The European Vocational Skills Week is an annual initiative launched by the European Commission to raise European citizens’ awareness of the importance of Vocational Education and Training (VET).
The VET instrument is one of the four areas of education and training, along with schools, higher education and adult learning, and plays a key role in the lifelong learning process.
Young people can, for example, acquire the initial qualifications necessary for their entry into the labour market; adults, on the other hand, have the opportunity to update their professional skills in order to increase their career opportunities or to rejoin the labour market.
As announced by European Commissioner Marianne Thyssen during the closing ceremony of the second edition, the third European Vocational Skills Week will be held in Vienna from 5 to 8 November 2018.
The main objective of the initiative is to encourage European citizens to discover their talent and improve their skills through the many opportunities offered by VET. All events aim to provide people of all ages with the skills they need to adapt to a changing labour market and to increase their chances of finding a job.
The numerous initiatives organised by the Commission and the Austrian Presidency during the Week include a press conference on the future of VET and several workshops, conferences and visits to schools and other places dedicated to vocational education and training.
Among the events in Vienna, there is also an award ceremony entitled “VET Excellence Awards“. This year the ceremony will take place during the closing event on 9 November 2018 and the winners will be announced by Marianne Thyssen, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility.
In addition to the initiatives organised by the European Commission, a wide range of events will take place at national, regional and local level, from 1 September until the end of the year.
All those interested in VET opportunities, including training bodies, professional organisations, career counsellors and representatives of public authorities, can participate in the events or register their event by accessing the appropriate section of the website. You can also consult the interactive map of already registered events to find the nearest one.
To find out more about the initiative, visit the official website of the European Vocational Skills Week 2018
For all updates on the activities of the European Vocational Skills Week and to actively contribute to the dissemination of the initiative, participate in social conversations using the hashtags #EUVocationalSkills and #DiscoverYourTalent
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