Newsletter 4/2020

We need the European Vocational Skills Week more than ever

There’s never been anything like COVID-19 in our modern times, but European Vocational Skills Week is one tool that can help us deal with the challenges we all face in Europe’s VET community. It can provide an unrivalled forum for identifying common problems and exchanging solutions.

Please join us and register your distance or on-line activity or event. If you do not know how to contribute please read our expert’s article.

VET providers are active!

During this time of COVID-19, European associations of VET providers are promoting the #EUVocationalSkills Week. They are also making themselves part of the solution to the challenges faced by our societies at present!

This is a great message of hope.

Find out more

Anti-COVID action by
our national authorities across the EU

Great crises foster creative and pragmatic solutions. In the field of education and VET, we see all of these virtues at play in recent activities of national authorities in the EU trying to counter COVID-19. For instance:

• Poland chose a very pragmatic approach by allowing the vocational curriculum to be modified so that the practical part can be postponed, and the academic activities can be brought forward. Practical VET education can be continued when COVID-related restrictions are removed.
• Estonia is willing to share all of its digital education tools to support other European countries’ education systems during the COVID-19 crisis. In Estonia, the private sector - alongside the public sector - is supporting schools and universities in organising free webinars to support educators in several countries in achieving the best possible results. Currently, companies like 99math.com, Lingvist.com, Clanbeat.com, Speakly.me, ALPA Kids, and DreamApply.com have joined the initiative, and offer their solutions for free.

New financial product to promote VET

The European Commission together with the European Investment Fund has launched the Skills and Education Guarantee Pilot – to increase access to finance for skills and education and to strengthen the EU’s competitiveness. The pilot puts in practice the Commission’s key objective of investing in quality and inclusive education, training and adult learning.

More info

EAfA and global partners launch survey to identify
the impact of COVID-19

We need your input to inform a global survey examining the impact of coronavirus on training and development of employees, apprentices and interns in enterprises and other organisations.

More info

VET Heros

In this newsletter we would like to share with you examples from France of two companies that are supporting VET learners during the current COVID-19 crisis.

• In France, Serce – an organisation representing companies involved in digitalising the energy sector – has launched a website to advertise VET in this sector. It is aimed at young people, their parents, and teachers and offers thirty or so courses that lead to professional qualifications. More info
• Outil Prof is a digital platform that Parcoursmétiers.tv in France have launched in the absence of career fairs due to COVID-19. It encourages us to create videos for uploading to the platform that illustrate our favourite training or profession. Aimed at teachers for use in distance learning. More info

Our recommendations

We invite you to read:

• a reflection piece on the issues facing TVET and its potential in a time of COVID-19, which was prepared by Prof. Shyamal Majumdar (Independent TVET Expert and former UNESCO TVET Specialist) and Mr. Iñigo Araiztegui (Tknika, Basque VET Research Centre). More info
• the European Commission study on Lifelong guidance policy and practice in the EU: Trends, challenges and opportunities. More info

Have your say on a couple
of European Commission surveys

• We would like to inform you about a public consultation on a European Climate Pact. We would hope it will engage citizens and communities in actions for the climate and environment. But it also addresses education and training, as well as developing knowledge and skills for the transition to a climate-neutral society. More info

Deadline: 27 May 2020

• Please also take advantage of an opportunity to express your views on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. More info

Deadline: 30 November 2020

Join the conversation

Let’s continue the conversation on social media. Use #EUVocationalSkills and #DiscoverYourTalent to follow the conversation online.