“Establishing an European Network for Anticipating Skill Needs in the Commerce Sector”

1. “Establishing an European Network for Anticipating Skill Needs in the Commerce Sector” Third Regional Conference in Athens September, 27 2010 Susanna Casellato Fondazione Giacomo Rumor Centro Produttività Veneto

2. Fondazione Giacomo Rumor Centro Produttività Veneto • Established in 1952 with the Marshall Plan experiments • 1994  Foundation. Its founders and supporters include five Chambers of Commerce from the Veneto Region, the Council of the Province of Vicenza, the main Trade Associations and State and private bodies. • Main activities: • Training activities: • Short-term training courses addressed to companies, public bodies and other institutions • Long-term training courses for unemployed are mainly financed by the ESF and other EU-funded programmes

3. Fondazione Giacomo Rumor Centro Produttività Veneto Information activities: conferences, conventions and Study Groups thematic trips The Study Groups constitute the backbone of CPV and they aim at promoting the exchange of information and knowledge between entrepreneurs, managers and technicians by organising conferences, meetings and study visits  Trade and Marketing Management Assistance from the Technological Information Counter Patent Information Office New Enterprise Information Desk International activities and European Community projects member of the European Association of National Productivity Centres (EANCP) and of CIOS (World Council of Management. partner in many international co-operation projects funded by the European Commission and by the Italian Government.

4. EU-funded pilot projects on EQF and ECVET Be-TWIN – Testing a joint ECVET-ECTS implementation RECOMFOR S.E.S.A.M.O. Testing and Implementing EQF- and ECVET-Principles in Trade Organizations and Education

5. ESF-funded regional pilot projects ARGO Accreditare le Competenze non formali ed informali a Garanzia dell’Occupabilità Driving towards EQF - Definire Risultati di apprendImento Verso la formazione INtegrata superiore riorGanizzata Metodologie innovative ed accreditamento delle competenze per una formazione integrata in chiave europea

6. Transnational Mobility Project Since 2003  CPV – Representing Italy at the LLP Leonardo da Vinci Anniversary and thematic seminar on Mobility on November, 09-10 in Antwerp and Brussels Some figures: IVT Measure: Initial Vocational Training Students 2004 - Careers Promotion VI – 95 placements 2005 - Careers Promotion II – 99 placements 2006 - Careers Promotion III – 150 placements 2007 - Careers Promotion IV – 165 placements 2008 - Careers Promotion V – 200 placements 2008 – Eurotour – 45 placements 2010 – Careers Promotion – 190 placements Total: 944 placements

7. Transnational Mobility Projects Since 2003  CPV – Representing Italy at the LLP Leonardo da Vinci Anniversary and thematic seminar on Mobility on November, 09-10 in Antwerp and Brussels Some figures: PLM Measure: young graduates 2007 - Expert training – 40 placements 2009 – EUROTRAINING NETWORK - 40 placements 2010 – EUROPEAN TRAINING - 40 placements Total: 180 beneficiaries

8. Transnational Mobility Projects Since 2003  CPV – Representing Italy at the LLP Leonardo da Vinci Anniversary and thematic seminar on Mobility on November, 09-10 in Antwerp and Brussels VETPRO: Professionals in vocational education and training 2006 - EUROTUTOR – 49 exchanges 2008 - VETPROF Mobility – 111 exchanges 2008 – N.ET.W.O.RK. (teachiNing compETences Within a eurOpean framewoRK) – 50 exchanges 2009 – MOBINET MObility Network for Trainers – 24 exchanges 2010 – NETWORK 2 – 97 exchanges Total: 331 teachers involved

9. Efforts and main issues • CPV has been making efforts to institutionalize the projects’ approaches and results at the national/regional and sectoral levels mainly developing along two complementary directions: • Increasing the transparency of training pathways and the spendability of the competencescertified as learning outcomes with a view of encouraging their mutual recognition by the institutions and social partners; • increasing the transparency of the different learning experiences regardless of the formal, non-formal and informal contexts in which they have been acquired

10. Promoting the comparability of qualifications between different national, regional or sectoral contexts and their future compatibility with EQF At present, Italy does not have a homogenous framework for identifying, representing and certifying competences. This makes it difficult to ensure that credits are legible andportable between education and training systems. The learning outcomes approach has been the focus of much attention on the part of all institutions, although it has not yet been fully implemented. This aspect does not facilitate the permeability of education/training/employmentsystems.

11. Some example of policy measures Italy has complied with the EU’s request to implement a European Qualifications Framework by setting up, in 2006, the ‘Tavolo Unico Nazionale’ (Unified National Committee) for the construction of a national system of minimum occupational, training and certification standards promoted by the MLPS. The Unified Committee’s objective is to draw up a national standards system that will conform with the European Qualifications Framework..

12. Promote the transfer and accumulation of qualifications betweendifferent national, regional or sectoral contexts and facilitating the futureimplementation of ECVET • IFTS system major contribution in Italy, in the context of policies for promoting the integration of education/training/employment systems and the accumulation/transfer of learning outcomes • Designed and managed by at least four different partners - schools, VT centres or bodies, universities and businesses – addresses young people and adults holding an upper secondary school diploma • Recognition of credits  system of national minimum standards of competences built on Capitalisable Units (CU)

13. Referencing NQF to the EQF A technical group is currently working at referencing the Italian qualifications systems to the EQF by the given deadlines (2010) and to carry on networking with other European countries in order to guarantee the transparency and consistency of the correlation between our system and the EQF levels. A draft of the Referencing Report has been submitted to a public consultation process in order to achieve the maximum of dissemination and agreement.

14. Major challenges/obstacles Differences among decentralised VET systems Long and laborious debate between national institutions (Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Education and University) and the Regions (which are exclusively competent on vocational training qualification according to Constitution Title V)  Regional Qualification Framework Obstacles have been faced in the attempt to associate descriptors – with the language of learning outcomes – referring qualifications to each of the 8 levels of the EQF  lacking information and awareness about the benefits of such a conceptual and practical shift

15. Anticipation on skills needs • To understand procedures and mechanisms for implementing methods aimed • to anticipate training and vocational needs  institutional processes regarding the nature and function of vocational training in Italy for over a decade: • administrative decentralisation • the integration of the training and educational systems • policy actions undertaken on the Community level and aimed at encouraging the involvement, the participation and the accountability of all thestakeholders.

16. Anticipation on skills needs • Common framework for standardising the results of the analysis of the different actors: • “Network System for the permanent observation of vocational and training needs” • planned and implemented by ISFOL • Available on-line at • http://fabbisogni.isfol.it • Sector trends • Sector list of vocational needs • Description of vocational needs • Estimates of job offers in the short term • Medium term employment prospects

17. Thank you for your attention ! Susanna Casellatoc/o Fondazione Giacomo Rumor – Centro Produttività VenetoTel.: +39 (0)444 994700Fax: +39 (0)444 994710E-mail:casellato@cpv.org