VET = Vocational Education and Training

During 1999, Alphametrics personnel worked closely with experts in CEDEFOP, based in Thessaloniki in Greece, to produce the first report on Vocational Training Policy at European level. The report, entitled An age of learning to emphasise the growing place of education and training in economies and societies, was completed in January 2000 and should be generally available in printed form from March. As stated by Viviane Reding in her preface to the report: We live in an ever-changing world. These changes pose major challenges for the European labour market. Perhaps now more than ever before, vocational training and the role it plays in promoting employment and social cohesion is a critically important tool for personal development and economic growth.

The report documents the way that vocational training policy has developed at European level over the past 40 years, analysing the shifts which have taken place both in its form and emphasis, and draws attention to the critical role that training now plays in the European employment strategy. It also contains an extensive review of the current action being taken in Member States in this area in response to economic, social, demographic and technological change, with the aim of strengthening competitiveness by increasing education and skill levels while at the same time providing more equal access to education and training to reduce disparities in life chances between individuals. It concludes by emphasising the need for a more clearly-focused policy framework at European level to facilitate the exchange of experience and good practice and so help Member States to improve their vocational training systems and make lifelong learning a reality. As the report points out:

The EU has committed itself to promoting social progress, a high level of employment and balanced and sustainable development, while strengthening economic and social cohesion. Vocational training has an important role to play in achieving these interrelated objectives. Since the prosperity of the EU as a whole depends on the economic performance of its constituent parts, there is a common interest at EU level in monitoring developments in vocational training in individual countries and in helping Member States implement more effective policies for improving their systems.

CEDEFOP is the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training but the acronym derives from the French - Centre Européen pour le Développement de la Formation Professionnelle