34th EfVET Annual Conference in Fátima empowers VET providers to act on well-being in the digital world
[Fátima, Portugal – 25.10.2025] The 2025 Annual EfVET Conference, titled “Well-Being in a Digitalised World: Crafting the Future of VET 2035” wrapped up on 25 October, reinstating the commitment of all participants to take action on well-being in today’s increasingly digitalised European societies. Throughout the event, around 450 international experts, educators, VET professionals and learners exchanged on the challenges posed by digitalisation and new technologies to the well-being and mental health of learners, educators and school leaders.
The five-day event allowed policymakers, educators, researchers, industry representatives and young learners to explore the evolving landscape of vocational education and training across Europe and get practical insight in current projects and initiatives carried out by EfVET members, while networking, planning future cooperation initiatives and exchanging knowledge.
In the lead-up to the conference, on 21-22 October participants had the opportunity to take part in school visits around Portugal, before convening to Fátima. They visited institutes of technical education, training academies, schools of commerce and hospitality schools in Porto, Lisbon, Ourém and Fátima, learning about teaching methodologies, pedagogies and concrete applications of vocational education in various domains.
On 23 October, the EfVET Annual Conference kicked off with its first plenary in the Pastoral Centre Paul VI in Fátima, opening a decisive conversation about the future of VET in Europe. Stefano Tirati, EfVET Vice-President, Elisabete Marques, Pedagogical Director of Fátima Hospitality School, Luís Costa, Executive Director of ANESPO – Associação Nacional de Escolas Profissionais, and EfVET President Joachim James Calleja set the stage for an ambitious dialogue on well-being, digitalisation and the future of VET until 2035. Dr Calleja proposed a European Pact for VET Well-being, highlighting how EfVET can take the lead in suggesting to the European Commission a 2035 roadmap where well-being stands alongside skills and innovation as a pillar of vocational education policy.
European Commission’s Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, through a video-message, pointed to the need to care for the wellbeing of our learners, teachers and trainers in today’s increasingly digitalised education environment. She underlined that well-being must be treated as a political priority, fully integrated into policies, funding lines and institutional strategies, rather than a side topic. According to Commissioner Mînzatu, “VET must remain a human-centred ecosystem, where students feel safe and supported, and teachers are granted the right conditions to innovate and develop”.
In her keynote speech, Catarina Boléo Tomé, General Director of the Lisbon School of Commerce, stressed that well-being is a strategic pillar of modern education and encouraged educators to support students to find purpose, foster empathy and put human connections back to the centre of the learning process.
The conversation continued with a panel discussion on digital well-being moderated by Joao Santos, Expert in Education and Training policy, bringing together diverse perspectives, lived experiences and strategic insights into this crucial topic. Fernanda Torres, INETE Director, Violaine Roggeri, Communication Officer at the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), Pratham Bhattarai, VET learner, Elena Vera Girelli, Teacher at ENGIM Veneto, and Margarida Gaspar de Matos, Professor in Psychology at the Portuguese Catholic University, contributed with their particular expertise and viewpoints to the panel discussion. They highlighted the need for integral approaches to create safer and healthier learning environments for educators, trainers and learners.
During the ad-hoc matchmaking sessions in the afternoon, participants also had the opportunity to exchange on their current projects and explore possible partnerships in the areas of Global VET, microcredentials, green and digital transitions, manufacturing and development in VET skills and entrepreneurship.
The final day of the EfVET Conference, 24 October, started with a policy discussion on how to build a resilient, innovative and attractive VET system for the decade ahead. The panel featured Anna Banczyk, European Commission’s Head of Unit for Vocational Education and Training, Skills Portability, Cedefop (DG EMPL), John Edwards, EURASHE Secretary General, Arja Flinkman, EfVET Vice-President for Policy, Giulia Meschino, EVTA Secretary General, Theodor Grassos, EVBB Secretary General, and was moderated by Stylianos Mavromoustakos, Director of the Foundation for the Management of European Lifelong Learning Programmes in Cyprus.
The session sought to highlight current challenges and opportunities for VET providers in Europe. Speakers addressed the main policy developments at the EU institutional level: microcredentials, upskilling and reskilling, mobility schemes, STEM promotion, responsible AI integration, and the creation of a European Skills High-Level Board to provide data-driven insights to policymakers. VET representatives called for more co-creation in policymaking and the involvement of VET networks in policy initiatives, such as the Union of Skills, the 2028-2034 Erasmus+ and the 2026 VET strategy. The audience lively participated in the debate, raising questions about the real increase of funding in the next MFF, youth involvement in VET ecosystems and policymaking, the role of citizenship education skills and the adaptability of curricula to the rapidly evolving digital world.
The programme continued with a second round of workshops, where participants explored best practices on AI, emotional intelligence, digital well-being, citizenship skills, emotional competences and the use of technology in education. Workshops stressed the necessity to strengthen synergies and harmonisation of innovation, pedagogical research, and well-being. Later, members attended their national Boards meetings to discuss the way forward in their respective constituencies.
In the afternoon, participants of the EfVET Youth Conference presented their projects related to digitalisation and well-being. Young learners shared their concerns for issues arising with digitalisation, such as AI overuse at school, social isolation and disconnection, misinformation, anxiety and stress. They suggested investing in educators’ well-being, creating a balance between online and offline activities, fostering critical thinking competences and setting limitations to phone use among kids.
The last working sessions included the closing ceremony and the announcement of the 2026 EfVET Annual Conference to take place in Antalya (Türkiye). EfVET members finalised their work by attending the General Assembly, where exchanges and discussions contributed to strategically plan EfVET course of action for 2026. As Stefano Tirati, EfVET Acting President mentioned: “Vocational Education and Training is nothing without action: we need to act and build strategies that put well-being at the core of our education ecosystems”.
The conference closed with the traditional Gala dinner and networking reception, which strengthened the professional and, most importantly, personal bonds that underpin EfVET community and mission.
On 25 October, participants took part in the cultural excursions to four heritage, natural and religious sites in and around Fátima: the Castle of Tomar and the Convent of Christ, the Batalha monastery, the Mira de Aire caves and the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima.
We extend our sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Fátima Hospitality School, the Associação Nacional de Escolas Profissionais (ANESPO) and to our sponsors Cat simulators, Savvas Learning Company and Seabery.
For more information on the sessions, pictures and topics of the Conference, please follow EfVET LinkedIn account and visit www.efvet.org.
About EfVET
The European Forum of Technical and Vocational Education and Training was founded in 1991 following the recognition that Vocational Education and Training Institutions did not have a voice in Europe. VET institutions were, at the time, facing challenges to gain recognition as a key educational pathway for many young people. The Academic/Vocational divide was considerable and vulnerable young people and even adults were significantly disengaged as a result. It was time to build a network of practitioner VET institutions to secure a voice across Europe in both the policy arena and also to share and establish good practises in the delivery of VET learning.
