Search Results

In France, adults have generally undergone continuing vocational training during their working hours so far and the aim has not usually been to obtain a diploma. The way the educational system and the labour market are set up has resulted in a sharper divide occurring here than elsewhere in Europe between the age at which people undergo their studies and that at which they pursue their careers. In 2004, however, the French continuing vocational training (CVT) system underwent some major reforms. The measures adopted, which focused for example on individuals’ right to vocational training and ‘professionalizing periods’, have transformed the relationships between learning and working. Will these measures suffice to shift the frontiers of continuing vocational training and set France on the lines initiated by the European Union with a view to creating a continuum of lifelong education and training?

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

Today, lifelong learning has become much more than 'second chance' education. It has come to encompass formal education, as well as non-formal and informal education. This article looks at some of the issues relating to the assessment and certification of skills and competences in lifelong learning in France. The article discusses: formal and non-formal learning; relations between these two forms of learning and certification of non-formal learning; certification in vocational education and training; the law on retraining of the labour force; prior learning assessment (PLA); and how to measure and ensure legitimacy in assessments. In conclusion, the author states that to certify competences, they need to be proven and three questions have to be solved: (1) How to define the competence? (2) How to measure the competence? (3) How to legitimise the measure?

The issue entry for this journal is at TD/TNC 67.447. Show less

For over ten years, the dynamic management of people's vocational pathways and transitions has been attracting the close attention of European social and political players. In this context, non-formal and informal learning (NFIL) practices, as well as the possibility of NFIL recognition and validation, can benefit a wide range of social groups, in particular the most vulnerable, and contribute towards correcting educational inequalities. They can also have a significant impact on the whole system of access to knowledge, skills and competences within companies and on the labour market. This book presents and updates the contents of a project conducted by a team from Groupe ALPHA for the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) on NFIL practices and challenges in the EU, including a direct survey of ten Member States.

Abstract from publisher's website. Show less

This issue of the 'European journal of education', entitled 'New skills', reports on relevant sections of a research project financed by Targeted Socio-Economic Research (TSER) and carried out in five countries (France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, and the UK) by a consortium of European institutions during 1996-99. The articles are: 'The changing demand for skills' by Steven McIntosh (p. 229-242) in which the author begins by arguing that the demand for low-skilled workers is still on the decline, attributing this to skill-biased technological change and then goes on to report on the Newskills project which examines future employment opportunities for the low-skilled by sector of economic activity; 'Young adults with no further education and training and the Swedish labour market: 1970s to 1990s / Erika Ekstrom & Asa Murray (p. 243-262) which reports on a study that shows the risk of unemployment is markedly higher for those with only compulsory education than for those with vocational upper secondary education, and with vocational upper secondary education being of particular benefit to young women; 'Beyond formal education: learning-by-doing, ICT adoption and the competitiveness of a traditional Portuguese sector' by Roberto Carneiro & Pedro Conceicao (p. 263-280) which examines learning patterns based on a survey of two industrial sectors (one traditional and one modern) which shows atypical behaviour in that the traditional sector (footwear industry) has been competitive in spite of its lack of highly qualified personnel because of its informal learning processes, comparing it to the modern sector (electrical and electronic components and equipment) which has based its progress on formal education and training together with heavy capital investment; 'Increasing the supply of skills' by Steven McIntosh & Hilary Steedman (p. 281-299) which focuses on the supply of labour at different skill levels, looking at what proportion of the working age population are low skilled in each of the countries studied (France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and the UK) and how these proportions have changed over time, the impact of changes in the supply of skills on labour market outcomes, and how the supply of skilled labour can be increased; 'Achieving a minimum learning platform for all: critical queries influencing strategies and policy options' by Robert Carneiro (p. 301-309) which explores the idea of a 'minimum learning platform', one that goes beyond just employability skills to cover all aspects of the human condition and with learning being provided throughout life; and 'Employees with no certified skills: how are technology and organisational change affecting them?' by Willem Houtkoop (p. 311-326) which reports on the results of field work carried out to investigate businesses and their human resource policy, focusing on their practices in hiring and upgrading the skills of their employees. Show less

This issue of the 'European journal of education' is entitled 'Widening participation in higher and lifelong education'. In the first article, 'Increasing or widening participation in higher education?: a European overview' by Michael Osborne (p. 5-24), the author concludes that following the major expansion of the higher education (HE) system in Europe in the latter decades of the 20th century, the number of people who benefited from increased and wider participation has increased. However, if these gains are to be consolidated, attention now needs to be turned to questions of retention and progression. 'Partners in participation: integrated approaches to widening access in higher education' by Mark Murphy and Ted Fleming (p. 25-39) highlights two case studies of community-based partnership programs. The first, from Ireland, is a program called New Vision which aims to reduce social exclusion through integrated local development and capacity building, while the second, The Right Path Program, is directly connected with widening access to HE in the UK and aims to offer a progression route with three main transitions, moving from personal development and self confidence building to participation in HE. 'Negotiating the climbing frame: flexibility and access in Scottish higher education' by Brenda Morgan-Klein (p. 41-54) discusses the themes of flexibility and widening access in current policy in HE and looks at the links between further education and HE; 'Access to higher education: persistent or changing inequality?: a case study from Finland' by Matti Parjanen & Ossi Tuomi (p. 55-70) focuses on universities and addresses the 'adultification of higher education'. 'Recognising and accrediting informal and non-formal learning in higher education: an analysis of the issues emerging from a study of France and Scotland' by Jim Gallacher & Michel Feutrie (p. 71-83) explores issues associated with attempts to introduce systems for the recognition and accreditation of various types of prior learning within HE institutions. 'Schooling and lifelong learning: insights from OECD analyses' by David Istance (p. 85-98) argues that the role schools play in lifelong learning needs to be clarified and reviews a selection of recent OECD analyses of the relationships between schooling and lifelong learning. The final article, 'Widening participation and the European Union: direct action - indirect policy?' by Pat Davies (p. 99-116) argues that there is no European Union (EU) policy on HE as such and shows how the 'narratives' of mobility and social exclusion have become the basis for EU action in the field.

This issue also contains the article 'How to change fatalism in the educational treatment of female delinquency: a case study from Spain' by Miguel A. Santos Rego and Maria Del Mar Lorenzo Moledo (p. 117-129) which explores the potential for, and constraints upon, educational intervention in prison populations, focusing on women and reporting on a Spanish Psychosocial Competence Program which had a successful outcome. Show less

The genesis of this article is based on the observation by the authors that the French training system has witnessed an evolution since the 1970s that corresponds to the one that was later recommended by the European authorities, i.e.: the creation of a national qualifications framework that integrates general and vocational training and initial and continuing education; and a description of qualifications in terms of occupational standards that corresponds to learning outcomes and includes the concept of competence.

[This article is] in two parts: the first describes the construction process of a national qualifications framework in France. It gives the highlights of the debates that accompanied this construct and stresses the closeness one can find with the present discussions at the European level; and basing itself on this, the second part of the article assesses the results of the implementation of this system in relation to the European goals such as the shift from a system that is steered by supply to one that is steered by demand and the better coherence of qualifications and their transparency for the users.

Excerpt from published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Validation of non-formal and informal learning is a centrepiece of lifelong learning and has become a priority for national and European vocational education and training (VET) policies in the last decade. Validation of non-formal and informal learning is not only a political challenge but also an ethical and especially a methodological question: how to measure, how to validate, how to assess. These developments have considerable impact on the professional development of VET teachers and trainers, as they are keys to improving the quality of education and training. This report addresses the role of validation of non-formal and informal learning for enhanced professional recognition of VET teachers' and trainers' competences. It presents the outcomes of a study carried out by Cedefop's training of trainers' network - TTnet. From nine countries, 28 examples are described and analysed in the report. They highlight developments and current practice by describing the aims and outcomes, the processes and methodologies of validation, as well as quality assurance mechanisms put in place.

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

This last decade has witnessed an important surge in the number of Euro-regions and other forms of cross-border inter-regional co-operation and partnerships all over Europe. Within the framework of the on-going Leonardo project on ‘Workplace learning partnerships (WLPs: 2004-2006)’, this paper is an attempt to provide insights into the role of the emerging networks of regional and cross-border cooperation in promoting workplace learning partnerships and human resources development (HRD) from French perspectives. The first section of the paper is an exploration of the overall contextual background to these developments in the French context. The last section examines the effective role of the emerging forms of regional and cross-border cooperation in promoting formal and informal workplace learning partnerships through two different illustrative cases of effective practices within the French machine-tool and automotive sector Show less

This report covers the situation of adult education and lifelong learning in France. It is divided into two sections. The section 'Policy and politics' gives an overview of the key policy currently in force, and also outlines the main legislation or political situation in the country. 'Structure and providers' gives a more detailed look at the organizational structures, and also outlines the main adult education providers, mainly looking at non-formal and informal learning.

Excerpt from publication. Show less