1. Presented by: Isabelle Le Mouillour
Vocational education and training systems in Europe Diversity in one A comparative perspective
Presented by:
Isabelle Le Mouillour

2. What am I referring to … Number of European Member States?
Number of VET systems?
Number of young people engaged in VET?
Across countries, what is the meaning of VET?
means linking education/training with labour market needs

3. Employment share by skill level, 2000-25, (EU 27+)
Cedefop, 2013, briefing note

4. Youth unemployment rates in selected EU countries (2000/12)
Greece
Spain
Portugal
Italy
Irland
Netherlands
Germany
% of youths aged 15 to 24 years; Eurostat data
I Z A COMPACT | June 2013

5. Upper secondary VET: a more frequent choice among boys than girls
Cedefop, 2012

6. Some dimensions for comparison
What is understood by „VET graduate“ across European countries?
Where does the learning take place?
duality or apprenticeship type systems
Alternance type systems
Informal apprenticeship-type systems
School-based VET
Which is the legal status of learners in VET ?
Employees
Apprentices
Pupils
Which organisations are involved? Which are the competent bodies?
Alternance = internship
Isabelle Le Mouillour – AB 1.1

7. VET models in comparison
State involvement in VET
High
Centralised system
(Sweden)
Collective system
(Denmark, Germany)
low
Liberal system
(USA, UK)
Segmented system
(Japan)
high
Involvement of employers in VET
Busemeyer, 2012

8. Industrial relations, skill formation systems, social dialogue in VET
Organisational space, after LM entry
IE, UK; US
Organisational space, before LM entry
EE, ES, GR, FR, HU, IT, LT, LV, PL
Occupational space, before LM entry
AT, CZ, DK, DE, NL, NO, SE, SI
Involvement of firms: low
Public commitment: low IE, UK; US
Public commitment: high
SE, FR
Involvement of firms: high
AT, DK, DE
Workplace, market-led:
IE, NL, UK
School, state-regulated:
BE, ES, FI, FR, IS, NO, PT, SE
Workplace, state-regulated: AT, DK, DE
ACVT seminar

9. Initiative for VET in Europe
Newest initiative to foster vocational education and training
cooperation between European countries
Initiative by Member States
Development of work-place based education and training
Coordination: BIBB; German Ministry for Education and Research with their counterparts in Portugal, Greece, Spain, Latvia, Slovakia and Italy
Start December 2012
Isabelle Le Mouillour – AB 1.1

10. Memorandum
Ministerial Conference in Berlin on 10 and 11 December 2012:
Seven European countries: Germany, Portugal, Greece, Spain, Latvia, Slovakia and Italy
Agreement:
necessity of increasing cooperation
launching effective and sustainable cooperative activities to encourage and where appropriate establish dual forms of work based vocational education and training in the partner countries.
Approach:
No copy another country’s system, but to see how the essential features of dual education models can be developed within another system;
In particular: close fit between qualifications and jobs, involvement of social partners
European context:
support the implementation of the agreed European objectives as stated in “Rethinking Education” (Commission Communication of 20 November 2012)
Part of the European Alliance for Apprenticeship (July 2013)  
Isabelle Le Mouillour – AB 1.1

11. Fields of action in the Memorandum
1. Establishing vocational education and training as an attractive, high-quality career preparation scheme based on labour market needs
2. Involving the social partners and the private sector as responsible players in vocational education and training
3. Supporting each other in the modernization of vocational education and training
4. Increasing mobility in vocational education and training as a contribution to the development of a European labour market and education area
5. Linking efforts to existing European cooperation in the field of vocational education and training and making use of EU programmes and structures
Isabelle Le Mouillour – AB 1.1

12. Field 1: VET as an attractive option
Possible activities:
Enhancing the acceptance of vocational education and training
Implementing measures to improve opportunities for transfer between educational pathways
Creating options for consecutive careers by linking vocational education and training to further training
Launching information campaigns and measures to promote vocational education and training that address the target groups of young people, parents and enterprises
Winning enterprises’ support for work based training by demonstrating the economic value of company‐based training
Introducing career orientation phases in schools at an early stage, providing practical insights as a regular supplement to school education
Refocusing career counselling to support the introduction of dual vocational education and training.
Isabelle Le Mouillour – AB 1.1

13. Field 2: Social partners and private sector as responsible players in VET
Possible activities:
Elaborating new funding models
Introducing extended practice periods in enterprises to supplement school training
Testing practice periods
Enhancing enterprises willingness to provide training; collaborative training models
Supporting business and chamber organizations in entering into long‐term bilateral partnership arrangements
Initiating an exchange of experience (guidance, support during training, needs of the training market)
Establishing national, regional and sectoral training pacts between the private sector, policy makers and the social partners
Promoting regional and sectoral potential analyses
Establishing chambers of commerce abroad and business organizations as relevant partners in vocational education and training
Setting up regional vocational education and training committees
Isabelle Le Mouillour – AB 1.1

14. Towards specific projects and measures
Countries:
Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Slovakia, Latvia
Stages:
Characteristics of the different types of training systems
Identification of contacts and potential project partners
Mandate for the working groups
Role of social partners
Annual work programmes ‚Roadmap‘
Development and coordination of concepts for cooperation
Identification of pilot projects ‚Flagship projects‘
Implementation of pilot projects
Evaluation and dissemination of results of pilot projects
Projects mean also
Organisation of peer learning for decision makers and VET stakeholders
Capacity building
Isabelle Le Mouillour – AB 1.1

15. The organisations involved
Leading organisations:
Ministries in charge of education and VET, BIBB and its counterparts in the different countries
Bilateral working groups:
Competent bodies: ministries or agencies at federal / national / regional levels
Chambers of commerce and industry, of crafts
Employers’ organisations
Employees’ organisations / trade unions / foundations
Representatives of the civil society
Enterprises
VET schools
researchers
Isabelle Le Mouillour – AB 1.1

16. The Federal Institute for VET (BIBB) contribution
The BIBB
national and international centre of competence for initial and continuing vocational education and training in Germany,
improvement of vocational education and training by means of research, advisory services and development
member of all bilateral working groups and is in charge of the conceptual development of the activities
Its portfolio includes
Relationship between the different VET models and access to the labour market
Duration and costs of the training
Access requirements to the VET programmes and qualifications awarding
Relationship between qualifications, professional occupations and VET standards
National qualifications framework
Procedures for obtaining VET formal qualifications, and academic and professional value of the learning outcomes acquired outside the VET systems
Relationship between vocational qualifications and exercise regulations
Teachers’ and trainers’ credentials, pedagogical requirements
Reinforced cooperation between business and vocational education and training
Isabelle Le Mouillour – AB 1.1

17. Diversity in one, what is the ONE?
European VET area:
European VET policy: „Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes”
Developing world-class vocational education and training to raise the quality of vocational skills; Promoting work based learning including quality traineeships, apprenticeships and dual learning models to help the transition from learning to work; Promoting partnerships between public and private institutions (to ensure appropriate curricula and skills provision); Promoting mobility through the proposed Erasmus + programme
A European reference system to come:
Learning outcomes approach within VET
Development of European and national qualifications frameworks
European taxonomy of skills, competences, and occupations (ESCO)
Validation and recognition mechanisms for access to national/regional E&T systems and labour market
Isabelle Le Mouillour – AB 1.1

18. Thank you for your attention
Contact details:
Isabelle Le Mouillour
Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB)
Head of unit 1.1 " Basic Issues of Internationalisation / Monitoring of Vocational Education and Training Systems“
Robert-Schuman-Platz 3 / D Bonn
Tel.:
Fax:
Isabelle Le Mouillour – AB 1.1