Fostering partnerships for high-quality, inclusive and excellent VET and LLL
On February 17th, the ETF initiative Governance Learning, Action, Dialogues (GLAD) hosted an online meeting, part of a broader reflection process on "Fostering partnerships for high-quality, inclusive and excellent VET and LLL" within the GLAD Network .
Organised under the umbrella of the European Training Foundation (ETF), GLAD Network provides a platform for structured dialogue and peer learning among candidate countries working to improve vocational education and training (VET) and lifelong learning (LLL) systems. The meeting reaffirmed the Network’s role as a space for cooperation, mutual support and knowledge sharing.
Showcasing regional best practice
A central objective of the meeting was to present concrete experiences from ETF partner countries. Representatives from Albania (Anisa Subashi, Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania) and Montenegro (Marko Vukasinovic, Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro) shared insights into how partnerships among governments, social partners, education providers and other stakeholders can drive VET reform.
These country examples highlighted practical approaches to strengthening governance frameworks, improving stakeholder coordination and ensuring that reforms respond to labour market needs. By grounding the discussion in real-world experience, the session enabled participants to reflect on transferable lessons and adapt them to their own national contexts.
In her contribution “Building Strategic Partnerships for Inclusive and Excellent VET – best practice from Albania,” Anisa Subashi from the Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania illustrated how multi-stakeholder cooperation can create shared ownership of skills development objectives and enhance relevance and inclusiveness in VET.
Anisa's presentation “How Sectoral Skills Committees Drive VET Reform” offered a compelling look at mechanisms for bringing industry actors directly into the governance of VET systems. By anchoring skills anticipation and curriculum design in sectoral labour market insights, these committees help ensure that reforms are both demand-driven and aligned with evolving employment needs.
Complementing these governance and partnership perspectives, Marko Vukasinovic from the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro shared insights on “The Dual Fund, the financing mechanism to support work-based learning in Montenegro.” His contribution illustrated a practical financing approach that incentivises employer participation in dual and work-based learning pathways, making reforms more sustainable and directly responsive to economic demand.
Advancing peer learning and joint action
Beyond showcasing good practice, the meeting was designed as an interactive exchange. Participants engaged in open discussion to:
- Facilitate peer learning and mutual inspiration
- Identify common governance challenges faced by candidate countries
- Explore opportunities for joint action
- Contribute to the design of a forthcoming paper summarising the work of the GLAD Thematic Group
The dialogue demonstrated the value of structured peer-to-peer exchange. Members shared reflections on reform processes, discussed enabling conditions for effective partnerships, and considered how governance mechanisms can better support inclusive and high-quality skills systems.
Reference:
Siria Taurelli, Senior Human Capital Development Expert - Coordinator for Governance and Quality Assurance
More about GLAD:
Congratulations Anisa Subashi and Marko Vukasinovic, you have shared excellent content! Among other very relevant points, your presentations made it clear that the Sectoral Skills Committees in Albania and the Fund for Dual Education in Montenegro are in place thanks to the intense work and long-term commitment of all the stakeholders.
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