On Wednesday 1 October 2025, the Luxembourg Chamber of Employees (CSL) published a position paper aimed at contributing to the public and institutional debate on the future of initial and continuing vocational training.
As a government partner in vocational education and training and a participant in the development of skills and qualifications, the CSL has proposed a series of levers for improving the existing system, which it said draws on European priorities in the field of training, the “realities on the ground”, employees’ needs and the requirements of the economic world.
The CSL described the purpose of the document is to “enrich the reflections of policy-makers, social partners and training professionals by proposing several (non-exhaustive) concrete, realistic and ambitious avenues for a sustainable reform of vocational education and training in Luxembourg”.
The CSL underlined the need for a comprehensive reform of the lower cycle of secondary education, including clearer promotion criteria, structured career guidance and the generalisation of discovery placements. It called for improved interaction between schools, apprentices and companies through digital logbooks and for official recognition and support of company tutors.
To foster inclusion, the CSL advocated the creation of a status for apprentices with disabilities, ensuring adjustments in both school and workplace contexts, while maintaining equal qualifications. It also proposed increasing and harmonising apprenticeship allowances to make training more attractive.
The CFL emphasised: “Pathways must remain flexible, enabling learners to progress step by step, with better links across qualifications, multilingual training offers, and guaranteed access for technician diploma holders to higher education. Finally, curricula must adapt faster to technological and economic change, supported by professionalised curriculum design and monitoring of best practices abroad.”
The CSL also proposed a tripartite committee for continuing training, composed equally of employees, employers and public authorities, tasked with setting priorities, monitoring implementation and proposing reforms. It recommended the establishment of a right to lifelong learning for every employee, supported by measures to involve employers, expand training leave, provide financial support and ensure quality career guidance.
The CSL highlighted that the recognition of foreign diplomas and validation of prior learning (VAE) must be improved through streamlined processes and practical pathways such as projects or workplace assessments and that employees undertaking VAE should benefit from dedicated leave.
The CSL also stressed the importance of expanding opportunities for official qualifications, including degree-level and modularised courses accessible in flexible formats, as well as the creation of additional sectoral training centres. To guarantee standards, it called for a national quality system that strengthens trust, ensures funding supports high-quality provision and avoids unnecessary bureaucracy.
In conclusion, the CSL reaffirmed its commitment and readiness to “engage in dialogue with institutional partners to examine these proposals (and others) and to co-create ambitious, realistic solutions”.
Moreover, the CSL underlines that an effective and efficient vocational training system is of strategic importance for employees, for the national economy and for the country’s competitiveness. To ensure sustainable implementation, they proposed an equitable financing mechanism to support collective efforts in training and skills development, which could take the form of a “Joint Fund for Continuing Vocational Training”, managed and prioritised by the proposed tripartite committee.
