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FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

VET-business cooperation and effective employer engagement can be seen as
an ongoing challenge that must continuously adapt strategically to both parts -
the needs of the VET providers and the local/regional/national and even
international business context that defines global trends of the labour market.

To this happen, it is crucial to have qualified human resources and time. For VET
providers this implies to upskill VET managers and professionals. However, from
the point of view of employers, making their staff, resources, facilities and
working time available for establishing relationships with VET and hosting
learners at the workplace are not usually their priorities. Thus, it is crucial
necessary to invest in this relationship, overcoming obstacles and involving

employers in a way that is attractive to both parts.

This is precisely the aim of this framework: to provide a solid and holistic action-
oriented methodology to guide any VET provider that needs to establish,
manage, and/or improve an effective employer engagement internal policy and
agenda.
It offers a 4-level pathway, with examples of different activities that can be
implemented to nurture the VET-business relationship.

The more levels of engagement are established, the more benefits there are for
the involved parties. However, it may not always be necessary to implement all
the four levels, depending on each context and needs. What is utmost important
is to engage employers in a strategic way, creating value for them, but also for
the VET providers, through the development of concrete actions that are
beneficial to both.

Some recommendations for establishing a win-win VET-business relationship
are presented here:

▪ Select the right partners – it is necessary to do some initial research on
relevant partners and define strategies adapted to each of them, as they

are all different. It is important to define which industries are to be
contacted, identify a focal person and who has the decision-making
power in each company, whether or not the organisations have

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