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The main stories in this issue are 'Are we prepared for the future of work?' in which Konstantinos Pouliakas explains the impacts of digitalisation on skills and jobs and 'VET for prosperity in Europe' in which Bulgaria's Education Minister Krasimir Valchev talks about the role of vocational education and training in bringing prosperity to Europe. Other articles include: Visiting MEPs praise Cedefop's work / Rosy Voudouri; Learning providers at the heart of VET / Tina Bertzeletou; EQF celebrates 10th anniversary / Slava Pevec Grm; Weaving a stronger social fabric for Europe: the European pillar of social rights / Eleonora Schmid; Australia seeks real skills for real careers / Karen Andrews, Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills. The issue also contains information about the latest Cedefop publications and upcoming events. Show less

This report details Cedefop's first cross-nation study of apprenticeships in the European Union. The point of departure for the study is what countries define and offer as apprenticeship training. It then applies a purposive approach to identifying the changes that apprenticeships are undergoing in practice, based on their design characteristics. Largely based on data collected in 2016, the study includes mapping of apprenticeship schemes with a stable/valid legal basis at system level, or mainstream schemes, in the EU Member States, Iceland and Norway; it identifies and analyses the different purposes and functions associated with the schemes, and investigates whether and how they differ in terms of organisation. This report indicates the fundamental differences among apprenticeships in Europe that account for the absence of a shared understanding of the concept of apprenticeship. The design of apprenticeship schemes seems to respond to two different and evolving purposes and functions of apprenticeship, plus a hybrid one, existing side by side - the analysis of which may bring new insights into EU- and national-level policy debates. The first function group is apprenticeship as an education and training system; the second is apprenticeship as a type of VET delivery within the formal VET system; and the third, apprenticeship as a hybrid system, aims to offer young people a way of reaching a qualification by bringing them onto the labour market (strong link with social inclusion and employment) and combines elements of the other two groups but does not fully fall under either of the two.

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This Cedefop national qualifications framework (NQF) monitoring report confirms that NQFs play a key role in the European qualifications framework (EQF) implementation and in improving transparency and comparability of qualifications nationally and internationally. The 39 countries monitored (28 EU Member States, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Kosovo, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey) are developing and implementing 43 national qualifications frameworks. Most NQFs are comprehensive - covering all levels and types of formal education and training qualifications and promoting learning outcomes perspectives and triggering reform. They have contributed to reinforced and more consistent use of learning outcomes in qualifications, made higher VET (EQF levels 5 to 8) more visible, and supported more systematic implementation of validation of non-formal and informal learning. However, their visibility and use by the labour market is still limited. Sustainability, visibility to end-users, stakeholder involvement, ownership of the process, and consensus-building are among the conditions critical to successful NQF use and impact.

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Level descriptors are essential elements of national qualifications frameworks (NQF) established and implemented across Europe. They define what is meant by learning outcomes, describing what an individual is expected to know, be able to do and understand, having acquired a qualification at a particular level. This publication provides an updated overview of NQF level descriptors of 39 countries participating in [European Qualifications Framework] EQF implementation [an overview published in 2013 is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 114.77]. It shows that all 39 countries taking part have now defined - and for a large part adopted - their levels of learning outcomes. The analysis illustrates the influence of the EQF on national level descriptors, and demonstrates how countries have adjusted and further developed the learning outcomes approach according to national needs and priorities. National level descriptors have mostly been developed through extensive dialogue between different stakeholders. This report celebrates the 10th anniversary of the EQF in 2018 and its further implementation, as anchored in the revised EQF recommendation (2017).

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This short description helps improve understanding of vocational education and training (VET) in Bulgaria. It covers the main features, highlighting policy developments and current challenges. Bulgaria has strong youth education traditions. The share of those with upper secondary and post-secondary education is higher than in the EU; the share with low or no qualification is below EU average. Participation in VET is slightly higher than in general education; family traditions and personal interests are drivers for choosing VET. Demographic changes have affected the VET population. A declining school population has led to school network optimisation, targeting greater efficiency while safeguarding quality. Many small VET schools have been merged with larger providers. The 2015 amendments to the Pre-school and School Education Act triggered changes in the VET Act in 2016. These aim to make education pathways more flexible, allowing for greater permeability while helping create a sustainable national dual VET model.

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This publication is the final report of the thematic country review of apprenticeships (TCR) in Greece. The review took place between October 2015 and March 2017 at the request of the Greek Ministry of Education and the Greek Ministry of Labour. This report presents the key findings of the review and suggestions for action in the short and medium term. The review suggests starting by elaborating efficient and participatory apprenticeship governance structures at national level; detailing areas of shared responsibility among stakeholders comprising national authorities, social partners and chambers; acting collectively at national level to bring forward improvements in selecting apprenticeship specialities, updating occupational profiles and curricula, promoting quality of learning in the workplace, training teachers and trainers, expanding incentives for enterprises; and diffusing this approach of shared responsibility to the local level, through regular and systematic cooperation among State authorities, schools, chambers, professional associations and companies.

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This publication is the third in a series produced as part of the Cedefop project 'The changing nature and role of VET (2016-18)'. Based on analysis of developments during the past two decades (1995-2015), the report provides important insights into the responsiveness of national VET systems, notably in relation to changes in demography, technology and the economy. Building on detailed national case studies, the report demonstrates how 'big shocks' (the fall of the Berlin wall, the economic crisis of 2008), national policy reforms and incremental developments over time have changed the character of this crucial part of the European education and training landscape.

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This booklet focuses on some of the main aspects of vocational education and training (VET) in Greece. It provides an outline of the structure and characteristics of the training system and the challenges it faces. The booklet includes a chart of VET in the Greek education and training system and some education and training statistics. Show less

Developments in five priority areas for VET, agreed in 2015 by the EU-28, Iceland, Norway, candidate countries, the European Commission and EU social partners, are at the centre of this report. Work in 2015-17 signals continuity with earlier national strategies and initiatives. It confirms the recent focus on apprenticeships and other forms of work-based learning, and increasing attention to widening access to VET and qualifications, two areas that have been reinforced by EU-level policy packages. The report also presents measures taken in: VET teacher and trainer professional development, key competence provision, and quality assurance, including actions to make use of information on skills intelligence. Complementing this report, individual country chapters offer more detailed information on national developments. Though their long-standing collaboration, countries aim at achieving common objectives set for 2020. As policy-makers are reflecting on their vision for VET and collaboration beyond 2020, this interim report also discusses these trends from a forward-looking perspective.

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Skill shortages and skill mismatch are major concerns for policy-makers. With mass job destruction and sectoral restructuring following the recent economic crisis, four in 10 EU employers had difficulty finding people with the right skills, while unemployment rates peaked. Rapid digitalisation and technological skills obsolescence has also raised concerns about the extent to which the EU workforce is adequately prepared for the fourth industrial revolution. Yet, despite worries of increasing skill shortages and gaps, about 39 per cent of adult EU employees are overskilled and trapped in low quality jobs. This publication analyses Cedefop's European skills and jobs survey, a new data set covering about 49 000 EU-28 adult employees. Compiling different data insights, the report highlights that skill mismatch is a complex, multidimensional and dynamic phenomenon. It calls on policy-makers to adopt a different mindset for tackling skill mismatch, focused on sustainable activation, continuous learning, job-task re-engineering and promotion of higher-end product market/managerial practices.

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