Another milestone has been reached in European cooperation on vocational education and training (VET), known as the Copenhagen process. Ministers from the European Union member States, candidate countries, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein endorsed in June new deliverables for 2015-20.
They renewed their commitment to ‘raising the overall quality and status of VET’ to meet the education and training 2020 strategic objectives and support the wider European growth and jobs agenda. They also discussed VET’s challenges and the future of the Copenhagen process.
The Riga conclusions, agreed by European social partners and the European Commission, focus on five priority areas:
promoting all forms of work-based learning, in particular apprenticeships;
further developing quality assurance in VET and informing initial and continuing VET on labour market needs and outcomes;
improving access to VET and qualifications for all, through flexible pathways and progression opportunities, better guidance and validation of nonformal and informal learning;
strengthening key competences in initial and continuing VET;
ensuring initial and continuing professional development of VET teachers, trainers and mentors.
Strong partnerships with social partners and other stakeholders are seen as crucial to achieving these aims. Focusing on learning outcomes and using commonly developed transparency tools are further major principles, as are efficient funding and promoting excellence and innovation.
Riga Conclusions on VET can be viewed here.
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