Making post-secondary vocational education and training more attractive

Key points

• The Committee calls upon the Commission to encourage Member States to achieve the long-term and short-term objectives set out in the Bruges Communiqué and to improve the quality and efficiency of VET so as to enhance its attractiveness and relevance.
• The social partners at all levels must continue to play an active role in the Copenhagen process and help attain the short-term deliverables. Both processes – Bologna and Copenhagen – should be brought together in an integrated approach.
• There is an urgent need to assess what has already been developed, to avoid duplication of tools and to make sure that existing programmes and policies are properly and fully implemented.
• Member states should balance education and training systems and implement the Bruges Communiqué and Copenhagen Process effectively and to help achieve the EU headline target of 40% completion of tertiary or equivalent education, which includes a higher level of VET.
• Financial and non-financial incentives both for companies, especially SMEs and micro and craft-type companies should be developed, in order to increase the attractiveness of both IVET and CVET and mobilise businesses, and for education institutions to cooperate with business.
• Business organisations in cooperation with other social partners should actively participate in advice and guidance systems and assist learning providers in developing work-integrated learning and new methods.
• Industrial sectors and companies have to provide more places for apprenticeships and possibilities for workplace learning and encourage employees to pass on knowledge and experience to apprentices and workplace learners or temporary VET teachers.
• Educational institutions should cooperate more closely with sectors of industry and further develop wider range of methods of work-integrated learning, a more flexible attitude towards VET is needed.
• The Committee calls on the social partners' organisations to meet their responsibilities, to be pro-active in the process using all methods and tools for improving the attractiveness of post secondary vocational education and training.