IVETA Europe is holding its second regional conference on technical, vocational education and training (TVET) in Sofia, Bulgaria. 

The theme of the conference is “Bridging the Gap Between TVET and Employment Worldwide”. 

Two related global crises are happening simultaneously: high levels of youth unemployment and a shortage of job seekers with relevant vocational work skills.

Young people and their parents consider TVET as a second-class education; employers believe that new graduates are not adequately prepared for entry-level positions in the vocational sector but rarely invest in TVET; TVET providers state that the new graduates are ready to work although they know that curriculum and school equipment most often differ a lot from the world of work.

While vocational education appears to be a good solution as it gives knowledge and develops skills in a specific field, it has low or lesser perceived value among students. Some countries, mainly European, value academic education over vocational education.  Others invest a lot in the vocational sector and make efforts to bring business to it.

Industry practitioners and educational stakeholders from around the globe will come to share their expertise, ideas and experience on how to meet the demands and supply in TVET. Among the speakers, Fabio Croci will represent the Skillman.eu network.

The conference is organised jointly by IVETA, Warnborough College UK and Know and Can Association in Bulgaria.

More details and registration procedures can be found on the conference website: http://www.warnborough.net