On 22-23 November 2023, TKNIKA invited EfVET Vice-President Stefano Tirati and Secretary General Valentina Chanina to join the Vocational Education and Training Summit 2025: “Key to a Global, Digital, Inclusive, and Sustainable Future”, held the 8, 9 and 10 of April, to reflect on the role of key transitions Europe is undergoing and primarily the green and digital transitions. The Summit 2025 organised by the Vice-Minister of Vocational Education and Training of the Basque Governments Department of Education, where they brought together more than 300 participants at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. 

The objectives of the Summit 2025 were to create a space for the exchange of knowledge and practices at international level. This objective addressed four main objectives: 

• In line with the European initiative of excellence in Vocational Education and Training, to highlight the relevance of multifunctional vocational training systems in which vocational training plays more than a purely training role. 
• In line with the European initiative of excellence, promote the creation of international platforms for cooperation between vocational training centres in different countries and regions. 
• Reflect on the relevance of vocational training in achieving a digital, sustainable and inclusive future. 
• To exchange experiences and knowledge between different vocational training systems. 

The Minister of Education from the Basque Government, Ms. Begoña Pedrosa Lobato opened the summit and explained the education system in the Basque Country, underlining the critical role that VET is playing in transforming the work environment. Today, Basque Country’s successful VET system is motivating students to choose VET as a first option, as they can get a job after their VET studies. She highlighted the work the Basque Government is doing in research and training, emphasising that that education cannot be understand without inclusion. “We have to make our students, our professionals, be part on the system, of the learning moment, of the professional moment” she claimed. She also addressed another challenge when talking about diversity, gender and how the administrations are working trying to attract women to VET. The Lifelong learning competences are made for all the people so everyone can have a proper, dignified life, a healthy working environment and a proper education. 

The General Secretary of Vocational Training of the Ministry of Education of Spain, Ms. Esther Monterrubio addressed the changes that are being done in VET system to make it more durable and inclusive. 

Professor Steven Dhondt, Senior scientist at TNO and at KU Leuven, stressed the importance skills. He said that the “European Commission adopted a communication on the Union of Skills accompanied by a plan on basic skills and a strategic plan on STEM education”. It will play a strategic role for the next five years. The Union of Skills is a crucial enabler for the two other flagship initiatives of the current mandates, the competitiveness compass and the clean Industrial deal. There are three objectives, the first one is to ensure that everyone in Europe is empowered to build solid skills foundations and engaged in lifelong learning upskilling and reskilling. Second objective is to support companies to be competitive, making it easier for employers to find people with the skills they need to create sustainable growth and quality jobs. Thirdly – to make skills and qualifications, regardless of where they are acquired in Europe, transparent, trusted and recognised across the single market. 

During the panel discussion “A Global VET: Digitalization, Sustainability, and Inclusion from International Networks”, EfVET Vice-President Stefano Tirati said “It is very important and indeed we need to invest in technology enhanced learning, in technical tools, in technology as a subject, but one important challenge is also well-being. We believe that if we do not invest also on social skills, collaborative skills, well-being then this dichotomy will have a strong impact. We cannot invest in technology without looking after the human factor and the well-being”.  Stefano Tirati explained that EfVET has been involved in one of these centres of excellence, which was focused on inclusive excellence. He addressed the question “How can you be excellent if you are not inclusive?” – This is a value that was the starting point, and it developed, now it is over the globe. EfVET works on such initiative in the “Inclusive Vocational Excellence and Wellbeing” working group – which also focuses on personalization of the training and real-world education. 

Mr. Jon Labaka, Vice-Minister of Vocational Education and Training from the Department of Education said that “We are part of an ecosystem. We must respond to that ecosystem, and we must create tools in the centres to receive the necessary information to make the correct decision and work under a strategy”. He also thanked for participating all delegates, speakers and the staff. 

Lastly, the Thursday, 10th of April, TKNIKA’s open day finished with an open session of roundtables where VET teachers from the Basque Country and other EU countries had the opportunity to present the outcomes of their projects.