Cedefop newsletter

Context

To assist countries in implementing the recommendation, Cedefop conducts thematic country reviews (TCRs) on upskilling pathways, which analyse national systems and promote more coordinated and coherent approaches to adult upskilling in cooperation with national stakeholders. Italy and France completed the first reviews in 2021, followed by Croatia, whose review covers the period 2023–2026. Croatia’s response is largely framed by the Adult Education Act (2022), which aims to strengthen lifelong learning opportunities and support disadvantaged adult learners. 

Facts and findings 

• Croatia’s adult learning governance is institutionally developed, with clear responsibilities across the Ministry of Science and Education, the Ministry of Labour, the Croatian Employment Service and AVETAE, yet governance remains highly centralised and vertical coordination between national, regional and local levels is weak.
• The voucher scheme, funded through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the ESF+ programme, has broadened access to accredited training in digital, green and transversal skills for both employed and unemployed adults. Yet, the sustainability of the voucher scheme depends heavily on EU funding, permanent national co-financing mechanisms remain limited and regional uptake is uneven.
• Adults with low skill levels, third-country nationals, and rural populations remain difficult to reach. Many are unaware of available opportunities or perceive learning as inaccessible or irrelevant to their circumstances.

Key messages 

The Croatian case illustrates both the progress and the remaining gaps in implementing upskilling pathways.

• Recent reforms signal a clear policy commitment to strengthening lifelong learning and improving access to training opportunities for adults with lower qualifications or low skill levels.
• Financial incentives and structured programmes have begun to stimulate demand for training and improve the visibility of adult learning opportunities.
• However, the system still faces barriers that limit its effectiveness. Policy implementation remains largely centralised, which can reduce flexibility and the ability to respond to regional labour-market needs. 
• At the same time, some groups most in need of upskilling - such as inactive adults or those with low educational attainment - remain difficult to reach. 
• Without stronger coordination, sustainable funding and targeted outreach, current initiatives risk benefiting primarily those already closer to the labour market rather than the most disadvantaged learners.

Policy pointers 

Strengthening the effectiveness of upskilling pathways in Croatia requires actions across governance, funding and outreach. 

• First, coordination mechanisms between national authorities, regional actors and local stakeholders should be reinforced to better align training provision with local labour-market needs. Expanding the role of regional competence centres and local partnerships could support this objective.
• Second, the long-term sustainability of funding instruments such as vouchers should be addressed by gradually integrating them into stable national financing frameworks. Simplifying administrative procedures and improving information systems could further increase participation.
• Finally, targeted outreach strategies are needed to engage adults with the lowest skill levels. Partnerships with community organisations, social services and employment offices can help identify potential learners, while personalised guidance and validation of prior learning may lower barriers to participation and make training pathways more accessible and attractive.

Context

Despite the widespread adoption of learning outcomes-based policies across Europe, the paper highlights ongoing challenges in translating these policies into consistent pedagogical and assessment practices. The research is especially relevant for supporting the EU’s objectives to ensure coherent, inclusive, and effective VET systems that can respond effectively to economic and social transitions.

Facts and findings

• Learning outcomes increasingly shape educational practice across all countries analysed. However, their integration into institutional practices and pedagogical processes remains less advanced than national policy frameworks suggest.
• Stakeholder engagement with learning outcomes progresses unevenly: teachers in mature systems (e.g., Finland, Netherlands) show high awareness and ownership, whereas in-company trainers and learners often display limited understanding and motivation. 
• Implementation is influenced by three interrelated factors: conceptual clarity and relevance of learning outcomes; governance structures and stakeholder participation; and structural supports such as professional development and institutional resources. 
• Learning outcomes require interpretation by teachers and trainers; professional literacy in learning outcomes is uneven, with many practitioners feeling insufficiently prepared, especially workplace trainers. 
• Employers’ perceptions of learning outcomes are strongly influenced by their level of involvement in their development
• Learners are more familiar with assessment criteria than with learning outcomes themselves and often perceive learning outcomes primarily through the lens of certification and examinations.

Key messages

• Learning outcomes are not automatically self-explanatory or implemented consistently; their effectiveness depends on professional interpretation and contextual adaptation by teachers and trainers. 
• In systems where learning outcomes are embedded within coherent support structures and linked to personalised learning pathways, learners demonstrate greater awareness of their progression and learning goals.
• Successful implementation requires balancing clarity and flexibility in learning outcomes formulation, ensuring they are meaningful and aligned with labour market needs and pedagogical practices. 
• Structural investments in initial and continuous professional development, especially for in-company trainers, are critical to bridge the gap between policy and practice. 

Policy pointers 

• Learning outcomes function effectively when systems invest in long-term capacity building rather than expecting immediate uptake.
• Practitioner involvement in design processes strongly influences implementation success. Promote governance models that enable sustained multi-stakeholder collaboration from policy design to delivery.
• Ensure learning outcomes frameworks maintain a balance between specificity and flexibility, allowing adaptation to diverse educational contexts while providing clear guidance to practitioners. 
• Encourage alignment of curriculum design, teaching methodologies, and assessment practices with learning outcomes, supported by quality assurance and feedback mechanisms. 
• Recognise the implementation of learning outcomes as a long-term systemic transformation requiring sustained political commitment, institutional support, and periodic review to remain relevant to evolving labour market and societal needs.

The Spotlights provide insights into the current labour market landscape, future trends, and skills anticipation in each country. The analysis is based on Cedefop’s skills intelligence online tool, its skills forecast, the European Skills Index (ESI), online job advertisements, sectoral and occupational skills intelligence, and country-specific skills anticipation reports.

This research conference showcased innovative methods and approaches for analysing and interpreting web-based data sources in the context of occupational, sectoral, and thematic labour market and skills analysis.

The insights and findings shared during the event enhanced the understanding of how web data can be leveraged for labour market and skills intelligence, helping to shape the future of research in this evolving field. As with the previous edition, the conference provided a valuable platform for community building, fostering new collaborations, knowledge exchange and idea generation, while strengthening networks among experts committed to advancing labour market monitoring and skills foresight.