Cedefop newsletter

This is one of the main outcomes of Cedefop's 'Making learning progression a reality - learners in the spotlight' online workshop, which took place on 21 February.

The event was attended by about 200 policymakers, stakeholders, experts and researchers, who had an opportunity to discuss interim findings of the Cedefop's project 'Transparency and transferability of learning outcomes' project and reflect on what has worked well and what has not in the field.

During the discussions, it was acknowledged that significant progress had been made over the last 20 years in enhancing the transparency and portability of qualifications, but also that learners’ mobility still needs enhancements, among others, breaking down silos between different education and training systems, ensuring no learner and type of learning is left behind and maintaining high attention on the importance of lifelong learning.

As Cedefop Executive Director Jürgen Siebel noted, recognising the importance of lifelong learning and understanding what is needed to promote it are essential prerequisites to encourage upskilling and reskilling of individuals.

Build upon EU initiatives

Looking back at the past achievements of EU cooperation in the field, the learning outcomes approach and the European qualifications framework were highlighted as the most successful developments.

It was also acknowledged that it is important to implement fully existing tools like National qualifications frameworks, promote validation arrangements for non-formal and informal learning and leverage digital developments for the portability of learning.

There was agreement on the necessity to:

• Build upon existing EU initiatives and tools and ensure a coherent policy framework that centres on individuals.
• Work towards increasing individuals’ awareness of available options and reducing administrative burdens connected to recognition of skills and qualifications.
• Develop synergies between quality assurance, qualifications frameworks and recognition of skills and qualifications, especially for learning taking place outside formal systems.

The workshop also provided an opportunity for participants to engage in initial reflection on the development of alternative policy scenarios towards 2040. During this part of the discussions, a great deal of emphasis was given to individualised comprehensive and flexible learning.

The tool, a rich source of information on the qualifications frameworks and systems of the 41 countries participating in the European qualifications framework (EQF) process, aims to enhance the transparency and comparability of qualifications and contribute to increasing the mobility of individuals through different education and training sectors, in the labour market and across borders.

By the wealth of information presented, Cedefop aims to make best use of the European Year of Skills to inspire and support all those interested in developing transparent and accessible education and training systems, and those navigating through the various European qualification types.

Policy-makers, researchers and qualification experts can learn about the latest developments regarding the structure and scope of the NQFs and get information on their implementation, impact and future priorities.

Interactive features

But the tool is also addressing members of the wider public who can compare, through the EQF, qualifications from their country with those from all the other countries participating in the EQF process (Qualification comparison) and, in this way, establish which EQF level a given qualification is.

Furthermore, users can access (Overview) an updated list of the NQF websites and of the national qualifications databases and registers. These contain detailed information on qualifications, such as the expected learning outcomes, the awarding body, credits, internal and/or external quality assurance, and entry requirements.

The information displayed in the tool is collected biennially by Cedefop jointly with the European Commission and the European Training Foundation (ETF), in cooperation with countries and the EQF national coordination points. Cedefop also publishes the European inventory of NQFs, where a country-specific report for each of the countries participating in the EQF process can be found.

Detailed information on 2022 developments in the accession and pre-accession countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine) will be available in the second half of 2024.

Key findings and conclusions from the study of the NQF online tool 2024 edition are presented in a policy brief published by Cedefop, while policy-makers, stakeholders, experts and researchers will have an opportunity to reflect on the latest NQF developments and trends across countries participating in the EQF process during a dedicated workshop on 21 March.

Cedefop and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held their 5th Policy learning forum on upskilling pathways on 6 and 7 February, in Brussels. The forums allow countries to learn from one another and explore ways to improve upskilling, reskilling and lifelong skills development, including training for low-skilled adults in Europe.

The first day was dedicated to the challenges of providing upskilling pathways for adults with low qualifications. ‘Promoting upskilling pathways for all adults by no means implies that low-skilled adults no longer deserve our attention – on the contrary. But targeting exclusively the low-skilled is simply not enough, as this would risk overlooking the broader implications of the technological evolution for the entire workforce,’ said Cedefop Deputy Director Mara Brugia.

‘Another concern is the gender segregation of labour markets, which contributes to difficulties filling new vacancies in the face of growing demand. Male-dominated activities, ICT professional services, civil engineering, transport and construction occupations, could benefit from an expanded labour supply pool if more women could access relevant training and jobs. On the other hand, women are over-represented in healthcare, residential care and social work, where work is often undervalued and opportunities for retraining and upskilling are very weak,’ said Cinzia Del Rio, President of the EESC’s Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship.

The discussions were based on the conclusions of the Cedefop thematic country reviews of France and Italy and some preliminary indications from the ongoing review in Croatia. For France, the solutions that emerged most strongly during the roundtable debates included: encouraging approaches to 'reach out' to low-skilled adults (unemployed or employed) and enable them to express their desire to undertake an upskilling pathway; incentivising enterprises to participate in upskilling pathways to support less qualified people (employees and jobseekers); and ensuring 'multi-stakeholder governance' (national, regional and local authorities, partners) at the most appropriate territorial level.

For Italy, it was also about closing the gap between governance and delivery through streamlined multi-stakeholder governance at the most appropriate level, as well as about increasing the effectiveness of communication, including by informal social networks. The Croatian representatives also drew attention to flexible training for low-skilled adults.

The second day focused on learning-conducive work environments, social dialogue and employers' policies. As emphasised in the discussions, their approach needs to go beyond reaction or adaptation, but also to try to be proactive and anticipate change.

Therefore, in addition to studying megatrends, such as demographic change, it is necessary to look at trends, i.e. medium-term shifts and patterns that indicate future needs in terms of learning-conducive work environments. ‘Making workplaces more learning-conducive is critical to reinforcing skills in a shrinking labour force – furthermore, investment in building a learning-conducive environment pays off, increasing companies' profitability and helping them tap into new talent pools,’ said Cedefop Executive Director Jürgen Siebel.

According to Cedefop’s study, the trends with the highest degree of certainty of relevance (apart from the shrinking EU labour force) are that jobs will focus strongly on social and emotional skills, creativity, innovation, complex problem-solving and digital skills. This relates to the shift towards more human-centred skills less likely to be automated or replaced by machines. Other trends include an increasingly fragmented working life, an increasingly fast pace of change in jobs, a greater need for adaptability on the part of the working population, and an increasingly fluid and dynamic learning process.

Currently fewer than 1 in 5 companies, according to Cedefop’s studies, take advantage of boosting business performance through higher investment in skills development. This calls for improvements in numbers, while future challenges also require a ‘cultural shift from a fixed to a growth mindset’, which means ‘creating an environment where people feel encouraged, safe, learn to grow and develop their skills.’

Another of the dozen desirable features of learning-conducive work environments presented at the forum was personalised learning pathways, i.e. going beyond the ‘fit-for-all’ pattern of training and recognising informal learning. The importance of the Pact for Skills, launched by the European Commission in 2020, was also emphasised. Its aim is to get public and private organisations together and encourage them to make concrete commitments to upskilling and reskilling adults.

‘The process of lifelong learning is now the responsibility of employees themselves. However, it improves the quality of their work in terms of the productivity competitiveness of companies in the global market. Hence, companies also have a responsibility to plan and organise their activities in such a way as to provide training opportunities through collective agreements and the social dialogue. We need a forward-looking industrial strategy including skills policies that are truly effective because they involve everyone, workers and employers,’ said Carlos Trindade, President of the EESC’s Labour Market Observatory.

A variety of speakers and around 200 participants discussed the challenges and opportunities in manufacturing and retail.

In her opening remarks, the European Commission’s Head of Unit Vocational Education and Training (VET) Chiara Riondino expressed her enthusiasm about the lively participation of people in Europe and beyond, adding that ‘microcredentials are very flexible and everybody can use them to upgrade their skills.’

Cedefop Head of Department for VET and Qualifications Loukas Zahilas talked about the Agency’s work on the topic, stressing that ‘Cedefop provides insights into the changing nature of qualifications and credential systems in Europe.’

Cedefop expert Anastasia Pouliou gave an overview of the Agency’s work on microcredentials for labour market and highlighted their significance in the manufacturing sector, drawing on Cedefop’s 2022 mapping exercise.

The implications of microcredentials for manufacturing were presented by the European Federation’s for Welding, Joining and Cutting Adelaide Almeida and Iñigo Araiztegui Arraiz, of the Basque VET Applied Research Centre Tknica.

Additional insights into microcredentials in the retail sector were provided by Cedefop expert Iraklis Pliakis, while two cases were presented by the Swedish Retail and Wholesale Council CEO Mats Johansson and Cristina Dimas from Portugal’s Vocational Training Centre for the Commerce and Services Sectors (CECOA).

The session concluded with an open discussion on the benefits and challenges of microcredentials in the two sectors, led by European Commission VET policy officer Isabel Ladrón Arroyo.

The activity was a valuable opportunity to share knowledge and experiences. While it is undeniable that microcredentials have the potential to meet European citizens’, companies’ and countries’ diverse education and labour market needs, further comprehensive and context-sensitive research is needed.

Cedefop will continue its work in the field by launching a new research study in 2024.

You can watch a recording of the event here.