Search Results

This report belongs to a series of country analyses developed by the European Training Foundation (ETF) at the end of 2005 for all countries in the Mediterranean region, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It contains an overview of the country's social and economical contexts, an analysis of the educational system and a short review of the main initiatives in education and training carried out by international donors in the country. The Armenian government needs to maintain the consistency of the current vocational education and training (VET) reform process and focus on the lifelong learning perspective across the system, which provides incentives to enrol in VET. Donor assistance is needed to support further development of the VET system within a lifelong learning perspective, and compliance with the Bologna principles. Key topics for donor assistance to VET include: revision of the qualifications system based on a new conceptual foundation in line with international developments; occupational and educational standards based on sound methodology; competence-based learning; quality assurance; and capacity building on information and analysis.

Published excerpts reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

The series of reports is indexed from TD/TNC 84.362 to TD/TNC 84.375. Show less

Growing evaluation evidence confirms the impact of capital investment on building participation rates, retention rates and attainment, and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) recognise the crucial importance for learning of the physical environment. The capital strategy is designed to support the LSC's three national priorities: (1) creating demand for learning and skills; (2) transforming the further education (FE) system to meet demand; and (3) delivering better skills, better jobs and better lives. This document describes how the LSC's capital programme will be targeted to support the delivery of the organisation's key aims and priorities.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

The 2005 National Employers Skills Survey (NESS) was commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), in partnership with the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). It provides up-to-date information on the incidence, extent and nature of skills problems faced by employers and explores employers' activities and expenditure in relation to training. Over 74,500 employers were interviewed and comparisons are made with results from employer surveys dating back to 2001. This document is the main report from the survey. It is presented in seven sections: following the executive summary and introduction, section three explores the recruitment problems facing employers and their causes, focusing on the incidence, number, distribution and density of vacancies caused at least partly by a lack of skills, experience or qualifications among those applying; section four examines skills gaps within the workforce and their main causes; section five investigates the recruitment of 16-to-24-year-olds over the past 12 months and explores employers' perceptions of the work-readiness of these recruits and which skills, if any, are found to be lacking; section six focuses on training and workforce development, and explores the extent, nature and volume of training and workforce development activity; and the final section examines employer expenditure on training. Findings include: there has been little change since 2004 in the proportion of employers experiencing difficulty filling vacancies; the proportion of employers affected by skills gaps has once again decreased over the past 12 months, as it has every year since 2001; 21% of employers have recruited a young person into their first job direct from education in the past 12 months; 65% of employers have provided training in the previous 12 months, with the vast majority providing some off-the-job training; and total employer training expenditure over the previous 12 months was UKP 33.3 billion.

A related report containing the key findings is indexed at TD/TNC 86.444. Show less

The Policy Research Institute at Leeds Metropolitan University was asked by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to provide a ‘rapid review’ of research evidence pertaining to apprenticeships. This was commissioned in the wake of the [UK] government handing responsibility for the new National Apprenticeship Service to the LSC in January 2008. The review draws together the findings from a range of research reports, both commissioned research and academic; whilst considering evaluations and policy papers from national government and relevant quasi-public sector agencies. The review also considers evidence on apprenticeships from other UK home nations and a selection of comparative papers from overseas. Given the broad subject heading and the evolving policy frameworks at the heart of government, this research focuses on more contemporary research, with the vast majority of evidence emanating from studies undertaken in the last two or three years.

Excerpt from published introduction. Show less

This report belongs to a series of country analyses developed by the European Training Foundation (ETF). It covers: Socioeconomic background; Key policy issues and strategies in human resource development; EU (European Union) and other donor policies and interventions; Mid-term perspective ETF intervention strategies contributing to added value in national, EU and donor reform-support policies; Work Programme 2007: objectives and indicators. The ETF objectives for Ukraine are: To enhance the development of national capacities to design and drive a comprehensive VET (vocational education and training) report and to support the implementation of EU policies in the country.

Despite the fact that there is broad agreement on the general directions and principles that should govern education reform, the system remains largely in the grip of the past. An unstable political situation and insufficient capacities to implement modern reform initiatives have slowed down the anticipated progress in education sector reform outlined in recent policy documents. In the post-Soviet period, the VET system continues to struggle with the new realities of the labour market, focusing on specific occupation-based training rather than more competence-based approaches. Needless to say, the quality of education in Ukraine has been significantly jeopardised by a deterioration in funding, salaries, and infrastructures. While the structure of the system has remained largely unchanged, the quality of the services provided has declined. Closer cooperation between all stakeholders in the system at all levels and, in particular, with social partners, is required in order to ensure the success and sustainability of education and training sector reform in Ukraine. The ETF will continue supporting Ukrainian partners in reviewing options for a reform of qualifications, by providing access to European developments and by guiding the development of a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) strategy. Particular attention will be paid to the involvement of employers and social partners as driving forces in this process. A pilot project will be launched in a selected economic sector (tourism) to test and develop a sector qualifications framework that will serve as a model for an NQF in years to come.

Excerpts from publication reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

The series of reports is indexed from TD/TNC 90.820 to TD/TNC 90.844. Show less

With Montenegro’s transition to a market-based, open and globalised economy, there is an explicit need for regular dialogue and partnership between education and the business sector. While the national policy papers and legal framework recognise this need and have already laid down the foundations of an enabling environment for it, the most feasible and beneficial modes for establishing intensive cooperation between the two remain to be found. The education and business partnership in Montenegro is a developing area, with a toolkit that is still ‘under construction’. The institutional landscape of education and business cooperation reveals a high level of involvement on the part of social partners in the consultation and decision-making mechanisms, as well as in the process of designing changes and innovations in the education system (new curricula, qualifications). This holds particularly true for [vocational education and training] VET, and to a much lesser extent for [higher education] HE. In spite of the lack of explicit incentives and of a tradition of cooperation, Montenegro has launched a wide range of topics and modes for education and business partnerships in the last decade. A great many of them have been inspired by [European Union] EU policy developments and EU Member States’ experiences, and have been backed with EU funds, and therefore represent pilot interventions rather than systemic measures. Yet the country has also demonstrated a capacity for critical assessment of imported patterns and for embarking on home-grown initiatives. The involvement of the civil society sector as a mediator in the dialogue between education and business is a remarkable finding of the current stocktaking exercise that not only resonates with the latest recommendations and guidelines at the EU level, but also brings hope with regard to the role of bottom-up innovations in this field in Montenegro. Finally, the report makes an assessment of the major challenges for education and business cooperation in VET and higher education, and formulates corresponding recommendations related to enhancing the capacities of education and business actors to engage in strategic partnerships while fine-tuning their modalities at both the governance and implementation levels.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

This study is one of a series of background studies on the employment and labour market situation in Central and Eastern European countries seeking accession to the European Union. The studies are indexed from TD/INT 61.293 to TD/INT 61.298.

The study is part of the preparations by Bulgaria for accession to the European Union and was prepared according to the guidelines provided by The Employment and Social Affairs Directorate-General (DG) of the European Commission, the European Training Foundation and European Union experts. Its major objective is to provide a description of the employment and labour market in Bulgaria as a basis for the employment policy reviews prepared by The Employment and Social Affairs DG of the European Commission on the accession countries. The study draws on official data sources to describe the current circumstances in Bulgaria in relation to the employment situation, the employment policy institutions, employment policy delivery mechanisms and the relationship between vocational education and the labour market. The study identifies key issues which emerge from the analysis and may be addressed prior to accession. Several tables containing statistical data are included in support of the text. Show less

This report belongs to a series of country analyses developed by the European Training Foundation (ETF). It covers: Socioeconomic background; Key policy issues and strategies in human resource development (HRD); EU (European Union) and other donor policies and interventions; Mid-term perspective ETF intervention strategies contributing to added value in national, EU and donor reform-support policies; Work Programme 2007: objectives and indicators. The ETF objectives for Jordan are: To prepare the ground for comprehensive VET (vocational education and training) reform and future sector support for EC (European Commision) intervention in the framework of ENPI (European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument) assistance.

Although considered one of the tools for facilitating HRD in a lifelong learning context in Jordan, TVET (technical and vocational education and training) has a low status in Jordanian society and continues to be perceived as a last-resort educational option; it thus lacks support that is sufficiently effective to enable it to adapt to rapid changes in the economy. Developed in the 1970s, supply-oriented and with a high level of centralisation, the current TVET system is fragmented, with programmes that are designed and implemented in the absence of an overall national strategy. The National Agenda launched by the Jordanian government in 2005 identifies proposals for employment and TVET that go a long way towards establishing a policy for this area, mainly in terms of governance and management. It recommends the establishment of an umbrella Higher Council on Human Resource Development, an Employment and Technical Vocational Education and Training Council, an Employment and Training Fund, and an independent Quality Assurance Agency, and also the remodelling of the Vocational Training Corporation as an autonomous body. Although these reforms are far-reaching and provide an excellent basis for TVET reform, they do not constitute a comprehensive sector policy embracing all training providers. The National Agenda moves in the right direction and provides many elements for a comprehensive national strategy, but more needs to be done to pull the various elements into a coherent national plan.

Excerpts from publication reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

The series of reports is indexed from TD/TNC 90.820 to TD/TNC 90.844. Show less

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has an overall policy of performance improvement, and this document describes the Council’s plan to raise the standards of colleges and providers which cause concern. Of particular focus will be those providers in need of major interventions and rapid improvements in the quality of provision. The paper sets out several policies and principles which apply to all providers funded by the LSC, and looks specifically at further education colleges and work based learning providers. Several areas of the paper look at the Council’s powers in this area, outline successful and acceptable plans for providers, and list the key factors which indicate when the threshold for major intervention has been reached, and the appropriate communication which must take place between the LSC and deficient providers. Show less

This report belongs to a series of country analyses developed by the European Training Foundation (ETF). It covers: Socioeconomic background; Key policy issues and strategies in human resource development (HRD); EU (European Union) and other donor policies and interventions; Mid-term perspective ETF intervention strategies; Human Resource Development Council (IPA 07-01); Education and Training 2010: NQF (National Qualifications Framework) development; Social inclusion; Entrepreneurship learning; Work Programme 2007: objectives and indicators. The ETF objective for Montenegro in 2007 is: Enhanced EU support for employment and HRD by way of partnership, capacity building and regional cooperation.

Apart from drawing on EU developments in vocational education and training (VET), Montenegro has not yet addressed the issue on how the wider education system, curriculum reforms, teacher training and the contribution of university-based research and development should be shaped to meet the demands of key areas of the economy and of an evolving knowledge and entrepreneurship society. These issues need to be addressed if Montenegro is to participate in mainstream EU developments and benefit from its own human capital potential. ETF assistance to Montenegro will support the EC (European Commission) and a range of Montenegrin partners in implementing labour market reforms consequent to economic transition, focusing particularly on employment concerns and education and training.

Excerpts from publication reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

The series of reports is indexed from TD/TNC 90.820 to TD/TNC 90.844. Show less