Eastern Partnership Regional Forum on WBL in VET

Work-based learning (WBL) is a key priority in VET policies of the European Union, its Member States and in many ETF partner countries. Improving work-based learning in VET is considered a key to address youth unemployment and employability, to better match VET with skills needs of companies and to improve overall relevance and attractiveness of VET. The ETF 3-year regional project on WBL for Eastern Europe and Kazakhstan (2015-2017) and its outcomes confirmed the value and benefits of networking between partner countries in the region and of peer learning with countries of the European Union. It also showed the need for further capacity building for the main stakeholders in view of policy development and implementation of work-based learning in the countries.
The 2018 Annual Forum on WBL addresses priorities identified by VET stakeholders in the region, based on the findings identified by Partner Countries in making use of the ETF’s WBL Readiness Tool and on the outcomes of the Annual Regional Meeting in 2017 in Chisinau, Moldova.
The focus of the 2018 Annual Forum and the Modular Training Course will be on the following:

• Two key functions in WBL: In-company trainers in apprenticeship/dual education & placement coordinators in internship/traineeship;
• Financing mechanisms of WBL.

The main objectives of the 2018 Regional Forum are to:
To share knowledge and foster policy dialogue between countries in the region;
To help policy makers and social partners to develop appropriate strategies on WBL in VET;
To strengthen technical capabilities of stakeholders for planning and implementation of WBL.
The course primarily targets policy makers and social partners from the Eastern Partnership region. It addresses both staff working in the field of employment and professionals working in the VET sector.