The EfVET Secretary-General Valentina Chanina carried out a mission to Estonia, combining direct engagement with leading vocational education providers and participation in the EfVET Estonian National Board meeting. This dual approach enabled EfVET to gather operational insights from the grassroots level while contributing to strategic discussions shaping the future of Estonian VET.

Visit to Pärnumaa Vocational Education Centre
The Secretariat was welcomed by Ms. Thea Tammeleht at Pärnumaa Vocational Education Centre. The visit provided a detailed overview of the school’s approach to competence-based learning, industry cooperation, and lifelong learning. Pärnumaa, in collaboration with EfVET, has built an extensive network of European partners, ensuring high-quality mobility experiences for both learners and staff. 

Participation in the Estonian National Board Meeting
As part of the mission, Valentina Chanina joined the Estonian National Board meeting, coordinated by Taavi Tusk, centred on “The Next Steps for Estonian VET: Cooperation Opportunities and Bottlenecks Between the Ministry and Schools.” The discussion addressed key drivers influencing Estonia’s VET system, including European policy developments, the shift toward a skills-based model, demographic pressures, and the need for stronger coordination between stakeholders. The Ministry highlighted several cooperation models—ranging from strategic partnerships to employer-driven platforms—that could support more flexible, responsive VET provision.

Challenges such as teacher shortages, uneven school capacities, funding limitations, and structural changes in the school network were also discussed, underscoring the need for strategic alignment across the system.

EfVET is glad to dialogue with its members and their ecosystem. The coming opportunities of the developemnt of a EU VET strategy, the implementation of the Union of Skills, the next Erasmus+ program, will require needs analysis at grassroots level in order to have a consistent advocacy. Thanks to Ms. Tammeleht for her warm welcome and Mr. Taavi Tusk, as well as the Estonian EfVET network, for their work towards a resilient, future-ready VET ecosystem.