The Agency for VET and Adult Education (AVETAE) invites applications to the peer learning activity (PLA) on promoting better access to VET within the “EQAVET - European Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training National Reference Points” Erasmus+ project.

The activity starts on Thursday, 25 February at 10:00 and finishes on Friday, 26 February 2021, at 12:00. It will take place online, using the Zoom application.

The peer learning activity will allow participants to examine and reflect on the approaches and mechanisms for promoting better access to VET and providing guidance to (potential) VET learners in line with the EQAVET Indicator 10. Accordingly, the PLA would focus on existing policies and learner-oriented approaches and discuss the effectiveness of existing initiatives, as well as the avenues for their further development, particularly concerning the Council Recommendation on vocational education and training (VET) for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience. The topics for discussion include, but are not limited to: guidance to (potential) VET learners, targeted measures and flexible/adapted training provision that prevent early leaving from education and training and support the school-to-work transition, the role of work-based learning in promoting access to VET, including for disadvantaged groups.

The PLA facilitator is Mr Șerban Iosifescu, Chairman of the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Pre-University Education and EQAVET expert since 2008. Mr Iosifescu holds a PhD in educational sciences, with over 60 published papers. He has extensive experience in pre-university and higher education, education research, training teachers and school management, and consultancy at national and international level, including for the European Commission, UNICEF, World Bank, OECD, and UNDP.

The Agency for VET and Adult Education welcomes applications from NRP representatives (1-2) experienced and/or interested in promoting better access to VET. As the PLA addresses the system level and the provider level, NRPs are kindly asked to extend the invitation to one representative of the VET provider in their respective countries, willing to participate in the PLA and contribute from the provider perspective. 

Participants are invited to apply via application form available at the link (https://forms.gle/iN6ZT2MNTNYzyMN58) no later than 1 February 2021. An online pre-activity questionnaire will be sent to all PLA participants during the week following the application deadline.

To ensure focused and fruitful discussions, participants might be invited (to be confirmed at a later stage) to prepare their short presentations (2-4 slides or one-page word/pdf document), and share their experiences relevant to the topic of the PLA; in particular, the practices and mechanisms in place in their countries, as well as any reforms envisaged for matching the needs of trainees and the labour market with the offer of VET programmes - including initiatives in guidance.