Part of an active ongoing consultation process launched by the European Commission in November 2006, the European Social Partners Conference on the European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) recently took place in Thessaloniki on 12-13 February 2007. This conference was organised by a variety of national and European social partners including CEDEFOP (European Centre for the Development of Education Training), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), the Confederation of European Businesses (BUSINESSEUROPE), the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB), and the German Confederation of Employers Organisations (BDA). Part of a series of such consultations,  the object of this conference was to address the technical specifications, application, implementation, and potential impact of a Europe-wide credit transfer system for vocational training.

It addressed the following themes:

• the added value of ECVET for enterprise and workers;
• the role of national social partners in implementing ECVET;
• how ECVET might be used to identify and certify learning outcomes acquired in both formal and non-formal training;
• how ECVET can make training certificates more transparent;
• how ECVET might be linked to other European initiatives such as European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and EUROPASS;
• how ECVET can influence mobility.

The ultimate goal of the extended consultation process on ECVET is to develop a voluntary, non-binding tool that will facilitate the transfer, accumulation, validation and recognition of vocational training particularly when a student receives this training across European borders.

For other recent developments on ECVET, see also ACA Newsletter – Education Europe, November and December 2006.