This week, EfVET Secretary General, Valentina Chanina joined policymakers, stakeholders and experts at the Cedefop Brussels seminar in collaboration with the Polish Presidency of the Council of the @European Union. The seminar focused on the issue of inclusion of young people not in employment, education and training (NEETs) in today’s labour and the role that vocational education and training play in this.
Moderated by Irene Psifidou the seminar explored inclusive approaches to VET, social inclusion and tacking the challenges faced by NEETs on formal education pathways. Mr. Jürgen Siebel, Executive Director, Cedefop, gave some key insights “VET can act as a unique bridge, connecting young people with growth and successful social integration”.
During the seminar speakers exchanged inspiring practices and policy insights with high-level representative Mr. Michał Drozdowicz, Head of Social Politics Employment and Equal Opportunities Section at the Permanent Representation of Poland to the EU, who claimed that “Inclusive education and successful labour market integration are two sides of the same coin, if we are to build a truly Europe of equality, cohesion and integration, we must ensure that every young person has the chance not only to learn, but also to contribute to society, thrive professionally and feel part of the broader European community”.
“A lot of young people want to find their way into society. Many of them, they want to grow, contribute and want to belong. Vocational Education and Training can play a huge role in this, because VET is not only about teaching practical skills, but also about rebuilding confidence, offering new chances and make people feel seen and valued” said Brigitte van den Berg, Member of the European Parliament, Committee on Employment and Social Affairs.
The Cedefop expert team presented data driven strategies and practical tools, while high-level insights during the panel discission on how we can better empower NEETs and build resilence, inclusive VET system. Several good practices from across Europe were shared, including micro-credentials from Kati Marin Expert in lifelong learning, support of specific groups from NEET’s through innovative approaches from Oscar Pasquali, CEO of Generation Italy and how to increase work prospects of NEET’s through capacity building from @Juan Anton Gambina, Principal Executive of Jobsplus Malta.
The final panel featured key speakers Koen Bois d’Enghien, Raffaela Kihrer, Karolina Malinowska, Sabina Casini and Yves Magnan, who discussed about inclusive labour markets. Mr. Koen Bois d’Enghien mentioned the Union of Skills, which includes many relevant actions also for learners with a visible background. The EU will develop a new VET strategy which will be published next year where we need to have inclusive VET pathways and high quality, so this is one stand of action. Cedefop will also launch the European Vocational Teacher Survey on 26 September, engaging 14.000 teachers across 23 Member States.
