The main aim of the TRACK-VET project is to provide evidence based support to EU agencies, national governments and key stakeholders involved in designing and implementing policies on developing, assessing and validating transversal key competences in the formal VET system. This will be done by: (a) analysing systemic solutions, practices applied in six European countries as well as opinions of key stakeholder and (b) developing synthesis report containing model solutions, practices and recommendations. TRACK-VET project defines transversal key competences (TKC) as a subgroup of the 8 key competences defined in the Council Recommendation from 2006/2018, namely: learning to learn, social and civic competences, initiative-taking and entrepreneurship, and cultural awareness and expression. EU strategic documents indicate the importance of developing transversal key competences within VET, among others in Riga Conclusions (2015) and New Skills Agenda for Europe (2016). At the same time EU policy documents and scientific research point out that it remains a challenge to modernize assessment and that efforts should continue to develop tools for individual ssessment of skills, particularly in the areas of problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration and entrepreneurial initiative. Assessing key competences might be especially a challenge within the countries in which VET qualifications are awarded based on the external, state or sectoral summative exams. In relation to external summative assessment, Eurydice (2009) found that, of the eight key competences: ‘…only three, namely communication in the mother tongue and foreign languages, and mathematical competences can be directly linked to individual subject. By contrast, in many European countries the remaining key competences such as ‘learning to learn’ or social and civic competences, which usually relate to more than one subject, are not at present generally assessed in national tests’. TRACK-VET project produced eight intellectual outcomes: methodology of preparing country reports (O1), six country reports (O2-O7), synthesis report presenting model solutions and practices regarding developing, assessing and validating TKC (O8). The TRACK-VET partnership consist of seven institutions: Warsaw School of Economics [Leader], Austrian Institute for Research on Vocational Training (Oeibf), Fafo Institute for Labour and Social Research (Norway), French Centre for Research on Qualifications (Cereq), National Institute for Certified Educational Measurements (NUCEM) (Slovakia), Matej Bel University Banska Bystrica (UMB) and National Centre for Education (VISC) (Latvia) which are supported by 3 associated partners: Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport in Slovakia (departments responsible for IVET and LLL), Central Examination Board (Poland). By implementation of the TRACK-VET we aim to support process of developing and assessing TKC in the VET systems. We also aim to put more emphasis on the social dimension of TKC, namely: social and civic competences and cultural awareness and expression. In the longer term we seek to contribute to better VET qualifications and better adjusted methods of teaching and assessment of the TKC in VET. TKC are highly demanded by the labour market, therefore we seek that better TKC will be utilised in the professional careers of VET graduates contributing to increased employment and productivity of national and European economy and in the long run to sustainable European economic growth.

The Skills2Capability project is about understanding how skill systems across Europe can reduce the level of skills mismatch in their labour markets. It is recognised that future labour markets will be more mobile with more people moving between jobs, employers, and sectors more often. This poses a problem for training systems insofar as employers may be much less willing than in the past to fund and provide training because their chances of appropriating the return will have been reduced. The study is concerned with understanding how skill systems can better respond to meeting skill demands in a more fluid labour market environment. The starting point is that of considering whether there is a need to provide individuals with a wider range of capabilities to weather a greater range of labour market challenges than those faced by their counterparts from previous generations. Some countries have been able to use their skills systems to deliver more of these capabilities than others, though the impact of this on labour market transitions is uncertain (something the current study addresses). If skills systems are to confer skills on individuals which provide them with increased resilience and capability, then there is a need to know what those capabilities or skills are in practice. The research addresses this from both a demand side (what are the skills which are currently in demand and are likely to be so in the future?) and a supply side (to what extent are these capabilities reflected in VET programmes) perspective. The research will provide decision makers in government and education authorities with information which allows them to obtain a better understanding of how emerging skill needs - which meet the needs of both economy and society - can be met (essentially providing a methodology and a tool), along with detailed information about the content of those emerging skill needs and capabilities (i.e. detailed data on demand and supply).