The future of vocational education and training

Two narratives, which could not be more contradictory, have dominated the debate on the development of vocational education and training in Europe for years. Some see it as an outdated model — due to the change to knowledge society, the trend towards higher qualification and the increasing importance of transversal competences. Others see a renaissance of VET, pointing to the digitalisation of apprenticeships and the establishment of higher vocational education.
The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), an agency of the European Union, wanted clarity and commissioned 3s with the three-year project ‘The Changing Nature and Role of VET’. Together with researchers from all EU member states, the changes over the past 20 years were examined. The final report, published in 2020, summarises the results and also outlines three scenarios for the year 2035. One conclusion: VET has indeed changed radically. While, for example, the training of skilled workers has lost importance, at the same time vocational orientation in training — also in higher education — has become more and more pronounced.
As a result, Cedefop has also commissioned 3s to lead the follow-up project ‘The Future of vocational education and training’. Once again, more than 100 researchers from all 27 EU Member States as well as the United Kingdom, Iceland and Norway are participating. Together they are analysing the opportunities and challenges of European vocational education and training in detail and thus preparing future directions in education policy.
Project: The Future of Vocational Education and Training
Contact: Jörg Markowitsch
Client: Cedefop (European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training)
Duration: 2020-2023