This publication offers learning from practice for policy makers and practitioners who have an interest in bringing about improvements in the continuing professional development (CPD) of vocational teachers and trainers. It draws upon the experience of 12 relatively small ‘demonstration projects’ that were supported by the European Training Foundation (ETF) in South Eastern Europe and Turkey in 2016 and 2017. Each project was distinct – designed by local actors to initiate or refresh implementation of reforms in professional development. Each project ran for at least one year and had an annual budget of EUR 10 000. The projects benefited from support – mentoring, monitoring and communication – from the ETF, and in some cases, from the Network of Education Policy Centres. This publication provides some evidence, across different national, political and institutional frameworks, of how demonstration projects can influence practitioners and/or policy makers in their thinking and behaviour. It also aims to assist those implementing policy to understand the value of piloting and modelling reforms, the conditions for success and the challenges to overcome. Finally, it offers advice to policy makers and project leaders on how to run demonstration projects so that their benefits can be maximised.
