The results of a survey of the opinions of Europeans on vocational education and training were presented at an experts’ workshop on February 23-24,2017 in Thessaloniki. European experts, including ReferNet representatives, discussed and analysed the results.

Cedefops’s survey, launched in 2016, was conducted among 35 000 EU Member State citizens aged 15 or older. Most Europeans (71%) know what VET is and two in three (68%) have a positive opinion about it, while almost nine in 10 (87%) VET graduates are satisfied with the work-related skills they attained. Finding a job is the primary reason Europeans choose a VET path.

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A conference summarising the results and achievements of the EU-funded Twinning Light Project “Support to the modernization of the system for post-secondary education” was conducted on Friday, February 24, 2017.

The project is being implemented as a bilateral cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Science and the Educational Research Institute from Poland, in cooperation with foreign experts.

The opening speeches within the conference were delivered by Mr Mauro di Veroli representing Delegation of European Union, Mr Pishtar Lutfiu, Minister of Education and Science and H. E. Mr Jacek Multanowski, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland. H. E. Ambassador stated that the Polish-Macedonian cooperation in the area of education and qualifications indeed developed in the course of past year during the implementation of the two twinning projects related to the national qualifications framework and post-secondary education development.

The seventh article on the outcomes of the European skills and jobs (ESJ) survey, just published by Cedefop, analyses the determinants of EU employees’ underskilling .

ESJ survey data showed that employees with higher education seldom declare lower levels of skills than those required in their work place. Yet, there are differences within the group related to the subject they studied – graduates of mathematics indicate underskilling less often than the graduates of medical subjects.

The survey also indicated that women, young employees (24-39 years of age) and employees  working in sectors that hire persons with lower levels of education often declare lower levels of skills that those required by their employer.

More information is available at the Cedefop website