This research paper forms part of the Cedefop project The changing nature and role of vocational education and training in Europe. The purpose of the project is to improve our understanding of how vocational education and training (VET) is changing in the countries belonging to the European Union (as well as Iceland and Norway). Over a three-year period (2016-18) the project will analyse how vocationally oriented education and training has changed in the past two decades (1995-2015); based on these results it will investigate the main challenges and opportunities facing the sector today and in the future. Work is divided into six separate but interlinked themes:

(a) the changing definition and conceptualisation of VET;

(b) the external drivers influencing VET developments;

(c) the role of traditional VET at upper secondary level;

(d) VET from a lifelong learning perspective;

(e) the role of VET at higher education levels;

(f) scenarios outlining alternative development paths for European VET in the 21st century

The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) is the European Union’s reference centre for vocational education and training.