Transcript Document

VET & Globalisation:
Trends, challenges, success stories
in Europe
Tom Leney
International Research and Strategy
QCA
[email protected]
EU/India
Nov 2006
Theme 1
Globalisation and skills
EU/India
Nov 2006
GLOBAL DRIVERS – 8 DIMENSIONS
• The unpredictable global economy **
– Global/local factors in anticipating skill needs **
– Technological and IT change **
– The (international) organisation of work **
• Demographic factors: a youthful population
• Migration **
• The policy dimension: Economic &Social factors
– strong social model, or ‘catch as catch can’? #
• Environmental change #
EU/India
Nov 2006
THE KEY ARGUMENT
• In a situation where globalisation
creates uncertainty
• High quality VET is a robust strategy
as a country, region or sector moves
towards a knowledge economy
• The argument is for innovative VET
EU/India
Nov 2006
THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY : Lifelong learning/VET
• Modernisation is essential .. (for) high levels of
prosperity, social cohesion and quality of life
• The Europe of dynamism, innovation and
openness sits side by side with the Europe of 19
million unemployed, child poverty and stagnant
growth
European Commission Communication to Heads of State, 2005
The successful countries tend (PISA) to achieve
high basic standards for (almost) all
EU/India
Nov 2006
WHY RAISE EDUCATION AND SKILLS LEVELS?
1. Effective modern economies will produce the
most information/knowledge, with jobs
increasingly skill/knowledge intensive
2. In the global economy, those who invest
heavily in education and skills benefit most in
economic and social terms
3. This is a tough challenge for education and
training governance/ suppliers Some succeed.
Andreas Schleicher, OECD, briefing for the EU, 2005
EU/India
Nov 2006
Theme 2
Challenges facing countries:
What can we learn from VET
in Europe?
Lisbon: economic, employment, social, inclusion, environmental goal
EU/India
Nov 2006
PRIORITY INDICATORS FOR EUROPE
What are the agreed priority indicators for lifelong learning?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Reduce numbers of 15 yr olds with low basic skill levels
Reduce the numbers of early school leavers
Raise the percentage of young people with at least upper
secondary education
Increase university graduate numbers in maths, science,
technology; address gender imbalances
Increase adult participation in E&T
Raise levels of investment in human resources
EU/India
Nov 2006
QUALITY VET REDUCES NO. OF EARLY SCHOOL LEAVERS
16 of 19 European countries with a high proportion of
young people in IVET have high upper secondary
completion rates and low dropout rates
The challenge is quality
• Programmes attractive to learners and enterprises
• Flexibility, focus on the learner
• Links to general education
• Valuing/recognising formal, informal and non-formal
learning
• Pathways to higher education (No dead ends!)
Quality IVET: a robust strategy, at least across Europe
EU/India
Nov 2006
CONTINUING TRAINING – A KEY CHALLENGE
Raising levels of continuing training to
update skills and competences.
Most countries: unacceptably low participation.
•
•
High status jobs/low status jobs
High education level / low level of education
–
–
–
Younger workers /older workers.
Men / women.
Migrants marginalised.
–
Sectors: communications / textiles; expansion / decline
EU/India
Nov 2006
DEVELOPMENT OF LIFELONG LEARNING STRATEGIES
Few countries have well-advanced LLL
strategies
Approaches?
Cradle to the grave
Employability
Social inclusion
How best to anticipate education and skills
needs in an uncertain environment?
EU/India
Nov 2006
Theme 3
Innovation and success
Building up: capacity for change,
capabilities, partnerships, links between
strategies
EU/India
Nov 2006
EXPERT LEARNERS
• Empowering learners is the strong way to tackle
the need to improve learning
• Expert learners are self-directed and goal-oriented,
able to use their skills to make best decisions about
their learning
• A danger is a divide between expert and novice
learners – with low self image, poor learning
strategies, little reflective ability
EU/India
Nov 2006
THE SHIFT TO COMPETENCE-BASED TEACHING / LEARNING
• From didactic VET teaching to an outcomes-
based approach (programmes, teaching, learning,
assessment, qualifications, frameworks)
• Learning is focussed on real problems – in the
workplace
• Underpinned by general education / key
competences
• Partnerships mean efficient organisation –
employer needs
• Skilful teachers and trainers
EU/India
Nov 2006
Success stories: the Nordic countries
A small skills gap: those who consider they don’t have
the skills for working life
• A small credentials gap: they have the credentials to
back the claim
• A high proportion of people recently took part in
education or training
• A high proportion affirm there are few barriers to
participating in learning
• A small proportion say there is nothing to motivate them
for further involvement in education and training
• Few young people lack basic skills
Institute for Future Studies in Sweden, from Euro barometer data (see A Giddens 2006)
EU/India
Nov 2006
Success stories: A company - Telefonica
1984 – 9 m customers, basic telephone service, in Spain
2006 – 180 m customers, integrated IT solutions, in 18
countries
Telefonica
• Has developed a competency framework. Based on value
of trust.
• Consisting of broad skills, including: client facing,
flexibility, communication, contribution to production,
innovation, collaboration, interpersonal development.
• Defined macro roles (10 groups) have added functional
and business skills.
• Basis for HR, training and mobility programmes.
EU/India
Nov 2006
USEFUL SOURCES
EC DG Employment http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/employment_social/index_en.htm
EC DGEAC – http://ec.europa.eu/education/index_en.html
OECD - http://www.oecd.org
ETF – http://etf.europa.eu
CEDEFOP – http://cedefop.europa.eu
REFERNET UK – http://www.refernet.org.uk
QCA – http://www.qca.org.uk
EU/India
Nov 2006