Building future-proof VET ecosystems: Priorities for the new EU VET Strategy

Europe is undergoing a period of rapid transformation marked by three interconnected pressures: the need to reinforce industrial competitiveness, persistent social inequalities, and the continuing challenge of making VET a genuinely attractive and aspirational pathway for all learners. At the same time, the green and digital transitions are accelerating and reshaping labour-market needs. These developments place VET at the centre of Europe’s response to economic renewal, social cohesion and long-term competitiveness. As the European Commission prepares the new EU VET Strategy 2026–2030, there is a clear ambition to position vocational pathways as a driver of competitiveness, innovation, social cohesion, internationalisation, and learner progression.

Despite the deployment of strong European policy frameworks - the Council Recommendation on VET, the European Skills Agenda, the Pact for Skills, the Digital Education Action Plan, and the European Pillar of Social Rights - VET systems still face structural bottlenecks. Skills shortages remain acute in key…