Athens, Greece | 25th November 2026
Athens, Greece | 25th November 2026
Registrations are now open for the Final Dissemination Conference of the project 'Empowering Tomorrow's Educators: Education employers supporting the teaching profession through career progression structures' (TeachProgress). This event will be hosted in Athens, Greece, by the European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE), Palladio School (PS) and the European Council of National Associations of Independent Schools (ECNAIS), on Wednesday 25th November 2026.
TeachProgress
This project focuses on tackling teacher shortages in Europe by increasing the attractiveness of the teaching profession with a special emphasis on the reformation of the teacher career structure. Find out more at https://educationemployers.eu/teach-progress/
Throughout the project, partners have explored teacher career progression frameworks, incentive systems and structural barriers across Europe through comparative research, peer learning activities and policy discussions.
This conference will present the final outputs of the TeachProgress project, including the comparative research report, practical guidelines for education employers and school leaders, and policy recommendations for policymakers at all levels. The conference will bring together around 100 education employers, experts and policymakers from across Europe to discuss how these findings can be operationalised to better support teacher career progression and the attractiveness of the profession in different contexts.
Draft itinerary
• Tuesday 24 November (evening): Welcome networking cocktail
• Wednesday 25 November (09h00-16h30): TeachProgress Final Dissemination Conference
As places eligible for reimbursement are limited, we kindly encourage interested participants to register before 20th of June 2026, so that confirmations can be sent in due time and travel arrangements can be made as early as possible to ensure the best fares.
Please wait for confirmation from EFEE before making your travel arrangements.
Before registering, please carefully read the information provided at the top of the registration form, as well as the linked travel policy.
Register your interest here: REGISTRATION
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On 11-12th November 2025, EFEE and ECNAIS co-organised the second Peer Learning Activity (PLA) of the project 'Empowering Tomorrow's Educators: Education employers supporting the teaching profession through career progression structures' (TeachProgress) in Helsinki, Finland, with the support of hosting organisation AFIS – Finnish Association of Independent Schools. Oodi Central Library and Kulosaari Secondary School welcomed over 70 delegates from different countries to explore and identify good practices in relation to teacher career progression, both at system and school level, that could be applied in other contexts to improve motivation and satisfaction in the teaching profession.
Day 1: Identifying Good practices at system and school level
Heewon Bae (OECD) opened the day with a keynote on “Insights from TALIS 2024: Teacher career progression, motivation and satisfaction”.
Beatričé Leiputé (Visionary Analytics) presented preliminary results from the TeachProgress research team. The survey results confirm that teacher career progression frameworks across the EU are highly uneven, with significant differences in vertical and horizontal pathways and no common system. Administrative burdens remain a major obstacle, whereas recognition measures and simpler procedures appear to support motivation. Overall, the study points to the need for clearer, more flexible career structures, reduced bureaucracy and stronger cooperation between teachers, employers and authorities to make the profession more attractive and sustainable.
The programme continued with the panel “Connecting teacher career frameworks and professional development: from policy to practice” featuring Kay Livingston (University of Glasgow), Auli Toom (University of Helsinki) and Michelle Attard Tonna (University of Malta).
The following roundtable included the national perspectives of Finland and Malta, and stressed the need for flexible, diverse pathways that allow teachers to grow without leaving the classroom.
After a short break, the focus shifted to system-level good practices through presentations by Pavla Katzová (independent educational expert, CZ) and Isabelle Janssens (Leerpunt, BE).
In the afternoon, attention turned to school-level practices promoting teacher recognition and excellence. Peter Van Iseghem (Catholic Education Flanders, BE) presented the “Learning to Lead Together” programme, Fernanda Torres (Institute of Technical Education, PT) then showcased practices from a VET school in Lisbon.
Day 2: Teachers’ motivation and satisfaction in Finland: Kulosaari Secondary School as an example of good practices
The second day of the PLA started at Kulosaari Secondary School.
The programme continued with a session on the Finnish education system delivered by Marjo Vesalainen (Ministry of Education).
After a short break, a panel moderated by Silvia Pesini (EFEE) brought insights from Kulosaari staff: Richard Cousins (middle school principal), Erika PerttuliBorobio (visual arts teacher) and Saara Kylmänen (Finnish teacher).
The second Peer Learning Activity concluded with a guided tour of the school led by students, offered in different languages to reflect the school’s strong learning outcomes. The visit ended with a lunch hosted by the school.
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The ambition of this project is to tackle teacher shortages in Europe by increasing the attractiveness of the teaching profession with a special emphasis on the reformation of the teacher career structure. These two factors have been identified as the root causes for teacher dissatisfaction and low motivation in the job, which carry with them other negative consequences such as teacher absenteeism and poor performance, high turnover of teachers, and declining interest in joining the profession, which ultimately affect student learning outcomes and the overall quality of education.
While motivation is dependent on factors and perceptions that are intrinsic to the teachers, job satisfaction is linked to other external factors; among them, limited career progression opportunities, stagnant salary scales, and bureaucratic barriers for career advancement.
Through this project, education employers will explore the best ways they can create a more supportive and rewarding environment for teachers by contributing to initiatives such as:
- Creating clearer and more flexible career progression structures and pathways that offer opportunities for both vertical and lateral career advancement,
- Implementing performance-based incentives and recognition programmes to reward outstanding teachers and encourage ongoing professional growth,
- Investing in professional development to offer relevant and accessible opportunities for teachers to acquire new skills, specialise in areas of interest, and prepare for leadership roles,
- Streamlining administrative processes and reducing bureaucratic barriers to career advancement to make it easier for teachers to progress in their careers,
- Ensuring equality and inclusiveness in access to career advancement opportunities,
- Establishing partnerships with local, regional and national teaching training centres to ensure a steady supply of well-trained teachers.
The European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE) and the European Council of National Associations of Independent Schools (ECNAIS) are pleased to inform you about to the first Peer Learning Activity (PLA) of the Empowering Tomorrow’s Educators: Education employers supporting the teaching profession through career progression structures ( TeachProgress project). This first inperson event of the project, was held in Istanbul, Turkey, on the 10th and 11th of April 2025. The event was hosted by the Turkish Private Schools Association (TÖZOK) and focused on addressing teacher shortages in Europe by enhancing the attractiveness of the teaching profession, with a particular emphasis on career structure reforms. Through insightful presentations, interactive discussions, and school visits, participants explored ways to make the teaching career more flexible and create more supportive and rewarding environment for teachers.
The first day featured a full-day peer learning activity including visits to local schools, offering participants the chance to engage with education stakeholders and learn about best practices. On the second day, a half-day session it was included a visit to another local school, providing firsthand insights into innovative approaches in teacher career development. This PLA brought together education employers, policymakers, and experts to share expertise, exchange best practices, and promote capacity-building within the framework of the TeachProgress project.