Lang zullen we leren – 20 jaar Cevora

Symposium

10/12/10, Square Brussels Meeting Centre

Current trends and challenges in

Europe’s lifelong learning area

Prof. Dr. Sandra Bohlinger M.A.

Professor of Education

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The core ideas of lifelong learning

LLL covers

all learning activities throughout life (fl, nfl, ifl)

within personal, civic, social or employment related contexts

Background: shifts in e + t and in labour market demands View of the educational process:

From: Education is an input-based learning process expressed in terms of

workload, content and lenght of studies (semesters, years etc.)

To: Education is an outcomes-based learning process expressed in terms of

knowledge, skills and competences achieved by the learner

View on the degree:

From: Proof of participation and successful completion of a programme

To: Recognition of achieved learning outcomes / prior learning

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Overall aims of lifelong learning

Employability

Ability to progress towards or get into employment, to stay in employment and to

move on in the workplace

Knowledge and skills must be economically valuable

Developing personality

Personal fulfilment

Holistic understanding of learning processes

Active citizenship

Participating actively in democracy and society

Inclusive education

Lifelong learning is key to employability and social inclusion ensuring

that qualifications and skills meet changing demands in the workplace

and in daily life

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The emergence of a lifelong learning policy

Global trends shaped policies on learning (UNESCO, OECD, EU)

Emergence of a European LLL policy:

1993: Delors report on growth, employment and competitiveness

1995: White Book on „Teaching and Learning”

1996: European LLL year

2000: LLL Memorandum + Lisbon agenda

2001: communication on „Making a European area of lifelong learning a reality”

2002: Copenhagen declaration: European strategy for enhanced cooperation in

VET

2006: ‘Key competences for lifelong learning’ (Recommendation of the European

Parliament)

2010: Bruges Communiqué on enhanced European Cooperation in VET (2011-

2020)

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Lifelong learning in a nutshell

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Benchmarks

5 benchmarks for 2010 5 benchmarks for 2020

No more than 10% early school

leavers;

Decrease of at least 20% in the

percentage of low-achieving pupils in

reading literacy;

At least 85% of young people should

have completed upper secondary

education;

Increase of at least 15% in the number

of tertiary graduates in MST, with a

simultaneous decrease in the gender

imbalance;

12.5% of the adult population

participate in lifelong learning.

at least 95% of children between 4

years old and the age for starting

compulsory primary education

participate in early childhood

education

the share of early leavers should be

less than10%

the share of low-achieving 15-years

olds in reading, mathematics and

science should be less than15%.

the share of 30-34 year olds with

tertiary educational attainment

should be at least 40%

an average of at least 15 % of adults

should participate in lifelong learning

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Progress towards meeting the 5 2010 benchmarks

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Lifelong learning – main messages

LLL is a reality for the majority of people in DK, SE, IS, FI, UK, NL

Participation above average in BE, DE, ES, FR, AT, SI and NO

Some countries have coherent + overarching LLL strategies (DK, FI, SI,

UK-Scotland)

Close to 10% of adults have participated in LLL within a four weeks

period

Almost 60% of young people (5-29 year-old) participate in education

Secondary enrolment rates are above 85% in nearly all member states

and well above 90% in 8 countries (FR, LT, NL, CZ, SI, FI, SE, UK)

HE enrolment is over 50% in nearly all member states and above 80% in

4 countries (DK, EL, FI, SI) reaching levels near or above the level of the

US (82%)

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Participation of adults in LLL Source: LFS database, October 2009)

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Students in IVET at ISCED level 3 (as % of all students in education at ISCED level 3)

50,3

72,9

52,3

74,2

48

57,5

3233,9

30,9

43,8 44,2

59,4

12,6

34,8

26,3

62,1

24,4

50,1

67,1

77,1

46,2

30,7

64,8 64,5

72,3

67,9

56,8

31,4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

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Participation in job-related/non job-related edu. + training

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% of employees participating in CVT courses

33 34

40

15

59

35

30

24

14

33

46

29 30

15 15

49

16

3234 33

21

28

17

50

38 39

46

33

29

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

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Who is falling behind?

Slow progress in combating early leaving from education and training /

drop out prevention. PL, CZ, SK and FI already perform well with a share

of early leavers below 10%

The probability that a young migrant is an early leaver is more than

double than that for a national (26.8% vs. 13.6%)

Participation of adults in LLL is not equally available to all groups of

adults; rates are higher among the youngest (25 to 34 years old), the

most educated and the employed

Main obstacles to participation in nfL / adult education is family

responsibilities, conflicts with the work schedule, costs of training and

lack of employer’s support

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Who is falling behind? % of 18-24 years old with less than

upper secondary education and not in e+t

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Education + Training 2010 - main policy initiatives

an integrated policy

framework

ICT for innovation and

LLL

promoting

multilingualism

developing lifelong

learning strategies

enhanced

co-operation in VET

and adult education

removing obstacles to

mobility

higher education

reform

European Institute of

Technology

developing school

education policies

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Education + Training 2011-2020 - The Bruges Communiqué

making IVET a more

attractive option

fostering innovation,

creativity and

entrepreneurship

intensifying co-

operation between VET

policy and other policy

areas

fostering excellence in

IVET and CVETrealising inclusive VET

improving quality

assurance and

comparability

enabling access to

training and

qualifications

greater involvement of

stakeholders

making good use of

EU support

internationalisation of

IVET and CVET +

fostering mobility

co-ordinated

governance of

instruments

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Key priorities

Realising the shift to learning outcomes

Validation and recognition of prior learning

Qualifications frameworks and credit point systems

Fostering mobility, permeability and access to LLL

Applying Guidelines and referring to the CQARF

Anticipation of skills needs

Providing a better linkage between

learning + qualifications the labour market

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Why is the shift to learning outcomes a key priority?

Anticipated benefits:

Focussing on students: Individual learning process is at the core of

attention

Recognising student achievements outside of the formal learning

setting

Enhancing students’ employability

Promoting transferability, permeability, mobility, quality and

transparency

Widening participation and access

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The linkage between LOs, QFs and RPL

Political tools

Assist in reading and comparing learning outcomes and qualifications

Expected to provide impetus for modernisation initiatives in education

systems (VET and HE)

NQFs: development and classification of qualifications, related to

learning levels and descriptors, scope: all learning achievements and

pathways, bindingness (~ 120 worldwide)

Meta frameworks / regional frameworks: relate NQFs, to create

confidence and trust, defines basic principles, voluntary basis (EQF,

SADCQF, CQF)

Validation systems and initiatives: assessment and certification of ifl + nfl

(with regard to fl + qualifications); scope: all learning achievements,

voluntary basis

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Preconditions to implement a QF and

a validation system

Describe all qualifications that can be obtained and all forms of

learning suited for accreditation in terms of learning outcomes

Depict all qualifications in a hierarchy or continuum to identify

learning levels

Assess all qualifications independently of the form or provision,

curriculum, and teaching methods via which they were acquired

Modularise all qualifications, assign them to different levels with the

same descriptors and describe them in terms of learning hours

(learning units)

Employ benchmarks to accredit and assess all types of learning

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Driving forward the agenda

(National) legal frameworks for LLL, QFs, RPL etc.

Assessment of LOs and prior learning: methods and criteria

Gathering relevant, reliable and comparable data (particularly: ifL)

Scope, acceptance and impact of LLL, QFs and RPL (and similar

political tools)

Financing and acceptance

Black box issues:

the impact of LLL on improving qualification systems, labour markets and individual

employability

How to identify, recognise, validate and assess learning achievements outside of

the formal learning setting

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Happy Birthday, Cevora!