30 years, 30+ stories: the ETF in Central and Eastern Europe, where it all began

The ETF began its work in 1994, but its roots trace back to a summit in December 1989. On those days, European ministers in Strasbourg called on the Council of the European Communities to "adopt the necessary decisions for the establishment of a European Training Foundation for Central and Eastern Europe". The resolution was the outcome of meetings held a few weeks earlier in Paris, where French President François Mitterand had first mooted the idea of a European Training Foundation.

A month earlier, the Berlin Wall had fallen. "I was there on the night of 9 and 10 November 1989," recalls Evelyn Viertel, a former senior expert on human capital development at the ETF who grew up in East Germany.

The experience had an impact on her future prospects. "I came to the ETF with my 'now-we-can-change-the-world' euphoria at having brought down the physical division within my country," Viertel says. "From then on, I was ready and motivated to help reform those countries that had similar systems to the one I grew up in”.

The design for EU support for vocational education and training reform in Central and Eastern Europe was drawn up by the Task Force on Human Resources of the European Commission. As Viertel witnessed the first weeks of the German reunification process, the Task Force was immersed in the concept that would eventually give birth to the ETF. 

Former European Commission Secretary-General David O'Sullivan, then a member of the Task Force, recalled the sense of urgency of those weeks: "We wrote the proposals over Christmas [of 1989, ed.]. It was a very exciting time and people were extremely motivated”. Thus, the ETF was created by a Council Regulation adopted in May 1990.

A long wait to start

When the ETF finally opened its doors in Turin in 1994, the political landscape in the Central Eastern region had once again changed dramatically. The Soviet Union had collapsed, ushering in a new era for the countries once behind the Iron Curtain, while Czechoslovakia had split peacefully into two entities: Czechia and Slovakia.

The division of European support for higher and vocational education and training in Central Eastern Europe began when a proposal to invite Poland and Hungary to join the Erasmus programme, introduced in 1987, was abandoned in favour of a separate programme to support higher education in the region: Tempus. The European Commission's Tempus Office in Brussels was integrated into the first organisational structure of the ETF, as the two elements were originally designed to complement each other.

"I remember when the announcement was made to the staff of the Tempus office in Brussels that the programme was moving to Italy. I had started working in Tempus with what was then Czechoslovakia, which had already become two different countries by the time the ETF opened its doors," recalls Eva Jimeno Sicilia, Head of the ETF's Strategy and Resources Department and then country manager for the Czech Republic and Slovakia. "The fact that Tempus was within the ETF with a more ambitious and transformative mission, contributing to the transition after the fall of the Berlin Wall, was a clear motivating factor for many of us to embark on the Italian adventure," she added.

The Tempus programme was part of Phare, the EU's external assistance programme designed in 1989 to support the transition process in Poland and Hungary (in fact, Phare stands for Poland and Hungary: Assistance for Restructuring their Economies). It was later extended to all candidate countries, except for Cyprus, Malta and Türkiye.

Since 1997 (and until 2007, when it will make way for the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, or IPA), Phare has been one of the main instruments for implementing the EU's pre-accession strategy. Between 2000 and 2006 alone, €11 billion was allocated to the programme, which provided technical, economic and infrastructure assistance to the beneficiary countries. The aim was to help these countries build a market economy based on free enterprise and private initiative.

Reforms in vocational education and training have been a key challenge in countries moving from a centrally planned economy to a market economy since early 1990s. In most former communist countries, VET reform was an low priority issue - the sector was often seen as a last resort, of secondary importance to higher education, but reforming the system itself was also a daunting task.

The European Commission entrusted the ETF with the management of the Phare VET reform programmes in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. By the end of 1994, the ETF had signed association agreements with the Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. "The lack of experience from other countries made it difficult for the old ministry staff to see what they really needed in terms of VET reform. "We just need new equipment and then everything should be fine," they thought," Viertel said.

According to Viertel, the main problem faced by the former communist countries was the lack of legislation, institutional structures and accounting systems capable of absorbing foreign funding. 

"In addition to project management, the ETF provided support on key issues related to VET reform: one of the most appreciated initiatives were the Project Management Unit (PMU) meetings, held twice a year in the EU member states holding the EU presidency. Stakeholders were able to draw inspiration and work together to identify possible solutions to VET reform problems in their own countries," says Viertel. 

"Over time, the whole process led to the modernisation of VET reform systems in the countries that eventually joined the EU in 2004 and 2007, although it was not without its challenges in some countries, such as frequent changes of government. However, continued investment in education, including VET, has helped the countries to better meet the challenges of changing work demands and lifelong learning, sometimes even outperforming older EU members".

Cooperation with Cedefop preserved the ETF's accumulated knowledge

On 1 May 2024, ten countries, including Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, became full members of the European Union. For the ETF, their accession marked the end of a process that involved a wealth of information mapping reform progress, piloting, capacity building and stakeholder engagement. In short, a huge amount of resources that were not wasted thanks to close cooperation between the ETF and its sister agency Cedefop, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, based in Thessaloniki.

Cedefop has developed a tailored approach for EU Member States, aiming for flexible, country-specific support. 

"Notably, former ETF countries have been particularly proactive in seeking Cedefop's support through the Thematic Country Reviews (TCRs), outnumbering 'older' EU Member States. This suggests that the ETF's previous work has built a strong foundation of trust, on which Cedefop has successfully built," said Mara Brugia, Deputy Director at Cedefop.

After the ‘transition’ from the ETF to Cedefop, all four countries continued to make progress in reforming their VET systems in line with EU standards, told Mara Brugia. 

“These countries have worked on different fronts to respond to labour market needs and to adopt EU instruments such as the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for VET (EQAVET) or the referencing of National Qualification Frameworks (NQFs) to the European Qualification Framework (EQF),” adds Anthie Kyriakopoulou, Expert on VET policies and systems at Cedefop.

Czechia focused early on aligning its lifelong learning system with EU priorities. In 2018, it updated curricula to improve digital skills and launched pilot projects on dual training involving enterprises. The Strategy 2030+ promotes flexible learning pathways and key competences. "Czechia has strengthened digital and green skills across its VET curricula, with a focus on Industry 4.0, reflecting an alignment with EU priorities on digital transformation and sustainability," said Mara Brugia.

"Hungary has undertaken significant reforms to its VET system, especially since 2010," Kyriakopoulou continued. “The shift towards centralised governance was aimed at improving quality, with the state taking control of VET schools in 2013: most public VET schools were integrated into VET centres. To counter VET’s declining popularity, Hungary modernised its VET system in 2019 to improve inclusivity and built partnerships with higher education to enhance VET excellence. A comprehensive career tracking system was launched in 2022 for both VET and adult education,” continues Mara Brugia.

In Poland, reforms launched in 2016 and the 2018 VET law aimed to expand and improve VET by expanding upper secondary programmes and facilitating alternative pathways, such as partial qualification accumulation. 

"Work-based learning and greater cooperation with employers were promoted, benefiting both students and teachers. Other initiatives included reforms in adult education, career guidance and mechanisms for forecasting vocational training needs. Poland's efforts led to a more comprehensive system of vocational qualification standards," said Mara Brugia.

Slovakia has also emphasised employer involvement in VET since 2009, through bodies such as the National VET Council and sectoral skills councils. The 2015 VET Act introduced dual training, allowing students to gain practical experience in companies. Overall, "Slovakia's lifelong learning strategy for 2021-2030 prioritises flexible learning pathways and recognises non-formal education. It also aims to increase the participation of vulnerable groups, such as the Roma community," Mara Brugia told.

Strengthening the labour market relevance and attractiveness of VET remains a key priority for these countries. “As part of their efforts to implement the 2020 Council Recommendation on VET and the Osnabrück Declaration, the former candidate countries have developed National Implementation Plans (NIPs) describing their challenges and priorities for the coming years ,” said Anthie Kyriakopoulou.

"The Council Recommendation on VET and the Osnabrück Declaration recognised Cedefop's long experience in monitoring European cooperation in VET since 2002 and in supporting the EU, its Member States and social partners in shaping their VET systems in line with EU priorities,” said Mara Brugia. “The two policy documents invited Cedefop and the ETF to monitor and analyse the implementation of countries' national plans for VET. The two agencies developed an integrated monitoring framework and tools for countries to report on their progress in meeting the EU's VET priorities," she added.

Now that enlargement is back on the EU's political agenda, with nine candidate countries currently in the process (and six in active negotiations), the ETF hopes to pass the baton to Cedefop again soon, as it did in 2004.