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

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

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

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

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.

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 were defined, which has clarified the procedure for external evaluation. Click ‘Read more’ to find out more about this initiative.

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

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

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

After the adoption of the Council Recommendation on Upskilling Pathways, the Commission has evaluated the actions taken as a follow up to the recommendation. The evaluation reports adopted as part of the European Year of Skills show that the Recommendation has had an overall moderate impact – showing positive trends with still relevant objectives, and with the possibility of being a catalyst for renewed focus on upskilling for adults. However, the evaluation also considers points for improvement. These include coordinating the implementation across Member States and to fill the skills gaps on the labour market for driving forward the EU’s competitiveness, as well as green and digital transitions. Click ‘Read more’ to read more about the Upskilling Pathways evaluation.

READ MORE

The first half of 2023 has included important developments for several EQAVET NRPs. Croatia, Estonia, Finland and Slovenia have developed a joint EQAVET project ‘European Peer Review Quality Areas and criteria for Vocational Education and Training (VET)’ to promote transnational Peer Reviews among VET providers. Regarding events, Croatia has hosted the second national conference on quality assurance in VET, and Italy has organised an international conference on ‘Quality Assurance in VET for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness, and resilience‘. Slovakia has also launched their own Festival of Skills 2023, which took place in September and focused on promoting skills. Poland hosted a series of three online conferences on industry with the aim of promoting vocational education and employer-school collaborations. Furthermore, Greece hosted an international webinar on the development of their new quality assurance methodology and the presentation of its pilot implementation results. Finally, when it comes to publications, Latvia is continuing to support VET institutions by developing an online handbook for supporting VET providers for the introduction of a quality system in their schools. The Netherlands has published a research report on graduates with three case studies exploring the different ways in which alumni are tracked. The Netherlands has also started a developmental programme for secondary vocational education which focuses on student involvement in quality assurance.

READ MORE

23 – 27 October 2023 European Vocational Skills Week 

26 October 2023 EQAVET webinar on ‘Creating a quality culture in VET - Trends and developments in quality assurance for VET providers’, 👉Register here

22 – 23 November 2023 EQAVET Peer Learning Activity on ‘Quality assuring the digital tools and delivery of VET’