Preparing educators and learners for a changing world

Pedagogical skills, subject knowledge, and an eagerness to adapt and update them in response to challenges and opportunities in the surrounding environment, as with the green and digital transitions, are essential for today’s educators.

They also need strong social skills, whether engaging face to face or virtually with learners, as the societal issues of the world at large, such as migration, are played out in the classroom microcosm.

The ETF is working with countries in the EU’s neighbouring regions to better understand and respond to the skills development of educators and learners, in partnership with other organisations including UNICEF and UNESCO, in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It undertakes targeted studies and surveys, and through dialogue with key stakeholders including teachers and learners, including teachers’ associations and trade unions and student bodies, advises and informs the policy process and reform in each country to best fit each unique situation.

In September and October, we will focus on supporting educators' professional development and improving the teaching and learning process. We'll address challenges like updating curricula and understanding the risks and opportunities of new influences, such as artificial intelligence and evolving job markets, including less predictable career paths.

The ETF helps educators and learners connect at local, national, and global levels by creating professional networks. These networks offer more chances for professional growth, peer learning, and involvement in policy dialogue about public education policies, all aimed at improving education systems for everyone.

Join us in these next months to find out more!

ETF initiatives to support teachers and the teaching process

Policy analysis and progress monitoring

The ETF’s Torino Process, a periodical assessment measuring the effectiveness of vocational education system reforms in partner countries, includes indicators to collect data on teaching and learning policies in its analytical framework under the policy cluster “Quality of Skills Provision”. Findings lead to recommendations for policy and potential follow-up actions.

The Osnabrück Declaration on vocational education and training as an enabler of recovery and just transitions to digital and green economies (30 November 2020) supports the development of teachers and trainers in the EU candidate countries in the Western Balkans. The ETF is supporting the implementation of actions in the Osnabrück Declaration in the EU's candidate countries.

Innovating teaching and learning

The ETF’s Creating New Learning Initiative, is targeting innovation in teaching and learning by connecting learning environments, supporting personalised and differentiated learning, introducing new methods and ideas in curricula to optimise learning of key competences, digital and online learning activities, and enhance the qualifications of educators.

Continuing professional development

The ETF’s ENE (ETF Network for Excellence), which mirrors the European Union initiative on centres of vocational excellence, stimulating the sharing of ideas, practices and experience between centres of vocational excellence at both national and international levels groups centres of excellence work together to improve in specific domains, such as pedagogy and professional development, social inclusion and equity (Available in French and Russian), and career guidance.

The ETF made extensive studies “Listening to vocational teachers” based on research in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe, North Africa and Turkey to better understand the professional development needs and learning offer for teachers.

Ensuring quality, relevance and inclusion in teaching and learning

The ETF’s mapping instrument for quality assurance in VET supports the continuing professional development of teachers aligning with EU policy and the EU’s Quality Assurance Reference Framework for VET, and links with the EU’s EQAVET Network. The mapping instrument is implemented in ETF partner countries that are members of the ETF Forum for Quality Assurance in VET: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, North Macedonia, Israel, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine, Serbia, Tunisia and Turkey.

The recently launched DARYA project supporting young people in Central Asia and being implemented by the ETF supports “Flexible and inclusive teaching and learning approaches, based on learning outcomes and relevant to the labour market” as one of three key thematic components

The ETF supports young people to voice their opinion on education systems and teaching and learning, and for their opinions to contribute to the debate on the reform of education systems (see joint ETF UNICEF report).

Identifying and promoting good practice

Identifying and evaluating innovations in teaching and learning, aimed at improving quality and at sharing best practices with ETF partner countries is an important component of the ETF's work. Check out the pilot project in Serbia.

The ETF also promotes good practice in teaching linked to its annual Green Skills Awards and its innovative teaching community.

Creating and sharing supportive methods and tools

The ETF's READY model (Reference model for Educators' Activities and Development in the 21st-centurY) offers a structured way to identify the professional practices and development needs of 21st-century educators. Piloting in partner countries began with Israel in 2022. 

A tool to help identify the digital training needs of vocational teachers, DNATT, designed by ETF together with ERI SEE, is being used to help develop new profiles for vocational teachers for the future.

The EU’s SELFIE tool is being implemented in partner countries with the support of the ETF. SELFIE is a diagnostic tool at school level for improving digital readiness and advancing teachers’ digital competence.