Enhancing Vocational Education in the European Context

1. ROMANIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND YOUTH NATIONAL CENTER FOR DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION UNIT Phare TVET Vocational education and training in the perspective of lifelong learning – European context– Madlen Şerban Sinaia, 14th of May 2009

2. ”Vocational education and training 2010” • Priorities of the vocational training 2008-2010 • Using European tools and mechanisms • in the field of vocational education and training • 2. Improving the quality and attractiveness of vocational education and training • 3. Increasing the correlation of the VET offer with the labor market demand • 4. Efficient government and cooperation in VET

3. 1. Using European tools and mechanisms in the field of vocational education and training Purpose: Improving transparency of qualifications and promoting mobility Premises: - Qualifications describes based on learning outcomes; - Operational mechanisms of quality assurance; - Coherent implementation of the European instruments.

4. 1. Using European tools and mechanisms in the field of vocational education and training • Measures: • 1.1. Elaborating the necessary instruments for implementing mechanism regarding • EQF and ECVET: • commonmethodologies to all member states for qualifications described by means of the learning outcomes; • instruments and methodologies for common competences at the sector level; • European networks supporting the development of EQF and ECVET with sectoral representativeness; • drafts for learning validation in nonformal and informal contexts combined with the used of ECVET, valorized in the context of the National Qualifications Framework; • quality assurance instruments.

5. 1. Using European tools and mechanisms in the field of vocational education and training • Measures: • 1.2. Improving coherence of various instruments (by means of experimenting) • Europass, EQF, ECVET; • ECTS and ECVET, in the perspective of lifelong learning.

6. 2. Improving the quality and attractiveness of vocational education and training Purpose: Increasing attractiveness, accessibility and quality will allow VET to have an important role in the educational policies and strategies regarding lifelong learning in the view of achieving the following 2 objectives : • Promoting simultaneously equity, competitiveness and innovation (double role of the education: social and economic); • Facilitating the possibility that the citizens may acquire the competences necessary for changing a job, making use of an active citizenship and personal development.

7. 2. Improving the quality and attractiveness of vocational education and training Measures: • Measures aiming access to disadvantaged groups: 1.1. Measures on the disadvantaged groups in the risk of marginalization, in particular those that drop-out of school and have a low level of qualifications or no qualification at all; 1.1.1. Acquiring key competences as prerequisite for VET; 1.1.2. Consolidating partnerships in schools, local actors (including local public authorities) and the business environment; 1.2. Eliminating any type of discrimination with respect to access and participation to VET; 1.2.1. Providing access both to women and men;

8. 2. Improving the quality and attractiveness of vocational education and training Measures: • Measures aiming to provide access to disadvantaged groups: 1.3. Promoting VET among students, parents, adults; 1.3.1 Promoting excellence in VET through European competitions (ex: Euroskills) ; 1.3.2. Promoting best practices on successful career by acquiring professional qualifications; 1.4. Improving counseling and guidance throughout the entire life. The recommendation in December 2008 on Lifelong counseling suggests: - promoting counseling for the duration of professional training and during the transition from school to job; • promoting adult counseling systems.

9. 2. Improving the quality and attractiveness of vocational education and training Measures: • Measures at the VET system 2.1. Promoting innovation and creativity in VET 2.2. Improving permeability of the VET system and continuous learning in VET in higher education through: - developing qualifications based on the learning outcomes both in VET and in higher education; - correlation of 2 systems and their specific study prorammes 2.3. Promoting active participation ENQA - VET

10. 2. Improving the quality and attractiveness of vocational education and training Measures: • Measures at the level of VET system 2.4. Developing the professional profile of actors involved in VET (teachers, trainers, counselors) by: - the vocational training of teachers/trainers with the main priority of technologic development, labor market demand and society; - promoting teachers’ and trainers’ mobility 2.5. Establishing VET policies on relevant data and research results by means of: - researches measoring the efficiency of VET systems; - relevant statistic data for progress assessment and monitoring allowing also comparability between countries

11. 3.Increasing the correlation of the VET offer with the labor market demand Purpose: Adapting VET policies to the demands of the labor market and involving social partners for a more secure career development and increasing competitiveness Measures: • Developing anticipatory planning instruments focused on jobs and competences One takes into account the Recommendation in December 2008 on “New competences for new jobs”aiming to offer an answer to the short term work force deficit and medium term competence forecast (both quantitative and qualitative), following, in the order of priorities, the SME needs These will be achieved by: • developing anticipatory planning instruments at the European level from the 2020 perspective; • creating sector monitoring centers that will identify the needs of qualifications, occupations and jobs at the regional, national and European level

12. 3.Increasing the correlation of the VET offer with the labor market Measures: 2. Corelating VET with the labor market includes: • involving the social partners in drafting, implementing and assessing VET policies; • consolidating the collaboration between the professional associations and those of social partners and the business environment, in particular through collaboration projects between the representatives of education systems and social partners; • rendering efficient mechanisms, including the financial ones, specific for adult training, especially on the job and in SME (The Action plan for adult education and training adopted by the European Council in May 2008); • developing and implementing the validation and recognition of learning outcomes acquired in a nonformal and informal context.

13. 3.Increasing the correlation of the VET offer with the labor market Measures: 3. Increasing the mobility of persons participating in training courses based on on-the-job learning considering, in particular, initial vocational training,, as follows: - implementing the recommendations of the European work group for mobility; - the transfer and recognition of the learning outcomes acquired on the period of mobility in the context of using the EQF and ECVET; - creating long time partners between the vocational training organizers and the practice organizers.

14. 3.Increasing the correlation of the VET offer with the labor market Measures: 4. Increasing the contribution of higher education to lifelong learning and professional integration by means of: • encouraging the continuous vocational training for adults in the higher education; • implementing the validity of informal and nonformal learning outcomes in higher education; • developing the study programmes oriented on providing the employment of graduates in the higher education; • implementing the conclusion of the charter made by EUR sent to the ministers of education.

15. 4.Efficient government of the Copenhagen process and cooperation in VET Purpose: Consolidating the Copenhagen Process and ensuring the coherence of specific policies in VET, theoretic secondary education and higher education Measures: • Improvement of the European cooperation in VET by : • Increasing the coordination of activities of work groups and active networks at the European level as well as the dissemination of recommendations formulated in view of informing the VET policies at the European and national level; • Determining new work methods and modalities for experience exchanges at the local level and informing national policies regarding the results received in these activities; • Involving the multiple actors in creating and implementing the specific TVET instruments, as well as rendering efficient the national consults; • Increasing the efficiency of the collaboration between the European Commission and Member States.

16. 4.Efficient government of the Copenhagen process and cooperation in VET Measures: • Ensuring the implementation and monitoring of the Copenhagen Process by means of: • financing the European Social Fund of the reforms in the VET domain; • using the facilities of the LLL integrated programme; • continuing work in the field of statistics, indicators, benchmark in collaboration with Eurostat, OECD, CEDEFOP, ETF.

17. 4.Efficient government of the Copenhagen process and cooperation in VET Measures: 3. Increasing visibility of the Copenhagen Process by means: • Presenting the contribution to the Process upon achieving the Lisbon objectives; • Explaining connections between the Copenhagen Process and the Bologna Process; • Ensuring the visibility of the vocational training from the perspective of its essential role within the European Process on the vocational education and training; • Increasing the connection between the Copenhagen process with the policies on the pre-university education, multilingualism and adult education.

18. 4.Efficient government of the Copenhagen process and cooperation in VET Measures: 4. Consolidating experience exchanges and cooperation with third countries and international organizations with a continuous: • experience exchange and cooperation with third countries, especially with those involved in the process of European integration and participating in neighbor polices, withthe ETF support; • promoting mechanism and instruments of the Copenhagen process in third countries; • collaborating with international organizations such as : UNESCO, Council of Europe, OECD.

19. Strategic documents based on assessments from EU Member States • The Copenhagen Statement (November 30, 2002) • Maastricht Communiqué (December 14, 2004) • Helsinki Communiqué (December 5, 2006) • BordeauxCommuniqué(November 27, 2008) • Followed by BrugesCommuniqué în December 6 – 7, 2010 (the assessment will be made in the period October –February 15 2010)

20. ROMANIA • MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND YOUTH • NATIONAL CENTER FOR DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING • PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION UNIT Phare TVET Thank you for your attention! vet@tvet.ro Tel: 021 3111162 or 021 312 1161 Fax: 021 312 54 98