How to get Started

In this chapter of the VET@work manual you will find information, tips and tested methodologies that will help you get started regardless if you are new to VET and work collaborations or if an experienced actor in these kinds of collaborations.

While testing and evaluating the 12 methodologies it became very clear to us we need to first find a common goal and a common language. This will help us set up a transparent, constructive and sustainable collaboration that helps VET students gain the 21st century skills needed to succeed in the world of work.  We realized how important it is that VET providers and employers include collaboration in their strategies, visions and actions plans in a concrete and realistic manner.

When working on the VET@work manual, and especially this chapter that focus on different ways VET and work can collaborate, we saw in front of us a bridge where the needs and realities of VET is on one side and the needs and realities of work on the other side of the bridge. We (the VET providers and employers) all wanted the same thing, to implement a vocational education that provides skilled workers to the labour market. As in any collaboration/methodology, we began the process by talking and making sure that we understood what was being said/discussed the same way. We shared best practice cases and learnt from past mistakes. We were open, honest and wanted to learn and improve our ways of working and collaborating. We weren’t afraid to make mistakes, we looked as mistakes as a way to grow.

If you are uncertain of how experienced you are when it comes to VET@work collaborations we recommend that you begin by taking the self-evaluation test that you can find here