James Calleja
Cedefop Director

Dear subscribers,

Last week, we experienced in Brussels and across Europe a highly successful European vocational skills week with more than 900 events and 650 000 participants. Cedefop is proud to have been an active partner of the Commission in supporting this first Europe-wide vocational education and training (VET) activity. Cedefop’s support to the European vocational skills week has been building up over the past few months through various activities organised to promote it. The policy learning forums on learning outcomes and on the professional development of teachers and trainers, the ReferNet plenary, the international conference on validation and the #CedefopPhotoAward were all activities that sought to attract participants’ attention to VET’s added value for jobs and for a better quality of life.! As a strong believer in communication, the investment in the European vocational skills week can be described as ‘money down the brains’! We need to change the prevailing mindset that VET is a second option. Experience in several Member States clearly shows that where VET is strong unemployment is low. I hope you enjoy this second edition of Cedefop’s thematic newsletter.

First European vocational skills week ‘a huge success’!

With more than 900 events across Europe and more than 650 000 people involved, the first European vocational skills week, organised by the European Commission with Cedefop as one of the partners, came to an end on 9 December in Brussels.

Mobility scoreboards launched in Brussels

The European learning mobility scoreboards for initial vocational education and training (IVET), developed by Cedefop, and for higher education (HE), developed by EACEA/Eurydice, were launched by the European Commission on 8 December on the occasion of the first European vocational skills week.

Learning outcomes for VET qualifications: the next step

Cedefop’s second policy learning forum on learning outcomes for vocational education and training (VET) qualifications, on 13 and 14 October in Thessaloniki, provided a follow up to last year’s first such event.

ReferNet partners and national representatives brought together at plenary meeting

Challenges and opportunities of working together were debated at the 14th annual plenary meeting of ReferNet, Cedefop’s network of institutions providing information on national vocational education and training (VET) in the EU Member States, Iceland and Norway.

Professional VET teacher and trainer development: key to quality learning

Cedefop’s first policy learning forum on professional development of teachers and trainers, in Thessaloniki on 21-22 November, concluded that teachers and trainers are very important actors in ensuring quality of work-based learning, apprenticeships and vocational education and training (VET) in general, and need to be supported and empowered.

Validation fights exclusion and makes employability possible

Over 200 participants in Cedefop’s conference on how to make learning visible, on 28 and 29 November in Thessaloniki, agreed that validation of non-formal and informal learning is important for Europe’s future. Cedefop Director James Calleja stressed that ‘validation fights exclusion and makes employability possible.’

#CedefopPhotoAward winners honoured at special exhibition

An exhibition showing the 20 best photos (winners and runners-up) of the first #CedefopPhotoAward was opened by Cedefop Director James Calleja at the Thessaloniki Cinema Museum on 5 November, with three of the four winners present.

Highlights of the #CedefopPhotoAward exhibition opening

The 20 best photos (winners and runners-up) of the first #CedefopPhotoAward were exhibited at the Thessaloniki Cinema Museum in November. Three of the four winners were present at the opening.

#CedefopPhotoAward: interview with the winners

Interview with three of the #CedefopPhotoAward winners, Raquel Pereira Sousa Pinto, Vasiliki Kalopita and Antía Varela Torres, at the Thessaloniki Cinema Museum during the 57th Thessaloniki International Film festival on 5 November 2016.

Highlights - 2nd policy learning forum on defining and writing learning outcomes for VET qualifications

Watch highlights from Cedefop's 2nd policy learning forum on defining and writing learning outcomes for vocational education and training (VET) qualifications.

Interviews with Cedefop experts Jens Bjornavold and Slava Pevec-Grm

Cedefop experts Jens Bjornavold and Slava Pevec-Grm sup up the results of the agency's 2nd policy learning forum on defining and writing learning outcomes for vocational education and training (VET) qualifications.