The paper aims to explore the role of Vocational Education and Training (VET) in promoting democratic citizenship and democratic competences through inclusive policies and practices. Vocational learning has consistently been recognized as a core component of lifelong learning strategies aimed at fostering greater inclusion. The development of democratic citizenship through VET and inclusion has been associated with both challenges and opportunities. The challenges stem from the traditional academic/vocational divide, where academic students are typically viewed as those who will contribute to political developments in society. As a result, their curricula often include subjects such as social sciences and citizenship studies. In contrast, vocational learners tend to focus more on practical, hands-on activities specific to their field (Nylund et al., 2017). This study considers inclusion as closely related to VET learner participation, as well as opportunities to exercise their voice and engage with democratic competences in both learning and working contexts. The key research questions addressed in this paper are: To what extent do inclusive policies and practices in VET foster the development of democratic citizenship and related competences? What are the associated challenges and opportunities? The methodological approach employed in this research involved a desk study, consisting of a review of relevant literature, including research publications and policy papers, and a content analysis. Our findings indicate that inclusion is a multi-dimensional concept encompassing individual, social, political, and economic dimensions, all of which relate to various aspects of participation in VET - such as competences, engagement, empowerment, and exercising active citizenship (Kersh et al., 2021; Holford et al., 2008; Rosvall & Nylund, 2022). The role and significance of these competences within each dimension of inclusion may vary depending on factors such as specific contexts or target groups (e.g., migrants, refugees, NEETs). To illustrate our findings, we have drawn on cases of inclusive practices in England and Sweden. We conclude that by creating learning environments that recognise and address the needs of diverse groups, VET as a system can promote critical thinking, collaboration, civic engagement, and the development of democratic competences among learners. Inclusive practices within VET can foster an understanding of the importance of democratic culture and the value of contributing to communities. Such practices may include contextualizing democratic competences in ways that are relevant to young adults' personal backgrounds and experiences, as well as creating opportunities for VET learners to exercise competences that are meaningful to them.

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