European Vocational Skills Week 2020 closes with the Awards for VET Excellence

The European Vocational Skills Week 2020, held digitally this year from 9 to 13 November, has come to a successful close. So far, 1,025 partner events and activities across 38 countries and reaching more than 3.5 million people have taken place, and the campaign’s impact is likely to grow further in the coming months. The focus for 2020 was vocational education and training (VET) for green and digital transitions, in line with the Commission priorities of a European Green Deal and a Europe fit for the digital age. The Week also saw the launch event of the Pact for Skills, a shared engagement model to maximise the impact of investing in skills development by building large-scale partnerships in different industrial ecosystems and seeking individual commitments to invest in skills. A total of 28 ambassadors from across Europe signed up to support the campaign. They have all benefitted from vocational education and training and represent a wide variety of professions and backgrounds, including nursing, sports, graphic design and business. Additionally, each year, as part of the European Vocational Skills Week, the EU recognises individuals, organisations and initiatives for their efforts in promoting high-quality vocational education and training, through the Awards for VET Excellence in the following categories: Companies and learners; VET innovators; European funding for excellence in VET; European Agencies Awards; 2020 Special Award: Distance and E-learning. The winners were announced at the Week’s closing event and are listed here. More details on the Week and the Pact for Skills can also be found in this press release on the occasion of the opening of the Week, as well as this press release and Q&A on the Pact for Skills launch.