"Policy Camp 2026" of the European Association of VET Institutes (EVBB Policy Camp 2026)

EVBB Policy Camp 2026

From June 29 to July 3, 2026, the "Policy Camp 2026" (EVBB Policy Camp 2026) event of the European Association of VET Institutes was held in Thessaloniki, Greece, in which the coordinator of the UNESCO-UNEVOC Center of Armenia Astghik Karakhanyan participated.

Let's remind that since 2026, the National Center for Vocational Education and Training is a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization International Center for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (UNESCO-UNEVOC) global network.

The event brought together around 150 participants from various organizations in the field of vocational education and training (VET). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the priorities of the VET educational policy of the European Union, funding opportunities and new directions of international cooperation.

Within the framework of the program, the participants had the opportunity to:

• to get acquainted with the main directions of the ongoing negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework of the European Union and their impact on VET sector projects,

• to participate in practical workshops, during which the features of drawing up European Union grant applications, options for using artificial intelligence in the process of project preparation, and application evaluation criteria were discussed,

• to visit the European Center for the Development of Vocational Education and Training (CEDEFOP), where the development process of the European VET policy, current research priorities and development trends of the field were presented,

• to participate in the discussion organized by the European Education Foundation (ETF) dedicated to the new Strategic Partnership Agreement and opportunities for international cooperation, including the Centers of Excellence (CoVE) initiative,

• to visit public and private professional educational institutions in Thessaloniki, to learn about the organization of the VET system in Greece and to exchange experience with representatives of local educational institutions.

One of the important components of the event were structured sectorial networking meetings, which gave the representatives of different countries the opportunity to establish new professional connections, discuss joint project ideas and outline future cooperation opportunities.

Participation in EVBB Policy Camp 2026 was an important opportunity for the UNEPC as a UNESCO-UNEVOC Center of Armenia to expand the scope of international cooperation, to get acquainted with the new developments of European education policy and to form partnership ties that can be the basis for the implementation of future joint initiatives and international projects.