Inclusion at the core of future-proof VET in Europe

The report examines how vocational education and training (VET) systems across Europe are becoming more inclusive and learner-centred. Based on national policy developments from 2021 to 2025, Cedefop identifies six interconnected areas: increasing access for vulnerable groups, preventing early leaving, reducing gender imbalances, promoting digital inclusion, improving lifelong guidance, and strengthening teachers’ and trainers’ capacity to support diverse learners. Inclusion is increasingly understood not simply as support for disadvantaged groups, but as a broader principle that should enable all learners to access, progress through and benefit from VET.

The policies described include flexible and modular learning pathways, recognition of prior learning, financial assistance, targeted training, early-warning and learner-tracking systems, gender-equality initiatives, digital infrastructure and personalised guidance. Countries have also increasingly combined educational measures with employment services, social support and cooperation among schools, employers and other stakeholders. The report provides examples from across Europe, such as early-warning systems in Latvia and Hungary, measures supporting women in STEM, digital inclusion programmes, and tailored guidance for migrants, people with disabilities, NEETs and other groups facing barriers.

Overall, Cedefop finds significant progress, although implementation remains uneven. The report argues that inclusion should be embedded across the whole VET system rather than treated as a separate social-policy objective. Its five main policy pointers are to make inclusion a whole-system principle, expand learner-centred and flexible pathways, make better use of existing research and tools, improve cross-system monitoring for early intervention, and balance inclusion with quality and excellence. Digitalisation can widen access, but it does not automatically create inclusion, while teacher and trainer capacity remains an important area requiring further investment.