Excellence in VET in Luxembourg

The VET system has been adapted to the realities of society and economy in numerous ways in the frame of the VET reform of 2008. The study on the transition of VET learners to the labour market confirms the overall good performance of the VET system. However, reducing youth unemployment and early school leaving is still a big challenge that is tackled by many initiatives.

The VET reform of 2008, amended in 2019 creates the legal framework for the adaptation of the VET system to the current realities of the society and the labour market.

The unit- and modular-based system of VET makes it possible to better respond to the skill needs of the labour market and to update VET programmes more easily. The access to higher education has been widened with the possibility for DAP holders (vocational aptitude diploma) to follow optional preparatory modules in languages and mathematics, and, upon their successful completion, to be certified with an access to tertiary education. The requirements for training companies have been enhanced with the introduction of Train-the-Trainer courses for in-company tutors that are in charge of apprentices.

The longitudinal study on the transition of VET learners in their final year of training to the labour market and their professional career revealed an overall good performance of the VET system. Hence, from the cohort of learners in their last year of training in school year 2017/2018 leaving a VET programme with a certificate or diploma, 87,1 % have had access to employment in the following 6 months compared to only 71,2 % of those leaving VET without a certificate or diploma. The same trend applies to the employment rate, where 93 % of those certified found an employment in the course of the first year on the labour market, lasting on average 8,1 months. For those leaving VET uncertified, only 79 % found a first employment during the first year and lasting on average 5,4 months.

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