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'Live and learn', the European Training Foundation (ETF) magazine, is a twice yearly publication which provides readers with an insight into the different areas of work of the ETF and the many topics it is involved in. This issue contains the following vocational education and training (VET) related articles: 'Arab women: making themselves at home in the workplace' (p. 5-7), which reports on how the number of Arab women in the labour market has been steadily increasing over the past three decades and outlines remaining obstacles to equality in the workplace; 'The European Qualifications Framework' by Vincent McBride (p. 8-9), which updates a major consultation currently underway about the possibility of a European Qualifications Framework and outlines the key features of the proposed framework; 'The European Agency for Reconstruction and the ETF: a successful partnership' by Richard Zink (p. 10-12), which reports on the cooperative work between the two agencies in addressing VET and labour market development issues in the various countries of the Western Balkans; 'It takes more than learning to read to reduce poverty' by Peter Grootings (p. 19-22), which examines how, in 2006, the ETF will dedicate some of its key activities and publications to education and training for poverty reduction; 'Skills and work in the informal economy in Albania: a case study from Tirana' by Eduarda Castel Branco (p. 23-27), which presents the key findings from a recent field study to analyse the skills and qualifications of informal sector operators, their motivations for working in the sector, and the role of skills and qualifications, with the results providing some directions for policies and measures to create pathways out of informal work and its associated insecurities. The ETF held a regional advisory forum for Mediterranean countries in Madrid from 28-30 September. The following articles report on aspects of the forum: 'Regional Advisory Forum: the clearinghouse for education and training reform' (p. 13-14), which provides a brief report on the forum in which the ETF informed participants of its activities in the region during 2005 and its plans for 2006, and participants provided feedback to the ETF on the effectiveness of its initiatives in VET in the region; '10th anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean partnerships: Barcelona process produces mixed results' (p. 15-18), which reports on the contribution to VET and labour market reform of the initiative launched in Barcelona in November 1995 to build a 'common space of peace, security and shared prosperity around the Mediterranean'. Show less

This issue contains the following vocational education and training (VET) related articles: ‘Croatia takes qualifications framework to the highest level: developing a future-proof qualifications system’ by Ard Jongsma (p. 4-5), Croatian education has a history of public disobedience. Its institutions are strong and individual and have in the past repeatedly and successfully defied legal decisions that were thrust upon them from above. It is no easy country for decision makers to regulate centrally. But is this a drawback of an advantage in the development of a national qualifications framework, something which requires broad consultation throughout the process of definition and implementation?; ‘World Bank and European Commission speak with single voice on Ukrainian VET’ by Rebecca Warden (p. 7), a World Bank-European Commission joint initiative is working with the Ukrainian government and employers on how to make the education system more responsive to the needs of the labour market; ‘Why employers are the ones pushing for change in Ukrainian VET: getting involved in improving the quality of training reform’ by Rebecca Warden (p. 8-9), employers are the driving force pushing for change in the Ukrainian VET system. In some countries, the ETF finds it hard to get employers involved in the process of VET reform, but in Ukraine it is the employers rather than the authorities who are taking the lead in moves to improve the quality of training. Shortages of qualified labour and a lack of political will to take action have brought them to the forefront; ‘ETF expertise highly valued in Egypt: policy statement provides basis for TVET reform’ by Outi Karkkainen (p. 12), the ETF’s work in Egypt has been given high marks by a recent evaluation, which concluded that its work there ‘has been highly relevant’ with respect to the Egyptian Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) reform process, national priorities and European Union (EU) policies; ‘ETF contributes to development of apprenticeship in Morocco: increasing opportunities offered by apprenticeship by Armand Chauvel (p. 13-15), apprenticeship is a key issue in Morocco. In one of its major economic areas, agriculture, 23,000 apprentices completed training between 2000 and 2008 and the goal is to increase this figure to 60,000 between 2008 and 2012 and to 180,000 between 2008 and 2020; ‘Armenia demonstrates policy leaning in action: Armenian VET has come a long way since independence’ by Ard Jonsgma (p. 16-17), Levon Mkrtchyan, until recently Armenia’s veteran minister of education, supplies the inside story of the country’s drive to reform its VET system in an interview with the ETF: Armenia’s VET system has come a long way since the dramatic days following the break-up of the Soviet Union; ‘How to involve social partners in your TVET system: EU and Moroccan study visit to the Czech Republic’ by Abdelaziz Jaouani (p. 18-19), bringing social partners onboard is one of the best ways of making sure VET students will find work when they graduate; ‘The ETF in the Balkans: helping boost human capital on the road to the EU: ETF and Italian government conference in Rome discusses importance of education reform in the Balkans’ by Fernando Heller (p. 20-21), the importance of strengthening human capital in the Balkans to enable their societies to take on future challenges with a view to joining the EU was underlined in October, in Rome by representatives of the Italian government and the Balkan countries in the conference ‘Human capital to develop the Balkans’, sponsored by the European Training Foundation; and ‘The EQF: a tool for greater transparency in education’ by Fernando Heller (p. 22), the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) acts as a translation device to make national qualifications more readable across Europe. It is a common instrument which links national qualifications systems together, promoting workers’ and learners’ mobility between countries and thus facilitating lifelong learning. ETF expert Vincent McBride tells ‘Live & learn’ more in this interview, in view of the upcoming EQF conference to be held next January in France. Show less

‘Live and learn’, the European Training Foundation (ETF) magazine, is a twice yearly publication which provides readers with an insight into the different areas of work of the ETF and the many topics it is involved in. This issue contains the following vocational education and training (VET) related articles: ‘What is good for us is good for our neighbours’ by Ard Jongsma (p. 3-5), in which Jan Figel, the new European Union (EU) Commissioner for Education and Training, explains how the changes to support the development and reform of education and training systems across the EU will impact on the future work of the ETF; ‘Technology-enhanced learning’ by Muriel Dunbar (p. 6-7), which looks at the results of a survey of e-learning in the countries of south-eastern Europe; ‘Europass: taking skills and competencies a step further’ (p. 8-10), which reports on the launch of the new European education and training passport, its benefits and implications for the open EU labour market, and the role of the ETF in helping to prepare future Member States for the adoption of the passport; ‘Financing human capital’ by Albert Tuijnman (p. 11-14), which examines the role of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in supporting education and training across the EU and future priority investments to promote human capital development and access to high quality education and training in developing areas such as the Western Balkans; ‘Career guidance policies in acceding and candidate countries’ by Helmut Zelloth, Dragana Gligorijevic, and Ronald Sultana (p. 17-20), which reports on policy initiatives at European level and the outcome of ETF reviews that reveal the major weakness in the area of career guidance as being the lack of cross-sector collaboration, and identify key challenges in the area; ‘Informal labour market activity in partner countries: an unexplored area that needs closer analysis’ by Eduarda Castel-Branco (p. 24-27), which examines available data on informal labour market activities in transition societies, particularly the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) zone; ‘National qualifications frameworks: part of the policy landscape’ by Vincent McBride (p. 28-31), which investigates what constitutes such frameworks, their reference levels or common benchmarks against which to align different qualifications, methods for quality assurance and for recognising prior learning, and ETF projects in the area. Show less

This issue contains the following vocational education and training (VET) related articles: 'We need a reform of minds' by Nick Holdsworth (p. 4-6), as lead spokesman on education during the Czech Republic's presidency of the European Union [EU], Ondrej Liska has both the experience and, at the age of 31, the youthfulness to understand the importance of learning to the development of Europe's human capital; 'Madlen Serban to start work in Turin this Summer' (p. 7), Madlen Serban, 52, Director of the National Centre for Technical and VET in Romania, has been appointed as the next Director of the European Training Foundation [ETF]; 'The outward-looking Moroccan economy within the framework of globalisation' by Rebecca Warden (p. 8-9), as a country open to foreign investment, it is crucial, that Morocco has the means to certify qualifications and experience; 'Mounir Baati, an integrating force between the ETF and the Maghreb region' by Rebecca Warden (p. 10), in the early 1990s, in his early career in the Tunisian Ministry of Education, Mounir Baati, a graduate of the Tunis National School of Administration (ENA), opted to specialise in VET; 'Fifteen years of learning: the ETF celebrates a decade and a half of development' by Ard Jongsma (p. 11-13), it was 15 years ago that the ETF opened its doors in Turin to assist countries outside the EU in making the best possible choices when preparing their citizens for tomorrow's society and labour market; 'The case for entrepreneurship education has never been stronger: challenges for entrepreneurial learning in the pre-accession region' by Anthony Gribben and Simona Rinaldi (p. 14-15), the stakes have never been higher for European economies as the world of enterprise and governments grapple with the squeal of the global economic downturn, including business closures, job losses, wage constraints and broader concerns as to the economic uncertainty generated by the financial crisis; 'European Qualifications Framework [EQF]: contributing to a global trend in education: major international conference on qualification frameworks' by Rebecca Warden (p. 16-18), the EQF is coming of age, but how this meta-framework is interacting with other frameworks emerging around the world is not so clear. Will what works for Europe also work for other regions? Are the needs of developing countries better served by a different model? What can EU countries learn from the experience of others?; 'Fresh faces for the ETF governing board' by Rebecca Warden (p. 19), experts from France, Greece and the UK will represent the European Parliament; 'ETF aims to tap into the expertise of new EU members: how new Member States can pass the baton' by Ard Jongsma (p. 20-21), five years after accession, countries such as Poland and Hungary have made good use of the lessons learnt during the accession process. The ETF now wants to tap into their expertise for the benefit of other partner countries; 'Being employed does not prevent migration' by Rebecca Warden (p. 22-23), a new report, 'Migration and skills: Moldova, Albania, Egypt and Tunisia' by the ETF and the World Bank, aims to unravel the complex relationship between migration and skills; 'Kosovo embarks on career education: Ministry of Science and Technology supports pilot activities' by Helmut Zelloth (p. 24-25), Kosovo is on the move - and in the area of support services for young people attempting to better manage the difficult transition from education to work it is a similar story. An EU funded project (KOSVET) supporting the development of VET in Kosovo was successfully completed in March 2009. It included a career guidance component aiming to prepare young people and graduates for their future jobs and to enable them to make more informed decisions for their professional life; and 'Inform: ETF launches policy briefings' by Ard Jongsma (p. 26), the ETF has launched a new way of communicating the results of its work to policy makers and experts around the world. Up to 10 policy briefings a year will support broader and more convenient access to information that until now could only be accessed through often bulky specialist reports. Show less

'Live and learn', the European Training Foundation (ETF) magazine, is a twice yearly publication which provides readers with an insight into the different areas of work of the ETF and the many topics it is involved in. This issue contains the following vocational education and training (VET) related articles: 'An advantage, not an obstacle' by Anne Jenson (p. 4-7); 'Everyone has a right to a better life: Italian minister Emma Bonino vists the ETF' (p. 8-9); 'Can VET institutions help to reduce poverty' by Eduarda Castel-Branco (p. 10-13); 'The new learning paradigm in Portugal: Novas Oportunidades' (p. 14-17); 'Involving ethnic groups in education' (p. 18-21); 'Understanding change' by Patrick Grabolle (p. 22-24); 'Dissecting the transition from education to work: highlights of a new ETF publication' (p. 25-27) [the full report is indexed at TD/TNC 91.249]; 'Annual Forum measures the progress of MEDA-ETE project in 2007' (p. 28-31); and 'The effect of ETF intervention' by Outi Karkainnen (p. 32-35). Show less

This issue contains the following vocational education and training (VET) related articles: 'Cooperation on education - making a difference to ordinary people's lives: Europe's education Commissioner on qualifications frameworks' by Rebecca Warden (p. 4-6), Jan Figel, Europe's Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth talks to the [European Training Foundation] ETF about the advantages of the European Qualifications Framework [EQF] and why entrepreneurial learning will be important in 2009; 'New regulation: a historic day for the ETF' by Bent Sorensen (p. 7-8), on Tuesday 16 December 2008, the European Parliament adopted a regulation reforming the mandate and governance of ETF; 'Francesco Panzica - the changing role of the ETF in Serbia: fourteen years of service to VET and labour market reform' by Rebecca Warden (p. 9), the ETF's country manager for Serbia, Francesco Panzica, has the distinction of working for the ETF before it even existed; 'Serbia country focus: reforms begin in earnest in Serbia' by Rebecca Warden (p. 10-11), European Union cooperation with Serbia has taken on a fresh impetus since the new government assumed power in April 2008. After years of relative isolation, the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Serbia and the [European Union] EU in April 2008 was a significant milestone. The agreement will strengthen trade and political links and paves the way for Serbia to be considered for EU accession at a later date; 'Education goes global with the ETF's contribution' by Fernando Heller (p. 12), the EQF was conceived as an instrument to promote internal mobility within the European single market. It is a common instrument which links national qualifications systems together, promoting worker mobility. ETF expert Vincent McBride tells 'Live and learn' why the EQF can be used as a 'link between local and global experiences' in education and training and why the European model can be a 'source of inspiration' for other countries; 'VET in Central Asia: the ETF as facilitator' by Fernando Heller (p. 13), VET has been marginalized for years in the debate on education reforms, but in recent times it has been back on government and donor reform agendas. To capitalize on its long experience in VET, the ETF is promoting an increased exchange of experience between the five Central Asian countries, looking at their challenges, plans and lessons learned in VET; 'Turin schools social inclusion: Balkan network studies Turin's drive for social inclusion' by Ard Jongsma (p. 14-15), a city with more than 100 different nationalities among its citizens, Turin has a lot of experience to share with its Balkan counterparts who are confronted with the dilemmas of social exclusion and the role that education and training can play in fighting it; 'MEDA-ETE dissemination days: MEDA-ETE - positive proof that countries can learn from each other' by Rebecca Warden (p. 16-17), after four years of hard work building regional cooperation, the MEDA Education and Training for Employment (MEDA-ETE) project is entering its final phase, that of publicising the results. Dissemination days have been held in nine participating countries, keeping the MEDA-ETE team constantly on the move from late October through to the last event in Ankara on 16 December last year; 'Enterprise spirit must break out of business schools: entrepreneurial learning - showing us how to get by in uncertain times' by Rebecca Warden (p. 18-19), the need for our education systems to teach people how to be entrepreneurial, take risks and seize new opportunities has been working its way up the political agenda for some time. The current economic crisis is only making this clearer as people realise that a range of new skills will be necessary if they are to weather the storm; and 'Is the new understanding of skills reflected in ways of measuring human capital?' by Siria Taurelli (p. 20-21), Siria Taurelli is ETF country manager for Moldova and project manager for knowledge management. She recently returned from a 13-month secondment to the World Bank in Washington where her work focused on how to measure human capital. While education policy thinking is constantly evolving, the same cannot be said for the ways of measuring human capital. In this article, Ms Taurelli looks at the mismatch in detail and explains why organisations such as the ETF should strive to back up their innovative policy thinking with equally innovative data, statistics and indicators. Show less