19 Feb. 2024 – EfVET participated in the Cedefop seminar “making learning progression a reality”, in which they presented the key findings of its projects Ensuring transparency and transferability of learning outcomes, including alternative policy scenarios for lifelong and life-wide learning towards 2040.   

During the event, 5 different policy scenarios for lifelong learning were proposed by Cedefop based on the PERMEABILITY (low/high) and FLEXIBILITY (low/high) of the systems and their potential implications for key stakeholders, including learners, education and training providers, and policymakers. 

Cedefop, along with other VET organizations, aims to stimulate forward-looking discussions on the necessary conditions to create an integrated and cohesive learning landscape that enables mobility and lifelong learning for all.  

The seminar opened with the welcome of George Kostakis, Coordinator at the Department for VET and Qualifications (DVQ) at Cedefop, who welcomed participants and introduced the event. Jürgen Siebel, Executive Director of Cedefop, then provided an overview of the organization’s work, mapping significant European policies on VET, analyzing their outcomes, and exploring potential future pathways to guide discussions on the future of vocational education and training.  

Anna Banczyk, Head of Unit at the European Commission, shared updates from Brussels, highlighting the EU Commission’s new mandate and its ambition to establish a Union of Skills. “If we want Europe to remain competitive, we must really invest more in human capital, union of skills and lifelong learning” she declared. In addition, she discussed that while qualifications are now increasingly focused on learning outcomes, the adoption of digital solutions remains slow. Therefore, the key challenge for the European Union will be to develop, attract, and retain highly skilled individuals to ensure the EU’s global competitiveness. 

After welcoming the participants to the webinar, a round of sessions and panels began in which different issues of importance to ensure educational progression were discussed. The first opening session looked at past developments in the transparency of education systems and qualifications. In this session, Loukas Zahilas, Head of Department for Vocational Education and Training and Qualifications in Cedefop made some key remarks: 

• Since the 2000s, the European Council has recognized the need for the EU to adapt to globalization and a knowledge-based economy to enhance its competitiveness. 

• The Copenhagen Declaration defended the priority of increasing transparency in VET. 

• Current and future challenges include ensuring transparency and recognition of qualifications, maintaining consistent quality standards, aligning VET programs with the rapidly evolving labor market, and improving public perception of VET as a valuable education pathway. 

The second session focused on the main findings of Cedefop’s project, which analyzed transparency and transferability of learning outcomes over the past 20 years and explored potential policy scenarios for 2040. 

• Zelda Azzarà, Expert from the Department of VET and Qualifications (DVQ) from Cedefop introduced the project, outlining its four-part methodology from a European to an individual level, including future scenarios. The conference focused on what drives or hinders lifelong learning and what changes are needed. Key advancements highlighted by Zelda Azzarà include modular learning pathways, broader curricula, improved learning quality and comparability, flexible admission, and greater validation of non-formal learning, with participation in non-formal education doubling in the past two decades. 

• Vasileios Symeonidis, from DVQ from Cedefop, discussed mapping key policy initiatives to enhance transparency and transferability of learning outcomes while addressing existing barriers in VET. He highlighted five thematic policy areas: quality assurance, credit accumulation and transfer, comparability of skills and qualifications, validation of non-formal learning, and recognition of qualifications. 

• Giorgia Iacopini, a senior researcher from Tavistock Institut gGmbH presented future policy scenarios for lifelong learning towards 2040, structured around three key building blocks. First, they identified eight dominant trends and their STEEP (Social, Technological, Environmental, Economic, and Political) drivers. Then, they developed scenario axes based on two key variables: flexibility and permeability. Finally, they defined indicators for these variables and tested five scenarios through expert validation: 

• • • Scenario 1 (Flex Max): High Flexibility/Permeability. 

• • • Scenario 2 (Rigid Islands): Low Flexibility / Permeability. 

• • • Scenario 3 (Fragmented Flexibility): High flexibility / Low permeability. 

• • • Scenario 4 (Rigid but connected): Low Flexibility / Moderate Permeability. 

• • • Scenario 5 (Gated Communities): Moderate Flexibility / Permeability. 

In the third session, Zelda Azzarà and Vasileios Symeonidis from Cedefop conducted an interactive SLIDO poll, engaging participants in selecting the most likely and desirable future scenarios. The most voted probable scenarios were Gated Communities (53%), Rigid but Connected (22%), and Fragmented Flexibility (14%). However, when asked about the most desirable future, participants favored Flex Max (58%) and Gated Communities (33%), highlighting a preference for greater flexibility and permeability in lifelong learning systems. 

The seminar hosted parallel breakout sessions focused on shaping the future of lifelong learning through discussions and reflections on policy pathways. EfVET participated in Breakout Session 2, moderated by Vasileios Symeonidis (Cedefop) and Kari Hadjivassiliou (Tavistock Institut gGmbH), with Iraklis Pliakis (Cedefop) as the rapporteur. Participants explored their perspectives on the future policy scenarios and their potential impact on policy developments and practices in different countries. Discussions also examined what factors facilitate or hinder learners’ mobility across education and training sectors and countries. Additionally, the breakout session addressed the priorities and actions that the national and European actors should pursue to make learning progression a reality. 

In the 5th session, reports from the different breakout sessions were shared: 

• Céline Jambon (European Commission) highlighted different barriers and enablers regarding qualification recognition across countries that were mentioned by the participants. 

• Iraklis Pliakis (Cedefop) explained that participants discussed about the regional differences in the different scenarios, apart from the ongoing crisis in southern countries and the need to promote the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). 

• Aristos Theocharous (Cedefop) reported about Fragmented Flexibility, noting issues like lack of awareness and guidance, and the exclusion of key stakeholders from VET decision-making. 

The last session, addressed the key question, “Towards 2040: what is needed to promote flexible and permeable learning systems?”, where various experts discussed the future of education systems and their impact: 

• Jens Bjørnåvold, from the Center for Vocational Training and Work Life Learning, from the University of Agder, emphasized the importance of researching the effectiveness of ongoing initiatives. 

• Koen Nomden, from the European Commission, addressed the need for more transparency in the EQF, focusing on individual-level impact and communication beyond national levels. 

• Horacy Debowski from the Central Examination Board highlighted the progress in learning outcomes and the importance of synergies between public and private education. 

• Agnes Roman, from the European Trade Union Confederation, pointed out that social partners, like trade unions, are crucial for improving qualifications recognition, stressing the need for broader labor market guidance. 

• Martin Noack, from Bertelsmann Stiftung, discussed the slow progress in validating non-formal and informal learning and the need for more transparency in educational verification. 

In the closing session, Loukas Zahilas and Zelda Azzarà from Cedefop thanked all participants for their contributions and engagement throughout the seminar. Lastly, they emphasized the importance of continued collaboration and reflection on the discussions to advance the future of lifelong learning and vocational education. 

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Learn more about Cedefop’s project on Transparency and transferability of learning outcomes: https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/projects/transparency-and-transferability-learning-outcomes 

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