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ISSUE 7 / MAY 2016
MAIN STORY: 14 WAYS TO TACKLE SKILL MISMATCH
NEWS: COMMISSIONER THYSSEN VISITS CEDEFOP
INTERVIEWS:MARIANNE THYSSEN, GEOFF HAYWARD, DENISE AMYOT
FEATURE: #CEDEFOPPHOTOAWARD 2016
MEMBER STATES: ESTONIA
Europe 123, 570 01 Thessaloniki (Pylea), GREECEPO Box 22427, 551 02 Thessaloniki, GREECETel. +30 2310490111, Fax +30 2310490020, Email: [email protected]
European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training
/cedefopwww.cedefop.europa.eu
@cedefop
9111 EN – TI-AQ-16-002-EN-N
NEWS
COmmISSIONER THySSEN: mOTIVATED TO WORK WITH CEDEFOP FOR SOCIAL CHANGES IN EUROPE 4
INTERVIEW
LABOUR mARKET POLICIES FOR LABOUR mARKET REFORm 6Professor Geoff Hayward, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK
INTERVIEW
FROm UNIVERSITy TO PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION 8Dr Denise Amyot, President & CEO, Colleges and Institutes, Canada
MAIN STORY
14 WAyS TO TACKLE SKILL mISmATCHGet Inspired 9By Gary Horsley
INTERVIEW
mAKING PEOPLE’S SKILLS VISIBLE 17Ernesto Villalba, Cedefop expert
INTERVIEW
GLOBAL TRENDS AND THEIR ImPACT ON VET 18George Kostakis, Cedefop expert
NEWS
#CEDEFOPPHOTOAWARD 2016 20
MEMBER STATES
VET FOR ADULTS IN ESTONIA mAKES FINDING WORK EASIER 21By ReferNet Estonia
NEW CEDEFOP PUBLICATIONS 22
COMING UP 23
02 | SKILLSET AND MATCH
CONTENTS
The European Centre for theDevelopment of VocationalTraining (Cedefop) is theEuropean Union's referencecentre for vocational educationand training.
We provide information on andanalyses of vocational educationand training systems, policies,research and practice.
Cedefop was established in 1975 by Council Regulation(EEC) No 337/75.
I S S U E 7 / M A Y 2 0 1 6
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Publications Office of theEuropean Union, Luxembourg
ISSN: 2363-0183TI-AQ-16-002-EN-NNo of publication: 9111 ENFree of charge© Cedefop, 2016
All rights reserved.
Head of Department for Communication:Gerd-Oskar BauseweinEditor: Rosy VoudouriDesigned by [email protected] in the European Unionon elemental chlorine-free bleachedpaper (ECF)
Cedefop: Europe 123, 570 01 Thessaloniki (Pylea), Greece
Postal address: PO Box 22427,551 02 Thessaloniki, Greece
Tel. +30 2310490111Fax +30 [email protected]
Subscribeto the electronicedition
MAY 2016 | 03
Commissioner Thyssen’s visit to Cedefop has reinforced our excellentworking relationship and cooperation with the Commission. Asexpected, Cedefop gave invaluable technical support to the proposedSkills agenda and in particular to the revision of the Europeanqualifications framework and Europass recommendation, two strategictools which many European citizens recognise as instrumental ineducation reform and employability respectively.
Cedefop looks forward to supporting member States and socialpartners in forging a culture of skills for employment. We aspire to giveEuropean vocational education and training (VET) a new lease of life;not so much a new beginning but a sturdier commitment by all toinvest in learning processes that foster skills relevant to labour marketneeds, and personal and social development.
In the globalised and insecure societies in which many of us live, theneed to educate for inclusion and respect for diversity are becomingstrategic to development. It is time to act. Vocational education is akey enabler of the values that Europe wants to see reach all citizens.
We have learned from Cedefop’s conferences on globalisation andVET and on skills needs that issues of employability, acquisition ofskills, qualifications and work-based learning have no geopoliticalboundaries. They have diverse cultural meaning and application butwhat ultimately matters is what people are able to learn and do, andwhat provides them with a living wage and quality of life.
In our efforts to bring together governments and social partners, aswell as experiences from EU member States and beyond, we willfinally be judged by what we achieve in practice, in education and inworkplaces, and not by what we say, write and disseminate.
This is a challenge not just for Cedefop but for all institutions workingto advise on policy. Our work programme impact must filter into VETprovision and workplaces. Citizens will be better off if VET reformbecomes a step towards more and better jobs. Inclusion andexcellence must become VET hallmarks in the immediate future. ■
EDIToriAL
We will finally be judged by what
we achieve in practice, in education
and in workplaces,and not by what
we say, writeand disseminate“a new lease
offor European
lifeVET
JAmES CALLEJACEDEfop DirECTor
In her first visit to Cedefop in April, EuropeanCommissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skillsand Labour mobility marianne Thyssen called theagency an invaluable source of expertise for theEuropean Commission to rely on.
micheline Scheys, Chair of Cedefop’s GoverningBoard, pointed out the importance of theCommissioner’s visit in getting to know the agency firsthand.
Cedefop Director James Calleja welcomed msThyssen to ‘the European house of VET, where ideason skills, qualifications, youth employment andEuropean tools are generated for stakeholders.’ He
said that the next big challenge is the upcoming Skillsagenda to which Cedefop has contributed: ‘We lookforward to helping implementing it so that no citizenis left behind.’
Addressing the agency’s staff, ms Thyssen said thatthe Commission aims to achieve a new boost for jobs,growth and investment, and stressed that ‘we needyour help to transform the Skills agenda from ideas toresults.’
The Commissioner noted: ‘I am more motivatedthan ever to work with you to make social changesEuropean citizens deserve and to make VET a firstchoice, not a second option.’
VET IN ACTION During her visit, the Commissioner was pleasantlysurprised by young people studying to become pastrychefs at a local VET school. They offered her home-made delicacies. ms Thyssen revealed that her fatherwas a pastry chef too and discussed with the studentsthe challenges and opportunities of VET.
04 | SKILLSET AND MATCH
COMMISSIONER’S ViSiT
We need your help to transform theSkills agenda from ideas to results
by METAxiA YpSiLANTi and roSY VouDouri
motivated to work
CommissionEr Thyssen:
with
for
in Europesocial changes
Cedefop
“
Cedefop's Gerd-Oskar Bausewein, Pascaline Descy, Deputy DirectorMara Brugia, Cedefop Governing Board Chair Micheline Scheys,Commissioner Marianne Thyssen, Cedefop Director James Calleja,Antonio Ranieri and Loukas Zahilas
MAY 2016 | 05
COMMISSIONER’S ViSiT
A seasoned politician in Belgium, marianne Thyssenassumed the top-priority Employment portfolio in theEuropean Commission in November 2014. At the sametime, Cedefop became part of her portfolio.
AN IMPORTANT PARTNER In an exclusive interview, ms Thyssen told Skillset andmatch she was very happy about that: ‘Cedefop isabout skills, and skills are very important foremployment. We have to build a bridge to bringtogether the world of work and the world of learning;the world of business and the world of skills. I thinkCedefop is a very important partner there. you haveyour experience; you have your expertise. We have onour agenda a new European Skills agenda that we arelaunching this year and I am happy that I can count onthis expertise.’
Cedefop was involved in drawing up the Skillsagenda and ms Thyssen explained how it can alsocontribute to its implementation: ‘If you look at the threemain strands of this agenda, then you see that it’s
really about what Cedefop is doing. First of all,skilling/upskilling people, lifelong learning, reskilling,because they will have more transitions in their livesand they must have the right skills at the right moment.The second strand is about transparency, recognition,visibility of the competences people have. This is alsoa huge part of your work in Cedefop. The third isintelligence. What are the trends, what are the skills wewill need in the future? We know for sure that it is notone-size-fits-all; as the Cedefop Director told me, wehave to go into the countries; we have to look at what’sgoing on locally.’
A group of people that need to have access to newskills or to have their skills recognised isrefugees/migrants, now a hot topic in Europe. msThyssen lays out the steps the Commission is taking tohelp them enter Europe’s labour market: ‘We calledtogether all the managers of the European social fundsand agencies of the member States to explain howEurope can help with funds and how they can usethem. We explained that if they want to modify anoperational programme, we are on their side to do it in aflexible way and quickly. But of course we have theskills question. We have many young people among therefugees. Sometimes for two or three years theyhaven’t been in school. They have to go back to school,they have to be skilled. The adults probably have to bereskilled, learn a language. And of course recognition ofskills, visibility, comparability; we can use the toolsCedefop has to host refugees in a proper way.’ ■
Watch the full exclusive interviewwith Commissioner Thyssenduring her visit to CedefopCommissioner Thyssen addressing Cedefop staff in Thessaloniki
iNTErVIEW
06 | SKILLSET AND MATCH
Two approaches to the linkbetween vocational and highereducation clashed at Cedefop’srecent seminar for learningproviders on promoting qualityin education and trainingdelivery. Keynote speakersProfessor Geoff Hayward(Cambridge University) and Dr Denise Amyot (President& CEO Colleges and Institutes,Canada) both praisedvocational education andtraining (VET) for equippingstudents with professional tools.However, while Dr Amyotstressed that even universitygraduates switch to VET forbetter employment results,Professor Hayward dismissedEuropean VET reform asineffective. Skillset and matchquizzed them on their views.
Professor Hayward, are yousaying that we should keepVET and higher educationseparate?There are certain components ofwhat might loosely be calledvocational education and training,always a difficult thing to define,which clearly are undertaken inhigher education. If someone islearning to be a doctor, in onesense isn’t that VET? Except thatwe normally call it professionaleducation and training. The pointI’m making is that the way wedesign VET qualifications maymake them fit for one purpose, forexample progression into thelabour market, but that mayrender them unfit for anotherpurpose. you can have a highquality vocational qualificationwhich enables people to moveinto the labour market or enablesthose already employed to upskillthemselves quite quickly, whichhas high utility for that purpose.
But if the purpose is supportingprogression into higher education,there is no guarantee that aquality assurance frameworkaround the employment focus willprovide the qualities you arelooking for in your people makingsuch progression. We shouldn’tdelude ourselves that you can doboth things with the samemechanism.
Should we use anothermechanism or say thosequalifications are for the labourmarket and are not meant toprepare you for highereducation?Different countries do this indifferent ways. For example, if youtake VET qualifications in some ofthe northern European countriesand wish to progress into highereducation, you have to do anadditional year. Other countrieshave much more what I would callgeneral VET programmes, where
reform“
Professor GEOFF HAYWARDfACuLTY of EDuCATioN, uNiVErSiTY of CAMbriDgE, uK
by roSY VouDouri
labour market
for labour market
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iNTErVIEW
young people are learninglanguages and their ownlanguage and mathematics to avery high level in addition to thevocational component of theprogrammes. But in othercountries, those types of moregeneral learning outcomes aren’trecognised or valued byemployers because they are notrequired for company-specificactivities and so are edited out ofthe qualification. That’s fine if youjust want to use the qualificationfor employment purposes. But, ifyou want to use it for anotherpurpose, then it’s not fit for thatpurpose. I’m a great fan of VET,I’ve worked in it for many years,but, if we are serious about youngpeople going into highereducation, we need to designVET programmes that actuallyenable them to make thetransition. And we need to workwith higher education colleaguesto help them understand what thelearning needs of vocationaleducation students might be.many higher education lecturerssay ‘we treat everybody the
same’. That’s not fair. What’s fairis you recognise that there aredifferences between people andyou need to work with andsupport those differences. Veryoften what you get from VETstudents is significant knowledgeand expertise, which becomesreally valuable later on in degreeprogrammes, because they aredoing practice work; it is justgetting through those initial stageswhen they need to have theacademic aspects they can buildon. If you’re not going to do that,then you have to build inremediation programmes withinthe first year of the highereducation degrees or have aseparate preparation year.
But you said that European-level programmes are wasting alot of money; they are, as youput it, extraordinarilyexpensive. If you are going tobuild in another remedialcomponent, then it’s going tocost even more.yes, it is. So, I think it’s an openquestion as to whether the
various reforms that we’ve seenacross the European Union overthe last 20 or 30 years haveproduced the outcomes that wewanted them to produce in termsof raising productivity orincreasing competitiveness. I’vealways thought it was a mistake tothink you can reform the labourmarket by reforming the educationsystem. you need policiesdirected to the labour market toreform the labour market. Butmuch of policy in this area isbased on sales law of economics,which says if you create supply,you’ll then create demand. I thinkwe need to take stock and askwhether that has happened. It’s areally important piece of researchthat needs to be done. But itneeds to be done across Europebecause the systems in Europeare so different. ■
Learning providers and thequality of learning delivery
seminar
Dr Amyot, why would a studentwant to do applied research ina college and not a university?First because it’s very practical,you see the results immediately,whether in developing concretenew products or a new service,something that will becommercialised. It also gives youthe opportunity to work closelywith a potential employer, whocan offer you a job afterwards.And when you prepare your CV orgo to an interview this is veryattractive to employers. When youcan have students who had thatexperience they are worth gold.
You said that in Canada youhave replaced the acronymsVET and TVET withprofessional and technicaleducation and training becauseof the negative perception thatthe former have. Does thatreally make a difference?
It does, especially with parents.Parents are part of the problembut they are also part of thesolution. By changing the namethey become more curious aboutwhat this is and they are blownaway when they discover howpractical it is and how it’s not onlyjob skills but it’s also aboutlifelong learning, about criticalthinking, about working with ateam. When I go to universities,unfortunately, I always seestudents sitting on a chair takingnotes. If you visit one of ourcolleges in Canada, theclassroom is not like that at all.They are all doing something. Forthe students, the fact that you arepart of a professional andtechnical education has a verydifferent connotation. A lawyer’sinternship is professionaleducation. A doctor: it’sprofessional education. We owe itto our students to raise the image,the profile of professional andtechnical education so that theycan be proud of themselves, andmake sure it’s not a secondchoice. The best example is that
you have a large percentage ofuniversity students that now cometo our colleges.
What about the argument byProfessor Hayward that thosewho want to take the step fromVET to higher education aremostly not academicallyprepared to do that?I disagree completely. There areareas that maybe not all studentswill be able to go into but withsupport they can make it. Thebest example for me is BritishColumbia. In all the disciplinesthere, the students that were inyear 3 did better when they hadstudied years 1 and 2 at acollege. Even we wereflabbergasted by those results.The other thing is that we nowoffer a degree. So, you don’t evenneed to go to university. ■
professional
08 | SKILLSET AND MATCH
iNTErVIEW
Dr DENISE AMYOTprESiDENT & CEo,
CoLLEgES AND iNSTiTuTES, CANADA
from university
education
to
by roSY VouDouri
Quality assurance in VET
MAY 2016 | 09
by gArY HorSLEY
The results of Cedefop’s European skills and jobs survey were discussedat a conference in December which explored ways of maximising skillsfor jobs and jobs for skills. Inspiring cases of addressing skill mismatch
were presented by international organisations, public employment services,companies and vocational education and training (VET) providers. A policylearning forum on the subject will follow next November, with the participation ofministries, VET providers and other social partners.
SKILL MiSMATCH
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Public employmentservices: brokers of skillsand jobsCOMPETENCE-BASED MATCHING
As shown by the work of VDAB Flanders oncompetence-based matching, public
employment services have a great interest in skillmismatch. VDAB acknowledges the gap betweenthose seeking jobs and available vacancies, both interms of formal qualifications and experience gainedin work, but finds a much greater overlap between thetwo when competences are added to the equation. Itis promoting an approach in which jobseekers candetail all their competences, even if they seem not tobe job-related, and employers can specify the onesthey are looking for in a particular vacancy. Usingtechnology to find matches between the two reducesthe bridge between jobseekers and employers,ensuring that suitable candidates are linked tovacancies. It also makes the whole labour marketprocess more transparent for all concerned.
TAILORED TRAINING FOR THE UNEMPLOYED
The Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional(Institute of Employment and Training) in Portugal
takes this a stage further as part of its activeemployment measures. The Active life programmeoffers flexible and modular training to thoseregistered as unemployed at employment centres,allowing them to acquire competences relevant to thelabour market.
The programme helps … give value tocompetences achieved through experienceand on-the-job training
more than 200 000 participants in 2013 and 2015,and nearly 300 000 in 2014 were provided withprofessional, personal and entrepreneurialcompetences through the programme, promotingreturn to active life; many have been helped toachieve a basic qualification level.
The programme helps to adjust vocational trainingcourses to the real needs of the labour market andgive value to competences achieved throughexperience and on-the-job training. Courses finish,where possible, with on-the-job training to allowacquisition and development of technical,relationship, organisational and career managementcompetences relevant to a professional qualification.Contact with current technology goes beyond training
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simulation, encompassing acquisition of a labourculture, consolidation of the competences learned intraining, and contacts that may have futureemployment potential.
The initiative is related to the national digitalemployability strategy and incorporates a focus onICT skills. This can be seen in the 26 partnershipprotocols with higher education institutions that willallow 1 400 trainees/unemployed with highereducation to undertake 200/300 hours of training toacquire ICT competences, particularly inprogramming.
COMPETENCE PORTFOLIOS FORCAREER DEVELOPMENT
The European Federation of Centres of CareerGuidance and Bilan de Compétences (FECBOP)
is an association founded by institutions and bodiesworking in vocational guidance, career counselling,recognition and accreditation of experiential learning.They cover a wide range of skills – with over 50 000bilans de compétences awarded every year in Francealone – but also stress how access to careerguidance drives change and supports managementskills development.
The essence of this career guidance is to identifyprofessional skills, values, interests and motivations,establishing a personal competence portfolio. Thisleads to defining a realistic career projection andaction plan, with sectorial or geographic mobility,autonomy, decision-making and career managementskills. This is ultimately seen as promoting theempowerment and independence of the individual.
SKILL MiSMATCH
OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES
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career projectaction plan
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•valuation/valorisationself-confidenceself-efficacy
developmentof independenceand careermanagement skills
traceability of professional pathwayrecognition of prior learning
INSTITUTIONAL/SYSTEMICOBJECTIVES
PSYCHOLOGICALOBJECTIVES
EDUCATIONALOBJECTIVES
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Guidance follows a modular structure based ondiagnosis of initial level of career management skills.Use of e-guidance allows cost/benefits to beoptimised and helps ensure a low access threshold.Tackling skill mismatch is seen as not only aboutfinding the match between the person and the labourmarket: it is a broader social question ofemancipation and empowerment of individuals inmanaging their career paths.
Skill mismatch strategiesin sectorsUPGRADING SKILLS THROUGHSTAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS
In many cases featured at the conference, actionon skill needs assessment and anticipation
comes from companies or employment sectors. Theconstruction sector in Greece has been the focus oftraining and qualification in the Build up skillsprogramme which focuses on continuing training foron-site technicians/blue collar workers. It aims toupgrade the sector workforce by strengthening thequalifications of craftsmen, construction workersand systems installers after initial, compulsoryeducation and training or after they have enteredworking life.
Among its objectives is forming a national platformon energy efficiency and renewable energy skillstraining programmes and qualification schemes forconstruction sector workers and technicians. Therewill also be a national training and qualificationstrategy (the ‘roadmap’) up to 2020 to achievesustainable energy goals, with efforts to ensureadoption by all stakeholders in Greece viaappropriate endorsement activities.
Partnership among stakeholders hasallowed better identification of key areas ofskill shortage in the construction sector
The programme is based on the belief thatpartnership among stakeholders has allowed betteridentification of key areas of skill shortage in theconstruction sector and that defining key qualificationscheme components through this multi-stakeholderapproach incorporates real market needs. Threespecific training and qualification schemes will bedesigned to meet these needs (insulation technicians,aluminium and metal construction craftsmen, andinstallers/maintainers of burners) together withtraining materials, guidelines and pilot courses.
CURRICULA FOR LABOUR MARKETNEEDS
The Bulgarian Industrial Association sees humancapital as the key to enhancing the
competitiveness of the economy, quality of life andprosperity of the nation. Its competence assessmentsystem (mycompetence.bg) is an online facility thatlinks education, training, employment and theeconomy, aiming to strike a balance between labourmarket demand and supply. One of the aims of thiseffort is to develop a common language and aneffective system for adapting curricula, in line with therequirements of the labour market. It starts byresearching job changes by sector – describingpositions, skills and competences – then moves on toassessing employees and students, and sodiscovering where skills gaps occur. It then seeks toupdate university and VET programmes, to trainusing the latest approaches and to moderniseeducational standards with end employment firmly inmind. Its impact can be seen in the figures quoted foractions using the system to date. Participants comefrom 20 separate economic sectors, 10 regions, 17universities and 350 enterprises: they total 8 700users.
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TRAINING FOR REGIONAL AND LOCAL GROWTH
Outside Europe, Unesco has been operating itsCapEFA initiative in madagascar, developing
skills for rural out-of-school youth. It aims atequipping beneficiaries in this target group – the 2.5million young people not in education, training andemployment (NEETs) in madagascar – with a mix offoundation, vocational and entrepreneurial skills tostart farm and non-farm activities in their localcommunities.
The madagascar economy does not createsufficient jobs to absorb the 480 000 new entrants tothe labour market every year, so nationalstakeholders are keen to find measures to addressyouth needs. Closely aligned to the newly adoptedemployment and vocational training policy (October2015), the CapEFA approach aims to identify regionaland local growth drivers and business opportunities,and equip training centres for greater networking, todeliver relevant services to rural out-of-school youthwithin their communities.
The four pilot regions for the initiative are amongthe poorest in the country, with low economic activityand high youth unemployment. In these regions
5 000 rural out-of-school young women and men (15-22) have been identified and profiled at local level.more than 1 000 young women and men were trainedin 2014, rising to 1 700 in 2015; 18 training centresare also being upgraded.
What VET providers doUPSKILLING THROUGH NGO LEARNINGPROVIDERS
VET providers and associated interests were alsoamong those outlining their skill mismatch
activities at the conference. Norway has had to adaptto a very specific economic driver: the collapse in theprice of oil that has caused the loss of 30 000 jobswithin a single year. Despite this large number ofnewly-unemployed, many companies require moreskilled workers for their operations.
The Norwegian Association for Adult Learning hastaken on the challenge of finding ways to re-educateworkers from one industry so they can becomequalified in another. The process involves multi-stakeholder cooperation and tries to position thecompany as a learning arena, with support fromgovernment and NGO learning providers.
Norway has many non-skilled employees workingin industries that need their workers to have a moreformal vocational background; this also applies withingovernment departments such as health. Thoughthey have basic education, they need either furthereducation or updated skills to meet the industryrequirements. many untrained employees also haveadditional learning challenges with reading andwriting skills. Government-approved NGO learningproviders aim to give this group training whichcombines such skills with the subject-specificbackground they require.
KNOWLEDGE TRIANGLE: RESEARCH,INNOVATION, EDUCATION
A t the University of Patras, Greece, the Europeanteaching factory paradigm is a further example
of such an approach, based on the knowledgetriangle of research, innovation, and education. Itsaims include keeping human capital up-to-date withthe rapid advances in production-relatedtechnologies, tools and techniques, teaching/trainingup to the standards of future manufacturingchallenges, and improving integration betweenacademic/research practice and industrial/marketpractice.
Definition and launch of the approach was carriedout in the context of the Know-fact project. Following
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pilot runs with European industry, the project resultsare being used to scale up the teaching factoryparadigm. This will offer two-way knowledge transferbetween academia and industry, to prepare aEuropean pool of talent for knowledge-intensivemanufacturing. It will include industrial training andeducation for university students and take-up ofresearch results and training for industrial personnel.
Manufacturing becomes more attractive to future talent
The university believes that integrating academicand industrial practice can improve skill developmentfor future talent through synchronous exposure to thereal-life problems of industry. Academic curricula areenriched with knowledge direct from the moderneveryday manufacturing business and, because ofthis innovative approach, manufacturing becomesmore attractive to future talent.
TRAINING TEACHERS AND TRAINERS
A iming to improve the vocational competence ofteachers and address skill mismatch prompted
the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for VocationalEducation and Training to launch an in-servicetraining programme for teachers from secondaryvocational and technical schools in the 2014/15academic year. The competitiveness of studentsentering the labour market is largely dependent onskills acquired in schools; this is where the studentsfirst encounter professions and practical work andwhere teachers transfer prescribed knowledge.Therefore, it is essential for teachers to be properlytrained and offer students up-to-date knowledge inline with market needs.
The programme was designed to provide trainingdirectly within the work process for teachers ofprofessional modules and other professional stafffrom secondary vocational and technical schools.
This enabled teachers and professional staff to keeppace more easily with the technologicaldevelopments and other changes in their professionalfield and to be able to respond more quickly to labourmarket needs and adapt their teaching accordingly.
Creating the programme involved the cooperationof 26 different companies, which accepted teachersor other professional staff for training. These wereincorporated into the companies’ regular workprocess and most were inducted and monitored bymentors. Some companies played a dual role, sinceas well as providing in-company mentoring, they alsosupplied substitute staff to the school.
ACCREDITING SKILLS ANDCOMPETENCES
Helping improve skills acquisition throughaccreditation of skills achieved is the remit of the
European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL)Foundation, which is dedicated to raising digitalcompetence standards in the workforce, educationand society. With 90% of jobs soon requiring somelevel of digital skills and 39% of the EU workforce
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with insufficient digital skills (14% with none at all) thefoundation aims to empower individuals,organisations and society through its quality digitalskills certification programmes.
The new ECDL comprises a range of modules,each providing a practical programme of up-to-dateskills and knowledge areas, validated by a test. Theyinclude base, standard and advanced modulescovering aspects such as essentials, wordprocessing, spreadsheets, databases, web editing,CAD, and security. This flexible modular structureallows the creation of profiles that match individualand organisation needs: through the modulecombination that individuals choose, they create theirown ECDL profile.
Certification provides objective verification ofemployees’ skills and demonstrates their competenceto a recognised standard. It establishes a commonskills standard when applied throughout theorganisation, increasing overall efficiency andproductivity as well as saving time and money. It alsoincreases employee confidence and job satisfaction,and improves internal and external communication.
What companies can doPRIVATE ACTION TO OVERCOME SKILL SHORTAGES
Tackling skill mismatch through training actions inthe workplace was another theme of the
conference. Škoda Auto Secondary VocationalSchool has developed a training approach inaccordance with labour market needs and respondingto demographic developments in the Czech Republic.
The solution lies in prediction of futureneeds and training in accordance withanticipated labour market development
With the ‘babyboomer’ generation retiring in largenumbers and a low interest in technical studiesamong young people, there is a lack of qualifiedtechnicians/craftsmen: 750 technician vacancies peryear are having an impact on capacity.
It was decided that the solution lies in prediction offuture needs and training in accordance withanticipated labour market development. Experts wereused to help define relevant competences and amove from ‘push’ to ‘pull’: instead of graduatessearching for jobs, departments with vacanciessearch for graduates.
At the heart of the process are four mainelements. Competences need to be preciselydefined, followed by know-how transfer from expertsto those who need skills upgrade. This is followed bypractice in a real working environment, within acontext of targeted training. The secondary vocationalschool is now contributing around 250 graduates peryear from its in-house and distance training.
INNOVATION CULTURE
Innovation, along with necessary skills provision, isbeing translated into tangible results in three small
and medium-sized enterprises (SmEs) byConfindustria Veneto SIAV SpA. This service agencyof the regional Association of Entrepreneurs inVeneto, Italy (more than 12 000 companies, mainlySmEs) has created a ‘factory of knowledge’ to share,spread and support the culture of innovation withinSmEs. It has three main fields of activity: aninnovation observatory; applied research; andinterventions in enterprises. Its aim is to supportinnovation by identifying and analysing businessmodels in SmEs that aid knowledge and technologytransfer through company-based training actions.
Interventions are under way to reduce mismatchbetween innovation strategy and skills required forinnovation in three SmEs. A strategy for innovation
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through R&D and human resources investments hasbeen established with API, a plastics/polymersmanufacturer which has been diversifying its marketsinto automotive, packaging, industrial areas andproduction of bio-plastics. F.lli Poli, an advancedmechanical technologies and dies productioncompany, has moved into new product developmentin a strategy for innovation supported by training andnetworking with mechanical and design enterprises.B2B company Sigma is now innovating to accessB2C markets with new product development,underpinned by investment in creativity training todevelop innovation and support marketing strategies,and through cooperation with design-on-demandonline platforms.
SME HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
The Cologne Institute for Economic Researchfocuses on securing a skilled workforce in SmEs.
With the impact of skills shortages already felt byGerman companies in many regions, economicsectors and industries, and the demographic changesleading to shrinking and ageing of the population, it isbecoming increasingly difficult for companies – inparticular for SmEs – to find the qualifiedprofessionals they need.
The starting point for the institute’s work waslooking to provide answers to a series of questions.What is the current skilled labour situation in SmEsand how is this changing? What solutions exist forthem? Can human resource management contributeto their success and can they learn from each otherthrough examples of good practice?
A survey of 1 500 companies offered evidencethat successful human resource management cancontribute to reducing skills shortages. more than 50examples of good practice have been gathered onthe KOFA website to illustrate how this can work inSmE contexts. The information is presented in fivemain fields of action, each offering various options
from which SmEs can choose the most appropriatefor their particular needs.
SHARED EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP
Cultural change to an organisational model basedon people was the focus of Ederfil Becker Koop.
E., a producer of electrical conductors in Legorretaand Alegia (Spain). Up to 2008 the company had atraditional hierarchical organisation but the arrival of anew general manager led to the involvement of 30% ofthe staff of 160 in defining the company’s new mission,vision and values. These were shared, discussed withand approved by the rest of the organisation.
Focusing on the human capital … helpsidentify where skills are needed for betteroperation
There followed a period of high performance teamtraining for 30% of the staff: two teams underwent twodays training, every two months over one and a halfyears. The focus was on developing leadership skillsand teamwork across the company. The outcomewas self-managed teams, which took responsibilityfor set-up and quality control in manufacturing,greater customer orientation, and shared businessvision. Focusing on the human capital rather than thehierarchical levels helps identify where skills areneeded for better operation. ■
Maximising skillsfor jobs and jobs forskills conference
10
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Language, ICT, intercultural orsports skills and competences arejust some of those that can beacquired in an informal or non-formal setting. Recognising themcan be difficult. Cedefop haspublished a second edition of theEuropean guidelines for validatingnon-formal and informal learning.
Project manager ErnestoVillalba explains why they areimportant:Validation aims at makingpeople’s skills visible and givesthem some sort of currency, sothey can utilise their full potentialand not only skills acquired withinformal education. Validation isnecessary for full implementationof lifelong learning policies. TheEuropean guidelines assist in thedevelopment and implementationof validation arrangements atnational level and point out thequestions that need to beaddressed when doing so. Theyfollow the principles set in the
2012 recommendation of theEuropean Council that askedmember States to make, no laterthan 2018, arrangements allowingindividuals to obtain qualifications(or parts of them) and assesstheir skills. Cedefop has beenworking on validation since before2000, and, together with theCommission and otherstakeholders, has developed theguidelines and the Europeaninventory on validation, anothertool to assist the process.
Why is non-formal and informallearning often ignored andundervalued?People are learning constantly indifferent settings. However,knowledge has been traditionallythought to be held in universities,or formal institutions thought tocreate ‘real’ knowledge. But this ischanging, and people increasinglyaccept that knowledge acquiredoutside the classroom is asimportant, or even more, than thatacquired at schools.
How difficult is it to validatenon-formal and informallearning?Validation is a complex processthat requires commitment and
time. It includes the identification,documentation, assessment andcertification of individuals’learning. Each of these stagesrequires a different set of toolsand actors. Only a good designcan make the processtransparent, fair, reliable and easyfor the end user to understand.We hope that the guidelines cancontribute to that too.
How can validation work as aresponse to the refugee crisis?Refugees arrive in Europe lackingdocumentation that they havecertain skills or competences. Butthey have them and they can, andshould, be used in Europe. Bymaking these skills visible throughvalidation we can help migrants toparticipate in society, reducingtheir social exclusion and makingsure they use their full potential asindividuals. ■
visibleskills
iNTErVIEW
makingpeople’s
ERNESTO VILLALBACEDEfop ExpErT
MAY 2016 | 17
Scan for the 2012 European Councilrecommendation on validation
and definitions of what constitutesnon-formal and informal learning
European guidelines for validatingnon-formal and informal learning
Cedefop launched in January atwo-year research project on theimpact of globalisation onvocational education and training(VET) in Europe. Experts fromaround the world had earlierdiscussed the challenges andopportunities that globalisationposes at a Cedefop conference.
Project manager GeorgeKostakis outlines the rationalebehind the new study.To understand globalisation it ishelpful to look at the definitionprovided by Andy Green, whorefers to it as ‘the cross-borderflow of capital goods, services,people and ideas’. This flowcreates increasedinterdependence of marketsacross borders, greater financialintegration, bigger competitionwithin countries and acrossborders and increased workerand student mobility. Newoccupations are emerging, somebecome obsolete, while others
are substantially transformedbecause of global pressures andnew technological advancements.This transformation of the labourmarket landscape creates bigchanges in skill demand and hasimplications for education andtraining. Vocational training needsto provide learners and workerswith the right skills to remainemployable in this changinglandscape, and to interact withpeople from other countries withdifferent cultures that join oursocieties and labour markets.
How do these global pressureschange European VET?Education and training systemslook at different actors enteringthe market, such as internationalsectoral associations andmultinational companies. Theyprovide their own standards,qualifications and trainingprogrammes. Greater mobility oflearners and workers bringsincreased need to recognise thequalifications of people comingfrom different countries anddifferent sectors, and to recogniseprior learning. Cedefop organised
a conference to understand howVET systems respond to thesepressures. It became obviousfrom the conference that nationalVET systems need to open upand join forces with other actorsto understand and respond betterto the impact of global trends onchanging labour market andsocial structure.
What areas in VET need to beredefined as a response toglobalisation?The Cedefop study looks at threeareas. The first is VET content,which needs to be reviewed. Forexample, national VET systemsneed to strengthen the relevanceof national qualifications in aninternational context, especially insectors where global trends andtechnological advancements areevident. They do this byintegrating international sectoralstandards to review their nationalqualification requirements or byincluding international sectoralqualifications in their nationalqualification frameworks. Also,training programmes and curriculaare updated building on common
impact
18 | SKILLSET AND MATCH
iNTErVIEW
GLoBAL TrEnDs
on VET
and their
Transformation of the labour marketlandscape is creating big changes in skilldemand and has implications for educationand training
“
GEORGE KOSTAKISCEDEfop ExpErT
occupational profiles. We havehad examples where countriescombined resources to definecommon occupational profiles,qualification standards andtraining programmes for aqualification. There is a very thinline between common trainingprogrammes, commonoccupational profiles and theprinciple of subsidiarity. But theCedefop conference showed that,in some sectors, coreoccupational profiles might be aninteresting initiative as long as itstarts from the countriesthemselves and is not imposed byEuropean-level authorities.
The second area we study tounderstand European VETsystem responsiveness is theirgovernance model. Here, moreactors need to work togethercompared to the traditional actorsin education and training. We are
now talking not only aboutsystem-level actors, e.g.qualification authorities, standard-setting bodies, ministries,including sectoral bodies, but alsoadditional stakeholders such asmultinational companies that haveintroduced their own trainingschemes and offer their ownqualifications. We know aboutCisco qualifications, microsoftqualifications; we have seen, forexample, Volkswagen, Renault,and Nestlé introducing trainingwithin their industries, and alsoDeutsche Post who haveintroduced their own standards fortheir global courier network.
The third area, which cutsacross the other two, is qualityassurance. We will examine howtrust for new providers and newqualifications is developed. Totrust them we need to understandtheir quality assurance
arrangements and toacknowledge the key role nationalauthorities play in maintainingnational standards, in ensuringquality. We will check howsystematic feedback loops are intaking into consideration globaltrends to review VET content, butalso how systematic cooperationis between the stakeholdersquoted. When talking aboutquality assurance, for example,we must look at the alignment ofstandards with curricula andassessment to make sure that alllearners, whether they have beenwith private providers, amultinational company trainingcentre, or a national trainingcentre, have achieved the samelearning outcomes.
Which are the next steps?Our study will cover 15 countriesand four sectors affected byglobalisation: road transport andlogistics, hospitality, automotivemanufacturing, informationtechnology and healthcare. Weexpect the final findings of theresearch project at the beginningof 2018. Until then we will belinking any interim results withother similar work carried out byCedefop, the EuropeanCommission and otherinternational organisations. ■
MAY 2016 | 19
Cedefop conference onthe impact of
globalisation on VET
iNTErVIEW
In February, Cedefop launched a photo competition addressing ‘youth in educationand training’. young people have been asked to send their pictures of how they seethemselves in their school- or work-based learning environment. In the first phase,Cedefop shortlisted the 10 best photos for an exhibition at the European youth Event(EyE2016) in the European Parliament seat in Strasbourg on 20 and 21 may. The twowinners, Vasiliki Kalopita from Greece and Antía Varela Torres from Spain, wereinvited to Strasbourg. The second phase of the #CedefopPhotoAward is now openuntil September 2016 for all European Union residents aged between 18 and 30. ■
NEWS
phot
o: ©
Vas
iliki K
alopit
a
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Scan for more information onthe #CedefopPhotoAward
#CedefopPhotoAward2016
‘This photo was taken in August 2015 at a youthexchange programme in Spain. Theprogramme’s aim was to improve theemployability skills of young people throughnon-formal and intercultural learning methods.Twenty-one young people from four countriestook part. In this photo, I was participating in ateam activity about the key competencesneeded to become an entrepreneur.’
‘The day after I heard about the contest, and as I am so interested inphotography and promoting vocational training, I decided to go to a vocationalschool next to my high school and be immersed in the environment to get someillustrative photos of this education. There, I found this girl complementing herpractical lesson with theoretical notes. She allowed me to take her photo: Ithought she was a good example of how women can choose any professionregardless of stereotypes.’
How to be a good entrepreneur
phot
o: ©
Ant
ía V
arela
Torre
s
Vasiliki Kalopita
Antía Varela Torres
Women in educationand training
Collecting information on the outcomes of vocational education andtraining (VET) and using it for policy-making is a priority in the Rigaconclusions for VET agreed last year. Reflecting on several types ofoutcome for VET programmes for adults in the last five years (2010-15), anew report by the Estonian National Audit Office sheds light on how VETcontributes to national priorities by supporting adult education attainment,employment and career development.
In Estonia, a third of adults aged 25-64 have neither a professional nora vocational qualification. The government objective is to reduce thisshare to less than a quarter by 2020.
VET for adults in Estonia caters to very diverse needs. Of the adultsenrolled in VET programmes, 44% lacked a professional or vocationalqualification. However, more than half chose to pursue an adult VETprogramme on top of their previous education (20% after highereducation and 36% after initial VET). Popular programmes were businessservices, horticulture and tourism, catering and accommodation services.
Prior to starting VET, 23.2% of adults had been registered asunemployed. After graduation, the risk of becoming unemployeddecreased. The study also reported higher wages from employment andincreased engagement in entrepreneurial activities.
The report indicates unequal returns among different groups of adultlearners. Those who entered VET studies following higher education havebetter chances of improving their employability compared to those with noprevious professional or vocational qualification.The evidence points to the need to attract more adults to VET, particularlythose without a prior professional or vocational qualification, the inactive,and those with unstable or low income, and to support them in theirstudies. ■
MAY 2016 | 21
MEMBER STATES
by rEfErNET ESToNiAwww.innove.ee/refernet
phot
o: ©
iSto
ck_S
ean
Pavo
ne
ESTONIAVET for ADuLTS iN
Report (in Estonian) andconclusions in English
Riga conclusions on VET
MAKES finding work EASiEr
22 | SKILLSET AND MATCH
PUBLICATioNS
OTHER PUBLICATIONS:
■ European guidelines for validating non-formal and informal learning■ Work programme 2016■ Briefing note: Towards new routes■ Briefing note: Qualifications frameworks in Europe■ Briefing note: Global labour market, global VET■ Vocational education and training in the Netherlands: short description■ Spotlight on VET: the Netherlands■ Spotlight on VET: Croatia■ Ensuring the quality of certification in vocational education and training■ Unequal access to job-related learning: evidence from the adult education
survey■ Who trains in small and medium-sized enterprises
iN foCuS
THE ROLE OF EMPLOYMENT SERVICE PROVIDERS
This guide is a part of the Cedefop, ETF and ILO series of guides on skillsanticipation and matching. The three organisations worked closelytogether to develop the guides, usually with one of them taking the leadand the others providing inputs, case studies, comments and reviews.This volume covers the role of employment service providers in skillsanticipation and matching, and aims to support transition and developingcountries in establishing and strengthening the role of these providers. Itidentifies outstanding initiatives and good practices from around the world,and gives insights into strategic choices and experimental practices thatdifferent countries have undertaken in their attempts to match skills supplywith labour market demands. The examples provided make thispublication a useful tool for labour market actors such as trainingproviders, guidance and counselling officers, administrators andresearchers. It is especially valuable for managers and professionalsworking in organisations that provide employment services.
CEDEFoP PUBLiCATionsnewYou can browse and/or download all Cedefop publications at: www.cedefop.europa.eu/publicationsor by scanning this QR code
Download the publication you wish by clicking on the cover or title
EVENTS
MAY 2016 | 23
MAY
MAY
MAY
MAY
SEpTEMbEr
16
19-20
20-21
26-27
15-16
Cedefop workshop on labour market information for lifelongguidance
Cedefop workshop: Working groups to inform development of the Skills Panorama career advice tool
European youth Event (#EyE2016) at the EuropeanParliament, including #CedefopPhotoAward exhibition
Seminar (co-organised by Cedefop): Tackling the skills gap – The golden key to economic growth
Cedefop workshop on promoting quality in learning delivery: the way ahead
OTHER EVENTS
THESSALoNiKi, grEECE
THESSALoNiKi, grEECE
STrASbourg, frANCE
MAASTriCHT,
NETHErLANDS
THESSALoNiKi, grEECE
iN foCuS
OPENING PLATFORM
FOR THE
MOBILITY SCOREBOARD
3 JUNE THESSALoNiKi, grEECE
This first event will present the newly created mobility scoreboard for initialvocational education and training (IVET) and the current policy background formobility. Discussions will focus on how the scoreboard can support the missionof stakeholders in fostering IVET mobility across Europe.
Participants will be Erasmus+ agencies, IVET institutions, companies involvedin mobility projects, mobility staff (teachers and trainers, guidance personnel),student associations, and EU-level stakeholders.
comingupFor more information on what’s coming up go to the events page on the Cedefop website:www.cedefop.europa.eu/eventsor scan this QR code
3JUN
ISSUE 7 / MAY 2016
MAIN STORY: 14 WAYS TO TACKLE SKILL MISMATCH
NEWS: COMMISSIONER THYSSEN VISITS CEDEFOP
INTERVIEWS:MARIANNE THYSSEN, GEOFF HAYWARD, DENISE AMYOT
FEATURE: #CEDEFOPPHOTOAWARD 2016
MEMBER STATES: ESTONIA
Europe 123, 570 01 Thessaloniki (Pylea), GREECEPO Box 22427, 551 02 Thessaloniki, GREECETel. +30 2310490111, Fax +30 2310490020, Email: [email protected]
European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training
/cedefopwww.cedefop.europa.eu
@cedefop
9111 EN – TI-AQ-16-002-EN-N
