CEEMET welcomes the overall positive messages regarding VET included in the communication on “A new impetus for European cooperation in Vocational Education and Training to support the Europe 2020 Strategy”. While the European Commission acknowledges the role it can play in facilitating cooperation and encouraging modernisation and greater uptake of VET (both iVET and CVET), it also
rightly underlines that this role is mainly to support and supplement the work of national
governments and stakeholders.

We support a majority of the key actions proposed in the communication. However we believe that there is too much emphasis on VET as a tool for social inclusion in the proposed approach.

Education should be a means to empower children and adults alike to become independent and active participants in the transformation of their societies. Like any other part of education, VET has a role to play in society, but it is by focusing on its “educative qualities” that this aim can be achieved - not by making of VET a social policy instrument.

Thus, the future for VET is to be a first choice education path providing high quality education and employability to all. Only if excellent, will VET contribute to equity.
Therefore we would like to outline the following priorities that in our opinion should be promoted in the cooperation in VET.

Please click here to read the entire document.