Opening VET: Key Takeaways on Open Schooling from the EVBB EU PolicyCamp 2025
- LLLP
- Oct 28
- 2 min read
The EVBB EU Policy Camp 2025, held at the VET House in Brussels, from the 29th of September to the 2nd of October showed how the open school philosophy is radically transforming VET across Europe. Bringing together educators, policymakers, and VET experts, the three-day event focused not only on policy, but also on practical, community-driven innovation to promote inclusion and sustainability. The central message was clear: VET institutions must become open ecosystems integrated within their communities.
VET as a Local Learning Ecosystem
The event focused on reimagining VET as a local learning ecosystem that connects education with sustainability, inclusion, and community development. It explored how VET institutions can act as community hubs, living laboratories, and makerspaces—centres of innovation that strengthen social cohesion and promote hands-on learning for sustainable futures.
It also highlighted initiatives that make VET more inclusive and aligned with Europe’s future skills needs, empowering marginalised youth, linking curricula with the Sustainable Development Goals, and integrating sports education to foster lifelong learning and dual career pathways.
Finally, the discussions emphasized the need for a united European strategy for VET, enhancing cooperation among networks, aligning with EU priorities, and equipping educators with tools to connect competence frameworks with community-driven, inclusive, and innovative learning models.
Exploring Innovation in Education: Study Visits to European Schoolnet and Technobel
The study visits during the EVBB Policy Camp in Brussels offered participants a hands-on look at how education and training are evolving in the digital era.
At European Schoolnet, participants explored the Future Classroom Lab, an experimental space where technology, pedagogy, and learning environments merge to enhance engagement and innovation. Discussions with experts provided insights into how digital transformation is reshaping education across Europe.
The visit to Technobel, a Belgian training centre for digital skills, showcased practical, experience-based learning through coding labs, virtual reality, and maker spaces—demonstrating how modern VET institutions prepare learners for today’s digital economy.
Both visits underlined how innovative, well-designed learning environments can bridge education and technology, inspiring new models for schools and training centres across Europe. The Policy Camp concluded that open schooling is a key European pathway for turning VET institutions into inclusive, connected, and sustainable local learning ecosystems.
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