European Parliament calls for greater recognition of VET

The own-initiative report, adopted by the European Parliament plenary on October 21, calls to boost the role of vocational education and training (VET) and VET teachers through increased investment and support across the EU, ahead of the European Commission's forthcoming European VET Strategy.

In the report, which puts forward non-binding recommendations towards the European Commission and the Member States, the European Parliament seeks to improve the attractiveness of VET as an equally valued pathway to academic higher education, highlighting the persistent lack of social recognition of vocational qualifications and the professionals who deliver them.

CESI welcomes the European Parliament's recognition of several priorities raised in its contribution to the Commission's consultation on the new European VET Strategy earlier this year.

CESI appreciates in particular, the acknowledgement of the importance of qualified and well-supported teachers and trainers for successful VET systems, and the emphasis of the report on persistent teacher shortages, insufficient remuneration and the need to improve working conditions and access to continuous professional development.

CESI also welcomes Parliament's calls for greater investment in VET, including through Erasmus+, the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and increased support for Centres of Vocational Excellence. Adequate funding for teaching staff, training infrastructure and high-quality apprenticeship schemes remains essential to ensuring the accessibility and quality of VET across Europe.

The report's focus on a systematic involvement of social partners from the earliest stages of VET policy design through to implementation and governance is of particular importance. Teachers and their representatives must be involved in developing relevant curricula policies and in designing, monitoring and evaluating apprenticeship schemes.

Importantly, report acknowledges that making vocational professions more attractive requires not only better training opportunities, but also fair wages, stable employment, decent working conditions and opportunities for career progression.

CESI hopes that the forthcoming European VET Strategy will build on the European Parliament's recommendations and CESI's stated priorities by translating commitments to quality vocational education, pathways to adequate investment, lifelong learning and meaningful social dialogue into concrete measures.

A successful European VET Strategy must support both the professionals delivering vocational education and the workers who depend on it throughout their careers, ensuring that vocational pathways offer quality employment and sustainable opportunities in a changing labour market.

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