On 12 September, Ministers for Vocational Education and Training (VET) adopted the Herning Declaration on attractive and inclusive VET for increased competitiveness and quality jobs 2026-2030.
EURASHE has contributed to a common statement and action plan with partners from the VET4EU2 network. It supports the bold political ambition to advance VET, especially the clear commitment to parity of esteem between vocational and academic programmes.
EURASHE particularly welcomes the Declaration’s emphasis on increased cooperation. From the EURASHE perspective, we believe this should include cooperation with the European Higher Education Area, which is important for sharing best practices in quality assurance, recognition, and the implementation of the European Credit Transfer System.
While EURASHE welcomes the re-commitment to attractive, quality, and agile VET, it is concerning that the Herning Declaration does not mention the need for greater permeability within education and training systems, including higher education – as the Osnabrück Declaration did. For EURASHE, excellent VET includes wide recognition, and seamless pathways to and from higher education.
The relationship and permeability between VET and higher education also needs clarification regarding the commitment of the Herning Declaration to expand higher VET (EQF level 6-8). Therefore, despite welcoming the Declaration, EURASHE recommends that several unresolved issues are addressed, as highlighted in a more detailed analysis by VET4EU2.
EURASHE calls on Member States to develop truly integrated tertiary education systems—opening education pathways for Lifelong Learning, improving the recognition of prior learning, removing sectoral silos, and fostering comprehensive and inclusive educational frameworks through sustained cross-sectoral dialogue.
