Enhancing European cooperation in VET: outcomes of the Riga cycle: progress in common priorities for 2015-20

Developments in five priority areas for vocational education and training (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. The five medium-term deliverables (MTDs) agreed in Riga were: (1) promoting work-based learning in all its forms, with special attention to apprenticeships; (2) developing quality assurance mechanisms in VET and continuous information and feedback loops; (3) access to VET and qualifications for all; (4) strengthening key competences; and (5) initial and continuous professional development of VET teachers, trainers and mentors.

Work in 2015-19 shows 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; these two areas 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 reports offer more detailed information on national developments. This report offers an overview of the progress made since 2015 and the state of play of VET policies in participating countries at the end of the Riga cycle, pointing out challenges for the future.

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