On Monday 5 December, the European Commission launched the first “European Vocational Skills Week” event. This event seeks to showcase the potential of vocational education and training in a period of high unemployment.
The Commissioner responsible for skills, Marianne Thyssen explained, “This European Week is showcasing excellence in Vocational and Educational Training (VET)”. The Commissioner explained that this formula helps young people find a job more quickly and demonstrates “that VET can be a wise choice for anyone”. She also said that making VET a priority choice is at the heart of the Commission strategy for new skills in Europe.
More than 650 events are taking place across the European Union, European Free Trade Association and candidate countries. According to Commission figures some 500,000 people will be attending the different events. The European level of events include a European Enterprise Forum on VET, a conference on skills for adult learners and a meeting of Partners belonging to the European Alliance for apprenticeships, etc. The European week of events will close with a prize awarded for excellence and quality in a variety of VET categories, as well as the distribution of major projects that receive European and national funding. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)