Problem addressed
Vocational education and training (VET) schools in Croatia provide significantly fewer learning opportunities related to the European Union compared to general secondary schools. As a result, many VET students have limited knowledge about EU institutions, values, rights and opportunities for participation. Teachers and school librarians often lack the competences, tailored resources and confidence to integrate EU topics into their teaching practice, which deepens inequality in civic education and student engagement. This gap contributes to lower levels of active citizenship and social inclusion among young people in VET pathways, particularly those coming from disadvantaged regions or backgrounds. EUsolis addresses these educational disparities by equipping educators with the knowledge and tools necessary to embed EU values such as solidarity, diversity and sustainability across subjects and extracurricular activities, ensuring more equal access to citizenship education for all learners.
Innovative solution
EUsolis introduced a new model of EU citizenship education in vocational schools by empowering both teachers and school librarians as co-creators of learning, rather than relying solely on traditional civics instruction. The project developed a structured modular curriculum tailored to the VET context, focusing on solidarity, diversity, youth participation and sustainable development, and demonstrated how these EU values can be meaningfully incorporated into any subject area. By using school libraries and the European Documentation Centre as active learning hubs, the project expanded access to EU knowledge beyond the classroom. Practical workshops, regional Spring and Summer Schools and open digital resources ensured that educators could immediately transfer new knowledge into school activities, creating a sustainable and scalable model for inclusive EU learning across VET systems.
Key results and benefits
EUsolis successfully improved access to EU-related learning in vocational education by building the competences of teachers and school librarians across Croatia. More than 50 educators from 15 VET schools participated in specialised training and regional capacity-building events, enabling them to integrate EU values into everyday teaching and school library activities. Four thematic educational modules and a complete set of open-access learning materials were developed to support continued use after the project’s end. The project strengthened collaboration among VET schools, created new opportunities for student engagement in EU topics and increased motivation for schools to participate in European programmes. As a result, thousands of students now benefit indirectly from improved inclusion, awareness and active citizenship education. The sustainability and effectiveness of the model have been validated through its continuation in EUsolis 2.0, expanding the benefits to more schools and regions.
Potential for mainstreaming
The EUsolis model is highly transferable to other vocational education environments, as it provides ready-to-use materials, a modular curriculum adaptable to different subjects and a proven methodology for activating both teachers and school librarians as EU learning facilitators. By embedding EU values into existing curricula rather than creating new standalone subjects, the approach requires minimal structural change and can be scaled using existing school resources such as libraries and regional training centres. Its continuation through EUsolis 2.0 demonstrates institutional commitment and supports wider replication at national level, while the open-access resources enable adoption by VET schools across Europe. As a result, EUsolis offers a practical pathway for mainstreaming inclusive EU citizenship education in diverse educational systems.
