In the next issue…

The objective of this workshop is to present the evidence-based policy making approach and to discuss how this is understood and implemented by the candidate and potential candidate countries in their search for finding solutions to VET policy challenges on their way to accession.

The focus of this event is twofold: the first objective concerns partner country developments in VET reforms, which entails a series of questions like: “What evidence do we use in VET reform processes in our own country context?” and “What lessons can we draw from own experience with evidence based policy-making bringing improvement in reform?” The second concerns the debate on knowledge about evidence based policy practice, particularly looking into experience from the Western Balkans and Turkey and EU Member States: “How does knowledge become an important ingredient in the policy-making process?” And: “What are we learning from participatory approaches in evidence based policy-making? The core discussions during the event will rely on practical examples and experiences, understood as a set of methods, tools and approaches which inform the policy process.

Following the ETF meeting on inclusive education in Ohrid in October, the next issue of Live&Learn; will focus on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The Ohrid meeting served to fill in the blanks of a draft of a regional multi-beneficiary programme to be launched in 2012 under the auspices of the EU’s Instrument for pre-Accession. In addition, there will be a focus on other ETF activities in the country and an interview with ETF country manager Eduarda Castel Branco.

The new ETF initiative ‘Torinet’ aims to contribute to increased soundness and efficiency of policy development in vocational education and training in ETF partner countries. The ETF’s Torinet initiative responds to the complexity of evidence-based work. It supports leaders in vocational education and training throughout the policy cycle and across thematic areas to better deliver policies.

In the light of this development, the ETF has organised an international workshop bringing together partner countries engaged in Torinet, EU Member States and experts to discuss the interaction between governance and effectiveness of vocational education and training systems, and the role of evidence.

The workshop will host around 60 participants from the ETF countries covered under the Torinet initiative, including representatives from ministries of education, labour, vocational education and training agencies, ministries of economy and statistics, researchers and social partners, EU Member States, representatives from the EU institutions, researchers and practitioners in the field of governance, evidence-based policy making and vocational institution building.