Osnabrück Declaration on VET
The Osnabrück Declaration was agreed by EU stakeholders at a ministerial virtual meeting on 30 November 2020 in the context of the German presidency of the European Union. The Declaration continues on the work specified in Riga conclusions of 2015, and introduces new policy actions for the period 2021 – 2025, supporting the Council recommendation on vocational education and training for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience.
»By adopting the Osnabrück declaration we want to give vocational education and training a fresh boost all over Europe. VET is key to the economic recovery in the EU in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic«.
(Anja Karliczek, German Federal Minister for Education and Research)
Key objectives
Taking into consideration the proposal for a Council recommendation on VET, as well as the updated European skills agenda, the Osnabrück declaration focuses on four main areas:
- Resilience and excellence through quality, inclusive and flexible VET;
- Establishing a new lifelong learning culture – relevance of continuing VET and digitalisation;
- Sustainability – a green link in VET;
- European education and training area and international dimension of VET.
Declaration embraces underlying principles that include the due consideration for social dialogue and the need for a strong partnership with a wide range of stakeholders, including social partners, companies, employers’ organisations, chambers, branch associations, VET providers, learners’ representatives, national, regional and local public administrations, employment services and social economy organisations. Companies as learning venues are crucial to modern and excellent VET. The underlying principles also include the need to maintain high-quality apprenticeships and workbased learning, to consolidate achievements as well as the need for the better integration of initial and continuous VET to ensure reskilling and upskilling, including pathways from IVET to CVET.
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Osnabrück Declaration on vocational education and training as an enabler of recovery and just transitions to digital and green economies
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