Meeting of Directors-General for Vocational Education and Training (Alba Iulia, Romania: March 17-19, 2019)

The Ministry of National Education (MNE) and the National Centre for TVET Development (NCTVETD) organized the Meeting of Directors-General for Vocational Education and Training (DGVET), in Alba Iulia, Romania, on March 17-19, 2019. The event is part of the calendar of events organized by the MNE under the aegis of the Rotating Presidency of Romania at the Council of the European Union.

During the meeting, the future of education and training post-2020 was discussed, namely the role of competences, abilities, skills, attitudes and excellence in the development of education and training systems, in the context of increasing social dynamics.

In this sense, the role of competences was emphasized, focusing on digital, entrepreneurial and transversal competences (in this latter category entering critical thinking, creativity, complex problem solving), as well as the ways to ensure their acquisition.

Another point on the agenda of the meeting was the inventory of approaches to the development of entrepreneurial spirit of pupils at the level of the initial vocational training providers, the aim being the development of attractive, competitive and relevant vocational and technical education and training for the labor market, at European and national level.

Examples of good practices in Romania (Sighetu Marmatiei Technological Highschool) and other Member States have been presented in promoting excellence in vocational and technical education and training.

The Meeting of Directors-General for Vocational Education and Training gathered more than 80 experts from the Member States, representatives of the European Commission, the candidate countries for accession to the European Union, the EFTA countries, the European Training Foundation (ETF), the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP), as well as delegates of representative social partners at European level.