Launched in 2016, the initiative aims to highlight the benefits of professional training in people of any age with events and activities throughout the European Union. This year, European Vocational Skills Week 2020 takes place only in digital format.

The Osnabruck Declaration of the Mnisters issued reaffirmed their commitment to contribute to the post-COVID recovery and to further develop the European Education and Training Area through future-oriented and innovative education and training systems in order to support the digital and green transition and improve employability and competitiveness and thus stimulate economic growth.

Read the full report here.

The Spanish labor market is poorly equipped to cover all its bases. Although the unemployment rate is 13.8%, there are many vacancies left unfilled due to a lack of qualified professionals. Experts point out that there is little correlation between the educational system and the demands of the labor market.

'European countries seem to view education and training as an easy-to-cut budget item, despite the fact that most of them have not been implementing fiscal consolidation measures for a while, in the aftermath of the debt crisis'. This is the result of Lifelong Learning Platform's comparative analysis based upon Eurostat's yearly report on Education and the aggregated data of post-crisis Europe.

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs are well-placed to play an important role in the COVID-19 pandemic. They have significant potential to contribute in three stages: the current “coping” phase, an intermediate phase when schools and businesses gradually reopen, and during the recovery period when structural changes are expected in both the education system and in the labor market.

Vocational education and training (VET) is a key element of lifelong learning systems, which equip citizens with knowledge, skills and competences required in particular occupations and on the labour market.
VET responds to the needs of the economy, but also provides learners with skills important for personal development and active citizenship. VET can also boost enterprise performance, competitiveness, and research and innovation and is a central aspect of successful employment and social policy.