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This publication is based on a 1999 CEDEFOP survey undertaken at the request of the European Commission in order to contribute to the validation of the outcomes of the Leonardo da Vinci Programme I in terms of methods, tools and instruments for anticipating qualifications and competence development and adapting vocational education and training systems. It provides an overview of the approaches taken and innovations adopted at the national level and compares approaches at the European level. There are four sections to this report: Preliminary synthesis; National reports; Bibliography/country references; Annotated bibliography. The 16 national reports are: Belgium (Dutch speaking) / Leen Vanaerschot and Rien Van Meensel; Belgium (French speaking) / Marc Ant; Denmark / Bruno Clematide, Finn Tidemand and Peter Ploughmann; Germany / Peter-W. Kloas; Greece / Theo Papatheodossipu; Spain / Nuria de la Fuente Teixido; France / Henriette Perker; Iceland / CIRCA; Italy / Mario Gatti and Maria Grazia Mereu; Luxembourg / Marc Ant; The Netherlands / Ben Hovels; Austria / Jorg Markowitsch; Portugal / INOFOR; Finland / Olli Poropudas and Kirsti Stenvall; Sweden / Ingrid Levander-Bergstroem; United Kingdom / John Konrad and Catherine O’Sullivan. Show less

The Bruges communique, part of the framework for the European Union's policy on vocational education and training (VET), set out a vision to make continuing VET more attractive, inclusive, accessible, and flexible. Agreed in December 2010, the European Commission, Member States and social partners endorsed the communique vision in June 2015 in the Riga conclusions. This briefing note aims to clarify the trends in adult learning and the ways to make the Bruges vision a reality.

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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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'Skillset and match' is Cedefop's magazine promoting learning for work. This special issue looking at European vocational education and training (VET) post-2020. It includes: Exclusive interviews on the challenges ahead with the Education Ministers of the previous and current EU Presidency holders, Croatia and Germany, and of Cedefop's host country Greece; A report on the joint Cedefop/European Training Foundation high-level conference which discussed ways to enhance European cooperation in VET; Messages from the speeches at the conference of European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas and Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit; An article on the joint discussion paper by Cedefop and European Training Foundation (ETF) which explores the challenges and opportunities for VET in the next decade; Cedefop Executive Director's editorial on why VET is centre stage in the coronavirus pandemic era. Readers can also browse through the latest Cedefop publications and upcoming events.

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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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The European institutions, Member States and the social partners are working more closely together than ever before on achieving the Lisbon objectives and the learning agenda is top priority for European stakeholders to face the challenges of the European labour markets in the 21st century. Indeed, the European social partners are the foremost actors to enhance European cooperation in education and training. The research work aimed at exploring how the social partners on different levels are dealing with the priorities related to the Copenhagen process in education and training. The work was carried out evaluating 12 of the 27 Member States and six sectors by interviewing in depth almost 90 social partner's informants across European, national and sectoral levels. In addition, the outcomes confirm that social dialogue on education and training is playing a relevant role on development of [vocational education and training] VET policies at different levels. Nonetheless, social dialogue on VET and [lifelong learning] LLL issues is still a mechanism to be further explored and developed as a device to facilitate learning opportunities for European citizens.

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This publication presents a concise picture of essential features of vocational education and training (VET) in Europe. It provides a brief description of the VET system for each country, outlining the structure of its courses and programs. The countries covered are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, and United Kingdom. Show less

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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This flyer draws on an ad hoc data collection volunteered by independent CareersNet experts in lifelong guidance and career development during May 2022. Experts provided independent assessments and illustrations, with suggested solutions to challenges in the field of career guidance for Ukrainian refugees, particularly adults, based on evidence available. Content and access to information varied widely among countries due to the dynamic nature of the situation.

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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