VET Excellence Awards

Companies and learners award: aims to give visibility to good practices for career-long professional learning in enterprises, as well as to EAfA apprentices and companies.

• EAfA – company and apprentices | Submissions are now closed
• Training at work – company and learner |  Submissions are now closed

• Innovative VET provider: aimed at identifying a European VET provider that has contributed to VET excellence through innovative practices. It is organised by the European Commission in cooperation with the expert group Platform of European Associations of VET Providers. Submissions are now closed
• VET Researchers: The award showcases researchers making an outstanding contribution to VET research in the field of green transition, in line with the Commission priorities for 2019-24: "A European Green Deal". Submissions are now closed
• The Entrepreneurial School Award TES (Junior Achievement Europe): The award encourages vocational and academic schools to put more emphasis on teaching entrepreneurial skills as a way to better prepare young people for the jobs of tomorrow. JA Europe has been invited by the European Commission to present a special TES Award rewarding one outstanding VET secondary school during the European Vocational Skills Week. More information

• European Social Fund ESF/ESF+ projects: with the aim of giving visibility to excellent ESF or ESF+ practices in the area of VET and skills development that make people more competitive on the labour market, while ensuring fairness. This year’s thematic focus is: “Up/re skilling workforces for a fair green transition - green skills and jobs”. This is a closed competition managed by the European Commission in cooperation with the Managing Authorities of the European Social Fund+. Submissions are now closed
• Erasmus+: The award draws public attention to the Erasmus+ programme’s success stories within projects focusing on “innovative curricula for the green transition” and “learning opportunities for young people coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.” This is a closed competition managed by the European Commission in cooperation with the Erasmus+ National Agencies.

• #CedefopPhotoAward 2021  'Your green or digital skills story'. The purpose of this award is to mobilise vocational education and training (VET) learners to showcase what VET means to them through a series of photos and/or video. Teams of vocational learners from across Europe took part in the 2021 edition with a photostory and/or a video clip, sharing their green or digital skills stories. The two winning photostories will be put to an online public vote for the top prize which will be announced at the VET excellence awards ceremony on 18 May. For more information: #CedefopPhotoAward
• European Training Foundation (ETF)/ ETF Green Skills Award  The European Training Foundation (ETF) has launched a call for examples of good practice on the role of skills in empowering the green transition. The call, entitled ’Green transition: education, training and skills’ aims to collect stories about how education, training and skills development is supporting the shift towards sustainable, clean, carbon-neutral circular economies and societies. The aim is to provide ideas and inspiration for education and training policymakers and practitioners in the EU neighbourhood and beyond. More information

Organised by WorldSkills Europe, the biennial EuroSkills event brings together hundreds of young people from 31 countries across Europe to compete in becoming the best of the best in their chosen skill or profession. The 7th EuroSkills event was hosted by Austria in the historic city of Graz in September 2021. The most coveted EuroSkills award – Best in Europe – was renamed in 2020 in recognition of the longstanding commitment to skills development by the founder and first President of WorldSkills Europe, Jos de Goey, who passed away suddenly in February 2020. The first winners in the ranking from a European Member State will be celebrated during the Awards ceremony.