboration with stakeholders (e.g. sector councils, teacher associations, education institutions, the Expertise centre for guidance), competence profiles of school-based experts in career orientation and guidance were designed. An overview of career orientation...

Almost in parallel to the introduction of the Action plan for equal opportunities, new legislation to ensure the right of enrolment in VET for all (Wetsvoorstel aanmelddatum en toelatingsrecht MBO) was adopted in October 2016 and came into force in August 2017. The law paved the way for better guidance before and during transition. It brought forward the registration date (1 April) for all students moving from pre-vocational secondary education to upper secondary VET. This change was...

19 vocational and higher education institutions have developed e-career platforms where employers can advertise practice placements and job offers for students. Career e-platforms are websites where the employer can easily register and post practice placements or jobs to students. Students can view, save and apply for these ads. It is no longer necessary for the employer to send word or pdf advertisements to the school, and contact the school administration if any corrections or changes are...

The implementation plan adopted in June 2015 provides directions for improving the access to education and preventing early school leaving from general and vocational education, especially for young people subjected to social exclusion. Measures include scholarships in initial vocational education; a Youth guarantee scheme providing opportunity for young people to acquire a professional qualification in a short time (one to one-and-a-half year initial vocational education programmes);...

In May 2018, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and the Public Employment Service (ADEM), launched the pilot project Digital skills bridge. The project is targeted at people in work but whose positions are changing or at risk due to the digital transformation. The project is open to all companies, regardless of sector of activity or size, and offers them technical assistance to plan the company's future jobs...

Since 2014, following the adoption of the Youth guarantee, the public employment service (ADEM) and the National Youth Service (Service national de la jeunesse, SNJ) on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth have been implementing guidance-related projects, many of which were part-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Erasmus+ programme.

1. The Act! Jeunes project, offered an alternative programme of vocational training using, among others, theatre approaches to help...

In 2018, the Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth, in collaboration with Caritas, set up six integration courses of grade 5 level (classes de 5e intégration pour adultes) for adult newcomers, applicants and beneficiaries of international protection who did not complete primary education, did not have a recognised education level or did not have the language skills required to enter the Luxembourgish education or training system.

The two-semester track is offered as day or...

In February 2016, the Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth announced changes in the guidance process. To ease 5th Grade (third year of lower secondary school) learners' choice between the many vocational programmes offered, a new guidance procedure was introduced in 2016/17. In the new approach, decisions about possible career paths are only made after extensive discussions between teachers, learners and parents throughout the cycle and the analysis of a series of documents. A...

In 2017/18, ADEM carried out the ESF part-financed COSP-HR project. The project was targeted at jobseekers with disability or outplacement assistance. The project is characterised by close collaboration between the ADEM, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Economy, the Ministry of Family, Integration, the Ministry of Health. It aimed at assessing the competences and health status of jobseekers with psychological and physical disabilities, providing them with guidance, increasing...

ADEM, in cooperation with different stakeholders, developed the following main upskilling and reskilling measures for jobseekers.

Skill you up

Since 2018, ADEM and the Chamber of Commerce have offered an ESF-part-funded Skill you up initiative, targeting jobseekers aged 30+ who have completed five years of secondary education and wish to enter a new occupation and/or a new sector of activity. Developed to help employees in the financial sector, affected by redundancy, to redirect their career...

A range of projects for continiuing vocational education and training (CVET) were planned within the 2014-20 ESF programming period under the responsibility of the Ministry of Economy and Innovation. In the Competences LT project, funding was planned for the training of 6 600 people employed in predefined sectors. The project aims to support beneficiaries in adapting to new jobs, technologies and work processes, and in acquiring or improving qualifications. Its budget was EUR 4 million in...

A National strategy for competences/skills has been launched based on the education and training (Good school) and labour (Jobs Act) reforms. Both reforms aim to improve the competences of young people and adults, including NEETs, and to provide new competences for the (long-term) unemployed and employees. The strategy also links skills with the labour market demand. As a result of the National strategy for competences/skills, cognitive (including basic skills), professional and particularly...

The 2015 reform ( Law No 107/2015- Buona Scuola) aimed to increase specific skills: foreign language (English) and communication skills, through the development of content and language integrated learning, literacy and the Italian language for foreign learners; mathematical-logical and scientific skills; digital skills, ICT, computational thinking; critical and conscious use of social networks and media; musical and artistic skills; entrepreneurial skills; citizenship skills; legal and...

On 13 July 2015, the Italian government adopted a reform of the national education system emphasising alternance between classroom work and periods of workplace training. The main objective is to boost school-to-work transition by increasing employment opportunities and guidance for students. The reform calls for improving the coordination of work-based training in the education system and greater cooperation between schools, local communities and companies.

The two policies work closely...

On 13 July 2015, the Italian government adopted a reform of the national education system called the Good school (La Buona Scuola), emphasising alternance between classroom work and periods of workplace training. The main objective is to boost school-to-work transition by increasing employment opportunities and guidance for learners. The reform has made it compulsory for all learners attending the last three years of upper secondary school to take part in a school-work exchange scheme for at...

For 2015-17, the main emphasis in the education ministry was the elaboration of proposals that a specific working group delivered in 2015. The main ideas of the working group were:

1. the school should be responsible for the training of learners throughout their studies, including the workplace training;
2. the basic education at the commencement of VET needs to be broader and more subjects need to be offered for those who have not yet decided what they would like to study;
3. to develop further the...

The 2016-20 Narrowing the digital gap national project (GINOP 6.1.2-15) aims to boost digital competences through free-of-charge training for the working-age population across the country, especially for low-skilled adults. The project's aim is to reduce digital illiteracy among adults, to develop their digital basic competences to increase their employability and to contribute to the competitiveness of the economy. The 35 hours of training is based on the training programmes under the...

Since 2015, the National Office of Vocational Education and Training and Adult Learning has been responsible for the development and operation of the national careers guidance system. A careers orientation working group was set up in 2015 to survey and coordinate careers orientation in VET centres and to develop methodological guidelines. Based on its work, a nationwide careers orientation event was organised in 2016 (Night of the Professions) and since then it has been held annually....

The 2019 framework for career advancement and rewards to teachers encourages mentorship and peer collaboration, teaching innovation, CPD, production of teaching resources and open digital education content, participation in projects, as well as contribution to the education system through engagement in working groups for policy development, research or experimental programmes in education. Adopted in 2019, the Regulation on career advancement contributes to evidence-based decision-making on...

In October 2017, implementing the 2016 strategic framework, the education ministry introduced the initiative A new beginning at EPAL, which included basic skills-enhancing measures, socio-psychological support and integration actions. The initiative was piloted in 2017/18 in nine schools. Many of the programme's actions were launched by individual schools and teachers before they were adopted and enhanced by the education ministry. Promotional events were organised in 2018/19.

A new beginning...

A new VET graduate tracking study was carried out in Greece in 2019-21 by the National Organisation for Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance (EOPPEP) in cooperation with the National Institute for Labour and Human Resource (EIEAD). The project focuses on graduates of 2.5-year post-secondary VET programmes (IEK). Using quality indicators such as the placement rate of VET graduates and the utilisation of acquired skills in the workplace, the research analyses the position of...

A scheme called Students as apprentice teachers (étudiants apprentis-professeurs) was introduced in the 2015/16 school year, replacing a similar scheme called Future jobs for teachers. The scheme is designed for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are at the start of their university studies and aiming to become teachers. In this respect they integrate a 3-year pre-professionalisation pathway from the second year of the Bachelor degree. During this training programme, participants...

The 2018 Law for the freedom to choose one's professional future provides for:

1. the creation of the agency France Compétences: continuing training in France is a shared responsibility between the State, the regions and the social partners. The new agency, France Compétences, brings together these three stakeholders. It will be in charge of regulating the quality and the price of training supply, and handling funding discrepancies across sectors;
2. reforming funding mechanisms to establish a...

The 2015 Success in apprenticeship initiative has put in place 142 projects in 20 regions, most involving the local youth employment and social integration centres (Missions locales) in partnership with apprentice training centres (Centre de formation d'apprentis, CFA). Programmes last 12 months and include guidance. The 2018 Law for the freedom to choose one's professional future sets up a mechanism to support those target group members who wish to enter an apprenticeship with a view to...

Within the framework of 2016 partnership agreement between the State and the regions to support employment and social inclusion, a strategy was set out to extend the range of qualifications that can be gained through apprenticeship. The aim is to support NEETS and low-qualified young people in access to training and acquire a qualification at EQF levels 3 and 4. At least 11 sectors have expressed interest in the approach, including the construction, temporary work, metalwork, plastics and...

In January 2016, the government launched a plan to create 500 000 training places for jobseekers (Plan 500 000 formations pour demandeurs d'emploi). It included the provision of VET to people in long-term unemployment and training tailored for those unemployed aiming to set up or take over a business. The final total of beneficiaries in 2016 was 945 000. Building on its success, the plan was extended in the first semester of 2017 with 200 000 additional training courses specifically targeted...

The Pathways for the future (Parcours d'avenir) measure, announced in 2015, has been in place in all lower secondary education schools since September 2015. It is available to all learners from lower to the end of upper secondary years (from Sixième to Terminale). A particular focus is placed on apprenticeships.

A practical guide for the implementation of the Parcours d'avenir measure has been circulated to the heads of institutions. It emphasises the importance of raising awareness of...

The competence-based qualifications in Finland embed validation of non-formal and informal learning as an integral part of the entire CVET qualifications system. The system has been in place since 1994 and was further strengthened in 2007 and in 2015 by the Decree on individualisation. The Decree defines principles of validation more precisely than before. The CBQ system is very popular among the adult population in Finland with 100 000 learners involved each year. In IVET, validation is...

The Action plan for youth employment (2019-21) includes initiatives in relation to vocational training aimed at enabling young people under 30 years of age to acquire competences or professional experience, upgrade their qualifications and increase their employability.

The Reincorpora-T plan 2019-2021, approved in April, aimed at the long-term unemployed, is one of the measures implemented to contribute to the development of a new, more inclusive production model and is committed to intelligent, sustainable and inclusive growth as set out in the Europe 2020 Strategy. It considers and recognises, through active employment policies, the labour potential of the active population that is related to situations of long-term unemployment or precarious employment.

There are multiple initiatives to raise the skills of young people and workers (employed or unemployed) in ICT and the digital economy. Different public bodies are involved, in some cases in partnership with industry.

Red.es, a public entity for the promotion of the information society, is currently in charge of the following schemes:

Digital professionals youth employment - this scheme is part of the digital agenda for Spain 2013-15, and is jointly funded by the European Social Fund (ESF)...

In the education system, the process towards an integrated vocational guidance system was initiated in 2018. A working group was set within the General Council for Vocational Training, with the aim of laying down basic principles and legal provisions. In guidance under employment authorities, the Action plan for youth employment (2019-21) foresees the hiring of 3 000 professional counsellors by the regional PES to provide guidance services in connection to the common services portfolio. The...

Employment authorities have reflected the policy priority given to dual VET and apprenticeships, including them as structural objectives in the 2017-20 Spanish employment activation strategy approved in December 2017. The strategy takes into account recommendations made to Spain both within the framework of the National reform programme and by the European Network of Public Employment Services (SPE-UE Network). The strategy covers dual and alternance training, regarded as key elements for...

In the Youth programme, measures and activities to achieve the overall goal of providing young people with ample opportunities for self-development and self-realisation are stipulated. For example, the programme offers services to (re)integrate young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) into education, and to improve their employability. For this, youth workers locate NEETs (for example, through networking), motivate them, and provide them with individualised support.

Since...

In April 2018 the government decided to connect the career services of Innove Rajaleidja centres with the career service system of Eesti Töötukassa (the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund). The objective is to offer career counselling and information to the whole population on a unified basis. Since January 2019, Eesti Töötukassa has thus been providing career advice and career information services for everyone, including schoolchildren. The Ministry of Education and Research is still...

On the initiative of the Ministry of Social Affairs, a working group was set up from September 2015 to June 2016 to propose solutions for alleviating this transition for SEN students.

A joint action plan was agreed and is now being carried out by the education and the social affairs ministries. It aims at easing the transition of students with SEN between levels of education and from education to the labour market.

In July 2016, the terms of graduation in VET were also amended to allow for...

The orientation year aims at easing the transition from compulsory education to VET and/or to the labour market. It is a preparatory study programme for young people who lack the skills or readiness to choose a profession.

Vocational orientation is targeted mainly at pupils with difficulties in deciding their field of studies, learners with SEN, learners who have dropped out from VET or upper secondary general education, NEETs, learners with a migrant background, or those lacking the basic...

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has been supporting countrywide pilots to ease access to VET for university dropouts to address predicted shortages of skilled workers. The funding volume of support has amounted to EUR 16 million for 2014-20. SMEs received support in hiring more young people from the target group.

The initiative focusses on:

1. bringing together university dropouts and companies that provide training places, especially SMEs. For example, a guide for SMEs,...

The 2015-18 Alliance for initial and further training was agreed between the Federal Government, Federal States, business and industry, the unions and the Federal Employment Agency at the end of 2014.

Within the alliance, sectors committed to providing 20 000 places annually for introductory training (transition programme), which has been implemented: 17 500 young people took up this type of training in 2015 and 21 000 in 2018. Evaluations showed that around 70% of young people moved into...

Building upon the results of its pilot project Continuing education and training guidance, the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit, BA) launched in 2017 a more comprehensive Lifelong vocational guidance project. The project targets both young people and adults. In 2018, it was piloted at four locations.

The Lifelong vocational guidance (Lebensbegleitende Berufsberatung, LBB) is based on the BA 2025 strategy of the employment service, which provides better support for customers...

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) offers a telephone information and guidance service supporting individuals who are considering their further education and qualification options. The telephone guidance service started as a pilot project in 2015-16 to analyse demand for such a service and explore potential success factors in contextual situations in the different Federal States. It became a permanent service in 2017 with an annual funding of EUR 500 000. Since May 2018,...

To provide young people with the best possible one-stop support in the transition from school to work, local alliances known as JBA have been established in many places since 2011 (first in Hamburg but ten years later widespread in Germany with more than 350 agencies). This is where the various players responsible for vocational guidance and social support coordinate their efforts at the regional and local level. The alliances that have been established vary greatly. It takes time to work...

Since December 2016, a dedicated website informs and supports young people in their career choice free from gender clichés; it also serves all actors involved in career guidance processes (schools, parents, companies). Support tools include fact sheets, best practice examples, guidance, working materials, event announcements and news, further links and contacts.

Responsible stakeholders for this initiative on the Federal and Federal State levels are the Ministries of Family Affairs, Senior...

Since 2015, in line with the federal ESF integration guideline, the IvAF integration programme (Integration of asylum seekers and refugees) has contributed to the sustainable integration of asylum seekers, asylum applicants and refugees in training and employment through comprehensive counselling including qualification, placement and support provided during the first weeks of employment or training. The networks act as door-openers for the target group in companies and vocational schools,...

In November 2018, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) launched a committee to develop a National continuing education strategy (Nationale Weiterbildungsstrategie). The social partners were part of the committee which was expected to formulate answers to the digital change in the world of work. The focus should be on SMEs, micro enterprises and people in need of help to increase their opportunities on the labour...

Nationwide standard support measures anchored in the Social Code (e.g. SGB III) cover the transition from school to work, for example with various forms of vocational preparation and continuous support during training. The main measures are: vocational orientation, training entry and placement support, introductory training (internship placement), vocational preparatory measures, assistance during training and vocational training grant.

In 2016, measures within the Educational chains...

Given the increasing trend towards academic education, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs (BMWi) have set up a joint campaign to present dual VET (apprenticeship) as an attractive option. The campaign, You + your apprenticeship - Practically unbeatable! addresses more specific target groups. Its allocated budget is EUR 6 million per year. A motivational message is broadcast through various media channels such as cinema, press,...

The Pact for VET (Der Berufsbildungspakt) includes the following measures, partly addressing work-based learning:

1. modernising the framework conditions of VET, particularly in view of digitalisation;
2. improving permeability and transparency through provision of vocational guidance, designating equivalent qualifications and improved progression opportunities;
3. modernising infrastructure in VET schools and training centres, particularly in view of digitalisation;
4. continuing professional...

The latest amendments in the Pre-school and School Education Act (into force since January 2018) envisage financial stimulus for schools which provide VET training for qualifications needed in the labour market. The enrolment plans for VET schools for 2018/19 and 2019/20 is intentionally focused to provide more places for learners in these specialities.

All learners enrolled in programmes for the acquisition of VET qualifications in specialties with labour market shortage and State-protected...

Piloting started in the 2015/16 school year for seven professions in five secondary VET schools in different regions of the country. In 2016/17, 12 professions and 17 schools in total were involved in the experiment. Dual VET(DVET) is supported by the municipalities and the social partners. The piloting phase was planned to continue until 2019. In 2017/18, the total number of learners in dual VET has reached 1 742, and in 2018/19 their number more than doubled, reaching 3 884 learners. The...

An Ordinance that regulates dual vocational education and training (DVET) came into force at the beginning of September 2015. Learning through work (DVET or dual training) applies to two groups of people: learners, aged 16, in class XI and XII, and people aged 16 and over who have entered the labour market. Learning through work for people in the labour market is related to acquisition of a vocational qualification. Learning through work is implemented in a partnership between an educational...

On May 29, 2015, the Walloon Government adopted its priority action plan for 2015-19, the Marshall Plan 4.0, focused on economic redeployment measures.

The plan is organised around five axes and the following two axes are particularly relevant for VET.

1. Axis 1. Make human capital an asset

This axis, which will be implemented in close collaboration with the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, aims to develop skills in line with socio-economic needs, with a view to lifelong training. It will target...

Several centres of excellence in guidance, entrepreneurship, working and training were set up, namely one Cité des métiers centre in Namur in June 2016 and another one in Brussels in 2018. Founded in May 2019 by the Government of the Walloon Region, the University of Liège and Le Forem, the non-profit organisation named Centrale des Métiers de Liège is responsible for the Cité des Métiers project in the city of Liège.

In August 2018, the Walloon Region signed an agreement with the business sectors and their training funds as part of the fight against labour shortages. This agreement is expressed in three strong measures implemented by Le Forem.

1. Coup de poing pénuries (Shortages punch) action: the objective of this action is to act quickly and specifically on the particularly serious shortages encountered by small and large companies. As soon as a company or several companies are looking for at least eight...

The Pact for excellence in education was launched in January 2015, with a view to gradual implementation from 2017 to 2030. This was confirmed and reaffirmed in the Community Policy Statement covering the period 2019-24.

The Pact for excellence in education is a set of reforms that concerns all aspects of education: the content of the curricula, the organisation of courses, the training of teachers, etc., from nursery school to the end of secondary school, with the main objective of improving...

The Order of the Government of the French Community on work-study contracts was approved on the 17.7.2015 and introduced the single contact, which defines the roles and needs to be signed by the stakeholders involved in dual training, namely the apprentice, the training company and the VET provider. Since 2015, various guidance and promotion actions have been carried out, to communicate a positive orientation towards vocational education and training (VET). For these purposes, various offers...

Trade unions, employers and the Walloon government signed the first Pact for employment and training in 2016. The pact focused on six areas:

1. reorganisation of employment aids;
2. creation of training places for dual VET learners;
3. reinforcing lifelong guidance;
4. creation of integration contracts for young people;
5. financial incentives for adult CVET;
6. supporting social dialogue in Wallonia.

The Employment and training pact was discontinued at the end of 2017 due to the change of government. Some...

In 2015, a strategy for the introduction of a validation system was developed and a public launch event on the recognition of competences took place in October 2016. Sixty key actors from the German-speaking Community were invited to participate in a debate. Subsequently, a steering group was established with the participation of stakeholders from formal and non-formal education, as well as employment and social partners. Between February and November 2017, the steering group developed a...

On 1 January 2016, the Centre for Education and Training (ZAWM) in Eupen set up the 2-year ESF project Vocational integration through training guidance in dual education (BIDA) for the German-speaking community. BIDA's goal is to support apprentices who are at risk of breaking their training contract or who have already dropped out of training, with the aim of getting them back into the dual vocational education and training (VET) system.

The BIDA project offers custom-made services to young...

To increase the attractiveness of apprenticeship, various measures have been taken in the German-speaking Community since 2015:

• an online apprenticeship exchange platform was set up to help learners find apprenticeship places;
• one-day tasters in companies were offered to pupils from secondary general education in the academic year 2016/17, to familiarise them with various IVET and apprenticeship programmes in different sectors (such as bank, health, transport and logistics). Different...

Following a national consultation process, the national strategy for validating non-formal and informal learning was finalised and adopted in November 2017. The national strategy is expected to serve as the starting point for defining organisational structures, a catalogue of quality criteria (issued in May 2018) and a detailed implementation plan. The validation strategy provides an overview of existing validation arrangements, serves as a basis for developing new initiatives, assuring...

The Vorarlberger education and training fair is a new exhibition in the province of Vorarlberg, which took place for the first time in November 2017. The target groups were all learners in the 7th and 8th grades. For 3 days, vocational schools and companies in the province and from neighbouring regions presented their education and training programmes in an interactive and innovative way, giving the visitors the opportunity to learn about different vocational education and training (VET)...

In 2016, the following three programmes started to facilitate the integration of refugees in the education and labour market system:

The 2016-18 project, You can do it (Du kannst was)- the knowledge of refugees is valuable, supports young refugees in identifying their competences as the basis for making their choice of occupation and gaining an apprenticeship diploma. The project was initiated and developed as joint responsibility of the Chamber of Labour Upper Austria, the Economic Chamber...

The compulsory year of integration for refugees was decided in May 2017 by the Austrian parliament. It is mainly targeted at unemployed refugees, for whom it is mandatory. Since 2018, asylum seekers from Syria have also been allowed to participate in the integration year if there is a high probability that they will be recognised as entitled to asylum. The opportunity to register for work training during the integration year was extended until the end of March 2019. The year of integration...

The We educate the economy plan was approved in 2018 by the Austrian Economic Chamber and focusses on developing projects in five fields:

1. virtual learning platforms, for example for virtual company tours or online career information;
2. digital tools for apprenticeship training, such as digital learning worlds for apprentices, online tools for planning and documenting apprenticeship training and digital training and continuing education platforms for trainers;
3. continuing training, such as new...

Coaching and counselling for apprentices and companies (in particular the apprenticeship trainers) has been mainstreamed across Austria since October 2015. These services were evaluated in a 2018-19 pilot project. In particular, guidance and counselling can be divided as follows:

1. youth coaching: this is an assistance programme for young people at the end of their mandatory schooling or after they drop out of school. Within the coaching process they should get to know their personal skills,...

The Austrian Economic Chamber initiated the Supraregional apprenticeship placement project with a particular focus on young refugees, though Austrian nationals also have access to all supporting measures. The project's procedure is as follows.

At the beginning, young refugees run through an online test (available in German, Arabic, English, French and Farsi) to identify their strengths and interests. The results of these tests form the basis for finding suitable apprenticeship places for...