VET PARTICIPATION, RETENTION, AND EDUCATIONAL POLICIES IN THE WAKE OF COVID 19 - A CROSS-COUNTRY EXPLORATION

The VETprep project seeks to understand and address the challenges in Vocational Education and Training (VET) related to student identification, participation, and retention across various European contexts, focusing on students from diverse backgrounds. It examines the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the sector and explores policies and strategies in Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Scotland, and Spain through comparative studies. Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach and mixed methods, the project investigates factors affecting VET student engagement, including demographics and socio-economic backgrounds, by analyzing longitudinal data and conducting in-depth interviews with selected students. This research aims to provide insights into young people's educational paths in post-pandemic Europe, highlighting differences in socio-economic status and educational aspirations, as well as differences between the pre- and post-pandemic cohorts. VETprep's combination of generalized knowledge and individual narratives will offer a nuanced picture of Youths in the post-pandemic Europe. Furthermore, with a comparative focus on differences across the European Countries and across different young people according to socioeconomic status, academic achievements, etc., we get the opportunity to understand both the consequences and relevant actions in the light of individual differences and varying societal, political, and educational frameworks in the five European countries. The project aims to help policymakers and other stakeholders (a) meet their obligations under the EPSR (everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and lifelong learning, including reducing the NEET rate to 9% by 2030) (b) implement the Council Recommendation on VET for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience (c) meet the goals of Pathways to School Success, including reducing Early Leaving from Education (d) meet UN SDGs 4, 8, 9 & 10.