The final conference of the Erasmus+ project Joint Mentorship: Better Cooperation for Better VET was held on May 20, 2025, at the premises of the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts.
The conference brought together stakeholders in vocational education and training (VET), as well as international project partners, to present the project’s results and discuss the importance of cooperation in the VET system.
Dalibor Kratohvil, President of the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts, congratulated and thanked the project team from the Chamber and partner institutions for their work on the project. He also addressed the ongoing reform of vocational education and the introduction of new curricula starting from the next school year.
“The Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts has repeatedly emphasized the need for more hours of work-based learning in enterprises, and that businesses providing apprenticeships should be licensed. Someone needs to verify who is working with students and under what conditions. Our goal is to ensure that apprenticeships continue to play a strong role, are further improved where needed, and provide young people with the conditions for a decent life and work – just like in advanced European countries,” said President Kratohvil.
At the conference, craftspeople, vocational school teachers, and representatives of relevant ministries and agencies had the opportunity to learn about the project’s results, especially the tools developed to improve cooperation – such as the Guidelines for Enhancing Cooperation with best practice examples, and the e-platform with the e-apprenticeship map. In addition, participants were introduced to training modules for in-company mentors, aimed at helping them enhance their pedagogical skills and their work with students.
A panel discussion was also held on the topic of cooperation and ways to improve collaboration among VET stakeholders. The panel included representatives from the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts, the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, the Ministry of Economy, the Agency for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education, and a school principal.
The main conclusion of the panel discussion was that although many activities are being implemented to strengthen cooperation, there is still a clear need to improve communication and develop support models for more effective collaboration – especially between craftspeople and schools.
The general conclusion of the conference was that cooperation is the key to successful and effective vocational education, and that existing tools can further enhance this collaboration. It is also necessary to continue raising awareness about the importance of cooperation and to engage as many craftspeople, schools, and students as possible in various forms of collaboration at the local and regional levels – with concrete support from relevant state institutions.
