Promoting a culture of democracy in Vocational Education and Training and preparing learners for active participation as citizens in culturally diverse democratic societies were the two major themes at the heart of discussions during the Second Conference on the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) and Vocational Education and Training (VET) organised by the Education Department of the Council of Europe on 24 and 25 October.
The Expert Group on the RFCDC and VET together with the authors of a new anthology on promoting a culture of democracy in Vocational Education and Training had rich discussions on the areas and topics of the developed chapters, namely curriculum, assessment and quality assurance, initial and continuing VET teacher training, in-company training, implementation of competences for democratic culture in VET schools, the role of social partners, inclusion and learners’ voice and participation. An inspiring keynote was also made on Transforming Vocational Education and Training: Artificial Intelligence in Theory and Practice. Valuable exchanges were made between the Expert Group members and the authors on concrete examples of policy and practice related to education for democracy in VET in member States.
Building on the adopted Guidance Document on VET, the new anthology will analyse more deeply the relation between the RFCDC and VET in various areas and topics, and expand on the numerous examples of policies and practices of Competences for Democratic Culture in VET, shared by the members of the Expert Group on the RFCDC and VET and of the EPAN Network.
This new initiative is part of the Council of Europe Education Strategy for 2024-2030 "Learners First" and it contributes to the Pillar 1 consisting of “Renewing the democratic and civic mission of education”, which emphasises the importance of integrating CDC in VET to promote quality citizenship education. It will also be an integral part of the future European Space for Citizenship Education.
The new anthology – expected to be published in 2025 - will mark a step further in the Council of Europe’s efforts to ensure that VET systems are preparing learners not only for employment but also to be active citizens participating in democratic and diverse societies.
