Cedefop is the acronym of its French title, Centre Européen pour le Développement de la Formation Professionnelle (C.E.DE.FO.P.).

The agency also brings together policy-makers, social partners, researchers and practitioners to share ideas and debate the best ways to improve European professional education policies.

The issues it covers span guidance and counselling; training for older workers; forecasting the demand and supply of skills; the recognition and validation of learning that takes place outside the education system; and the development of qualification frameworks.

Three years later, Italy also set up a professional training institute, the Istituto per lo sviluppo della formazione professionale dei lavoratori (ISFOL).

The committee proposed establishing a European institute for professional training research and guidance, largely based on the West German model.

Cedefop is run by a Management Board on which national governments, trade unions, employers' organisations and the European Commission are represented.

Day-to-day operation is the responsibility of the executive director, who is appointed by the European Commission on the basis of recommendations from the Management Board.