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In March 2018, following a consultation of cross-industry European social partners and an opinion of the tripartite Advisory Committee on Vocational Training (ACVT), EU Member States agreed on a Council Recommendation on a European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships (EFQEA). The framework aims to ensure that apprenticeships respond to the needs of both apprentices and employers throughout the European Union. The European Commission committed to report on the implementation of the framework within three years from the date of its adoption. This report presents the state of play of implementation of the Council Recommendation as of September 2020. The analysis is based on input provided in the 2nd half of 2020 and in early 2021 by all EU Member States, as well as European and national social partners and members of the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA). The analysis focuses in particular on how Member States have been putting in practice the 14 criteria for quality and effective apprenticeships set out in the EFQEA. It also describes further aspects related to the implementation at national level (involvement of social partners, gender equality, national reform programmes, use of EU funds). It presents how the European Commission supported Member States in the implementation and summarises remaining challenges. The Annex describes the key features of apprenticeships in each Member State.

Three years into the implementation of the recommendation, this report shows that the 7 criteria on learning and working conditions are in place in the majority of Member States, while further progress is needed in implementing the 7 criteria on framework conditions. The report confirms that the Framework continues to be relevant and up to date, and that it remains a key instrument to enhance the quality and effectiveness of apprenticeships across the EU. The report also indicates that the Framework supports Member States in an incremental, continuous improvement of their apprenticeship schemes, including on those criteria that were already partially in place in 2018.

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Validation of non-formal and informal learning is defined as 'a process of confirmation by an authorised body that an individual has acquired learning outcomes measured against a relevant standard'. It aims to make non-formal and informal learning visible socially, in the labour market and in the education and training system, based on the identification, documentation, assessment and certification of such learning. Validation has the potential to contribute to achieving the goals set by the Europe 2020 strategy, as it can contribute to matching skills supply and demand, supporting mobility across sectors and countries and fighting social exclusion. The European inventory on validation of non-formal and informal learning is a regularly updated overview of validation practices and arrangements across Europe. It is compiled in cooperation with the European Commission and ETF. The inventory was endorsed by the Council recommendation of 2012 on validation and works together with the European guidelines as a tool to support countries in developing and implementing validation arrangements.

The inventory informs dialogue and learning between countries and stakeholders developing and implementing validation in Europe. Our key objective is to support Member States so that more learners and workers can acquire and make visible new skills, which will support their career and further learning and improve their quality of life. The 2018 update of the inventory is a unique record of how validation is being used nationally, regionally and locally across Europe. It contains the state of play and an overview of developments for 39 countries, illustrated by good practice examples. You will also find thematic reports on key issues in designing and implementing validation initiatives, plus three international case studies. The inventory is the result of a three-year process based on the work of a large network of national experts, extensive review of documents, and interviews with key stakeholders.

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The 39 country reports are: Austria / Karin Luomi-Messerer; Belgium-Flanders / Katleen De Rick; Belgium-French / Milica Popovic; Bulgaria / Mariya Dzhengozova; Croatia / Marija Pavkov; Cyprus / Anna Manoudi; Czech Republic / Milada Stalker; Denmark / Bokil Husted; Estonia / Marin Johnson; Finland / Anni Karttunen; France / Cecile Mathou; Germany / Claudia Ball; Greece / Anna Manoudi; Hungary / Eva Tot; Iceland / Fjola Maria Larusdottir; Ireland / Ilona Murphy; Italy / Elisabetta Perulli; Kosovo / Teuta Danuza; Latvia / Diana Ieleja; Liechtenstein /Jaana Puukka; Lithuania / Giedre Beleckiene; Luxembourg / Claire Duchemin; Malta / Suzanne Gatt; Montenegro / Slavica Dimovska; Netherlands / Ruud Duvekot; North Macedonia / Ognen Spasovski; Norway / Odd Bjorn Ure; Poland / Aleksandra Duda; Portugal / Paula Guimaraes; Romania / Magdalena Balica; Slovakia / Juraj Vantuch; Slovenia / Marija Pavkov; Spain / Patricia Vale; Sweden / Soren Kristensen; Switzerland / Deli Salini, Saskia Weber Guisan and Evelyn Tsandev; Turkey / Fusun Akkok; UK - England and Northern Ireland / Michael Richardson; UK - Scotland / David Scott; UK - Wales / David Scott.

The five thematic reports are: Bridging the gap: validation creation routes and links between sectors / Jo Hawley-Woodall; How digital forms of assessment and self-assessment might place a new challenge and opportunity for assessment methodologies / Karin Luomi-Messerer; How social partners and other labour marketrelated stakeholders are involved in validation arrangements / Mariya Dzhengova; Validation of non-formal and informal learning for migrants and refugees / Ilona Murphy; The role of validation in an upskilling pathway for young people not in education and training (NEETS), adults with low skills and long-term unemployed people / Gabor Endrodi.

The three case studies are: Canada-Nova Scotia / Cecile Mathou; Chile-Chilevalora / Gabor Endrodi; Hong Kong / Ruud Devekot. Show less

This annual report shows how fee and support systems (including grants and loans) work in higher education in Europe. In addition to providing a comparative overview of fees and financial support available for full-time students in 2015/16, it also includes individual country sheets outlining the main elements of national systems. In particular, the publication describes the range of fees charged to students and specifies which categories of students are required to pay, and which may be exempt. Similarly it explains the levels of public support available in the form of grants and loans, as well as tax benefits and family allowances where applicable. The report focuses on fees and support in public or government-dependent private higher education institutions for the first (Bachelor level) and second (Master level) cycles and does not cover private higher education institutions. Information covers the 28 [European Union] EU Member States as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey.

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In 2007, reaching the European Union (EU) benchmarks and goals for 2010 continues to pose a serious challenge for education and training systems in Europe, except for the goal on increasing the number of Mathematics, Science and Technology graduates. Unless significantly greater efforts are made in achieving the benchmarks, early school leaving, completion rates of upper secondary education and key competences for low achievers will remain ambitious for the EU even beyond 2010.

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The full report that this publication is based on is indexed at TD/TNC 93.239. Show less

The Joint Employment Report (JER) is a key input to EU economic governance, providing an annual overview of key employment and social developments in Europe as well as Member States' reform actions in line with the Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States and Annual Growth Survey (AGS) priorities. Key indications are that: (1) the economic expansion, which now has reached all Member States, is accompanied by steady improvements in the labour market and social situation supported by the reform efforts made by Member States; (2) job creation has picked up and employment continues to expand at a firm pace; (3) the main labour market indicators have strengthened across the board; (4) while all Member States show improvements, very substantial differences can be observed; (5) underutilisation of the labour force is falling but remains sizeable even in countries where unemployment is low; (6) despite the improvements in the labour market, wage growth remains subdued in most countries; (7) several Member States have taken steps to enhance the predictability of the wage setting system, with the involvement of social partners; (8) in line with the labour market upturn there is a general improvement in the financial situation of households; (9) increasing labour market participation, employment rates, and productivity is an imperative in view of demographic change; (10) recent gains in employment have not been evenly distributed among different population groups; (11) while the employment rate of women reached another record high, they continue to be underrepresented in the labour market and face a significant pay differential; (12) in addition, more part-time work combined with shorter and more discontinuous careers often translates into lower pensions for women.

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Based on an assessment of progress made in key policy areas in the last three years, this draft Joint Report proposes new working priorities for the period 2012-2014 geared to mobilise education and training to support Europe 2020. The draft Joint Report also sets out a number of options to adjust the governance of ET 2020 to ensure that it contributes to Europe 2020. The Communication is underpinned by two Staff Working Documents. They take stock of the situation in individual countries and key thematic areas and draw on National Reports provided by Member States as well as other information and data.

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The purpose of this report is to draw on indicators and benchmarks in order to provide strategic guidance for the Education and Training 2010 program and to set out the evidence available on progress towards the objectives agreed by ministers. The 16 core indicators for monitoring progress towards the Lisbon objectives in education and training are: (1) Participation in pre-school education; (2) Special needs education; (3) Early school leavers; (4) Literacy in reading, mathematics and science; (5) Language skills; (6) ICT skills; (7) Civic skills; (8) Learning to learn skills; (9) Upper secondary completion rates of young people; (10) Professional development of teachers and trainers; (11) Higher education graduates; (12) Cross-national mobility of students in higher education; (13) Participation of adults in lifelong learning; (14) Adult skills; (15) Educational attainment of the population; and (16) Investment in education and training.

The leaflet summarising this report is indexed at TD/TNC 93.240. Show less

The 'Rethinking education' communication supports the Member States by identifying a range of issues relevant for improving the efficiency of education and training systems. This document highlights the evidence base for the policy proposals outlined in the 'Rethinking education' communication on vocational education and training (VET) and vocational skills. The Bruges Communique of December 2010, which defines the European VET strategy up to 2020, calls for an active policy to enhance the potential of VET to support smart and sustainable growth, and to turn VET across the [European Union] EU into a highly attractive learning choice. This document responds to this demand, helping Member States and other stakeholders put into practice the reforms needed to exploit the potential of VET for growth. Its findings are based on analyses, coordinated by the European Commission in cooperation with Member States, of best policy practice across the EU and beyond, and on comparative data and current research. It summarises key results of exploratory work by the Commission involving experts representing key VET stakeholders. It highlights the unexploited potential of VET to support economic development, notably by better integrating VET in economic growth strategies at local, regional and national levels. Furthermore, it identifies for policy makers concrete steps which can facilitate this kind of development. It also attributes specific attention to issues of sustainable development, which will be one of the key drivers of change to be reflected in VET policies and practices.

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Article 150 of the EC Treaty states that “the Community shall implement a vocational training policy which shall support and supplement the action of the Member States while fully respecting the responsibility of the Member States for the content and organisation of vocational training”.

The underlying objective of this survey on vocational training is to determine whether current vocational training systems meet the needs and wishes of citizens and to identify the type of reforms and innovations necessary in order to meet the Lisbon goals by 2010.

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Since 2008 Europe has been suffering the effects of the most severe economic crisis it has seen in 50 years: for the first time in Europe there are over 25 million unemployed and in the majority of Member States small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have not yet been able to bounce back to their pre-crisis levels. To bring Europe back to growth and higher levels of employment, Europe needs more entrepreneurs. As a follow up to the Small Business Act review of April 2011 and of the Industrial policy communication adopted last October, the proposed action plan sets out a renewed vision and a number of actions to be taken at both [European Union] EU and Member States' level to support entrepreneurship in Europe. It is based on three pillars: developing entrepreneurial education and training; creating the right business environment; role models and reaching out to specific groups.

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