European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training

Access to the official webpage and the social networks

Overview

• Role: Cedefop provides the data on which vocational education and training policy in the EU is based
• Acting Director: Mara Brugia
• Established in: 1975
• Number of staff: 98
• Location: Thessaloniki (Greece)
• Website: Cedefop

The European Centre for the Development of Vocational training (Cedefop) helps develop and implement EU vocational training policies. It monitors labour market trends and helps the European Commission, EU countries, employers’ organisations and trade unions to match training provision to labour market needs.

What it does

Cedefop is the EU organisation that brings together policymakers, employers’ organisations and trade unions, training institutions, teachers and trainers, and learners of all ages – everyone with a stake in vocational education and training.

At the crossroads between education systems and the world of work, Cedefop operates as a forum, allowing the organisations with a stake in its work to share ideas and debate how best to improve vocational education and training in Europe. It shares its expertise with political organisations and the 2 sides of industry in the EU countries to help them generate learning and working opportunities.

Who benefits?

Cedefop’s work:

• helps young people move from education into the labour market
• helps early school-leavers return to education and training
• helps unemployed or underemployed adults return to learning and refocus their careers
• provides guidance and counselling staff with an EU-wide outlook
• helps EU citizens move between countries and systems, while ‘taking their qualifications with them’
• helps EU countries reform their apprenticeship provision
• helps European, national and regional policymakers take informed decisions on vocational education and training provision.