A statement on a skills framework for the Icelandic education system, intended to reflect incremental skills requirements for formal and informal education in the country, has been signed by stakeholders. These included the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, the Icelandic Federation of Labour (ASÍ), the Confederation of Icelandic Employers (SA), the Federation of State and Municipal Employees (BSRB), Kvasir (an association of lifelong learning and adult education centres), Leikn (an organisation of interested parties for adult learning in Iceland), the Association of Academics (BHM), the Federation of Icelandic Secondary School Students (SÍF) and the National Union for Icelandic Students (LÍS).

The signing marks a turning point in the visibility of lifelong education, which takes place in both school and work environments. The framework will primarily be of use to the public as a connection linking formal and informal education.

The skills framework increases transparency on two levels: within the country’s education system and among European systems. It consists of seven steps, where each reflects increased skill requirements: the demands made on individuals regarding knowledge, dexterity and skill when it comes to projects, employment and communication. Information on skills could, for instance, be used in résumés, for work development and in school applications.

The stakeholders who signed the statement are also responsible for instituting and introducing the framework. They will emphasise the methods to be developed to define the conclusion of studies and to link informal education to the framework’s steps.

According to legislation on universities (2006), secondary schools (2008) and secondary education (2010), conclusion of studies within the formal education system and secondary education syllabi is linked to the framework’s steps, defined with reference to the skill set each student should possess at the completion of each step. A description of the framework steps is available in the primary syllabus for secondary schools and in the criteria of higher education and degrees, as these documents have regulatory equivalence. 

 

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ReferNet Iceland