Reimagining VET through accessibility, quality, and human-centred learning
The end of the VIPsVIBES project offers more than a list of deliverables, it brings a renewed vision of inclusion in vocational education. By opening pathways for visually impaired people in the bakery sector, the initiative has shown that accessibility is not a special measure, but a marker of quality and innovation in European VET.
Across Europe, the digital and green transitions are reshaping the labour market but not everyone has equal access to the opportunities they create. According to Eurostat (2023), participation in education and training among persons with disabilities remains 15–20 percentage points lower than that of their peers. This is not merely a social imbalance; it represents a systemic loss of potential skills, creativity, and diversity in the workforce.
The VIPsVIBES project, co-funded by Erasmus+, addressed this challenge through a concrete and symbolic context: the bakery sector. Baking is a profession rooted in craftsmanship, tradition, and community life, values that resonate deeply with Europe’s social and cultural identity. By empowering visually impaired learners to become Baking Ambassadors and preparing Inclusive Mentors to ensure accessible workplaces, the project turned an ordinary profession into a model of how inclusion can thrive in everyday VET practice.
This approach aligns closely with the European Pillar of Social Rights and the EU Disability Rights Strategy 2021-2030, both of which emphasise equal participation and fair working conditions for all citizens. In this light, VIPsVIBES offers a small but powerful example of how inclusion can serve Europe’s broader goals of sustainability, cohesion, and innovation.
For Effebi Association, which led the project’s quality assurance, VIPsVIBES reaffirmed that quality in VET must evolve beyond compliance to embrace accessibility, empathy, and co-creation. True excellence means ensuring that every learner can participate, progress, and contribute meaningfully to the world of work.
All project materials are freely available on the VIPsVIBES website. Every accessible classroom, adapted workplace, and empowered learner helps Europe rise through care, skill, and shared purpose.
Learn more at: https://vipsvibes.eu/
Author: Mario Spatafora, President of EFFEBI