In 2022, the Council of Europe launched a project on the implementation of the Reference Framework for Competencies for Democratic Culture (CDC) in VET. Its broad aim was to support the CoE’s member states to develop a culture of democracy in their VET systems. This led to the development of the Guidance Document (GD) in 2024. The latest publication is Learning Democracy in Vocational Education and Training in Europe: An Anthology, which is available now.
We live in a world where developing responsible and democratic citizens who share democratic values and are able to embrace and practice a democratic culture is more important than ever. Education plays a central role in this process. Dr Andrea Laczik, Director of Research at Edge Foundation, said "Given the current political, economic, and social challenges, it has never been more important to consider how we help young people to become responsible and engaged democratic citizens. This Anthology by the Council of Europe is one of the first publications focusing on how this can be done in vocational education and training (VET). It shows how VET can do more than just develop young people for a job - it can embrace the development of well-rounded citizens who can participate fully in the labour market and in wider society."
The anthology is a collection of essays examining issues that contribute to the effective development of democratic competences among VET learners leading to democratic citizens. It aims to further strengthen democratic values and practices, and to promote a culture of democracy in VET. The chapters are written by distinguished researchers, academics and practitioners. Edge have also published the first in a series of blogs based on the chapters in the Anthology, written by the authors, including Andrea Laczik, Prue Huddleston, Daniel Alvunger and Eszter Csepe-Bannert.