What changed between the resolution motion and the adopted text

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Articles 165 and 166 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, in particular Article 14 thereof on the right to education,

– having regard to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 4 and its targets,

– having regard to the European Pillar of Social Rights proclaimed by the Council, Parliament and the Commission in November 2017, and in particular principles 1 on education, training and lifelong learning and 4 on active support to employment thereof,

– having regard to the Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation of 1 July 2020 on vocational education and training (VET) for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience (COM(2020)0275) and to the accompanying staff working document (SWD(2020)0123),

– having regard to the Commission report of October 2017 entitled ‘Mapping of VET graduate tracking measures in EU Member States’,

– having regard to the Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2009 on the establishment of a European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training (EQAVET),

– having regard to the Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2009 on the establishment of a European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET),

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 16 June 2020 on countering the COVID-19 crisis in education and training,

– having regard to the Council resolution of 8 November 2019 on further developing the European Education Area to support future-oriented education and training systems,

– having regard to the Council Recommendation of 15 March 2018 on a European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 1 July 2020 on a European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience (COM(2020)0274) and to the accompanying staff working documents (SWD(2020)0121) and (SWD(2020)0122),

– having regard to the Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation of 1 July 2020 entitled ‘A Bridge to Jobs – Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee’ and replacing Council Recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee (COM(2020)0277),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 30 September 2020 on achieving the European Education Area by 2025 (COM(2020)0625) and to the accompanying staff working document (SWD(2020)0212),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 30 September 2020 on the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 – Resetting education and training for the digital age (COM(2020)0624) and to the accompanying staff working document (SWD(2020)0209),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 17 January 2018 on the Digital Education Action Plan (COM(2018)0022),

– having regard to the policy framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020),

– having regard to the European Framework for Personal, Social and Learning to Learn Key Competence (LifeComp),

– having regard to the synthesis report by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) of 15 April 2020 based on information provided by the Cedefop community of apprenticeship experts and entitled ‘How are European countries managing apprenticeships to respond to the COVID-19 crisis?,

– having regard to the Cedefop report of 2020 entitled ‘Vocational education and training in Europe, 1995-2035 – Scenarios for European vocational education and training in the 21st century’,

– having regard to the series of seven Cedefop research papers entitled ‘The changing nature and role of vocational education and training in Europe’,

– having regard to the Cedefop publication of 2013 entitled ‘Benefits of vocational education and training in Europe for people, organisations and countries’,

– having regard to its resolution of 8 October 2020 on the Youth Guarantee,

– having regard to its resolution of 12 June 2018 on modernisation of education in the EU,

– having regard to its resolution of 14 September 2017 on a new skills agenda for Europe,

– having regard to its resolution of 19 January 2016 on skills policies for fighting youth unemployment,

– having regard to its resolution of 12 April 2016 on Erasmus+ and other tools to foster mobility in VET – a lifelong learning approach,

– having regard to its resolution of 8 June 2011 on European cooperation in vocational education and training to support the Europe 2020 strategy,

– having regard to its legislative resolution of 20 May 2008 on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council repealing Council Decision 85/368/EEC on the comparability of vocational training qualifications between the Member States of the European Community,

– having regard to the study of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development of 6 May 2020 entitled ‘VET in a time of crisis: Building foundations for resilient vocational education and training systems’,

– having regard to the questions to the Council and the Commission on the Council Recommendation on vocational education and training (VET) for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience (O000068/2020 – B90027/2020 and O000069/2020 – B90028/2020),

– having regard to Rules 136(5) and 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the motion for a resolution of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs,

A. whereas vocational education and training (VET) is an essential part of European education and lifelong learning systems, equipping young people and adults with the knowledge, know-how, skills and competences they need for employment; whereas VET accounts for about half of upper secondary graduates in the European Union; whereas VET could be crucial to for addressing the challenges caused by the accelerating macro trends and future transitions, and could be key to filling the widening skills gap in the EU labour market;

B. whereas according to Cedefop, around two thirds of Europeans (68 %) think that vocational education at upper secondary stage has a positive image in their country, while just under a quarter (23 %) say it has a negative image;

C. whereas education and training also play a central role in integrating people into society and promoting participation in the political process, thereby helping to build inclusion as well as democratic and active citizenship;

D. whereas VET can boost students’ and workers’ professional development, company performance, competitiveness, research and innovation and is a central aspect of successful employment and social policy;

E. whereas VET in Europe is highly diverse and not equally attractive for all learners; whereas national systems and initiatives need to be more compatible and interconnected at EU level; whereas the Commission and the policies of the EU can play an important role in supporting and coordinating Member States’ actions on VET at EU level; whereas the role of transnational and national VET providers’ networks and partnerships is crucial in the dissemination of the VET policy agenda and EU best practice;

F. whereas initial vocational education and training (IVET) is no longer only considered a vocational pathway, but an alternative pathway to the academic route that contains many elements of an academic education which can, ultimately, lead to a tertiary level, university education; whereas in countries where the dual system is well established the vocational pathway has always combined practical experience in the workplace with academic study in the classroom;

G. whereas continuing vocational education and training (CVET) is key to achieving the social and economic objectives of the EU; whereas CVET improves the participation of adults in lifelong learning, reinforces their employability and increases employment in Europe;

H. whereas European VET systems are facing important challenges; whereas these systems need to be equipped with the capacity to adapt to the rapidly evolving green and digital transitions, technological developments, occupational changes and the shift towards more highly skilled jobs, changing labour market needs, meeting current skills shortages and averting future ones, new business models, new forms of work organisation, demographic trends, cohesion and infrastructural developments; whereas Member States and EU institutions need to step up their efforts and their support to create the best possible conditions for VET in order to adapt quickly to these challenges and skills needs in the labour market;

I. whereas countries with well-designed vocational training programmes find it easier to avoid youth unemployment, even in times of crisis; whereas according to analysis by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, countries with a dual vocational training system coped better with the economic crisis of 2008 and its effects on young people in the labour market; whereas the youth unemployment rate in countries without a dual VET system increased significantly at the time;

J. whereas despite efforts being made to establish a coordinated European Qualifications Framework and the development of national qualifications frameworks, numerous mobile workers in the EU have difficulties in having their skills and training recognised and finding equivalent employment in other Member States;

K. whereas the dual system usually does not provide for the possibility to continue the education process at all levels; whereas the dual system must be flexible and be able to respond to the changes in the labour market and new, as yet unknown jobs;

L. whereas internships and vocational training with foreign employers within the Erasmus+ programme have a significant impact on supporting students and graduates of vocational and technical schools to find employment and to develop the competences required in the labour market, including language, professional language and social skills;

M. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has put vocational education and training activities, as well as standard education in general, under serious strain, interrupting learning in both workplaces and the classroom; whereas the pandemic has been particularly disruptive to work-based learning, including apprenticeships and training schemes with often significantly decreasing numbers of attendance, offers and new students; whereas the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis also present an opportunity to launch a digital and technological revolution in VET, which can break physical barriers, where possible, and significantly increase its reach and impact on expected results;

N. whereas in many sectors apprenticeship training is massively affected by company closures and short-time working;