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This blog is part of the Skills2Capabilities project, an EU-funded initiative examining how countries across Europe are developing more inclusive, responsive, and future-ready vocational education and training (VET) systems. These findings are drawn from case studies, which document national practices that support transitions into and through VET, with a specific focus on how guidance is integrated at both systemic and local levels.

In Estonia, a major reform has extended compulsory education to age 18, introducing five new post-basic education pathways that include both academic and vocational options. This policy shift aims to reduce early school leaving, offer more personalised educational choices, and align more closely with future labour market needs. Career guidance is embedded into the reform, with coordinated efforts to train guidance professionals, strengthen support systems in schools and VET institutions, and use labour market data to help young people make informed decisions about their next steps.

In Bulgaria, the expansion of the dual education system reflects a national effort to better connect school-based learning with real-world employment. Students split their time between vocational schools and paid work placements with local businesses. At a vocational school in Sofia, the DOMINO project helped create a robust local model that includes employer mentoring, transport and financial support for students, and dedicated guidance services. This structure helps make VET more attractive and accessible—especially for learners from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Both countries show how guidance becomes more powerful when it is part of broader structural reform. Whether by reshaping education law or building school-business partnerships, policy-level change supports systems where learners can navigate their VET options with confidence and clarity.

To read more about the Skills2Capabilities findings, visit .

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