Search Results

European goals related to 'lifelong learning' and the development of a 'knowledge-based society' can only be attained if the organisations in which people work are also organisations in which they learn. This means that work organisations must also become learning organisations. Thus, people are learning from their work - they are learning as they work. The aim is to build organisations that are continuously learning how to be more productive, while at the same time, individual members of these organisations are developing themselves through their work. This book, the second of a two-volume publication [volume I is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 74.115], is a reader comprising 15 papers, written by different experts, that present the work of a number of individual European projects. As well as exploring the meaning of the learning organisation, these papers present case studies and examine the role of human resource development and education and training actors in supporting learning organisations. Part one, 'The meaning of the learning organisation', contains: Developmental learning - a condition for organisational learning / Per-Erik Ellstrom; Challenges and open questions raised by the concept of the learning organisation / Martin Fisher; How organisations learn - a theory of learning and organisational development / Hans-Werner Franz; Competing perspectives on workplace learning and the learning organisation / Alan Brown, Ewart Keep; The conundrum of the learning organisation - instrumental and emancipatory theories of learning / Peter Cressey, Michael Kelleher. Part two, 'Organisational learning realities in different contexts', contains: Social dialogue and organisational learning / Michael Kelleher, Peter Cressey; Implementing organisational change in British Telecom / Peter Cressey; Banking on learning - the Deutsche Bank Corporate University / Daniela Reimann; Stimulating a thirst for learning - the case of the Guinness Dublin brewery / John Findlater; Learning to network - the transformation of a social research institute / Hans-Werner Franz; The relationship between critical reflection and learning - experiences within Dutch companies / Marianne van Woerkom, Wim J. Nijhof, Loek Nieuwenhuis. Part three, 'Human resource development in support of organisational learning', contains: The learning organisation and HRD in the knowledge economy / Massimo Tomassini; The changing role of HRD practitioners in learning-oriented organisations / Sally Sambrook, Jim Stewart, Saskia Tjepkema; Experiences of HRD consultants in supporting organisational learning / Rob Poell, Geoff Chivers; Human resource development in Europe - at the crossroads / Barry Nyhan.

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

Level descriptors are essential elements of national qualifications frameworks (NQF) established and implemented across Europe. They define what is meant by learning outcomes, describing what an individual is expected to know, be able to do and understand, having acquired a qualification at a particular level. This publication provides an updated overview of NQF level descriptors of 39 countries participating in [European Qualifications Framework] EQF implementation [an overview published in 2013 is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 114.77]. It shows that all 39 countries taking part have now defined - and for a large part adopted - their levels of learning outcomes. The analysis illustrates the influence of the EQF on national level descriptors, and demonstrates how countries have adjusted and further developed the learning outcomes approach according to national needs and priorities. National level descriptors have mostly been developed through extensive dialogue between different stakeholders. This report celebrates the 10th anniversary of the EQF in 2018 and its further implementation, as anchored in the revised EQF recommendation (2017).

Abstract from publisher's website. Show less

Improving the quality of European education and training systems is one of the pillars of Europe's strategy to become a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy by 2020. This publication aims to provide policy and decision-makers with recommendations to help them develop a culture of evaluation and continuous improvement in schools and training institutions in Europe. It highlights a number of key messages to promote external evaluation and self-assessment and ensure the quality of education and training provision. Recommendations in this publication are based on the discussions of two peer learning study visits for high level policy and decision-makers organised in Vilnius and Hamburg in 2010 and a workshop Cedefop organised in Bonn in February 2011 on enhancing quality on schools and [vocational education and training] VET institutions. The study visits programme organises approximately 20 visits each year allowing decision-makers and practitioners to identify practical examples of good practice and explore issues related to quality in education and vocational training with their peers from other European countries.

Abstract from CEDEFOP website. Show less

A strong [vocational education and training] VET system is increasingly seen as essential to overcoming the current economic crisis in Europe. VET is seen as a powerful tool to assist in balancing labour market inefficiencies, increasing youth employment possibilities, and reducing skills mismatch. Its inherent flexibility and closeness to the labour market place VET in a good position to contribute to a faster economic recovery and long-term sustainable development. However, crucial for this role is continuous and systematic VET renewal that assures its relevance for the labour market. This publication explores 15 European national approaches to feedback mechanisms between VET and the labour market. It illustrates the diversity of solutions currently applied across Europe and how they are embedded in national traditions and education philosophy. The study asks three fundamental questions: how inclusive are national mechanisms for feedback between the VET system and the labour market; how responsive are existing mechanisms; and how transparent?

Published abstract. Show less

This report draws both on literature review and an original collection of stories from biographical interviews of individuals in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Poland and the UK. The narrative accounts describe the wide variety of experiences with initial and further education. The analysis focuses on motivations for learning (or not) and the findings confirm that early negative experiences with schooling have a scarring effect inhibiting workers' willingness to re-engage in education later in life. Nevertheless, many low-educated adults command a variety of skills, which they have developed in the work context, while the interest of the low-educated in education and training may be rekindled by making learning instrumental to improvement in their work situation.

Abstract from publisher's website. Show less

Supporting the rapid growth in the ageing population is one of EU's greatest challenges, placing the care sector high on policy agendas. Demographic change, technological advancements and poor working conditions exercise pressure on care workers' employment and skills. This policy brief discusses developments in the employment and skills of care sector workers, and the role that vocational education and training (VET) can play in support, building on Cedefop's skills forecast and online job advertisement analysis.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

This booklet, based on data from Eurostat's New Cronos database, contains key figures on vocational education and training (VET) and VET-related topics in Europe. Data suggests that: the educational level is comparatively higher in candidate countries than in European Union (EU) Member States; the higher the level of education, the lower the risks of unemployment; the vocational stream predominates in upper secondary education; most participants in VET programs mainly attend an education and training establishment; most participants in VET programs are aged between 15 and 24; and proportion of enterprises providing continuing vocational training (CVT) increases with size. The contents are: Introduction; Background information on the education and training system; Vocational education and training; Continuing vocational education and training; Methodological notes. Show less

This report begins with an analysis of guidance as an educational process, particularly in the areas of transmission, processing and acquisition of knowledge and skills. It is seen as an integral part of educational activities and not merely the provision of information. To help the research, some essential reference terms are re-defined: 'low skilled', 'young people', 'guidance' and 'needs'. The report is in four chapters: (1) guidance as a training process: a theoretical framework; (2) research on the situation and life circumstances of young people; (3) the need to redefine the terms of the problem; and (4) hypotheses and proposals. The report concludes with four recommendations for the support and encouragement of low-skilled young people at the start of their training and work, and an acknowledgement of the difficulties they face in the current social environment. Show less

This report, which describes a study conducted through a literature search and a two-month visit to the People’s Republic of China, is organised in three parts. In the first part, the general situation and historical development of the Chinese education system is discussed. Topics include the structural features of the country, party and state, population distribution and development, level of education, the socioeconomic framework, historical development, philosophical roots, the state bureaucracy and examination system, craft guilds and apprenticeships, development of a public education system, and the education system since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. The second section of the report examines structures and problems. These include the education system in the early 1980s, vocational education, adult education, vocational education teachers, competencies and forms of cooperation, financing, and characteristics of the Chinese employment system. The final section of the report presents 18 recommendations to improve vocational education and job training in China. A list of terms used in the study is given in English and Chinese, and a table present statistics on Chinese schools and universities from 1949 to 1983.

ERIC abstract. Show less

This Cedefop policy brief is based on an empirical piece of work carried out in Greece and Portugal. The work tested if, and under what conditions, intra-EU relocation of refugees based on skills and labour market needs in countries of relocation may work. The central element of a skills-based solution is matching refugees' skills and qualifications with labour market needs in a potential receiving country that offers adult refugees a clear perspective of employment and a clear route to self-reliance. Such skills-based solutions to protection would offer an additional pathway to refugees to move legally from third countries to the EU, as well as within the EU. Experience gained indicates six ways in which progress can be made to expand relocation in Europe based on refugees' skills and labour market needs.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less