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The greening of the European economy, as outlined in the [European Union] EU 2020 strategy, will have profound effects on the labour market and the development of the skills of the European population. This report claims that the main factors slowing down adaptation to the green economy and the development of necessary skills are the failure of employers to demand new qualifications, and the uncertainty surrounding regulations and policies. Learning providers also report difficulties in meeting the needs of employers and understanding what organisations' skill needs are. Overall, there is limited evidence that green policies have become part of the mainstream of skills development and hiring policies. There is clearly a potential for policy makers and social partners to raise awareness and take common action. This study on green skills and environmental awareness in vocational education and training identifies the main challenges and priorities. It also makes recommendations on how the labour market can be helped to respond to emerging skill needs. The study further investigates the links between skill needs and the responses of learning providers.

Abstract from Cedefop website. Show less

The outcomes of a special Eurobarometer survey, carried out in spring 2005, provided for the first time an insight into attitudes and opinions of citizens in the new Member States towards lifelong learning. The present report provides a detailed analysis of this survey. Taking into account the results of an analogous survey in the EU-15 in 2003, the authors try to capture major differences or possibly coherences in the perceptions, needs, motivations and preferences of citizens in the new and old Member States. The results of the 2005 Eurobarometer survey on lifelong learning show that new Member States' citizens are highly conscious about the importance of learning a lifetime, for both economic and social reasons. Results provide evidence that EU policies on lifelong learning gained a foothold in the new Member States. However, details of the analysis reveal the potential for further targeted policy intervention and measures.

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

The focus of this report, which uses longitudinal data to map the dynamics of the youth labour market and to identify factors that are important in securing full-time work, is on the transition to full-time employment of young people who do not go to university. The study reports on the education and labour market activities of a national sample of youth on their leaving school and analyses the influences of social and demographic factors, school and other educational factors, and initial experiences in the labour market on their post-school activity four years after leaving school, focusing on factors influencing being in full-time employment four years after leaving school. The following research and policy issues are addressed: the general youth labour market situation; the influence of social background factors; the effects of education, including school leaving status and vocational education; and the role of prior labour market experiences. The report contains an executive summary, six chapters and five appendices. Following the introduction, chapter two sets the scene for subsequent chapters by presenting and examining the activity profiles of the group of school leavers who did not go to university; chapter three looks at the pathways of young people in the years leaving school to examine the extent of year-to-year movement in and out of activities; chapter four examines the correlates of activities in the first and fourth years after leaving school, investigating social and socioeconomic background, education and training, and labour market experiences; chapter five explores the influences on securing full-time work using a base model comprising factors found in the previous chapter to have significant influence on being in full-time work in the fourth year after leaving school; and the final chapter addresses the policy and research issues. The report does not support ‘crisis’ accounts of the youth labour market and disputes claims that young people who are not fully engaged in full-time work or study are ‘at risk’ of an unsuccessful school-to-work transition. The findings indicate that: 61% of young men and 45% of young women were in full-time employment in the first year after school; by the fourth year, 77% of young men and 64% of young women were working full-time; the effects of post-secondary vocational education other than apprenticeship and traineeship were mixed; full-time study in the first year after leaving school did not increase the odds of being in full-time work in the fourth year; and among those already in full-time work, a TAFE certificate or diploma tended to further increase the chances of staying in full-time work. Show less

This Cedefop-Lifelong Learning Platform joint briefing paper aims to inform European institutions as well as national policy and decision makers on the issue of [an] integrated and holistic approach to lifelong learning. It also provides the context at a high level and share a few recommendations on ways to establish lifelong learning systems at local, regional and national level.

Excerpt from publisher's website. Show less

This research study, funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC), has identified the capabilities that characterise effective academic leaders in a range of roles and has produced resources to develop and monitor these leadership capabilities. It has identified that the core focus for leadership in the current operating context faced by our universities has to be on achieving effective change management and implementation. The approach has been to build upon a decade of studying professional capability, development and change leadership in a range of contexts. The study undertook an extensive international literature review, an online survey, and a series of national and international sector feedback workshops that tested the veracity of the results and identified their key implications. The study found that there was agreement that, in the current context, effective change implementation is a central challenge facing Australian higher education and its leaders, and that developing organisational and individual capabilities to manage change is a key priority. Show less

The Training of Trainers Network (TTnet) was established by CEDEFOP in 1998 as a community forum for communication, cooperation and expertise in the field of training for teachers and trainers of vocational training. This dossier, presented in both French and English, reports on the workshop held in Lisbon in May 2000 to discuss the conditions under which the validation of knowledge gained through experience can be considered a ‘professionalising factor’ for teachers and trainers. The first section, ‘Review of the issue’, contains the following papers: Introduction / Anne de Blignieres-Legeraud; Validation of prior learning in training occupations in Europe / Jens Bjornavold; Validation of prior learning in training occupations / Anne-Marie Charraud. The second section, ‘National contribution’, contains the following papers: Validation of prior learning in training occupations in France / Francoise Gerard; Designing and implementing the national accreditation system of trainers’ training in Greece / Stamatina Diamanti; Validation of competences and the professionalisation of trainers in Austria / Alfred Freundlinger; Accreditation of vocational teachers’ competences in Norway / Ellen Bjerknes; Vocational training markets and the validation of trainer qualifications in Portugal / Horacio Covita. The annex contains a glossary on identification, assessment and recognition of qualifications and competences and transparency and transferability of qualifications. The glossary is an extract from ‘Making learning visible: identification, assessment and recognition of non-formal learning in Europe’ published by CEDEFOP in 2000 and indexed at TD/IRD 88.399. Show less

This journal caters for the interests of academics, decision-makers and practitioners in the field of initial and continuing training and is published three times a year in several official languages: German, English, Spanish and French.

Articles in this issue include: Buchtemann and Soloff attempt to add to the knowledge about the actual links and intermediary variables between human capital investment and economic outcomes; Wurzburg considers issues in financing vocational education and training in the EU, focusing in particular on the questions as to how it can be made affordable; Gasskov looks at the range of financial incentives to increase investment by employers in vocational education and training; West, Pennell and Edge focus on the creation of Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) in England and Wales; Venna questions the possible role of the government in work-oriented training; Atchoarena describes the approaches taken to training in Latin America; Davis provides some insights on some of the factors that influence investment by enterprises in continuing training; Gijsberts looks at the issues and options facing the Russian Government in the financing of vocational education and training; Gorner and Hagedorn provide insights into the employers’ associations’ position on, and the trade unions’ perspective on options for financing vocational training in Germany.

For individual entries see TD/INT 56.29 to TD/INT 56.37. Show less

This report investigates the relationship between post-school plans, family background and having a lifelong learning orientation. It highlights the important role of vocational education and training such as TAFE as an alternative for students with no plans to study at university. Data was drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Youth (LSAY) and the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). The study investigated the post-school plans of young people, with a particular interest in those from families of low socioeconomic background, the factors associated with the development of these plans, and the association between types of post-school plans and predispositions towards lifelong learning. The study suggests that the most important factors for predicting post-school plans are gender, ability and the vocational orientation of the student. An orientation to lifelong learning also has an effect but, according to the LSAY data, only a small one. According to the findings, financial disadvantage is not a barrier to post-school study when students choose to study at TAFE or to pursue other vocational options. Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds were found to be more likely to realise their plans for tertiary education when those plans do not initially involve attending university. Four guiding principles for policy development are proposed: (1) the establishment of a national youth mentoring strategy to enhance support provided to young people by families, communities and schools to enable them to make successful choices about their future employment and/or study; (2) government funding to support schools to develop more diverse and flexible pathways into work and/or post-school education to improve outcomes for all students; (3) incentives for businesses to work with schools and tertiary institutions to provide increased opportunities for mentoring and more effective career counselling to ensure that students are better prepared to make choices about post-school work and study; and (4) improved family and community support systems to better support students’ transition from school to work and the development of positive attitudes towards lifelong learning. Show less

This paper looks at a range of possible approaches to competency assessment in the professions. Wider issues associated with competency-based assessment, and the advantages and disadvantages of various assessment approaches are discussed. The chapters are: Overview; Conceptualising occupational competence: implications for assessment; Setting standards: implications for assessment; Choosing methods of assessment; Maintaining an assessment system.

A companion paper, ‘Establishing competency-based standards in the professions’ is indexed at TD/TNC 87.1474. Show less

Occupational skills profiles (OSPs) describe, in a comprehensive and standardised way, the skill requirements for individual jobs. The aim of the study is to bridge the information gap on occupational profiles by providing essential characteristics required by the economy, in terms of level and field of education and training, as well as other requirements such as knowledge, skills, competence, occupational interests, and work values. OSPs have been developed for several purposes: analysing, projecting and forecasting skill needs; determining and measuring skill mismatches in different countries, sectors, or occupations; comparing skill needs across European countries; and determining change over time.

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