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In July, the Commission launched the first-stage consultation of European social partners on reinforcing the EU Quality Framework for Traineeships. The European Parliament's decision asking for a revision of the Framework was followed by a first-stage consultation that was open until mid-September. In the context of the European Year of Skills, the consultation seeks the opinions of the umbrella body of European trade unions and employers' groups on how to improve the Framework in the future to best give young people with worthwhile experiences during traineeships under fair conditions. Click ‘Read more’ to find out more. READ MORE

The third update on the European guidelines for validating non-formal and informal learning has been published by Cedefop. The guidelines are a valuable resource for those engaged in the development and implementation of validation processes. They provide insights into validation provision and methodologies and how the process can be coordinated and carried out. The guidelines develop the principles outlined in the 2012 Council Recommendation on validation and have a specific section on quality assurance. They were developed together with the Commission and reflect extensive consultations with experts and stakeholders. Click ‘Read more’ to find out more about the guidelines. READ MORE

The European Commission has adopted two proposals for Council Recommendations, within the European Year of Skills, that will help to reduce the digital divide and improve digital skills education. The aim of these proposals is to address the two main challenges faced by Member States, namely, the lack of whole-of-government approach to digital education and training, and the difficulties in equipping people with the necessary digital skills. The Recommendations call on Member States to ensure universal access to digital education and training and to provide digital skills through all levels of education and training. Click ‘Read more’ to find out more about these Council Recommendations. READ MORE

A new EQAVET Case Study on the Lithuanian initiative for external evaluation of VET quality has been published in the Virtual Library. In Lithuania, VET providers’ activity is a part of the national VET quality assurance approach, consisting of internal quality assurance systems of VET providers, external evaluation of VET providers and VET monitoring based on indicators. In 2020 a procedure for external evaluation of VET providers’ activities was established and monitoring indicators for were defined, which has clarified the procedure for external evaluation. Click ‘Read more’ to find out more about this initiative. READ MORE

From March to June 2023, 10 Peer Reviews were hosted by the NRPs of Austria, Belgium-fr and Belgium-fl, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, Greece, Malta, Slovenia and Portugal. The various topics included Quality Management Systems (QAM), implementation and accreditation manuals and VET providers manual, the responsiveness to labour market and skills needs, the strengthening of teacher and student involvement for quality assurance, the EQAVET alignment process as well as reviews on the overall improvement of quality assurance processes. Click ‘Read more’ to find out more about the Peer Reviews.

The EQAVET Secretariat will host a webinar regarding trends and developments in Quality Assurance for VET providers in the context of the European Vocational Skills Week on 26 October 2023 VET providers are key actors to foster quality assurance (QA) in VET and creating a quality culture at VET provider level is one of the most important goals in the field of QA in VET. Most of the national policy developments related to QA in VET focus on the VET provider level and have a particular focus on promoting self-assessment of VET providers since this allows to develop quality assurance as an empowering instrument and a chance for continuous improvement. This webinar will present examples of system-level initiatives and QA tools for the VET provider level. It will explore the impact of different VET systems, common challenges and innovative solutions. Click on ‘register’ to register for the webinar. REGISTER

The 2022 Annual Network Survey results highlight the enduring adoption of EQAVET across Quality Assurance systems: 24 out of 28 surveyed countries employ the EQAVET quality cycle, 19 employ EQAVET indicative descriptors, and 21 utilise EQAVET indicators. These findings reveal that the EQAVET framework is still widely adopted throughout national quality assurance (QA) systems. Another noteworthy result shows that while overall EQAVET adoption remains steady, the coverage of national QA systems has widened within the EU27. The survey gathers 34 responses across 28 participating countries, including members from the EU27, EFTA, and EU candidate countries. Click ‘read more’ to find out more about the survey. READ MORE

On June 15 and 16, the EQAVET 2023 Annual Network Meeting (ANM) gathered 72 participants from 29 countries in Stockholm, Sweden. The ANM included presentations from Network members, EU policy updates, and interactive discussions. National contributions focused on emerging trends, from Quality Assurance systems to new Peer Review models and working with stakeholders. The Network also discussed effective communication about Quality Assurance in VET. Participants engaged in a panel discussion on Quality Assurance and digitalisation in VET and national efforts to enhance basic and advanced digital skills. EU updates included digital transition and European Year of Skills presentations. Additionally, the EQAVET Secretariat presented the results from the 2022 Annual Network Survey. Click ‘read more’ or ‘full summary report’ to find out more about the ANM. READ MORE FULL SUMMARY REPORT

With the last Peer Review that was held in Portugal in July 2023, we wrapped up the first cycle of EQAVET system level Peer Reviews that took place over the course of 2022 and 2023. We warmly thank the 21 National Reference Points (NRPs) who took part in the exercise, both as host and peer countries. The Peer Reviews have been a rich experience which strengthened the Network and the common knowledge of quality assuring vocational education and training within the European Union. The EQAVET Secretariat has taken great pleasure in supporting the Network throughout this Peer Review journey. We are now starting the preparation for the new 2024-2026 cycle and have been reaching out to the participating NRPs to further define the topics of the upcoming Peer Reviews and to proceed with the matching of the host and peer countries. Thank you for your dedication, we look forward to the new developments in the next Peer Review cycle. Warm regards, The EQAVET Secretariat

This report is one of Cedefop’s key contributions to the 2023 European Year of Skills. It broadens understanding of what has changed in EU labour markets in the past decade and uses Cedefop’s 2023 skills forecast, sectoral foresight and big data-powered analysis to track ongoing and future trends. The report blends different types of evidence to foster better understanding of the labour market and skills impacts of the twin transition and current and future labour markets tensions.

The OECD, as part of its contribution to the EU – US Trade and Technology Council’s Talent for Growth Task Force, is conducting a survey to understand the use of skills-based approaches in the labor market. They seek insights into the challenges and success factors associated with this approach. The survey is open to private and non-profit organisations, training providers, trade unions, and worker representatives. The survey is accessible until 1 October 23:55 CET!

The 2023 European Vocational Skills Week is set to take place from 23–27 October. It will continue to shine a spotlight on how VET is key for people of all ages to up-skill and re-skill for their personal development and careers. Check out the European Vocational Skills Week website for an overview of key events at EU level.

On 17 July 2023 the Commission released its evaluation of the Upskilling Pathways initiative. This evaluation assessed the actions taken in response to the Council Recommendation on Upskilling Pathways, focusing on improving adult literacy, numeracy, and digital skills, as well as offering upskilling opportunities to lower-skilled individuals.The evaluation revealed a mixed outcome in implementation efforts across Member States.

Get ready for the European Employment & Social Rights Forum 2023, happening on November 16 and 17, 2023, both online and in Brussels (the Egg). This event will bring together EU institution representatives, national policymakers, business leaders, social partners, academia, and civil society to explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the world of work.

In May 2024, ESCO will release its major version v1.2, an event aligned with the European Year of Skills. This update comes after extensive consultations with ESCO stakeholders and EU Member States and following the most recent ESCO Member States Working Group held on the opening day of the consultation during which all MSWG representatives were briefed on the next steps and necessary actions. ESCO v1.2 includes new occupations, skills, and knowledge concepts, alongside modifications to existing ones. The European Commission calls for feedback and comments on these proposed changes by October 20, 2023. Have your say!

Since the European Care Strategy's launch a year ago, actions have been taken to improve care services through policy reforms, EU funding, and partnerships, with a focus on enhancing long-term care quality, working conditions in care, and addressing gender stereotypes while promoting work-life balance.

We sat down with a representative of the second place winner of the 2023 ACA Competition, Córdoba, for an interview. Bernado Jordano, Councilor for Inclusion and Accessibility in Córdoba, tells us all about what they feel made them stand out and their future plans for accessibility. Find out more about their accessibility initiatives in their video.