Glossary

• The standard level below which an individual is considered as low-skilled depends, for example, on the general level of education in a society, or on the level of qualifications within an occupation;
• the actual level of qualification of an individual includes non-formal learning outcomes acquired through continuing training, retraining / reskilling, upskilling, work experience, or personal development.

Programmes classified at ISCED level 2 are referred to in many ways, for example secondary school (stage one / lower grades if there is nationally one programme that spans ISCED levels 2 and 3), junior secondary school, middle school or junior high school.

• The key features of compulsory education in the EU are:
  • duration: 8 to 15 years;
  • age: 3-6 years old to 15-16 or even 18-19 years old;
  • level: from ISCED 0 (early childhood education) or 1 (primary education) to ISCED 2 (lower secondary education) or 3 (upper secondary education);
• the term “compulsory education” refers to the obligation to provide children with education and not schooling;
• the term “compulsory schooling” refers to the obligation for children to attend an educational or training establishment.

• Apprenticeship:
  • leads to recognised qualifications;
  • is based on an agreement defining the rights and obligations of the apprentice, the employer and, where appropriate, the vocational education and training institution; and
  • with the apprentice being paid or otherwise compensated for the work-based component;
• in French, the term ‘apprentissage’ relates to both apprenticeship and the process of learning;
• the German dual system (duale Ausbildung) is an example of apprenticeship.

The facilitator helps the learner develop knowledge and skills by providing guidelines, feedback and advice throughout the learning process.

The learning agreement is intended to give the pupil or student the confirmation that the credits s/he successfully achieves during the mobility period will be recognised.

In the context of the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (EQF), learning outcomes are defined in terms of knowledge, skills and responsibility / autonomy.

• A teacher may fulfil various tasks such as organising and carrying out training programmes/courses and transmitting knowledge, whether generic or specific, theoretical or practical;
• a teacher in a vocationally oriented institution may be referred to as a trainer.

Learning occurs through personal reflection, reconstruction and social interaction. It may take place in formal, non-formal or informal settings.

This term is close to, but not synonymous with: benchlearning, cooperative learning, participative learning / participatory learning.

Lifewide learning is a dimension of lifelong learning.

• Lifelong guidance covers a range of individual and collective, formal or non-formal career development activities such as information-giving, counselling, competence assessment / skills audit / competence profiling, support, and the development of decision-making and career management skills through career education;
• it can be undertaken throughout life, from school and throughout both working and non-working life;
• lifelong guidance services can be provided face-to-face, remotely (e-mail, chat) or in a blended mode in a wide range of settings:
  • schools and VET centres;
  • tertiary and higher education institutions;
  • public and private employment services;
  • public and private career guidance centres;
  • enterprises, trade unions, NGOs and professional bodies as well as in local communities;
• lifelong guidance guidance can be seen as occurring at specific transition points, as a subset of lifelong guidance that involves capacity building; it enables an individual to reflect on his/her ambitions, interests, qualifications, skills and talents through learning – and to relate this knowledge about who s/he is to who s/he might become in life and work;
• lifelong guidance includes provision of:
  • careers education;
  • careers information;
  • individual and group guidance/counselling;
  • skills audit / competence profiling and psychometric testing;
  • engagement with employers;
  • development of skills needed for job seeking and self-employment.

• Life skills and competences cover aspects such as health, culture, finance and economics, science and technology, the environment and civic engagement;
• they allow individuals to manage knowledge and information and use it as a basis for forming opinions, making decisions and taking actions in relation to both personal/professional progression and social responsibility;
• life skills and competences consist of six clusters:
  • applying entrepreneurial and financial skills and competences;
  • applying health-related skills and competences;
  • applying cultural skills and competences;
  • applying civic skills and competences;
  • applying general knowledge;
  • applying environmental skills and competences;
• they are one of the six categories of transversal skills of ESCO:
  • core skills and competences;
  • thinking skills and competences;
  • self-management skills and competences;
  • social and communication skills and competences;
  • physical and manual skills and competences;
  • life skills and competences.

• Small private online courses are accompanied by individualised guidance by the interveners;
• they use different teaching aids: videocast, electronic learning, virtual classes, etc;
• they can provide an alternative or a complement to presential learning; the limited number of participants allows individualised monitoring.

Unadjusted gender pay gap is defined by Eurostat as the difference between the average gross hourly earnings of men and women expressed as a percentage of the average gross hourly earnings of men. It is calculated for enterprises with 10 or more employees.

This term is close to, but not synonym with: employment counsellor / job counsellor.

• The development of career management skills requires:
  • organised and structured learning activities to visualise, plan and achieve career aspirations;
  • self-assessment skills: being able to evaluate oneself, define one’s strengths, describe the aptitudes and competences acquired in formal, informal and non-formal education settings;
  • learning and training skills: being able to find learning opportunities and acquire new aptitudes and competences to improve and preserve one’s employability;
  • employment skills: being able to find job offers and apply for a position (writing a CV and motivation letter, applying through online job portals, preparing oneself for an interview, etc.);
  • awareness of:
    • education, training and qualifications systems;
    • learning and employment opportunities;
    • labour market and economic environment;
    • connections between learning and work;
• career management skills cover the following aspects:
  • personal management (self-assessment of one’s knowledge, capacities, interests, needs);
  • learning path management (involvement with learning, and understanding the connection between learning and work);
  • career management (assess data about learning and employment opportunities, facilitate successful transitions between education or training pathways, and between education or training and work).