The European Vocational Skills Week 2018 Helps Millions of People Discover the Benefits of Vocational Education and Training

Today marks the end of the European Vocational Skills Week 2018, which was organized by the European Commission in collaboration with the Austrian Presidency.
Thanks to the 1512 events held across Europe, the campaign has so far reached 2.2 million people, 1.2 million more than last year. And it doesn’t stop here, as many more related activities and events are being organized throughout Europe until December 2018. To close the week, the Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, Ms. Marianne Thyssen, announced the winners of the 2018 Vocational Education and Training (VET) Excellence Awards.
The week was organized with the strong participation and support of two EU agencies—the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) and the European Training Foundation. During the week, Cedefop organized a VET conference, the European Alliance for Apprenticeships celebrated its fifth anniversary, and the Commission hosted a forum with the OECD on adult education.
Finally, today’s closing ceremony included the awards ceremony and presentation of the European Vocational Skills Week 2018 ambassadors. Both the awarded initiatives and the testimonies of the VET ambassadors highlight and confirm the crucial role of vocational education and training as a means to help people take advantage of the opportunities offered by the new world of work.
The third European Vocational Skills Week took place in Vienna from November 5 to 9. The slogan for the week, organized by the European Commission, is “Discover Your Talent”. The purpose of the week is to show that VET is a smart choice, leading to excellence in education, high-quality jobs, and greater employability. It is one of the ten key actions proposed by the Commission with the Skills Agenda for Europe, issued in June 2016. The importance of the right skills is also recognized in the European Pillar of Social Rights, which is a joint commitment of all European institutions and member states.