On 25th September 2025, at the Fourth Policy Learning Forum, Cedefop will launch the European Vocational Teacher Survey (EVTS). This groundbreaking initiative designed to fill crucial knowledge gaps about vocational education and training (VET) teachers across Europe, will focus on teachers’ skill gaps, professional development needs and overall working conditions in initial VET (IVET) schools.
Why the survey and why now?
The EVTS aims to provide policymakers with robust, comparable data that can improve IVET teachers’ professional development and better prepare them for major socioeconomic challenges, such as the AI transition, climate change, and the need to reduce social exclusion amongst students. By doing so, the survey will directly support the EU’s overarching goals to cultivate a high-quality teaching workforce capable of preparing learners for inclusive, digital, and green transitions. Ultimately, the findings will contribute to tackling persistent teacher shortages and making VET teaching a more attractive profession across Europe.
The EVTS will gather insights from approximately 14,000 randomly selected teachers, both vocational and general education subjects, in initial VET schools (ISCED level 3) across 23 European countries, and namely Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden.
What teachers will share
Participating IVET teachers will complete a 30-minute online questionnaire, delving into critical areas, including:
- Professional growth: how teachers enhance their skillsets and develop professionally.
- IVET teachers’ skill gaps: with a particular focus on new digital and green technologies, and their abilities in managing inclusive learning environments.
- Impact of continuing professional development (CPD): the effectiveness of various professional development activities in updating teachers’ skills.
- Workplace realities: job satisfaction, working conditions, and the overall attractiveness of VET teaching profession.
- Drivers and barriers influencing participation in CPD.
Ensuring quality and trust
The methodology ensures scientific rigour. Schools and teachers are randomly selected following a robust scientific methodology to make the survey representative of VET teachers’ experiences across Europe. Participation is entirely voluntary and confidential, with all collected data being anonymised and used strictly for research purposes to protect individual privacy. The questionnaire has undergone extensive development, including translatability assessment, cognitive testing and pilot testing, to ensure clarity, consistency and international comparability.
By gathering such detailed and comparable data, the EVTS aims to directly shape better policies at both national and EU levels. These insights will ensure that IVET teachers have access to impactful professional development, directly supporting the EU’s vision for a high-quality teaching workforce and enhancing European competitiveness. Beyond policy, the insights gained from the survey will be shared with participating schools, offering valuable data to enhance their professional development programmes for teachers and their teaching strategies.
The main fieldwork for this survey will run from October 2025 to September 2026, while the first results will be published in 2027. The survey has been contracted to Verian, a research agency adhering to high ethical standards.
Europe’s skills agenda and competitiveness require investment in the professionals who deliver vocational training. By strengthening support for VET teachers, we strengthen the foundation of Europe’s economic future.
The original text can be found at the following link: The European Vocational Teacher Survey (EVTS) – teachers’ voices shaping policy | CEDEFOP