Vocational Education and Training

The implementation of the RFCDC in Vocational Education and Training (VET) aims at the development of a culture of democracy in VET systems in member States and stresses the importance of equipping VET learners with competences for democratic culture (CDC), preparing them not only for employment but also for active participation as citizens in culturally diverse democratic societies. This initiative is part of the Council of Europe Education Strategy 2024-2030, "Learners First", and contributes to its Pillar 1 on “Renewing the democratic and civic mission of education".

Examples of policy and practice in VET

112 examples of VET policies and practices were collected from 34 countries with the aim of promoting the implementation of a culture of democracy in VET systems.

Towards a new CM Recommendation on developing a culture of democracy in VET

The Education Department is currently developing a new Recommendation of the Committee of Ministries on developing a culture of democracy in VET. The Recommendation will focus on creating a comprehensive and robust base for each country to develop their own context-specific plans for developing education for democratic citizenship for VET learners. The Recommendation will be presented for adoption in 2027.

Learning Democracy in Europe in VET (2025)

The Education Department has recently produced a new publication titled Learning Democracy in VET in Europe: An Anthology (2025). This is a thematic publication that highlights crucial areas in implementing the RFCDC in VET. The key messages from the anthology are portrayed below.

Learning Democracy in VET in Europe: An Anthology (2025)

It is time to change the narrative of citizenship competences in VET: VET is traditionally focused on "employability" and developing occupation-specific skills. However, workplaces are also spaces for democratic dialogue, such as the "social dialogue" occurring between management and workers. Involving learners in this dialogue not only helps them develop democratic competences, but also develops important workplace skillsets, such as intercultural competences or inclusion.
Learning CDC in VET is much more than studying a subject on “citizenship education”: while most national curricula on VET organise CDC learning as a specific course, a more holistic approach would help integrate CDC across curricula, developing learners’ competences for active citizenship and providing opportunities for active participation.
The need for innovative practices in teaching and assessment: "Competition" between teaching CDC and specific occupational competences in VET could be addressed through innovative practices. In VET, CDC is often treated as secondary to vocational skills due to strong labour market pressures. However, vocational content itself offers opportunities to develop critical understanding and civic awareness through, for example, a reflective analysis of workplace norms and regulations that are agreed through social dialogue.
An integrated approach for VET: The approach to learn CDC is often classroom-based. However, VET also occurs in working and practice environments, such as in enterprises and workshops. As such, an integrated approach is needed to learn CDC both in VET schools and in the workplace.
Participation as “learning by doing”: CDC must be actively practised through participatory processes that include learners’ voices, for example, through student and school councils and workplace meetings, and be mindful of differences in student composition in terms of age, ethnicity, and social status, among others, ensuring inclusivity.

Learning democracy in vocational education and training in Europe: An anthology

Find here the blog series on essays based on the chapters of the Anthology

Guidance document on RFCDC and VET (2024)

In 2022-2023, the Council of Europe developed the first guidance document on RFCDC and VET. This guidance document showed the complexity of the VET systems in Europe in areas such as curriculum development, the diverse nature of the learning environment, and the differences in the pedagogical capacity of VET teachers and in-company trainers.

In particular, in dual systems where learners (apprentices) spend most of the time at the workplace rather than in the VET-school, enterprises play a the crucial role ("dual systems require dual efforts").

Guidance document for VET (2024)

The main ideas of the guidance document on VET are:

Although the need to develop CDC is acknowledged in VET-legislation in most countries, it is often encapsulated in short courses of "citizenship education" at the VET-school rather than being integrated as a transversal theme across the range of education and training activities.
Practices conducive to integrating CDC in VET schools include inclusive pedagogical methods, activities and events in VET schools promoting debates and educational activities that develop CDC, participation in representative bodies of VET learners, such as VET school governance.
Practices conducive to integrating CDC in the context of work include apprentices’ participation on social dialogue platforms and dedicated civic education seminars for apprentices.
In most European countries, VET teacher qualification or requirements to teach do not include CDC or elements of CDC.
At the system level, there is a need for consensus between all major stakeholders to develop relevant legislation and curricula that reflect CDC. CDC can be integrated as a transversal theme and a visible element in VET programmes, in school and company contexts.
At organisational level, a shared outlook is required to agree on areas of intervention and methods, e.g. integrating elements of CDC in the learning objectives and/or outcomes.