Cedefop

The third of these seminars, on 26 June, was organised together with the Maltese EU Presidency and focused on addressing and preventing low skills. It was attended by more than 50 representatives from the permanent representations to the EU, the European institutions and other organisations based in Brussels.                            

The Chair of Malta’s Education Committee Jean Micallef Grimaud opened the meeting, underlining the political priority given to the issue during the Maltese Presidency.

Research for change

In his welcome, Cedefop Director James Calleja stressed the important role played by the agency in providing research-based evidence supporting policy-makers in addressing the low skills challenge. According to Mr Calleja, research is necessary to increase the visibility of the issue and thereby provoke political change.

Cedefop Head of Department for Learning and Employability Antonio Ranieri presented a study on the economic and social costs of low-skilled adults in the EU. He said that low-skilled adults are much more likely to experience unemployment and poor working conditions than any other population group, with the costs this implies for the individuals and for society at large. The recent decrease in the number of the low-skilled is now slowing down, further accentuating the need for policy action.

DG Employment Head of Unit Dana Bachman gave an overview of EU initiatives related to the low-skilled, focusing on the follow up to the New skills agenda for Europe, adopted in 2016. Ms Bachman reflected on the need to pursue a multi-track strategy where outreach, guidance and other support activities make it possible for adults to improve their basic skills and/or reach a higher qualification level.

Guidance and validation

Cedefop expert Pedro Moreno de Fonseca outlined how guidance can be tailored to address the needs of low-skilled adults. Building on country examples, he noted the need to intervene at an early stage, to focus on prevention rather than repair and to seek cooperation across sectors and institutions. Cedefop expert Ernesto Villalba explained how validation of non-formal and informal learning can be used to help upskilling and directly support low-skilled adults.

In the final panel discussion, DG Employment Director of Skills Policy Detlef Eckert commented on the need to increase visibility of this particular challenge which, in terms of the number of citizens involved, is daunting. According to Mr Eckert, to succeed in this area we need to rethink how we use existing tools and instruments and how we ensure linkages and coordination between different policy areas and sectors. The low skills challenge cannot be reduced to an education and training related issue; commitment from labour market and social policy stakeholders is as important.

Speaking at the opening session, Mr Calleja added that people are ready to change to remain employable, but are frustrated by the quality of jobs they are getting, as Cedefop's European skills and jobs survey has shown.

According to Mr Calleja, ‘new skills are not a threat to employability but a challenge to vocational education and training (VET) provision, to VET programme updating, training of teachers and trainers and upgrading of infrastructure.

The Cedefop Director stressed that ‘in today’s world of employment continuous skill development relies mostly on informal training; Cedefop’s research shows that 69% learn from peers, 40% from supervisors and 59% by trial and error.’

He added: ‘In a labour market that is changing so fast, we cannot afford to limit education and training to education institutions; workplaces should also become learning environments.’

As for education systems, ‘we need to rethink the systems and the link between the worlds of education and employment; education systems need to provide to young people the ability of learning to learn.’

Mr Calleja highlighted the need ‘to incentivise lifelong learning, to move towards wholescale reskilling of the existing workforce throughout a person’s lifecycle.’

He also referred to the importance of skills which go beyond formal training – in particular creativity, communication and cooperation skills – to prepare young people and adults for a working environment where it is increasingly key to possess more than technical skills.

At the same time, ‘while automation, artificial intelligence and robotics are replacing workers, they are also creating new, well-paid, jobs; for example, i-gaming professionals, web analysts, big data specialists, application developers.’

Addressing the 300 participants from the European Union (EU), partner countries and international organisations, the Cedefop Director concluded by saying that ‘there is a lot EU Member States can learn from those aspiring to join the Union; and lifelong learning should become a priority not just for Member States but also for partner countries.’

Mr Calleja saluted outgoing ETF Director Madlen Serban and congratulated incoming Director Cesare Onestini, who will take up his duties in September.

Agencies discuss TVET

The interagency group on technical and vocational education and training was also hosted by the ETF in Turin (6-7 June). Cedefop Head of Department for VET Systems and Institutions Loukas Zahilas represented the agency in the discussions.

The group was created by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2008 to ensure a good coordination of activities by the key international organisations involved in the delivery of policy advice, programmes and research on TVET. It enhances knowledge-sharing and a common understanding of key issues.

Apart from UNESCO, the group comprises the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the World Health Organization and the World Bank. Regionally-based members include the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Commission, the ETF, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and Cedefop.

The future of work and the progress of the subgroups on work-based learning, and statistics and indicators were the main issues discussed in the Turin meeting.

The week is planned as part of Estonia’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second semester of 2017. The overall theme will be innovative information and communication technologies (ICT) and future cooperation in the field of lifelong guidance. The aim is to:

• share innovative ICT practices;
• disseminate tools and initiatives to support the development of lifelong guidance ICT capacity;
• and facilitate future cooperation at European level.

The programme will integrate the most relevant events on lifelong guidance at European level, including a thematic EU Presidency conference, the first meeting of Cedefop’s expert group in guidance, CareersNet, and a Euroguidance meeting.

Around 200 participants involved in European, national and regional lifelong guidance policy and practice will attend the 7th EU Presidency conference on lifelong guidance policy, co-organised by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, Cedefop and Foundation Innove. During the conference Cedefop will offer workshops to pilot and test its upcoming tools for guidance practitioners and careers service managers, including a handbook on transferability of practices, a practitioners’ toolkit and training modules.

You can find the draft agenda, event information and information about accommodation and local transport on the official website of the European guidance week.

The European skills index thus provides useful information to multiple recipients interested in different aspects of the ‘skills eco-system’ while at the same time providing a snapshot view on countries’ ‘skills performance’. The index aims to serve as inspiration for countries and stakeholders that want to improve certain areas, understand what is driving their results and would like to know more about other counties’ performance. 

Based on extensive expert discussions, Cedefop will carry out further work and a new version of the European skills index will be launched early 2018.

Find out more about our plans for launching the new European Skills Index on the Skills Panorama website.

Cedefop Head of Department for VET Systems and Institutions Loukas Zahilas and expert Vlasis Korovilos discussed potential areas for reform and suggestions for actions.

Other issues addressed were the scope and composition of the national bodies for vocational education and training and apprenticeships, the role of social partners, chambers and institutions, and the allocation of responsibilities nationally and locally.

In these annual forums, ReferNet members discuss vocational education and training (VET) issues, improve their knowledge by sharing information on recent developments in national policies and systems, and develop a common approach to the deliverables included in their annual work plan.

In this year’s forums, on 11 and 12 May in Helsinki and on 17 and 18 May in Riga, the focus was on reporting activities: outreach and guidance, opinion survey on VET, new structure for VET in Europe reports 2018 and the VET policy questionnaire.

Several partners presented outreach measures (Austria, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Spain, Sweden, etc.). Partners also reflected on how to improve the visibility of Cedefop/ReferNet deliverables to draft recommendations to the whole network.

Developing a European partnership through rewarding cooperation is the aim of all ReferNet members. EDUFI and AIC have kept up the momentum.

ReferNet is a network of institutions across Europe representing the 28 EU Member States, plus Iceland and Norway. The network provides Cedefop with information and analysis on national vocational education and training. National partners also disseminate information on European VET and Cedefop’s work to stakeholders in the EU Member States, Iceland and Norway. ReferNet publications can be accessed through the ReferNet page on Cedefop’s website.

Take part in the discussion: #ReferNet