Transcript Towards a European Area of Skills and Qualifications

Towards a
European Area of Skills and Qualifications
European social dialogue committee
Brussels, February 2014
EASQ
Date: in 12 pts
When moving to a new job or to further learning,
whether within or across borders, learners and workers
need to see their skills and qualifications quickly and
easily recognised.
This is essential to raise skill levels, help combat
unemployment and complete the project of the single
market.
EASQ
Date: in 12 pts
Progress of a
decade
Various European transparency policies and
tools in ET2020 and the Bologna processes
aim to support the lifelong learning and
mobility of learners and workers
through better transparency and easier
recognition of what they know, understand
and are able to do.
EASQ
Date: in 12 pts
Still a long way
to go…
•
Mobility is hampered (geographical, sectoral and between
the different sectors of education and training)
•
High unemployment rate (10.9%), especially among young
people (23%), coexists with over 2 million vacancies
across Europe
•
In 2025: 44.1% high-skilled, 44.7% medium-skilled and
only 11.2% low-skilled jobs
•
PIAAC Survey: 20% of the EU working age population has
low literacy and numeracy skills and that 25% of adults
lack the digital skills needed to effectively use ICT
EASQ
Date: in 12 pts
New developments: opportunities and
challenges
• Open technologies allow individuals to learn,
anywhere, anytime, through any device, with the
support of anyone
• Emergence of innovative models for teaching and
learning (e.g. MOOCs)
• International and sectoral qualifications
• Internationalisation of education & training
EASQ
Date: in 12 pts
Towards a European Area of Skills and Qualifications
EU policies and instruments should:
 be centred on the learner, promoting flexible learning
pathways,
 support new phenomena such as the growing use of digital
learning and internationalisation of education,
 provide better services to learners and workers,
 be simpler, better understandable and more coherent, and
 support national structural reforms that aim to achieve
these objectives.
EASQ
Date: in 12 pts
Public consultation ongoing
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/more_info
/consultations/skills_en.htm
 15 April 2014: deadline for submitting contributions for
public consultation addressed to stakeholders and the
general public (through on-line questionnaire and/or
position papers)
EASQ
Date: in 12 pts
Issues under
consultation
1. How to place a stronger focus on higher and more relevant
skills
2. Further strengthening links between education/training,
mobility and the labour market
3. Adapting to internationalisation trends
4. Ensuring overall coherence of tools and policies and further
implementing the learning outcomes approach
5. Ensuring clarity of rules and procedures for the recognition
of skills and qualifications for further learning
6. Increasing the focus on quality assurance
7. Providing learners and workers with a single access point to
obtain information and services supporting a European area
of skills and qualifications.
Date: in 12 pts
EASQ
1. Higher and more relevant skills
•
European education and training systems fall short in
providing the right skills for employability
•
Progress on key competences still disappointing (as well as
on other relevant competencies)
•
Differences in skills levels for similar educational
qualifications across Europe (PIAAC)
How to promote focus on skills and associated learning
outcomes?
Reference frameworks for key competences?
EASQ
Date: in 12 pts
2. Education/training, mobility and the
labour market
•
High levels of unemployment /skills bottlenecks and
mismatches
•
Exchange of information between the world of education
and the labour market could be improved
•
Guidance could be better integrated in lifelong learning and
employment strategies and policies
•
Sectoral skills and qualifications passports: coordination
with Europass?
How can EU transparency and recognition policies promote
stronger link between E&T, mobility and the labour market?
Date: in 12 pts
EASQ
3. Internationalisation trends
•
Globalisation, technological developments and increased
student mobility
•
ECTS and EQF: attract interest of growing number of third
countries
•
VET systems less comparable
•
International qualifications (awarded by e.g. international
sectoral organisations, multinational companies)
How to promote adaptation of European tools and policies to
internationalisation trends?
What else can be done at EU level?
EASQ
Date: in 12 pts
4. Coherence of tools and policies
•
Learning outcomes approach embedded in most EU policies
and tools, but putting it into practice is a challenge
•
EQF cross-cutting tool: could be improved (e.g. greater
coherence with other tools, more visible to the individuals)
•
EQF – QF EHEA: single reference and self-certification
process?
•
ECTS – ECVET: some convergence and comparability possible?
What are the obstacles to the use of learning outcomes approach
in curricula design and assessment practices?
Suggestions for simplifying and improving coherence?
Date: in 12 pts
EASQ
5. Clarity of rules and procedures
•
Flexible combination of VET, HE, NFIL, on-line learning is
crucial, but difficult to move between sub-systems
•
Lisbon Recognition Convention: final decision on selection
of students is up to HEIs
•
VET and general education: no European rules or guidance
on recognition
•
Web-based learning: no clear and commonly accepted
procedures
What can be done at EU level to improve recognition for
further learning and support mobility between sub-systems of
education and training and/or between countries?
EASQ
Date: in 12 pts
6. Focus on quality assurance
•
To deliver higher and more relevant skills and to support
mutual trust between sub-systems and/or countries, E&T
must ensure high quality
•
European quality assurance arrangements in different
contexts: ESG in HE, EQAVET, EQF QA principles
•
Learners can assemble their learning pathways and they
need to be able to trust the quality of the learning offering
Is it possible to identify common principles and guidelines of QA
valid across sectors and applicable to all qualifications?
Should there be a core of common European QA principles and
can the EQF be pivotal in this?
Date: in 12 pts
EASQ
7. Single access point to information and
services
•
Websites: Study in Europe, Ploteus, EURES, Europass, We
Mean Business, EQF portal, Your Europe
•
Networks: Europass, Euroguidance, Eurodesk, EQF-NCPs,
ENIC-NARICs
•
Possible advantages of integration into a single access
point for more user-friendly and visible services on skills
and qualifications recognition and transparency
What could be the feature of this one-stop shop?
EASQ
Date: in 12 pts
Next steps…
• Early 2014: Eurobarometer survey
• First half of 2014: launch of a study
(empirical evidence on remaining obstacles)
• 17 June 2014: high-level closing conference
of the public consultation
• First half of 2015: possible launch of a
political initiative by the Commission
• 2016: possible initiatives to revise policies
and tools
EASQ
Date: in 12 pts
THANK YOU!
[email protected]
EASQ
Date: in 12 pts