In the week 16-20 May, the sixth edition of the European Vocational Skills Week was celebrated across Europe. The theme of this year’s VET Week was aimed at VET and the Green Transition while supporting the European Commission’s plan for carbon neutral EU by 2050, known as the Green Deal.
The annual week celebrated practices in Vocational Education and Training (VET) by welcoming events by local, regional or national organisations, and other VET partners as well.
The participants in the events were teachers, students, organisations, and trainers – showcasing all the different aspects of VET and all the benefits it could provide.
Some of the participating events in the week from 16-20 May included topics such as Intellectual property rights – vocational training for European cultural heritage and cultural tourism, Digital Insights, Making apprenticeship more attractive for SMEs and for youth and Vocational Erasmus + Projects.
The commitment to VET was celebrated by the Vocational Education and Training Excellence Awards which recognize best practices by schools, organisations and other VET stakeholders.
Among this year’s winners, there were two Erasmus+ projects.
The “Veteran tree management skills certification (VETcert)” project implemented by STIFTELSEN PRO NATURA (Sweden) grabbed the prize in the category Innovative curricula for the green transition award. The VETcert had 10 partners from seven countries and the VETcert certification process has already certified professionals from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
The Learning opportunities for young people coming from disadvantaged backgrounds award went to ALMI BILBAO SAL from Spain for implementation of the “Working for inclusion and equal opportunities for the most disadvantaged” project. The initiative taking place in Spain, Malta and Portugal addresses the need that had emerged over the last few years: finding and implementing activities that improve the behaviour of young people.
“Thanks to Erasmus+, we have seen how internationalisation can become a motivational epicentre that inspires the most disadvantaged students to become enthusiastic about their studies” the project team noticed.
For more information: https://ec.europa.eu/social/vocational-skills-week/index_en, https://ec.europa.eu/social/vocational-skills-week/awards/winners-2022_en
