Vocational Education and Training to counter Social Inclusion – Brussels – 22 November 2013

Sarah Cooke O’Dowd and Thomas Huddleston are organising the next SIRIUS stakeholder event on 22 November in the Hessen Representation in Brussels. In light of the recent creation of the European Alliance for Apprenticeships, the meeting will cover the topic of Vocational Education and Training (VET) for immigrants at a European level.

VET is under the European Commission DG Education and Culture and presents some key priority areas of which equity and social cohesion is one. The aim of this area is to ensure non-discriminatory access to and participation in VET, taking into account the needs of people or groups at risk of exclusion — in particular early school leavers, low-skilled and disadvantaged people (e.g. immigrants).

The event will bring together stakeholders working in the field of migration and (vocational) education and training to exchange information on how to improve the access to and successful completion of apprenticeships by young people with a migrant background in policy and practice. It will also consider how vocational education and training can be used to improve the professional and social inclusion of young people with a migrant background.