Civic participation is a process in which people take collective action to address issues of public concern and can adopt many forms: from individual volunteering, community engagement efforts and organisational involvement to governmental support. With regard to governments, effectively engaging with stakeholders translates into better services, source ideas and knowledge, co-creation solutions and seizing new opportunities.
To achieve high-quality civic participation, it is however crucial to make sure to involve all regional stakeholders.

Research shows there is a large participation gap between college students and other young people. Thus, this webinar looked at the factors that can improve the civic participation of people in technical and vocational education and training, and how such multi-stakeholder strategies benefit regions. This webinar tackled:

• Whether activities for youth participation are addressed to Technical Vocational Education & Training learners and tailored in a way that encourages participation;
• How Technical Vocational Education & Training learners and teachers can be encouraged to contribute and be visible in political arenas;
• Identifying the systems which allow all segments of society to feel capable of contributing towards the fulfillment of SDGs.

Lessons learned:

• Creativity and digitalization in Technical Vocational Education & Training must be enhanced in order to keep up to speed with the rapid technological progress of the labour market;
• It is important to have close cooperation with European institutions so that upskilling and inclusiveness in education is reinforced;
• Organizations involved in Technical Vocational Education & Training need to have stable funding in order to constantly adapt their curricula to offer high-quality apprenticeships to students;
• Learning must be inclusive and diverse;
• The Skillman Peer Learning Clubs have a dedicated online platform where stakeholders involved in Technical Vocational Education & Learning can share experiences, research & position papers & exchange best practices. Here the links to join:

 Peer Learning Club 1- Advanced Manufacturing Sector: Subscribe

Peer Learning Club 2- Advocacy & Policy Influencing: Subscribe

Peer Learning Club 3- Work-based learning and standards: Subscribe

Peer Learning Club 4- Train the Trainers: Subscribe