Agenda
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NQF developments in Europe have been rapid. Latest developments attest to the growing attention qualifications frameworks have been receiving from policy-makers and practitioners. The aim of this event is to stimulate open and critical reflection on the current and future role of NQFs.

 

 

Before 2005, qualifications frameworks were in place in three European countries – France, Ireland and the UK. By 2017, NQFs have been introduced by all 39 countries taking part in the implementation of the EQF. Given that these NQFs are becoming increasingly operational, questions regarding their added value and their impact are particularly relevant: 

Do these national qualifications frameworks make a difference in policies and practices and to the learners and citizens they are supposed to benefit?

Cedefop, in cooperation with the European Commission and Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), is organising a peer learning conference on NQF impact. The main aim of the event is to allow policy-makers, researchers and practitioners to exchange experiences and discuss the impact and challenges of NQF implementation. The following key questions will be addressed:

  • What would be lost if your country did not have an NQF?
    • To whom do NQFs make a difference?
    • How do NQFs make a difference?
    • Under which conditions do NQFs make a difference?
  • What kind of evidence is currently available to provide insights about the impact of NQFs
    • in Europe?
    • internationally?
  • What kind of evidence may be required in the future to measure and evaluate NQF impact?
    • What baseline data or indicators could be useful in explaining NQF impact of and could help continue political support for NQFs?
    • Which methodologies are most appropriate for measuring and evaluating NQF impact?
  • What kind of European cooperation on NQF impact assessment is possible and desirable? Can national approaches contribute to the overall assessment of the EQF?

Participants are expected to play an active role in the event; conclusions from the different working group sessions will feed into a final note to be discussed by the EQF advisory group.

The event is linked to the European vocational skills week 2017 in which Cedefop is a partner..

Join the discussion:

  #NQFimpact      #EUVocationalSkills

 

Discover your talent

 

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The Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the Publications Office of the European Union are organising a datathon.

The Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the Publications Office of the European Union are organising a datathon.

The datathon will focus on the reuse of data from the EU open data portal, the access point to open data produced by the institutions and agencies of the European Union.

The datathon started in September 2017, with the final event in Brussels scheduled to take place on 16 November 2017.

The participants have the opportunity to demonstrate how open data from public institutions can be used to address specific policy or societal challenges and generate jobs and growth. In particular, they are invited to focus on the following priorities of the Juncker Commission:

- Jobs, growth and investment;
- Digital single market;
- Democratic change.

The winners will present their product at the European big data value forum in Versailles, 21-23 November 2017.

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The preparation of Cedefop’s pan-European skills supply and demand forecasts is supported by a network of experts in forecasting and labour market analysis from each EU Member State. Individual Country Experts (ICEs) contribute to increasing the quality of the forecasts by commenting and validating the methods, tools...

The preparation of Cedefop’s pan-European skills supply and demand forecasts is supported by a network of experts in forecasting and labour market analysis from each EU Member State. Individual Country Experts (ICEs) contribute to increasing the quality of the forecasts by commenting and validating the methods, tools and results. Cedefop organises regular technical workshops to provide a platform for experts to meet and provide feedback to Cedefop. The aim is to involve national experts in the process of preparing the forecasts, drawing on their knowledge and expertise, and to obtain country specific insights.

Workshop rationale and objectives

The workshop will provide an opportunity to bring together the research team and the group of individual country experts, together with Cedefop staff, to:

  • Outline the programme of work under the current Framework Contract;
  • Validate the final results of the updated projections;
  • Discuss inputs for the two sensitivities that will accompany the baseline projections;
  • Discuss progress on the methodology to develop a more detailed disaggregation of occupations and the new rules of the EUROSTAT microdata dissemination, and how they are intended to improve or affect the existing approach;
  • Present Eurofound’s research on the Future of Manufacturing in Europe, looking at the impact on employment skills of alternative future scenarios;
  • Discuss alternative ways of presenting the results via the Skills Panorama;
  • Discuss how to extend and improve the dissemination of and engagement with the outputs of the research.

Workshop structure and methods of working

The workshop will be organised as a series of presentations and discussions. Background notes will be circulated in advance. These will be prepared by team members so that participants are informed on the key issues to be debated. The aim of the sessions is to develop a focussed dialogue with individual country experts. For the structured group discussions, each country expert will be allocated to a country group. In each country group, the discussions will be facilitated by a member of the research team and a Country Group Expert (CGE). The CGE will synthesise the country group discussion and report back to the complete workshop group.

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The 15th ReferNet annual plenary meeting welcomed the 30 partners under the 2016-19 framework partnership agreement, as well as the national representatives for ReferNet.

The 15th ReferNet annual plenary meeting welcomed the 30 partners under the 2016-19 framework partnership agreement, as well as the national representatives for ReferNet.

The meeting aimed at:

  • informing partners on the latest EU VET policy developments;
  • preparing the 2018 Work Plan (VET policy reporting, VET in Europe reports, Spotlight, etc);
  • presenting the outcomes of the external ex-post evaluation of the ReferNet project;
  • organising workshops and experience-sharing on specific issues encountered (quality criteria for reports, editing, etc.).

Other topics including the Skills Panorama and the Future of VET were featured on the agenda.

The event is linked to the European vocational skills week 2017 of which Cedefop is a partner.

 

Join the discussion       #Refernet         #EUVocationalSkills

 

          

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Cedefop, together with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and in collaboration with the European Commission, is organising the Policy learning forum (PLF) on upskilling pathways: a vision for the future to bring together governments, social partners and civil society to help one another in the definition and implementation of the Upskilling pathways: New opportunities for adults. The PLF is the first in a series of events on the topic to create a platform for countries to come together to learn from one another and explore common challenges in upskilling adults with low level of skills.

Close to 70 million Europeans struggle with basic reading and writing, have limited mathematical skills or can’t use properly digital tools in everyday life. Without these foundational skills they are at higher risk of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion. In December 2016 the Council adopted the Recommendation on Upskilling pathways: New opportunities for adults targeting adults with low level of skills (e.g. those without upper secondary education and that are not eligible for the youth guarantee support) to provide them with flexible opportunities to improve their literacy, numeracy and digital competences and to progress towards higher European qualifications framework (EQF) levels relevant for the labour market and for active participation in society.

Participation in this event is by invitation only.