João Santos is an expert and consultant on education and training policy, and is based in Lisbon, Portugal. During his career of 33 years at the European institution he worked in various policy fields including Scientific research and development, Industrial policy, International trade, External relations, Structural policies, and Education and training policy. From 1990 to 1994 he worked at the Joint research Centre in Italy, and from 2009 to 2013, he worked at the EU Delegation to China and Mongolia as a diplomatic counsellor dealing with bilateral trade and investment issues, as well as people-to-people dialogue. The rest of the time he was based in Brussels (Belgium), where he worked on international relations covering the employment and social affairs dimension of the EU’s bilateral cooperation with China, the USA and Canada, as well as on multilateral cooperation within the United Nations framework, on issues related to the social dimension of globalisation and the Decent Work Agenda. In his latest assignment at the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the European Commission, he worked as a Senior expert, Deputy Head of Unit, and Acting Head of Unit, in the service responsible for vocational education and training as well as the policy orientation of the Erasmus+ programme in this sector. He retired from the European Commission in 2023, but continues very active speaking at many international events as an expert on education and training, and also collaborates with the following organisations:
a) Member of the Consultative committee of Iniciativa Educação a Portuguese initiative to raise the quality and attractiveness in VET in Portugal,
b) Consultant to the VET Team of the Portuguese Erasmus+ National Agency,
c) Member of the Consultative committee of INETE Instituto de Educação Técnica a Portuguese vocational education and training institution,
d) Board member of Euro App Mobility an organisation based in Brussels aimed at boosting the transnational mobility of Apprentices, and
e) Member of the Scientific consultative committee of ENAIP Veneto.
