Fostering literacy through inclusive vocational education

Literacy is a pathway to inclusion, as it is the foundation to access other skills that open the door for education and to the world of work. Lack of basic literacy skills puts young people at risk of low educational achievement or even dropping out of education or training. The role of vocational education and training (VET) is to help young students develop these skills and prepare them for future professional life.

Strategies to enhance literacy skills through VET

In certain European member states, initial vocational education and training (IVET) begins at a younger age, sometimes as young as 14. Consequently, IVET can play a significant role in enhancing young people’s basic skills, including their employability.

In its 2020 report on Key Competences in Initial Vocational Education and Training: Digital, Multilingual and Literacy, Cedefop (the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training) investigated strategies that member states implement to support vocational teachers in fostering literacy within the VET framework.

This report highlights that between 2011 and 2018, most countries implemented literacy policies within IVET. These policies vary from IVET-specific to broader educational initiatives, often serving as strategic agendas rather than practical implementation plans. More than one-third of these policies reference EU or international initiatives, demonstrating a commitment to global educational standards.

It also underscores the importance of integrated, holistic approaches that enable flexible educational pathways and support learner participation. Holistic approaches are strategies that balance technical skills with critical literacy development. They aim to ensure that curricula cover reading comprehension, writing skills and responsible engagement with texts, particularly when involving technologies like artificial intelligence.

These approaches also include literacy support frameworks and ongoing professional development for VET teachers, ensuring they are equipped with innovative pedagogical methods to guide students effectively.

Key findings from Cedefop's research include:

• Integrating literacy into programme delivery: Literacy skills can be strengthened in IVET by embedding them into existing courses or creating new subjects. This includes setting a minimum number of instructional hours dedicated to literacy and developing tailored pedagogical materials, as demonstrated by Cyprus's strategic emphasis on key competences in its IVET system.
• Revising assessment standards: Updating assessment procedures to incorporate literacy competence is vital. This involves introducing new exams or modifying existing ones to better evaluate literacy skills within vocational qualifications. This is exemplified by the UK's proposal to embed English language skills assessment in vocational education, despite challenges due to decentralised IVET assessments.
• Investing in teachers’ and trainers’ continuing professional development: This strategy involves providing additional training for in-service teachers, revising qualification requirements and supplying pedagogical guides and materials. For example, we have Bulgaria's initiative to raise teacher qualification standards to effectively promote literacy competence.

Cedefop’s ongoing commitment: promoting basic skills and inclusion in IVET

The high priority of literacy development in the EU’s education agenda presents both exciting opportunities and some important challenges. New pedagogical approaches are needed, but they require careful implementation to prevent issues like educational inequality.

Cedefop’s work on promoting inclusive education through VET contributes to this discussion by mapping promising initiatives and from across the EU. The VET toolkit for empowering NEETs (young people not in employment, education or training) and the VET toolkit for tackling early leaving feature good practices which showcases how VET can bridge the gap between skills and employment. In many instances the practices foster the development of basic skills like literacy, in parallel with the development of employability and life skills.

Some of the practices put focus on language, literacy and numeracy skills to lay the foundation for future job placements, particularly addressing disadvantaged groups: early leavers from education and training or NEETs.

Keeping teachers updated on literacy support and innovative pedagogical approaches helps ensure they can guide students through the learning process. Cedefop will provide new evidence on teachers’ continuing professional development through the European Vocational Teacher Survey (EVTS), to be carried out in 23 European countries from October 2025 to June 2026.

By integrating basic skills development into vocational education, learners not only acquire essential skills but also understand how to apply them effectively in their chosen teaching and training practices.