The role of the teachers’ and trainers’ trade unions in implementing the EU tools and principles in VET during the crises

ETUI-ETUCE Seminar, Inclusive VETraining during the crises, Sesimbra 08-10 March, 2012 Loukas Zahilas, Cedefop, Senior Expert

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Europe in the years of the crises

The route to lasting economic recovery and social cohesion passes through knowledge, skills and competences. Only on this basis can we encourage the intensified innovation and entrepreneurship needed in the coming years. Europe and the European countries need world class VET.

Loukas Zahilas

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Europe 2020 – VET challenges

As rapid change threatens to outpace the skills of an ageing workforce and Europe developed towards a knowledge based society, the European Union (EU) and other European countries and the social partners have worked together to establish a policy framework for modernising education and training that led to the development of the European tools and principles.

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The common EU tools

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Need for a common language

System

Learning outcomes

Individual

Education and training

Labour market

EQF

ESCO

OccupationsQualifications

EQAVET

ECVETValidation

NQF

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

EuroPass

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By implementing the European tools and principles the Member States respond directly to the future LLL challenges.

As they promote using learning outcomes systematically, the European and national qualifications frameworks offer a common reference point for European and national cooperation which aims at reforming VET and lifelong learning.

Need for responses

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Formal

Lifelong Learning Pathway

Informal

On the job

Formal

Work experience

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The EQF supports lifelong learning and mobility by being common reference framework for qualifications. It has eight levels which enables national qualifications (general and higher education and vocational education and training) to becompared with each other and those of other countries.Setting up the EQF has triggered development of national qualifications frameworks (NQFs) in many European countries that see them as the best way to link national qualifications to the EQF.

EQF/NQFs

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EQF Level 1

EQF Level 2

EQF Level 3

EQF Level 4

EQF Level 5

EQF Level 6

EQF Level 7

EQF Level 8Country A Country B

Q

Q

QNQF/ NQS

NQF/ NQS

NQF/ NQS

Q

Q

Q

Q

NQF/NQS

NQF/NQS

NQF/NQS

NQF/NQS

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NQFs development: a dynamic process

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EQF

LearningOutcomesN

on-Formal Learning

Formal Learning

Info

rmal

Lea

rnin

g

EQF and the shift to learning outcomes

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• EQF has acted as a catalyst for NQF developments in Europe

• 31 EU/EEA/candidate countries have developed/are developing and introducing NQFs and 12 EU Member States have already linked their NQFs to the EQF

• NQFs for lifelong learning, covering all levels and types of qualifications – EQF and Bologna go together at national level

• Permeability between various educational and training subsystems

• Promoting validation of non-formal and informal learning

Cedefop’s analysis of NQFs developments - main findings (1)

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• Shift to learning outcomes - increasingly being accepted and used (standards, curricula)

• Stakeholders’ involvement and ownership;• Most NQFs are seen as communication and

transparency tools• Dynamic process: The ‘first generation’ of NQFs

(UK, Ireland, France) – are being assessed and further developed

Cedefop’s analysis of NQFs developments - main findings (2)

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• Need to carefully balance the need for system-wide approaches (overall permeability) with the implementation within subsystems (VET, higher education) and their specific needs

• To further strengthen learning outcomes based approaches – implementation is uneven and sometimes slow

• How to further develop quality assurance relevant to learning outcomes based frameworks?

• The visibility of the NQFs to end-users, individuals and employers need to be given priority and is crucial for ownership and trust!

Challenges ahead

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EQF must be set up as a trade mark and NQFs dialogue and cooperation platforms

To be done urgently:• complete referencing process to the EQF• introduce reference to EQF levels in

individual certificates and diploma

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EQAVET

EQAVET aims to increase the transparency, market relevance, consistency and transferability of vocational education and training qualifications across Europe. EQAVET is compatible with the main quality models. It includes a quality assurance and improvement cycle based on quality criteria and indicative descriptors. It addresses both VET systems and VET providers.

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The EQF and EQAVET operate at the systemic level. Most countries are committed to linking their national qualifications systems to the EQF by the end of 2012, to make easier recognition of qualifications across Europe. By supporting quality assurance, EQAVET provides a basis for confidence and trust in national VET qualifications and their international comparison

EQF and EQAVET

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ECVET promotes geographical and professional mobility. It helps validate, recognize and accumulate work-related skills and knowledge acquired during a stay in another country or in different situations, so that these experiences contribute to vocational qualifications.

ECVET

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Hostprovider

SendingproviderLearning agreement

1

The individualacquires

KSC

The learning outcomes are

assessed

3

2

Credit is awarded to the individual for the learning outcomes achieved

4Learner's credit in an individual transcript of record

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Credit is validated6

Learning outcomesare recognised andaccumulated as a part of the aimed qualification; corresponding ECVET pointsare included.

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ECVET

Europass

An initiative of the European Union to • make knowledge, skills and

qualifications more visible and legible• Help European citizens move • Build bridge between national

education and training systems

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Europass: Five documents

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Two documents in free access: the Europass CV and Language passport- completed online in 26 languages, room for non formal and informal

learning, updated onlineThree documents issued by national authorities:Europass Mobility- a record of any period of time spent in another European country (work

placement in a company, an academic term, a voluntary placement in an NGO); detailed description of skills acquired and facilitates their validation

Europass certificate supplement (vocational education and training)- gives a detailed description of vocational qualificationsDiploma Supplement (higher education)- gives a individualised description of topics studied, marks obtained- issued by the higher education institution awarding the original degree

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Europass: A success story

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13.0 million visits in 2011 (as against 10 million in 2010 and a total of 44.8 million visits since its launch 9.9 million documents downloaded in 2011 and a total of 37.2 million downloads since its launch 5.9 million documents generated online in 2011 5.8 million CVs and 79,000 Language Passports and a total of 16.9 million documents generated online since its launch.

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Lifelong guidance and counselling

The Council of the European Union has adopted two guidance resolutions one in 2004 and another in 2008. An important goal for lifelong guidance is to promote equality of access to, participation in, and outcomes of lifelong learning, as well as labour market participation.

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Validation of non-formal and informal learning – making the learning outcomes visible

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Validating non-formal and informal learning

In 2004 the European council adopted the European principles on validation. These were complemented by the 2009 by the European guidelines for validating non-formal and informal learning. The European Commission is working on a European Recommendation on validation.

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Qualifications, credits,

work experience

Further workexperience and learning

Validation oflearning

outcomes

Certification for further

qualification

Formal learningprogramme

Labour market,Further studies

Career development

Guidance

European tools and principles

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Reforming VET provision

• Getting the right people to become VET teachers

• Developing them into effective learning facilitators

• Teachers and trainers are the pillar of any VET reform.

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Changing roles and competences of VET staff

• How are VET teachers’ roles expanding linked to reforms (i.e. learning centred approaches, learning outcomes approach) and their changing working environments?

• What are the skills, knowledge and competences that VET teachers and trainers need?

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Thematic Working Group on Professional Development of VET Trainers

The mission and tasks of the group will be: Focus on VET trainers at the workplace in both initial and continuing VET. Through peer learning among policy-makers and experts in the field, the working group will strengthen knowledge sharing and help develop policies as regards vocational trainers’ competences and continuing professional development.

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TWG Trainers – Thematic areas

The group will explore the following broad thematic areas: •changing roles, competence requirements linked to lifelong learning and employment policy priorities and to work organisation changes in enterprises;•status of trainers in VET, their career paths and recognition, for example, through occupational profiles and standards, certification and validation of their on-the-job learning;•learning needs and continuing professional development of trainers in VET.

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Peer learning activities • trainers’ role in enhancing productivity,

capacity for innovation and competitiveness of enterprises, trainers as innovation agents;

• trainers’ capacity to contribute to the development of skills of the low-skilled and updating of ageing workers;

• effective approaches and support to the continuing professional development of trainers;

• developing training opportunities for SMEs and trainers’ competences needed for meeting training needs of SMEs.

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Cedefop

www.cedefop.europa.eu

Loukas Zahilas

Cedefop

www.cedefop.europa.euThanks for your attention