European Cooperation in Vocational Education and Training (Copenhagen Process)

In March 2000, the European Council in Lisbon set the strategic aim of making the European Union "the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion" by 2010 (Lisbon agenda).

The Copenhagen Process was launched as the contribution of Vocational Education and Training (VET) to the challenges identified in the Lisbon-Agenda. In the Copenhagen Declaration, approved on 30 November 2002, the ministers responsible for VET in the Member States, candidate countries, EFTA-EEA countries, the European social partners and the European Commission agreed on enhanced European cooperation in VET. The declaration describes the following four main priorities:

• Stengthening the European dimension in VET (promoting mobility);
• Improving transparency, information and guidance (transparency concerning national VET systems on the one and vocational qualifications on the other hand; Strengthening policies, systems and practices that support information, guidance and counselling in the Member States, particularly on issues concerning lifelong learning);
• Recognition of competences and qualifications (particularly developing a set of common principles regarding validation of non-formal and informal learning);
• Quality assurance (developing common instruments for quality in VET; giving attention to the learning needs of teachers and trainers in VET).

In the two years following Copenhagen, the Education Council reached political agreement on a number of concrete results, in particular a resolution on guidance throughout life, principles for the identification and validation of non-formal and informal learning, a common framework for quality assurance in VET and the EUROPASS single framework for the transparency of qualifications and competences.

The first review of the Copenhagen Process took place on 14 December 2004 at a ministerial meeting in Maastricht. Based on the Education Council Conclusions adopted on 15 November 2004, the Maastricht Communiqué set out priorities for the next phase of the process. The Maastricht Communiqué linked the Copenhagen Process more firmly with the "Education and Training 2010" work programme and, for the first time, introduced national priorities:

• Raise awareness, implement and use agreed instruments;
• Improve public / private investment, including training incentives through tax & benefit systems and use of EU Funds
• Address the needs of groups at risk - low skilled, older workers, early school leavers, migrants, persons with disabilities, unemployed;
• Develop open learning approaches & flexible more individualised pathways to enhance progression;
• Strengthen planning of VET provision, including, partnerships and early identification of skills needs;
• Develop pedagogical approaches and the learning environment in training organisations and at work;
• Enhance competence development for VET teachers & trainers;
• Consolidate existing Copenhagen priorities;
• Examine the specific learning needs of VET teachers and trainers;
• Improve the scope, precision & reliability of VET statistics.

Specifically for the Maastricht conference, a consortium (the so-called "Lisbon-to-Copenhagen-to-Maastrict Consortium") prepared the report "Achieving the Lisbon goal: The contribution of VET" ("Maastricht Study") on behalf of the European Commission to assess the contribution of VET to achieving the goals set out at the Lisbon conference in 2000. The study covered 31 countries (EU Member States, EFTA and candidate countries incl. Turkey) and and it included a survey of Directors-General for Vocational Training (DGVT) and country reports. Additionally, CEDEFOP released a synthesis report of the Maastricht Study.

The second follow-up meeting took place on 5 December 2006 in Helsinki. In the Helsinki Communiqué it is explained that the Copenhagen and Maastricht priorities remain valid, but nevertheless a more focused approach is needed concentrating on the following four priority areas:

• The image, status and attractiveness of VET. In this context, more emphasis should be placed on good governance of VET systems, institutions and/or providers.
• Further development, testing and implementation of common European tools. The aim should be for the agreed tools to be in place by 2010.
• A more systematic approach to strengthen mutual learning. To support this, special attention should be given to improving the scope, comparability and reliability of VET statistics by 2008.
• Active involvement of all stakeholders in the work as the Copenhagen process moves towards an implementation phase.

The third Ministerial follow-up meeting will be held in 2008, to evaluate progress, to reinforce priorities and strategies for VET within the "Education and Training 2010" work programme and to reflect on the orientation of the process beyond 2010.