annual report 2016 - cedefop · education and training systems, policies, research and practice....

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European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training

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ANNUAL REPORT

ANNUAL REPORT

16

2016

4154 EN – TI-AB-17-001-EN-N – doi:10.2801/474919

ISSN: 2443-6410

ISBN 978-92-896-2427-5

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2017

2016ANNUAL REPORT

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Please cite this publication as:Cedefop (2017). Annual report 2016.Luxembourg: Publications Office.Cedefop information series.http://dx.doi.org/10.2801/474919

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The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) is the European Union's

reference centre for vocational education and training. We provide information on and analyses of vocational

education and training systems, policies, research and practice.Cedefop was established in 1975

by Council Regulation (EEC) No 337/75.

Europe 123, 570 01 Thessaloniki (Pylea), GREECEPO Box 22427, 551 02 Thessaloniki, GREECE

Tel. +30 2310490111, Fax +30 2310490020E-mail: [email protected]

www.cedefop.europa.eu

Joachim James Calleja, Director Micheline Scheys, Chair of the Governing Board


ANNUAL REPORT 20164


ForEworD 6

1. 2016 aT a glanCE 10

2. rEsulTs aChiEVED 202.1. Supporting modernisation of VET systems 20

2.1.1. ACTIVITy: Policy analysis and reporting 202.1.2. ACTIVITy: Common European tools, qualifications and

learning outcomes 232.2. Career and transitions: CVET, adult and work-based learning 32

2.2.1. ACTIVITy: Empowering adults and young people 322.3. Analysing skills and competence needs to inform VET provision 41

2.3.1. ACTIVITy: Skills analysis 41

3. CommuniCaTion, inFormaTion anD DissEminaTion 48

4. rElaTions wiTh Eu agEnCiEs 524.1. Cooperation with the ETF 524.2. Cooperation with Eurofound 534.3. Cooperation with the EU agencies’ performance development network 544.4. Cooperation with the EU agencies network 54

5. managEmEnT, rEsourCEs anD inTErnal ConTrols 555.1. Management and resources 55

5.1.1. Human resources 555.1.2. Finance and procurement 555.1.3. Information and communication technology 555.1.4. Facilities 55

5.2. Audits and internal control 565.2.1. External evaluation 565.2.2. Audit results and follow-up of audit recommendations 56

lisT oF abbrEViaTions 59

6. annExEs 60 I. Organisation chart 60 II. Selected performance indicators 61 III. ReferNet 62

TABLE OF CONTENTS 5

TABLEOF CONTENTS


2 016 was a year of new challenges for Cedefop.As the Agency gears up for changes in Euro-

pean vocational education and training (VET) policyit aims to support the European Union’s ambition totransform the New skills agenda and the Councilrecommendation Upskilling pathways: new oppor-tunities for adults into actions at Member Statelevel. As well as its young people, Europe needs torecover low-skilled adults and reintegrate them intothe labour market. Cedefop worked closely with theEuropean Commission’s DG Employment on theseinitiatives, providing the evidence and data onwhich they were based.

2016 was also the last year of the threemedium-term priorities that have guided Cedefop’swork since 2012: modernising VET systems,citizen’s careers and transitions, and analysingskills and competences. Cedefop producedpioneering work in 2016 under each of thesepriorities to support European VET policy-making.Cedefop’s study Application of learning outcomesapproaches across Europe covered 33 countries,highlighting how learning outcomes are acting ascatalysts for VET reform. The two-volume study,Leaving education early: putting vocationaleducation and training centre stage provides,perhaps, the most comprehensive review yet onhow VET can reduce numbers of young peopleleaving education with no or low qualifications.Cedefop’s latest skill supply and demand forecastfor 2025 also brought new evidence of the influenceof demography, access to learning and technologyon future job prospects, occupations andqualifications in Europe.

As well as information at European level,Cedefop support to national implementation ofEuropean VET policy provided more countryspecific information in 2016. Following publicationof reviews of apprenticeship arrangements inLithuania and Malta in 2015, in 2016 Cedefopworked on reviews in Greece, Italy and Sloveniaand was invited to conduct reviews in Croatia andCyprus; all this was part of Cedefop’s support to theEuropean alliance for apprenticeships. Cedefop’sEuropean skills supply and demand forecasts werecomplemented by detailed analysis of jobs andqualification trends across sectors. In December2016, during Europe’s first vocational skills week,Cedefop and the European Commission (EC)launched an online mobility scoreboard to helpMember States to identify where best to invest theirefforts to ensure successful mobility in initial VET.These multiple initiatives, backed by evidence-

ANNUAL REPORT 20166

FOREWORD


based research, are strengthening the base for aEuropean approach to making VET a first choiceamong learners.

Successful implementation requires not justinformation but also interpretation. What are theimplications of study findings for different MemberStates? What can be learned from others toaddress the problems faced? To help answer thesequestions, Cedefop hosted more of its policylearning forums in 2016 to encourage exchangesbetween Member States and social partners onimplementing specific aspects of European VETpolicy. Policy learning forums in 2016 providedMember States and social partners with a platformto discuss issues such as operating the Europeanqualifications framework, including recognition ofmigrants’ skills, and writing and applying learningoutcomes. A seminar on skill mismatch and anotheron vocational qualifications were organised inBrussels by Cedefop, in cooperation with theNetherlands and Slovakia Presidencies, forpermanent representations and other Brussels-based stakeholders. More will follow in 2017.

New priorities will guide Cedefop’s work for2017-20, but 2016 was also a year of transition asit saw another piece added to the European VETpolicy jigsaw, with the European Commission’slaunch of the New skills agenda for Europe, inJune. Backed by evidence and data provided byCedefop, the New skills agenda outlines the needto help the 70 million Europeans who lack adequatereading and writing, numeracy and digital skills –the people most vulnerable to change – byimproving the quality and relevance of skillformation, by making skills and qualifications morevisible and comparable, and by improving skillsintelligence.

Cedefop’s expertise in helping develop VETpolicies to help low-skilled adults, promote work-based learning and deliver labour market and skillsintelligence is important to the New skills agenda.During 2016, Cedefop adjusted its planning for2017-20 to take account of these needs. TheEuropean Commission’s proposal for a newEuropass portal, as part of the New skills agenda,has implications for the Europass and the SkillsPanorama websites that Cedefop has managedsince 2005 and 2014 respectively. In 2016, bothwebsites continued to strengthen their presence.There were more than 27 million visits to theEuropass website in 2016, compared to 23.9 millionin 2015. The Skills Panorama also increased itsvalue by making available labour market and skills

intelligence from various sources, includingCedefop and other international and nationalstudies.

That 2016 was a year of new challenges isfurther evidenced by the fact that Cedefop’s workand discussion about the New skills agenda tookplace against the background of the debate on itsnew Founding Regulation, the proposal for whichwas published by the European Commission inAugust 2016. The new regulation will reflect moreaccurately the broader range of activities andresponsibilities Cedefop has assumed since itsfoundation in 1975 and provides scope for newones.

Cedefop’s work is destined to change in thecoming years. Reduced resources require servicesto be rationalised while maintaining regularity,legality and accountability. Cedefop hasstrengthened cooperation with EU-OSHA,Eurofound and the ETF to avoid overlaps andensure complementarity. Further cooperationbetween the agencies will be explored in 2017.2016, has seen some notable achievements.Information and data in this report show Cedefopwas equal to its challenges, has a clear vision andstrong administrative backup; such achievementsare part of the foundations for Cedefop’s furtherdevelopment.

In 2016, Cedefop has produced high-qualitywork; it has outlined parameters for change in VET,despite reductions in its financial and humanresources. These achievements are due to itsdedicated staff. I should like to commend them fortheir commitment and hard work, as well as theirtalent in identifying and commenting insightfully onthe issues that matter to developing European VET.I should also like to thank the Chair and membersof Cedefop’s Governing Board for their unfailingsupport, and my Deputy Director and heads ofdepartment for their sound management andinvaluable advice during another productive andvery busy year. Lastly, I wish to thank DGEmployment for a year of constructive and opencollaboration. Working with all stakeholders is theonly way to realise a better future for VET and forthe millions of European citizens who need ourinsights and our decisions to improve their livesthrough education and training.

Joachim James CallejaDirector

FOREWORD 7


CEDEFOP

Cedefop is one of the EU’s decentralised agencies.Founded (1) in 1975 and based in Greece since1995, Cedefop supports development of EuropeanVET policies and contributes to theirimplementation. The Agency is helping theEuropean Commission, EU Member States and thesocial partners to develop the right European VETpolicies.

Cedefop’s activities are guided by its strategicobjective and medium-term priorities. The strategicobjective is to contribute to designing andimplementing policies for attractive VET thatpromotes excellence and social inclusion, and tostrengthening European cooperation in developing,implementing and analysing European VET policy.This objective is supported by three medium-termpriorities (2):(a) supporting modernisation of VET systems;(b) careers and transitions; continuing VET, adult

and work-based learning;(c) analysing skills and competence needs to

inform VET provision.The medium-term priorities steer the activities

of Cedefop’s annual work programmes and ensurecontinuity of its work, allowing the necessaryflexibility to respond to changing needs.

CEDEFOP GOVERNANCE

GOVERNING BOARDCedefop is governed by a board comprising threemembers from each Member State representingthe Government, employers’ and employees’organisations; and three members representing theEuropean Commission.

Member State representatives are appointed bythe Council for three years (renewable).Commission’s representatives are appointed by theCommission.

The Governing Board convenes once a year.

BUREAUTo operate and be more closely involved in themonitoring of the Agency’s activities, with a view toreinforcing supervision of administrative andbudgetary management, the Governing Boardestablishes a smaller-sized Bureau. The Bureauusually meets three to four times per year. TheGoverning Board may decide to enlarge the Bureaufor meetings with strategic issues for futureGoverning Board decisions.

ANNUAL REPORT 20168

(1) Council of the European Union. Council Regulation of 10February 1975 establishing the European Centre for theDevelopment of Vocational Training (Cedefop) EEC No 337/75,Official Journal of the European Communities, L 39, 13.2.1975as last amended by Council Regulation EC No 2051/2004.http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/Files/Consolidated_version_Founding_Regulation_EN_01975R0337-20041221-en.pdf

(2) 2012-14 prolonged to 2016.


CEDEFOP 9

Cedefop Governing Board


Promoting talents’ and ‘tackling the skills chal-lenge’ − two sides of the same coin − set the

frame for Presidency and European Commissioninitiatives and events during 2016. They demon-strated that Cedefop’s work matches the currentand future European policy agenda, and that itsexpertise is valued. This is a sign of trust as well asa challenge for the Agency in times of financial andhuman resource constraints.

In 2016, the Commission announced the Newskills agenda for Europe (3).The communication,supported by a comprehensive policy package,sets out the key policy priority for the EuropeanUnion in 2017 and beyond. It centres around threestrands of work and 10 lines of action to promoteskills development and better use of citizens’ skillsand competences: improving quality and relevanceof skills formation; making skills and qualificationsmore visible and comparable; and improving skills

intelligence and information for better careerchoices. Cedefop was heavily involved in drawingup the policy package and participated in thelaunch and press event (4).

Information on labour market trends and theirimpact on skill needs and mismatch, as well as thefindings of Cedefop’s work on empowering youngpeople and adults, underpinned the skills agendacommunication (5). The Agency contributedsignificantly to preparing the agenda documents bypooling evidence generated in-house. Analysis of

ANNUAL REPORT 201610

(3) New skills agenda for Europe. http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1223&langId=en&moreDocuments=yes[accessed 15.2.2017].

(4) http://skillspanorama.cedefop.europa.eu/en/blog/what-are-skills-future [accessed 15.2.2017].

(5) http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=15621&langId=en[accessed 15.2.2017].

2016AT A GLANCE


2016 AT A GLANCE 11

Performance

88 DOCUMENTS ISSUED BY INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS: OECD, UNESCO, ILO, WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

184 REFERENCES IN

167 EU-LEVEL POLICY DOCUMENTS AND

KEY EU POLICY USERS

■ EUROPEAN COMMISSION 56%■ EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 15%■ EU AGENCIES 8%

including keynote speeches and participation indiscussion panels such as:• Global symposium for career guidance and

counselling organisations• Labour market, economic and social outcomes

of learningINES network meeting (OECD)

• UNESCO working group on world reference levelsfor qualifications

• Employer engagement in education and training2016

• ‘Inspiration: colleges and institutes Canada’ 2016conference

• Annual HRD forum organised by the KoreanGovernment and KRIVET

• Review of employment and social developments in Europe

• ‘New skills agenda for Europe’ seminar• ‘The result orientation: cohesion policy at work’,

7th European evaluation conference• ‘Digital skills and jobs coalition’ launch conference• Vocational skills week events at EU level:

– European business forum on VET– ‘Adult skills: empowering people’ conference

CITATIONSIN ACADEMIC LITERATURE IN 2015-16

CONTRIBUTIONSTO EU SENIOR STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS THAT SUPPORT POLICY IMPLEMENTATION

Most frequently quoted topics are those relatedto skills supply and demand, validation of non-formal and informal learning, lifelong guidanceand learning outcomes.

DOWNLOADS OF CEDEFOP

PUBLICATIONS

200472

591

191 CONTRIBUTIONSTO OTHER CONFERENCES AND MAJOR EVENTS 78

CONTRIBUTIONSTO EU-LEVEL DOCUMENTS; 4 TO DOCUMENTS BY INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

483

438 000 VISITSTO CEDEFOP WEBSITE

27 million VISITSTO EUROPASS WEBSITE

44 PUBLICATIONS 47

62 MEETINGS/EVENTS ORGANISED

1 699 EXTERNAL PARTICIPANTSAT CEDEFOP EVENTS

REFERENCESTO CEDEFOP’S WORK IN

AVERAGE PAYMENT TIMEFOR INVOICES

WELL BELOW THE TARGETOF 28 DAYS

OCCUPATION RATE OF THEESTABLISHMENT PLAN98%

BUDGET IMPLEMENTATION RATE 99.99%14.01 DAYS


EU-level documents citing Cedefop work provesample take-up of these contributions, whichincluded original papers: Labour marketintelligence: a valuable tool for policy; Skillsintelligence and guidance in Europe; Making skillswork – assessing performance of EU MemberStates; and lnvesting in skills pays off: theeconomic costs of low skilled adults.

To help people make informed choices for theirlearning and career paths, the skills agendaproposes to set up a platform offering web-basedtools to document and share information on skillsand qualifications, together with data on skill needsand trends. Using the well-known Europass brand,this platform would bring together the currentEuropass and Skills Panorama services, enrichedwith sector-based and real time data as well asinformation on learning opportunities in the MemberStates. Cedefop commented extensively on theproposed revision of the Europass decision and thecorresponding staff working document. In thiscontext, Cedefop’s prototype tool for web crawling

and big data analysis, to understand better the skillsthat employers demand, also appears well in linewith needs both at policy and individual level, andhas attracted interest from Eurostat’s big data taskforce and national statistical offices.

Adults with a need to strengthen basic skills, ormore generally with a low level of knowledge, skillsand competences, are at the heart of therecommendation on Upskilling pathways: newopportunities for adults (6) adopted at the end of theyear. This Council recommendation aims to ensurethat adults with a low level of knowledge, skills andcompetences are offered access to upskillingpathways. These will provide them with theopportunity to acquire a minimum level of literacy,numeracy and digital competence and/or acquire awider set of skills, knowledge and competences,


(6) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:JOC_2016_484_R_0001 [accessed15.2.2017].

MAKING VALIDATION OF NON-FORMAL AND INFORMALLEARNING A REALITY

Valuing learning that occurs outside formal edu-cation and training ranks high on Europe’s

policy agenda today: 200 participants from theEuropean Commission, the European Economicand Social Committee and 32 countries attendingCedefop’s conference in November clearly testifyto this.

What started in the education and trainingsector in the 1990s, specifically in VET, hasexpanded to other areas, as recent policydocuments prove. Building on all forms of learningis seen as essential in the recommendations: youthguarantees; upskilling pathways; and policies to(re)integrate the long-term unemployed andmigrants into the labour market. This reinforces theneed to help citizens make their hidden knowledge,skills and competences visible and obtain aqualification − or parts of it − through validation. Italso requires increased efforts by Member Statesto meet the Council’s target and have adequatearrangements in place by 2018.

The conference reflected on developments andprogress to date as well as challenges and workthat lie ahead. Inspired by approaches from

Sweden, France and Poland, the debate focusedon:• the overall vision of validation in current practices;• the need for stakeholders to get engaged;• how to assure trust in validation;• how it can be funded;• who should benefit.

It is time to move from development toimplementation: conference participants confirmedthe message of the 2016 European validationinventory update. Most countries have validationarrangements, usually within the framework of

Pavel Trantina, President of Section for Employment, SocialAffairs and Citizenship, European Economic and SocialCommittee


relevant for the labour market and activeparticipation in society, by making progress towardsa qualification at EQF level 3 or 4. It complementsthe youth Guarantee and the measures endorsedto support the long-term unemployed.

Making the case for targeted guidance andvalidating the knowledge skills and competencespeople have, the recommendation and the relatedstaff working document reflect Cedefop findings inthese areas as well as its work on low-skilled andwork-based learning for adults more generally. Atthe same time, it proposes that the Agency ‘coulddevelop further relevant research, expertise andanalysis’ (7) to improve the evidence-base forpolicy-making; this is the purpose of Cedefop studyon labour market information and guidance andparticularly its work on the inventory and theconference on validating non-formal and informallearning.

Collaborating closely with the EuropeanCommission, the Agency also helped prepare theproposal for a review of the EQF (8) which is integral

to the New skills agenda. Its purpose is to ensurethat the EQF objectives can be fully achieved: tomake qualifications transparent, comparable andportable. Cedefop helped draft the staff workingdocument supporting the EQF revision (9). Thesubstantial contribution of the Agency is rooted inits long-standing and internationally acknowledgedexpertise on qualifications, learning-outcomes-based approaches and qualification frameworks.Evidence on how learning outcomes approachesinfluence education and training and relatedpolicies, and the challenges they pose, supportedthis work as well as informing discussions at

2016 AT A GLANCE 13

(7) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32016H1224(01)&from=EN[accessed 15.2.2017].



education policies. They help obtain access toprogrammes or qualifications through validation.Initiatives in the labour market or by civil societyorganisations also exist, though the differentarrangements require better coordination andstakeholder involvement.

‘Social partner and employer engagement iscrucial to make validation an accepted route toqualifications’, Pavel Trantina from the EuropeanEconomic and Social Committee stressed.Awareness of how they and society at large willbenefit, is essential to get them on board. Thisrequires adequate data, cost-benefit analyses andimpact assessment. The work on nationalqualification frameworks (NQFs) based on learningoutcomes is another way of involving stakeholders.Joint reflections on how to relate non-formal andinformal learning to formal qualifications in acountry’s NQF contribute to making all learningvaluable.

Better understanding of how validation benefitscitizens is essential; this is more so as outreach todisadvantaged groups needs improving. Guidanceand counselling is paramount: it should be easy toreach, tailored to the specific target groups but alsoclosely linked to national and internationalstructures.

Even well designed arrangements require

further political back-up and resources, both humanand financial. Guidance and validation staff need tobe well trained and work in a coherent system as aprerequisite to ensuring quality and building trust invalidation as a viable path to qualifications.

Cedefop’s conference was another step inbuilding a community to exchange practices,challenges and solutions. Its findings will informEuropean policies in the coming years. Theconference concluded: work to make validation areality in Europe has advanced considerably, butthere is still a long way to go.


LEAVING EDUCATION EARLY: putting vocational education and training centre stage

In 2016, Cedefop released the outcomes of its three-year project on the role that VET can play inaddressing early leaving from education and training. This is the first European study of its kind

exploring quantitative and qualitative data and assessing VET measures designed in response to thechallenge.

The study offers guidelines to help stakeholders develop quantitative and qualitative nationalmonitoring systems, to support targeted decisions and empower their VET systems/programmes totackle early leaving. These guidelines draw on extensive data analysis investigating the magnitudeof early leaving from VET and the factors persuading learners not to continue.

The study also assessed measures to tackle this challenge: 921 policy-makers, educational andother practitioners, learners, and experts in 16 European countries were interviewed; 337 policiesdesigned to reduce early leaving from or through VET were examined across Europe. Analysisrevealed 44 practices with evidence of success. An evaluation framework has been developed tomeasure the progress and impact of VET-related measures which will allow policy-makers to setimprovement priorities.

Cedefop has designed the prototype of a VET toolkit for upskilling pathways: tackling early leavingfrom education and training. This web-based tool translates many of the study findings into practicalguidance and tips. It aims at supporting policy-makers and practitioners in developing VET-relatedactivities and policies. It allows users to navigate the content according to their profiles and interests:policy-makers; institutional leaders and VET practitioners; and non-pedagogical staff providing supportto young people.



2016 AT A GLANCE 15

Cedefop’s second policy learning forum on definingand writing learning outcomes for VETqualifications.

The skills agenda includes support to MemberStates in their efforts to integrate the large numbersof refugees and recently arrived migrants intosociety and the labour market. Cedefop’s supportto the Commission and national initiatives that aimat devising effective policies included the design ofa template for documenting migrants’ skills, andjoint organisation of two events: a peer learningactivity together with the European Commissionand the Dutch EQF national coordination point,which focused on effective and efficient ways toidentify and record their skills and competences;and a joint Cedefop-OECD expert forum onupskilling, reskilling and employing adult refugees.

young people with migrant background areamong the most likely to leave education andtraining without being sufficiently qualified tosucceed on the labour market. Generally, despiteprogress, there are still too many young people whoare neither in education and training nor in jobs,and this group is heterogeneous: those withoutEQF level 3 or 4 qualifications and others who havesome or completed higher education. Cedefopundertook a comprehensive study to understandVET’s role as driver and response to this challenge.Its outcomes, which became available in the courseof the past year, enrich the evidence-base for moreeffective policies.

Work-based learning schemes, particularlyapprenticeships, play a key role in helping youngpeople, and adults, acquire knowledge, skills andcompetences needed on the labour market.Cedefop continued its contributions to relatedCommission and international initiatives: theEuropean alliance for apprenticeships, the DGVTconference on apprenticeships, the ET 2020 adultlearning working group, and its contribution to theinter-agency working group on work-basedlearning.

Expanding work-based learning schemesrequires sufficient numbers of well-trained staff.Snapshots on teachers and trainers in school-based VET and apprenticeships for young people,provided by Cedefop’s ReferNet, informed a policylearning forum held in November. Followingdiscussions on a wide range of themes related toteaching and training staff and their competencedevelopment, Cedefop hosted the meeting of theET 2020 working group on vocational educationand training.

To support its intention to make VET a firstchoice for young people and promote lifelong skillsdevelopment for all, the Commission organised aEuropean vocational skills week, to encourageyoung people and adults to ‘discover their talents’through VET. Cedefop contributed actively to thisfirst event of its kind. It also provided a stage forwinners of Cedefop’s photo competition on initialVET. The series of events organised for policy-makers, researchers and practitioners provided theopportunity to present the Agency and its work to awide audience. Cedefop’s mobility scoreboard forIVET was officially launched at this event, togetherwith EACEA’s higher education scoreboard.

Continuing to reinforce its direct support toindividual Member States, Cedefop focused itswork on apprenticeships and skills anticipation.Reviews of apprenticeship schemes centred onGreece, Italy and Slovenia. The Agency alsocontinued its assistance to Greece on its work on askills diagnosis mechanism and organised a peerlearning event for Malta and Iceland on skillsforecasting.

Enhancing its knowledge broker role, Cedefoporganised two seminars jointly with the Presidencycountries in Brussels: the event during the DutchPresidency discussed policies to match skills andjobs in a better way, while learning outcomes and acomparative view of qualifications were at thecentre of the seminar with the Slovak Presidency.Such events, as well as cooperation with individualMember States and international organisations, aremutually beneficial and also provide Cedefop withthe opportunity to look beyond its boundaries. Thejoint Cedefop-UNESCO conference on globaltrends and local challenges for skills jobs andsustainable development was one of theseopportunities. It allowed Cedefop to discuss trendsin skills and qualifications in a global perspectiveand offered valuable insights in a context ofglobalised economies and migration.

The take-up of Cedefop’s work on skillscontinues to support the Agency role as the ‘EU’sskills research agency’ (10): its demand and supplyforecasts and the results of the European skills andjobs survey are widely used; the approaches and

(10) European Commission staff working document on employmentand social developments in Europe 2015. http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-5451-2016-ADD-7/en/pdf[accessed 15.2.2017].


A MOBILITY SCOREBOARD FOR IVET

O ne’s destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things’. This statement by Henry Millerstill holds true today (11): learning and working abroad can be enriching, not only in terms of skills but also per-

sonally, and help people feel more European. Cedefop’s IVET mobility scoreboard (12) aims to inspire policies thatenable more VET learners to gather experience abroad.

In the middle ages, it was common for journeymen to be on the road. Today, VET learners, particularlyapprentices, are less likely than university students to live, learn and work for a time in another country. EU MemberStates have committed to promoting mobility and set themselves the goal for 2020 to enable at least 6% of all 18-to 34-year-olds with a VET background to spend some time abroad (13).

The scoreboard illustrates the measures countries have taken in recommended areas to accomplish thesegoals. It is not a tool to compare achievements but to identify common concerns and support VET development. Italso helps share practices to make experience acquired abroad more visible and valued.

Maps and overviews across countries allow users to identify, at a glance, the variety of country situations in –currently − 26 Member States, Iceland and Norway. Snapshots indicate a single country’s situation across the board.

Initial scoreboard findings indicate a mixed picture of policies and structures that are available to support VETlearners who want to go abroad. Some insights are encouraging: most countries have coordinated policies to informyoung people in VET about international mobility opportunities, ensure their quality, and evaluate them; countriesalso support cross-European partnerships between IVET institutions and companies.

27 countries fund learners to stay abroad, 26 also granting financial support to the organisers. However,evidence suggests this may be ascribed to EU programmes such as Erasmus+. Often, these are the only mobilityschemes available in VET but some countries do not offer sufficient places and funding. Initiatives may also suit theneeds of learners in school-based VET better than those of apprentices and enterprises. Most countries do notsubsidise companies to compensate them for the costs incurred in arranging places and salary payments duringtheir apprentices’ stays abroad. Despite some progress, visa or residency issues may make it difficult for thirdcountry nationals to participate in mobility initiatives; also minors may face obstacles. Better coordinated measuresare the minimum required to address these barriers more effectively.

The potential of mobility activities may remain underexploited as result of governance and lack of policy targets.Devolved decision-making with little coordination nationally risks overlaps, inconsistent approaches and gaps in(access to) mobility actions. Information on mobility opportunities is well developed; less so guidance on how bestto benefit skills and personal development. Closely linked is recognition of knowledge, skills and competenceacquired abroad, which remains a major area for improvement.

The IVET mobility scoreboard is also presented jointly with that for higher education on a common onlineplatform hosted by EACEA/Eurydice. Aiming to help make mobility a reality for more VET students and apprentices,it reinforces Cedefop’s role as a knowledge broker. The new perspectives it offers could also serve another purpose:to make VET more appealing to youth and ‘a first choice’ for many, one of the aims of Europe’s New skills agenda.


(*) Based on the pilot data collection (13 countries).

EXAMPLE (*)

Actions to improve the provision of informationand guidance

EU geographical maps

P

Evaluated improvement actions

Monitored improvement actions

Non-monitored improvement actions

No improvement actions but plans to develop one

No improvement actions and no plans to develop any


methods developed to anticipate skill needs arediscussed in several documents. A closer look atscientific journals and literature in 2015-16, goingbeyond identifying the most frequently citedsources, reveals interesting trends. Recurringthemes that referred to Cedefop work or took up itsfindings included those related to green skills,working and ageing, and validation of non-formaland informal learning. Journal articles also includedreferences to Cedefop’s work on (national) VETsystems.

The ‘skills agenda package’, the 2015Employment and social developments in Europereport (published in 2016) and the Commissionstudy on VET in higher education account for alarge share of Cedefop’s citations. While this ispartly related to contributions that Cedefop hasbeen asked to provide, it also demonstrates the

relevance of its work to the EU policy agenda.Documents by the Council, the EESC andEuropean Parliament acknowledge the Agency’sexpertise by proposing to involve Cedefop invarious activities or rely on its support, such ascountries’ efforts to integrate recent migrants. Inaddition to the Commission (91), the Parliament(25) and the EESC (10), the European socialpartners, the ETF and Eurofound, the Committeeof the Region and the Court of Auditors referred toor used Cedefop work.

Analysis of the citations confirms a trend thathas become visible in the past few years: Cedefopfindings and outputs are taken up or referred to ina wide range of Commission documents whetherthey relate to all Member States or are country-specific. These include in-depth reviews ofmacroeconomic imbalances or sector-specificreviews in several countries. Citations andreferences cover all Cedefop activities, from itsinformation on VET systems, policy analysis,European tools, qualifications and learningoutcomes, to empowering young people and adultsand its work on analysing skills.

A similar trend is also visible in the 65 OECDdocuments that used Cedefop sources.

(11) Henry Miller (1957). Big Sur and the Oranges of HieronymusBosch.

(12) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/data-visualisations/mobility-scoreboard/

(13) Bruges communiqué (2010); Council recommendation on youthon the move (2011); Council conclusions on a benchmark forlearning mobility (2011).

2016 AT A GLANCE 17


2016 AT A GLANCE 19



RESULTSACHIEVED

WRITTEN CONTRIBUTIONS

TO POLICY DOCUMENTSOF EU (11) AND INTERNATIONALORGANISATIONS (1)

00068

12

ACTIVECONTRIBUTIONS

TO EU SENIOR STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS THAT SUPPORT POLICY IMPLEMENTATION

26

58IN EU POLICY DOCUMENTS

REFERENCES

For example:■ Study on higher vocational education and

training in the EU (European Commission)■ A European quality framework for

apprenticeships: a European trade unionproposal (ETUC)

■ Mapping and performance check of the supplyside of tourism education and training: countryprofile (European Commission)

For example:■ the meetings of Directors General of Vocational

Education and Training (DGVT) ■ the advisory committee on vocational training

(ACVT) ■ the Standing Group on Indicators and

Benchmarks ■ the ET 2020 WG on digital skills and

competences

For example:■ Eurostat’s 2016 edition of Statistical

approaches to the measurement of skills■ OECD’s report Improving and developing

indicators on vocational education andwork-study programmes and qualifications

TOP THREE PUBLICATIONS:

■ Vocational education and training in the UnitedKingdom

■ Vocational education and training in Germany

■ Vocational education and training in Greece

Performance


PUBLICATIONS

2.1. supporTingmoDErnisaTion oF VETsysTEms2.1.1. ACTIVITy: poliCy analysis anD rEporTing

I n 2015, in Riga, ministers in charge of VETconfirmed Cedefop’s mandate (14) to monitor

and analyse member states’ progress in fivecommonly agreed priority areas for VET for2015-20 (‘medium-term deliverables’): to promotework-based learning, further develop qualityassurance and feedback loops based on learningoutcomes, strengthen key competences in VET,and develop initial and continuous professional


development of VET teachers and trainers, whileenhancing access to VET for all (15). The prioritiesoutlined in the Riga conclusions are also central tothe New skills agenda adopted by the EuropeanCommission in spring 2016 (16).

Cedefop’s reporting on VET policies andsystems, as well as the varied publications anddeliverables that stem from it (described in thissection) could not be realised without the active andprecious support of refernet – Cedefop’s networkfor VET in the EU-28, Iceland and Norway. Thesenational partners (17) – renewed for the 2016-19period – regularly collaborate with the Agency toprovide the information needed in various formats:reports, questionnaires or thematic articles.

EU-level policies increasingly focus on fosteringindividual countries’ progress and improvements.This has required Cedefop to redesign itsmonitoring approach, in consultation with the mainstakeholders, ACVT and Director Generals for VET(DGVT). To guide this work, DGVT were invited toselect among the ‘Riga deliverables’ their nationalpriorities and indicate the measures (intended tobe) used to address them. Taking this input intoaccount, Cedefop deployed a questionnaire andtool to collect information on countries’ policypriorities and progress in VET from ReferNet; thisfollowed extensive work to familiarise the networkwith the instrument. The network’s responses, inCedefop’s questionnaire and other sources,allowed the Agency to carry out preliminary analysisof trends since 2015; this was presented to ACVTand DGVT, and shared with the EuropeanCommission in the form of country-based analysis.It confirmed that promoting and extending work-

based learning remains – as in 2011-14 – a priorityfor nearly all countries. Strategic and legalframeworks for work-based learning arestrengthened, often in combination with revisedfunding streams. Promoting access to VET andqualifications for all, as well as the professionaldevelopment of teacher/trainer, follow suit.Integration of key competences tends, according tothe first round of reporting, to centre on initial VET.

Cedefop also collects thematic articles fromReferNet to help deepen the information collectedon VET policy and to complement VET systemsdescriptions. Published in early 2016, articles oninnovation in and through VET (18) helped informdebates during the Luxembourgian, Dutch andSlovakian Presidencies. They illustrated differentways in which VET helps learners tap into theirpotential and fosters innovation skills, as well ashow VET itself is becoming more innovative. During2016, two further series of articles offered anoverview of the state of play in two Rigadeliverables: teacher and trainer professionaldevelopment (19) and key competences in initialVET (20). The latter articles also informed Cedefop’scontribution to the ET 2020 working groups ondigital skills and competences and promotingcitizenship. Cedefop shared initial findings in anexpert group invited by the European Commissionto discuss how the Council recommendation on keycompetences should be reviewed to meet 21stcentury needs.

RESULTS ACHIEVED 21

(14) In this exercise, Cedefop cooperates closely with the ETF, whichis responsible for reporting on the developments in thecandidate countries.

(15) Since 2002, the EU, the EEA and candidate countries havejointly worked on common priorities to improve VET quality andpromote transparency, trust and recognition of competencesand qualifications within and across countries. They committedto making mobility for work and learning and access to lifelonglearning easier (the so-called Copenhagen process). Since2004, a series of communiqués have guided this voluntaryprocess and identified common challenges and objectivesacross countries. The findings of Cedefop’s reviews haveinformed the debates. Aligned with the education and training2020 framework, cooperation in VET has created stronger linksbetween VET and Europe’s economic, employment and social-policy agenda. The latest communiqué, agreed in Bruges in2010, combined a long-term vision for 2020, with a series ofshort-term actions. The current deliverables and proposed policyoptions to achieve them were set out in the 2015 Rigaconclusions.

(16) European Commission (2016). Communication on a new skillsagenda for Europe. Working together to strengthen humancapital, employability and competitiveness. COM(2016) 381 final.http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=15621&langId=en[accessed 7.11.2016] and Council of the European Union (2016).Council resolution on a new skills agenda for an Inclusive andcompetitive Europe. 2016/C 467/01. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32016G1215(01)&from=EN [accessed 20.12.2016].

(17) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/networks/refernet/national-contacts

(18) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/country-reports/innovation-in-vet

(19) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/projects/teachers-and-trainers-professional-development

(20) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/country-report-types/key-competences-vet


national news on VET (21), provided byReferNet and edited by Cedefop showed thatnational and EU level priorities are closely related,and illustrated the variety of policy approachesused across the EU. Themes covered included:VET programmes for refugees, improving digitalskills among VET learners, adoption ofqualifications frameworks, VET as an attractivealternative for higher education students,apprenticeship-related measures, forthcoming VETreform in Finland and Sweden’s year of VET.

As in past years, ReferNet’s contribution wasalso used to prepare short descriptions (22),spotlights (23) and videos (24) on VET systems,informing DGVT and other stakeholders fromacross the EU on VET in the EU Presidencycountries, the Netherlands and Slovakia. For up-to-date information on VET developments, updates ofspotlights on VET in the EU-28, Norway andIceland were published throughout the year.

Cedefop developed the European mobilityscoreboard for initial vocational education andtraining (iVET). The IVET scoreboard and the onefor higher education (HE), developed byEACEA/Eurydice, were launched by the EuropeanCommission on 8 December on the occasion of thefirst European vocational skills week. Notes on theIVET mobility scoreboard were prepared for theDGVT meeting in February, the ACVT meeting inJune and a briefing note (25) was published inOctober, taking stock of policies and structures inplace to support mobility of students andapprentices in VET across EU countries.

A comprehensive study on the changing roleof VET is in progress. Work in 2016 focused on theway VET is defined and conceptualised in the


(21) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/networks/refernet/news

(22) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/4142http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/4150

(23) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/8090http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/8102

(24) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/videos/vocational-education-and-training-netherlandshttp://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/videos/vocational-education-and-training-slovakia

(25) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/9114


different countries and how external factors (suchas demographic developments, changing labourmarket needs and technological developments)influence IVET at upper secondary level and VETas part of lifelong learning. The study starts withanalysis of developments during the preceding twodecades, seeking to understand the changing anddynamic character of VET. Building on early datafrom the study and Cedefop’s studies on VET atEQF level 5 or higher, a contribution was providedto a Commission document on VET in highereducation for the June ACVT meeting. Cedefopalso contributed to the Presidency note Steppingstones towards a future-proof VET for the Dutchpresidency conference on VET in February 2016.

To support the development of more and betterindicators on VET, adult learning and skills, areview of recent developments in EU andinternational surveys, data and statistics has beeninitiated. In parallel, cooperation with the EuropeanCommission and Eurostat continued. Thanks to thecontribution of Cedefop, Eurostat’s education andtraining statistics working group in June discussedand approved important points for VET data. Thisincluded improving comparability of data andmonitoring developments in VET over time,following revisions of classification for educationand training data (ISCED), and obtaining data onlabour market outcomes and continuing learning forall VET graduates from the labour force survey.Cedefop also supports the working group set up bythe European Commission to produce betterEuropean data on skills.

2.1.2. ACTIVITy: Common EuropEan Tools, qualiFiCaTions anD lEarningouTComEs

I n 2016, Cedefop continued its policy analysisand support to EU countries and the European

Commission on qualifications and learningoutcomes. Cedefop’s long-standing expertise inthe field, as well as its work on the EQF andnational qualifications frameworks, directlysupported the definition of proposals and actionsfor the New skills agenda for Europe (26); it helpeddraft the staff working document supporting therevision of the EQF, an integral part of theCommission’s communication.

To help countries and stakeholders implementlearning outcomes principles and design NQFs, in2016 Cedefop helped shape and supported fourpeer learning activities organised by theCommission (27): validation in enterprises (Paris,January); how can QF support recognition ofqualifications? (Luxembourg, March); identificationand documentation of migrants’ skills andcompetences (Den Haag, April); and school leavingcertificates (Belfast, June). Cedefop’s analyticalwork also fed into the EQF referencing reports fromFyROM, Liechtenstein, Kosovo and Sweden.

In 2016, two briefing notes took stock ofprogress on qualifications frameworks inEurope. One, published in January, presented thestate of play as of 2015. A second, published inDecember, focused on the visibility of the EQFthrough the inclusion of NQF and EQF levels oncertificates, diplomas, Europass documents anddatabases, and the areas where NQFs alreadymake a contribution to national education andemployment policies (28).

Following initial development and formaladoption, NQFs are now increasingly becomingoperational. Promoting the principle of learningoutcomes, qualifications frameworks are, in somecountries, evolving from a tool to describequalifications systems into a means to help reform

RESULTS ACHIEVED 23

(26) http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1223(27) Jointly drafting the background notes, giving presentations and

chairing sessions.(28) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/

publications/9109http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/9117


RESULTS ACHIEVED 25




ACTIVE CONTRIBUTIONS

TO POLICY DOCUMENTSOF EU (19) AND INTERNATIONALORGANISATIONS (1)

VISITSTO THE EUROPASS WEBSITE

million27

20

TO EU SENIOR STAKEHOLDERMEETINGS THAT SUPPORTPOLICY IMPLEMENTATION

59


REFERENCES

For example:■ Study on obstacles to recognition of skills and

qualifications (European Commission)■ Skills development and employability in Europe: the

New skills agenda. Workshop proceedings, Brussels,8 September 2016 (European Parliament)

■ The Erasmus+ programme (Regulation EU No1288/2013): European implementation assessment(European Parliament)

■ Study on higher vocational education and training inthe EU (European Commission)

For example:■ the legal texts and the corresponding Commission’s

staff working documents on the proposed revisions ofthe European qualifications framework and of Europassunder the New skills agenda for Europe initiative

■ technical referencing reports of the qualificationframeworks of FYROM, Liechtenstein, Kosovo andSweden to the EQF

■ UNESCO’s guidelines for the quality assurance of TVETqualifications in the Asia-Pacific region

For example:■ EQF advisory group and its subgroup on international

sectoral qualifications■ ECVET users and steering groups and forum■ EQAVET steering committee, thematic groups and

forum■ ESCO board, maintenance committee and cross-

sectoral reference group■ several peer learning activities on topics like the

recognition of qualifications and integration of refugees

TOP THREE PUBLICATIONS:■ Briefing note – Qualifications frameworks in Europe■ Typology of knowledge, skills and competences■ Vocational education and training at higher

qualification levels

■ AVAILABLE IN 27 LANGUAGES

■ 27 million VISITS IN 2016(13% INCREASE COMPARED TO 2015)

■ 153 million VISITS SINCE LAUNCH IN 2005

■ 19 million CVS COMPLETED ONLINE IN 2016 (5% INCREASE COMPARED TO 2015)

■ 85 million CVS COMPLETED ONLINE SINCE LAUNCH

00053

Performance


PUBLICATIONS


RESULTS ACHIEVED 27

and modernise them. European countries are alsostarting to take stock of their experiences, as themultiple roles and benefits of the frameworks aregradually emerging: offering policy-makers a morecomprehensive picture of the qualificationslandscape in their countries; acting as a referencepoint for identifying, documenting, assessing andrecognising learning acquired in non-formal andinformal settings; acting as a bridge to the hugevariety of learning activities taking place outsideformal education and training; and a platform forcooperation of stakeholders in education andtraining and labour market. Framework levels,reflecting countries’ classification of qualifications,are making their way into diplomas and certificatesand qualifications databases: 20 countries nowaward diplomas and certificates bearing areference to the corresponding nationalqualifications and the European qualificationsframework levels.

Cedefop took part in the working group set upby UNESCO to address the recommendation of theShanghai 3rd International Congress on technicaland vocational training to explore the feasibility andadded value of world reference levels forqualifications. While there still are divided opinionson the relevance of world reference levels, thegroup has turned into an important platform forcooperation between regions. The global situationwas discussed in meetings in Cape Town in Mayand Brussels in November. Cedefop alsoparticipated in the ETF conference ‘Gettingorganised for better qualifications’ in Brussels inNovember.

In the first half of 2016, Cedefop has furtherdeepened its research on learning outcomes,leading to the second policy learning forum ondefining and writing learning outcomes inOctober. The forum explored the way forward,which will involve setting up a practitioner network


and a handbook, the first draft of which waspresented to participants. Cedefop has also startedcompiling a database with methodologies,handbooks and guidelines for writing nationallearning outcomes and research projects.

Cedefop reference publication Application oflearning outcomes approaches across Europe (29)maps and analyses the shift to learning outcomesin education and training policies and practicesacross Europe. Bringing evidence on thedevelopment of national policies from 33 countries,the study examines progress made in recent years(2009 onwards) and aims to capture the characterof political reform at national, institution and locallevels. Findings show how learning outcomesapproaches increasingly feature as catalysts forpolicy and practical reform, influencing educationand training practice, revealing also the diversity ofuses of the learning outcomes approaches beingapplied. It highlights also the complexity ofimplementing learning-outcomes-centred policiesand developing appropriate strategies at bothsystemic and sub-systemic levels.

Cedefop currently carries out a comparativestudy of 10 learning-outcomes-based VETqualifications in 26 countries, inside and outsideEurope (in cooperation with the ETF andUNESCO). The study allows for systematicdiscussion on strengths and weaknesses ofexisting ways of defining and writing learningoutcomes for VET. Initial findings demonstrate thatthe profile of qualifications differs significantlybetween countries, for example in the wayoccupation-specific and transversal skills andcompetences are combined and balanced. Initialfindings also show that countries differ in the(broad/narrow) scope of their qualifications,meaning that the expectations of VET candidatesvaries significantly, potentially influencing theirfuture role as skilled workers. These results werediscussed in a seminar jointly organised with theSlovak Permanent Representation to the EU underthe auspices of the Slovak Presidency. Discussionsfocused on how learning outcomes andcompetence requirements have been defined indifferent countries; demonstrating similarities aswell as differences in requirements and priorities.

Cedefop continued its work with the EuropeanCommission and Member States in supporting




implementation of the ECVET recommendation,providing analytical support to the ECVET users’group and the ECVET forum. The ECVET inEurope 2015 monitoring report was published(30), based on national responses provided by theECVET users’ group from 28 EU Member Statesand four EFTA countries. The report examineswhether existing credit systems provide conditionsfor individuals to have their learning accumulatedor transferred towards a qualification. Issuesexamined include: whether qualifications are basedon learning outcomes and organised in units;whether individual units are assessed and validatedfor further transfer and accumulation; whether unitsare assigned credit points; and whether VETproviders use memoranda of understanding andlearning agreements to understand better thelearning outcomes they provide and better preparemobility. The report also focuses on the waysECVET is promoted among stakeholders andbeneficiaries, and on examples of support materialsthat can be useful to ECVET promoters throughoutEurope.

As part of the continuous development of theEuropass website, a template for recording skillsand qualifications of refugees and asylumseekers has been prepared at the request of theCommission; an animation video has also beenproduced to promote interoperability with Europass.Cedefop provided extensive comments on theproposed revision of the Europass decision underthe New skills agenda and the corresponding staffworking document. The Agency offered conceptualsupport and advice to the European Commissionon the design of the new Europass.

Cedefop provided advice and expertise tothe EqaVET steering committee, the EQAVETworking group on complementing the EQAVETrecommendation, the peer learning activityorganised by the EC in Poland on the qualityassurance of qualifications and learning outcomesapproach, and the quality assurance workshoporganised during the business forum. Severalinitiatives were taken to promote the results of aCedefop study on quality assurance of certificationin IVET: offering key note speeches in events (inPoland, the Philippines and Portugal), andsupporting Member States in developing qualityassurance systems when designing their

qualifications and implementing the learningoutcomes approach. Cedefop participated twice inthe meeting of the platform of Europeanassociations of VET providers monitored byDGEMPL and built, with them and several experts,a community on promoting quality in learningdelivery. Cedefop is also a member of theEducation and training 2020 working group onschools education which met three times in 2016.Cedefop contributed to an expert group organisedby UNESCO to develop guidelines on the qualityassurance of TVET qualifications in the Asia-Pacificregion.

RESULTS ACHIEVED 29



RESULTS ACHIEVED 31


2.2. CarEEr anD TransiTions:CVET, aDulT anD work-basED lEarning

2.2.1. ACTIVITy: EmpowEring aDulTs anD youngpEoplE

A s developing apprenticeships and work-based learning (WBL) continues to be high

on the EU policy agenda, there is a growing needfor policy-makers to explore different approachesand more effective implementation. To support this



TO POLICY DOCUMENTSOF EU AND MEMBER STATES

10


REFERENCES

For example:■ the Council recommendation on upskilling pathways:

new opportunities for adults proposed by the EuropeanCommission and related staff working documentsunder the New skills agenda for Europe initiative

■ the Eurydice report for the Education and trainingmonitor 2016 Structural indicators for monitoringeducation and training systems in Europe

For example:

■ Direct support to countries to review theirapprenticeship systems (Italy, Greece, Slovenia)

■ ET 2020 working groups on VET (focused on teachersand trainers) and adult learning

■ OECD meeting of the group of national experts on VETand adult learning

■ TVET inter-agency working group on work-basedlearning

For example:■ EESC opinions on :

• Integration of refugees in the EU• Continuing education and training (CVET) in ruralareas

• Validation of skills and qualifications acquiredthrough non-formal and informal learning – Thepractical input of organised civil society

• Improving the performance of national dual trainingsystems

■ Employment and social developments in Europe 2015,Chapter 1.1.: Self-employment and entrepreneurship(European Commission)

■ Study on obstacles to recognition of skills andqualifications (European Commission)

TOP THREE PUBLICATIONS:

■ European guidelines for validating non-formal andinformal learning

■ Apprenticeship review: Malta

■ Briefing note – Professional development for VETteachers and trainers

00074

Performance


PUBLICATIONS

ACTIVECONTRIBUTIONS


57


effort, Cedefop started a cross-national overviewof apprenticeships in Member States and of theircommitments under the EAfA (31). For the countryreviews in Greece, Italy andSlovenia, Cedefop carriedout the first two rounds ofstakeholder interviews andorganised a second valida-tion workshop with membersof the steering groups in therespective countries. A thirdround of surveys was organ-ised In Slovenia. Cedefop alsocontributed to the inter-agencyworking group on WBL at itsmeeting in February in Paris(hosted by the OECD), and theconference calls of Juneand November, organised byUNESCO , on the advocacy tool,the analytical framework, and the map-ping of agencies’ methodologies forcountry reviews. The Agency providedcontinuous advice and expertise to theET 2020 working group on adult learn-ing, which focuses on adult workplacelearning. Cedefop prepared threebackground papers for theDGVT conference on appren-ticeships in Bratislava in Octo-ber, under the Slovak Presi-dency. The topics of Cedefop’spapers were: apprenticeships foradults; getting employers onboard; and better training: a clearregulatory framework for appren-ticeships. Cedefop also organiseda working dinner on work-basedlearning and apprenticeships as anasset for employability and busi-ness competitiveness. The objectiveof the dinner was to discuss issueshigh on the agenda of the EuropeanParliament’s EMPL Committee: the fight againstunemployment, especially youth unemployment,striving to improve the European economy’s com-petitiveness, and creating jobs.

In 2016, Cedefop finalised its three-year study‘Leaving education early: putting vocationaleducation and training centre stage’ focusing on the

contribution that VET can make to reducing earlyleaving from education and training (ELET).

Aimed at improving evidence andsupporting national decision-making in thisarea, the study’s outcomes were publishedin two volumes. Volume I, Investigatingcauses and extent (32) examines thelearning pathways of young students,provides measurements of early leavingin VET, and formulates recommendationsfor improving the national data collectionsystems and the EU indicator. Volume II,

Evaluating policy impact (33)reviews VET-related measuresto tackle ELET, either bypreventing learners droppingout and/or by bringing thosewho have already left back toeducation and training.

A briefing note summarisedthe key features of successfulpolicies and practices and theconditions necessary to evalu-ate and upscale successfulpractices (34). Cedefop starteddeveloping an electronic toolkitfor professionals designing andimplementing measures totackle early leaving. The toolkit

will offer guidelines, evaluation toolsand good examples of practice andwill be available on Cedefop’s websitein 2017.

As part of the study’s outcomesdissemination activities, Cedefop andthe World Bank organisedknowledge sharing seminar ‘Earlyleaving from education and training:lessons for Romania’ (35). Studyfindings were also debated duringthe Cedefop-Fundation JaumeBofill seminar in Barcelona,

‘International perspectives on education – Anunsolved problem: how to address early school

RESULTS ACHIEVED 33

(31) European alliance for apprenticeships.




(35) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/events/knowledge-exchange-seminar-early-leaving-education-and-training


leaving?’ (36), and the Europeanconference in Florence organisedby the Fondazione CR Firenze incooperation with the ItalianMinistry of Education, Universityand Research (37).

Investing in skills pays off:the economic and social costsof low-skilled adults summarisesthe main outcomes of Cedefopwork in this area (38). The studyprovides an estimate of theindividual and social value inmonetary terms of a faster increaseof the general level of skills in theMember States compared to thecurrent trend. Investigating theeconomic and social disadvantages ofbeing low-skilled, the study clearlyshows the potential benefits of anypublic policy aimed at reducing theshare of low-skilled adults in the EUover the next decade. This studyconfirms that formal education alonecannot explain all the differentdimensions of the low-skilledphenomenon and calls for effectivepolicy actions targeting the different needs andcharacteristics of low-skilled subpopulations.

Expert workshop ‘Fostering partnerships forcontinuing training: cooperation between

higher education institutions andenterprises’ (39) took place atCedefop in February and wasattended by policy-makers,researchers and practitioners. Theevent showed that there areinnovative models of continuingprofessional development, whichbuild on cooperation betweenhigher education institutions andenterprises and link WBL in theworld of work to higher education.

However, practices in Europeare still few and fragmented.There is a clear need for moresystematic analysis in this fieldto promote access andparticipation and to fosterexcellence in and throughCVET.

The Cedefop researchpaper Governance and financ-ing of apprenticeships (40),which has already been cited inscientific literature, analysesVET governance structures andfinancing arrangements in Spain,Italy, Latvia, Portugal and Swe-den. It identifies governance

structures and financing arrangements that supportsustainable implementation of high-quality appren-


(36) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/events/unresolved-problem-how-address-early-school-leaving

(37) http://www.fondazionecrfirenze.it/magnetica/(38) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/news-and-press/news/execu

tive-summary-investing-skills-pays-economic-and-social-cost-low-skilled

(39) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/events/fostering-partnerships-continuing-training-cooperation-between-higher


GOVERNANCE AND FINANCING OF

BRUSSELS8 and 9 February 2016

apprenticeships

CEDEFOPEVENT

Fostering partnerships for continuing training: cooperationbetween higher education institutions and enterprises.


ticeship; findings were disseminated and discussedduring a dedicated event in February in Brus-sels (41), which discussed countries’ currentchallenges in this area and the need for further sup-port and information sharing on actions alreadytaken by countries.

Cedefop’s opinion survey on VET in Europeaims at investigating European citizens’ opinions onawareness, attractiveness and effectiveness ofVET in Europe: 3 646 interviewswere conducted among thecitizens of all EU Member Statesand preliminary results indicatethat most Europeans (68%)consider that initial vocationaleducation at the upper secondarystage has a positive image in theircountry. The two main reasonsgiven by respondents for choosinginitial vocational education are thelikelihood of finding a job (46%)and interest in the subjects (41%).Almost nine out of 10 graduates(87%) who have gone through VETare happy with the job-related skillsthey have acquired, while only 62%of general education graduatesreport being satisfied with their acquired job-related skills. These and many other findingswere discussed during an internationalworkshop in Thessaloniki in February 2017.

Cedefop finalised analysis of the wealthof information provided by ReferNet partnersin 2015 (42) on supporting teachers andtrainers for successful reforms andquality of initial VET and mapping theirprofessional development in the Eu (43). Afirst overview was shared with the ET 2020working group on vocational education andtraining while a briefing note (44)summarised the outcomes of the report publishedonline.

The report provides snapshots of the situationin each Member State of teaching and trainingprofessionals who work in initial VET, both in school

and work-based settings, including apprenticeshipschemes. It also describes how countries supportinitial and continuing professional development ofteachers and trainers, as well as how they organisecooperation and partnerships between the worldsof education and work.

Cedefop’s support to the ET 2020 workinggroup on vocational education and training con-

sisted of advice and expertise,including active participation in allmeetings. The third plenary of thegroup was hosted by Cedefop inThessaloniki in November, back-to-back with the policy learning forum‘Professional development of teach-ers and trainers – a guarantee ofquality in VET’. (45) This broughttogether about 70 participants from29 countries for intensive discus-sions on the role of VET teachersand trainers in enterprises inensuring the quality of work-basedlearning and apprenticeship. The

participants soughtanswers on how todevelop a systemicapproach to profes-sional development ofteachers and trainersthroughout theircareers, including sup-port measures andincentives. Participantsalso shared and dis-cussed examples frompractice on qualificationsand CPD programmes,use of IT, school devel-opment processes,cooperation betweenschools and companies,

involvement of all stakeholders in shaping policies,and implementation of professional development ofVET teachers and trainers.

The study Labour market information andguidance (46) analyses the role of guidance inenabling citizens to use LMI successfully to make

RESULTS ACHIEVED 35

(41) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/events/governance-and-financing-apprenticeships

(42) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/networks/refernet/thematic-perspectives

(43) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/country-reports/teachers-and-trainers


(45) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/events/policy-learning-forum-professional-development-teachers-and-trainers



decisions about learning and their careers.Important policy messages are extracted, dealingwith stakeholder cooperation, quality of LMI,appropriate use of LMI in schools and employmentservices, new technologies and the skills ofpractitioners and teaching staff. The workshop‘labour market intelligence in lifelongguidance’ (47) (May 2016) gathered LMI andguidance experts from across Europe to discussthe results of the study. Discussions informed thepractitioner toolkits Cedefop is developing tosupport guidance practitioners, teachers/trainers (48), employment advisors and counsellorsin using ICT and LMI tools.

Cedefop organised a major Europeanconference on validation: ‘How to make learningvisible, Strategies for implementing validation ofnon-formal and informal learning’ (49) whichattracted more than 200 participants. Theconference served to reflect on current progressand engage Member State policy-makers, socialpartners, practitioners and other stakeholders in adiscussion on what needs to be done in the run-upto the 2018 ‘deadline’ of the 2012 Councilrecommendation and beyond. Input from theconference will feed the finalisation of the 2016European inventory update, to be published in2017.


(47) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/events/workshop-labour-market-information-lmi-lifelong-guidance

(48) This refers to dedicated career teachers of curricular subjects(e.g. Finland, Czech Republic) and to other subjectteachers/trainers who have teaching duties in careers education(curricular modules or embedded career competence learningoutcomes, which are becoming common in Europe).

(49) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/events/how-make-learning-visible


Four reports were published as part of the 2016European inventory: Validation in the care andyouth work sectors (50), Monitoring the use ofvalidation of non-formal and informal learning (51);Validation and open education resources (OER) (52)and Funding validation (53).

Following publication of European guidelinesfor validation in 2015, a data visualisation tool wascreated on the Cedefop website to present linksbetween the guidelines and the Europeaninventory. The current version (54), which is beingpiloted, contains data from 2010 and 2014 andfurther improvements should be made in 2017 toinclude 2016 data.

Cedefop collaborated with the internationalexpert group on recognition, validation andaccreditation of basic youth and adult education asa foundation of lifelong learning, set up byUNESCO (section of partnership, cooperation andresearch) and the UNESCO Institute for LifelongLearning (UIL). The group met in June andNovember.

Contributing to the identification of effectivepolicies for the labour market integration ofmigrants and refugees, Cedefop the EuropeanCommission and the EQF Dutch nationalcoordination point together organised the peerlearning activity ‘Making visible and valuing skillsand qualifications of refugees’ (April 2016).

The Cedefop-OECD expert forum ‘upskilling,re-skilling and employing adult refugees’ (55)discussed the role of VET and VET-relatedmeasures to help adult refugees, including those inclear need of international protection, to integratequickly into the labour market. Importantconclusions were derived on how to accelerateintegration processes, increase stakeholdercooperation and assure awareness of upskillingsolutions for refugees, as early in their asylumclaiming procedures as possible. During the forum,

the Italian authorities proposed to Cedefop todevelop a pilot project in the framework of therelocation mechanism and test how skill strategiescould support asylum applicant eligibility forrelocation, but not in the category of vulnerablegroups, and those with family and social ties in EUcountries. A survey on the same theme wasimplemented with the cooperation of nationalReferNet partners and the information gatheredwas disseminated during the forum.

Active contributions were provided to the ET2020 working groups on promoting citizenship andthe common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination and on adult learning.

Relying on in-house expertise, and using theevidence generated across the above activities,Cedefop provided significant input to the New skillsagenda, in particularly to the preparation of the newCouncil recommendation on upskilling pathways:new opportunities for adults, proposed by theEuropean Commission and related staff workingdocuments.

RESULTS ACHIEVED 37





(54) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/data-visualisations/european-database-on-validation-of-non-formal-and-informal-learning

(55) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/events/upskilling-reskilling-and-employing-adult-refugees


RESULTS ACHIEVED 39




TO EU POLICY DOCUMENTS

5


REFERENCES

For example:■ the Communication of the European Commission and

related staff working documents on working together tostrengthen human capital, employability andcompetitiveness under the New skills agenda forEurope initiative

■ The total number of page views was over 200 000 (withan average of five minutes and four page views pervisit).

■ The sections with quantitative data and indicators(dashboards) and analytical highlights are the mostvisited.

For example:■ DG Employment working group on digitalisation■ Task forces on big data and on labour market statistics■ Field visits to countries to help them review their skills

forecasting systems (Iceland, Malta)■ Social partners conference on skills mismatches

Cedefop work on skills analysis cited, for example in:■ Statistical approaches to the measurement of skills:

2016 edition (Eurostat)■ Connecting education, the labour market and society –

Towards a New skills agenda for Europe (Council of theEuropean Union)

■ Matching skills and jobs in the European Union(European Parliament)

■ Commission staff working document: Impactassessment accompanying the document proposal for adirective of the European Parliament and the Council onthe conditions of entry and residence of third-countrynationals for the purposes of highly skilled employmentand repealing directive 2009/50/EC: Part 1/6 (EuropeanCommission)

TOP THREE PUBLICATIONS:■ Trends and skill needs in tourism■ Briefing note – Skill mismatch: more than meets the eye■ User guide to developing an employer survey on skill

needs

00046

Performance


PUBLICATIONS

00050 VISITSTO THE EU SKILLS PANORAMA WEBSITE

ACTIVECONTRIBUTIONS


31


2.3. analysing skillsanD CompETEnCE nEEDsTo inForm VET proVision2.3.1. ACTIVITy: skills analysis

I nform VET provision, and ensuring that it is re-sponsive to labour market developments and oc-

cupational changes, requires a plethora of data andanalysis, focusing on present and future mis-matches between supply and demand. The samedata can also be used to inform individuals’ career,education and training choices.

The Eu skills panorama, relaunched byCedefop in December 2015, is a unique web portalfor labour market and skills intelligence in Europe.It is designed primarily for policy-makers and policyexperts and brings together data from varioussources to inform on labour market trends andresulting skill needs in countries, sectors, andoccupations. In 2016, new sections and indicatorswere added to the site: matching skills and jobs,providing exclusive access to the results ofCedefop’s European jobs and skills survey (16indicators from the survey); 30 new highlights onchanges affecting skills needed in occupations anda list of high priority mismatch occupations ineach EU country; the ‘making skillswork’ index, which summarises theperformance of each country usinga set of indicators, gathered aroundthe three pillars of developing skills,activating skills and matching skills.A comprehensive update of allindicators based on labour forcesurvey and forecasting data tookplace in June, together withimprovements in site navigation andlayout. A workshop was organisedwith EURES advisors and guidancepractitioners to assess how the siteshould evolve to meet the needs ofpractitioners better. Throughout theyear, the EU Skills Panorama portal has attractedmore than 50 000 visits. The quality of the traffic tothe portal is excellent and improving as visitors stayin the website, indicating that they find the contentof interest.

As well as developing and maintaining the EUSkills Panorama, Cedefop carries out a number ofprojects and activities to collect more and better

data and insights on skill needs in the EU. Theoutcomes of these activities are summarised below.

Cedefop skill supply and demand forecastsaim to act as an early warning mechanism to helpalleviate potential labour market imbalances andsupport different labour market actors in makinginformed decisions. The 2016 forecast results (56)were published to coincide with the announcementof the skills agenda.

European sectoral trends: thenext decade (57), published in Mayto promote new forecasting resultsand the skills agenda, synthesisestrends across sectors and drivers ofchange up to 2025. Future trends inskill demand and supply across theEU are being driven mainly bydemographic change, better accessto education, technologicaladvances and climate change.These drivers are expected toimpact employment, occupationsand qualifications in all sectorsacross the EU between now and2025, particularly by encouragingemployment growth in services and

increasing the need for high level qualifications; thelatter is due to new jobs being created and alsochanges in job content and tasks ‘pushing the level

RESULTS ACHIEVED 41

(56) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/projects/forecasting-skill-demand-and-supply/data-visualisations


Inspiring your choices on skills and jobs in Europe

Employment trends – 2016 Skills forecast


up’ in existing jobs. However, ageing and highreplacement demand across occupations meanthat the labour market will continue to requirepeople with low and medium levels of qualifications,albeit fewer than in the past. Further, automationand robots will affect the type of skills requiredacross occupations, as they will replace routinetasks requiring qualification renewal and continuingVET. A conference was organised in collaborationwith UNESCO to disseminate the new Cedefopforecast and debate trends in the EU in light ofglobal changes.

The joint Cedefop-UNESCO conference ‘Skills,jobs and sustainable development:global trends, local challenges’ (58)held on 20 and 21 October in theUNESCO headquarters in Paris,debated the implications of globaleconomic trends and market forcesfor anticipated skill needs andmismatches, and the responses ofeducation and training, building onlabour market intelligence. Theconference also focused on howcountries use information on trendsin skill needs to review and renewtheir education and trainingprovision. There wasconsideration of qualificationsframeworks (at sector, national,regional and global levels) and their activerole to support coordination and dialogue betweeneducation and training and labour market actors.Global policy priorities, challenges and applicablesolutions that can be applied in different regions of

the world were debated by experts, representativesof governments and social partners, in a series ofplenary discussions and parallel sessions.

Although making progress, labour markets inmany EU Member States are still not fullyrecovered from the economic crisis that started in2008. But today’s European labour markets arealready challenged by changes in the demographiccomposition of the labour force, as well as theincrease in work complexities and processes. Skillsforecasting is a useful tool to inform decisions bypolicymakers, experts and individuals in thiscomplex environment. The research paper Futureskill needs in Europe: critical labour forcetrends (59) not only presents Cedefop’s latest skillssupply and demand forecasts but also offers anexplorative analysis of the impact of an alternativeskills supply scenario on future labour marketimbalances. The analysis aims to draw attention tothe tensions that may be generated in the nearfuture (in most EU countries after 2025) due todecreased labour supply, and the role that targetedactivation and migration policies, deployed now,could play in alleviating such tensions.

Cedefop met, as it does every year, in aworkshop with national forecasting and labourmarket experts from all EU countries, Norway and

Iceland to validate national resultsand debate future methodologicaldevelopments of the forecast.Immediately following thisNovember workshop, at therequest of malta and iceland,Cedefop organised a two-daypeer learning event to supportthe development of nationalskills anticipation andforecasting in the two countries.The event offered representativesfrom these countries the opportunityto benefit from the insights ofinternational and national experts onmacro-economic, employment andskills forecasting.

As well as engaging with these two countries,in 2016, Cedefop strengthened the foundationneeded to work with individual countries and helpdevelop skills anticipation and skills


(58) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/events/skills-jobs-and-sustainable-development-global-trends-local-challenges



governance in the EU; this is fully aligned with theskills agenda as it invites EU countries to developtheir capacity to anticipate and react to skill needsin the labour market. To assess the performanceof skills systems across countries, Cedefopfinalised the development of a composite ‘makingskills work’ index. The index relies on a number ofindicators grouped across three dimensions: skilldevelopment, focusing on participation in (formal,non-formal and informal) education and training,attainment levels in education and learningoutcomes; skills activation, the ease of transition byyoung graduates and participation in the labourmarket; skills utilisation, capturing the extent towhich employers’ skill needs are effectively met byworkers’ skills and the degree to which the skills ofthe available labour force are left idle. The indexallows comparisons across countries and permitsrapid identification of each country’s strengths andweaknesses. It can be used to trigger discussionsamong stakeholders over possible needs forreforms.

Since 2014, Cedefop has been supportinggreece in its effort to develop a national skillsdiagnosis mechanism. So far, cooperation withGreek authorities has taken the form of participationin meetings of the steering and scientificcommittees and other events, as well as input todocuments. In the first semester, a meeting washeld in Athens where progress made waspresented to the steering committee by the leadingauthority (Ε.Ι.Ε.Α.Δ.) and a one-day disseminationconference was organised where the results of theskills diagnosis mechanism were presented to awider audience. Cedefop contributed with a

keynote speech that discussed how the results canbe used for policy-making. The Greek Minister ofEmployment visited Cedefop during June andpossibilities for further support in implementing theskills diagnosis mechanism were discussed, afterwhich the Greek authorities formally asked Cedefopto carry out a thematic country review on thegovernance of skills anticipation and matching inthe country. This will start in 2017.

Cedefop was invited to give a keynote speech‘Anticipating and governing skills needs: Cedefop’ssupport to EUMS’ at the European Commission(Dg Empl) mutual learning programme. Theprogramme focused on methods for forecastingskills needs for the economy, and took place inDublin. Discussions highlighted methodologicaldifficulties and statistical challenges, as well asinstitutional requirements to allow a country to havea well-running skills anticipation system. Cedefopdemonstrated its leading role in methodologicaldevelopments for skills anticipation, especially itsrecent work on linking skill forecasts with skill datafrom the Cedefop European skills and jobs survey,and exploring real-time LMI techniques. TheAgency is also moving towards provision ofcountry-specific assistance if requested.

Problems posed by skill shortages andsurpluses are of particular concern to Europeanand national policy-makers. To help identifyoccupations that should receive policy-makerpriority attention, Cedefop has developed aninnovative risk-based approach that also providesinsights into why skill mismatches arise. This usesa range of indicators that uncover skill mismatchesin the labour market and combines it with qualitativeinsights from national experts. It can identifymismatch priority occupations (mpos) for eachmember state, a vital piece of the skills anticipationpuzzle helping identify shortages in occupationsdue to lack of skills rather than other recruitmentdifficulties. The briefing note Skill shortage andsurplus occupations in Europe (60) published inOctober, addresses the reasons for shortages inselected occupations (61), as well as the reasons forskill surpluses. The findings only provide asnapshot of the wealth of results produced toidentify MPOs. More comprehensive findings for

RESULTS ACHIEVED 43


(61) ICT and STEM professionals, healthcare professionals,teachers.

Employment trends by sector in EU-28+

Source: Cedefop skills forecasts (2016).

Primary sector & utilities

Manufacturing

Construction

Distribution & transport

Business & other services

Non-marketed services

2005-15 2015-25

improvement actions

N

-20% -10% 0% 10% 20%


each EU Member State can be found in the SkillsPanorama (62).

In 2014, Cedefop initiated a feasibility study toassess whether good quality and useful data onskills demand by employers can be retrievedfrom online vacancies. Gathering such informationwould fill a significant gap in available data on skillneeds in the labour market; using new technologiesto retrieve data from the web would be muchcheaper and effective than other methods, such asemployers’ surveys. Data on skill needs byemployers will be useful to VET providers revisingtraining programmes, to employment services andcareer counsellors, as well as directly to individualsto guide career and training choices. Cedefop’sfeasibility study was finalised in the first semesterof 2016 and proved that retrieving data that addvalue to the currently available evidence fromonline vacancies is worthwhile and promising. Themain outcome of the project is Cedefop’s own ITinstrument to gather and classify such data. Thistool has been successfully applied across fivecountries (CZ, DE, IRL, IT, UK) and has collecteddata on occupation-specific and generic skillsdemand that has been classified by country,regions, sectors, and occupations. Projectoutcomes were highly appreciated by members ofEurostat’s task force on big data, which Cedefop

has been invited to join. Cedefop has undertakenexchanges with national statistical office membersof the task force that have requested access toCedefop’s tool to inspire national efforts to collectbig data.

Cedefop has engaged in two projects to gatherstronger evidence on skills strategies andlearning cultures in organisations and their linkto business performance and innovation. Thefirst has collected eight in-depth case studies oforganisations in four sectors across five countriesthat have enjoyed sustainable and long-termbusiness success, to investigate their learningculture and how they devise and implement theirskills strategies. During 2016, fieldwork wasfinalised and all case studies completed. Analysisand synthesis will take place in 2017.

The second project relies on collaboration withEurofound: the agencies have agreed to join forcesto organise the next European company survey.This survey will collect data from a representativesample of European companies, using a standardquestionnaire, and will provide a unique Europeandata set on skills strategies of companies and theirlink to business performance. The proposed topicsand features of the survey have been discussedwith a joint steering group consisting ofrepresentatives of the governing boards of bothCedefop and Eurofound and with a group ofexperts. The survey will focus on companies’ skillsstrategies (recruitment, skills utilisation anddevelopment, training and learning), consideredtogether with other HRM practices, workplacesocial dialogue, sustainable work and careers, jobdesign, work organisation, and digitalisation ofwork. The survey should allow linking these issuesto business innovation and competitiveness.Cooperation between the two agencies is beneficialto the project, cost-effective and will demonstratethe synergies and complementarities betweenthem.

Throughout the year, efforts were made andseveral initiatives taken to promote anddisseminate the results of the Cedefop Europeanskills and jobs survey (ESJS). Analyticalhighlights and blogs were written both for theCedefop web portal and the Skills Panorama,based on new analyses of the data set. Todisseminate the results further into policy circles,Cedefop held a dedicated skill mismatch Brussels-based seminar together with the Dutch PermanentRepresentation to the EU under the auspices of theDutch Presidency.


(62) http://skillspanorama.cedefop.europa.eu/

Top five mismatch priority occupations: shortages, EU-28

Source: Cedefop.


In 2016, 11 skillsnet e-bulletins (63) werepublished and shared with Skillsnet members. Theyoffer network members the latest news,publications and events in the field of skillsanticipation and governance. Cedefop has alsopursued active collaboration with the ETF, tofinalise the publication of the guides on skillsanticipation methods; with the ILO, to carry out acomparative analysis of national systems of skillsgovernance based on information collectedtogether by the OECD, Cedefop, the ETF and theILO in 2014; and with the World Economic Forum(WEF), to contribute to the dissemination of thereport on the Future of jobs.

Significant contributions were made in 2016 onmonitoring trends in the labour market and theirimpact on skill needs and mismatches on thepreparation of the New skills agenda. Followingrequests by the EC, original papers were providedon skills intelligence and guidance in Europe;making skills work, assessing performance of EUMember States; and labour market intelligence, avaluable tool for policy. Inputs and comments werealso provided on the role of the EU Skills Panoramaand particularly the Europass revision, on theblueprint for sectoral collaboration on skills, and thekey staff working document of the communicationanalysing skills supply, demand and mismatch inthe EU. Cedefop was also present at the launchand press event for the New skills agenda, makingan intervention and press statement titled ‘What arethe skills for the future?’ (64).

RESULTS ACHIEVED 45

(63) One double issue. (64) http://skillspanorama.cedefop.europa.eu/en/blog/what-are-skills-future

Degree of (recent and anticipated) change in skill profiles across jobs, 2014, EU-28

TOP 5 OCCUPATION GROUPS

with rapidly changing skills profiles with stable skills profiles

1 ICT professionals 1 Subsistence farmers, fishers or hunters

2 ICT associate professionals 2 Cleaners or helpers

3 Production or specialist services managers 3 Food preparation assistants

4 Health professionals 4 Personal services workers

5 Electronic and electronic trades workers / 5 Personal care workers Science and engineeiring professionals

Source: Cedefop European skills and jobs survey.


RESULTS ACHIEVED 47



COMMUNICATION,INFORMATION

AND DISSEMINATION

ARTICLESREFERRING TO CEDEFOPIN EUROPEAN MEDIA

625857FOLLOWERS ON

TWITTER1705

856

ORGANISED BY CEDEFOP62 EVENTS

Continued, systematic and targeted promotion anddissemination of Cedefop publications succeeded inincreasing demand for briefing notes targetingpolicy-makers and published in eight languages.

For example:

■ Dinheiro Vivo (PT) ■ Corriere della Sera (IT)■ Kathimerini (EL)Most articles refer to Cedefop skills forecast, the EUSkills Panorama and the mobility scoreboard.

96% of participants rated Cedefop’sevents as GOOD or VERY GOOD

60% are POLICY-MAKERS at EU/national level

11% RESEARCHERS6 % SOCIAL PARTNERS 9 % PRACTITIONERS and

2 % ENTERPRISES

DOWNLOADS OF CEDEFOP BRIEFING NOTES

40088

FOLLOWERS ON

FACEBOOK3509

(INCREASED BY 28% OVER 2015)

(INCREASED BY 35% OVER 2015)

Performance

INDIVIDUAL USERS AND

IMPRESSIONS

4921 420OUTREACH OF A FACEBOOK ADCAMPAIGN FOR THE PROMOTIONOF THE #CEDEFOPPHOTOAWARD


I t is vital for Cedefop to communicate efficientlykey messages to stakeholders and to promote a

positive image of the Agency at European, nationaland local levels. To this end, Cedefop organisedevents and visits to keep key accounts and otherstakeholders up to date with VET issues and Cede-fop’s role. Among other visits, a delegation of theEMPL Committee of the European Parliamentcame to discuss closer cooperation with Cedefop.The Agency also welcomed visitors from variouscountries and institutions, including: the Hannoverregion in Germany which is planning to take inGreek apprentices; the Athens College; schooldirectors from Crete; academics from Greece, Fin-land and France; and two institutions dealing withvalidation and recognition of qualifications, the Nor-wegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Educationand the Ankara Chamber of Commerce fromTurkey. In October Cedefop played an active role(presentations and exhibition) in the ‘Jobs andmobility’ road show, organised by Europe Directand supported by the representations of the Euro-pean Commission and the European Parliament inGreece.

Throughout 2016, Cedefop also intensified itscollaboration with DG EMPL by organising jointsocial media activities, support to the mediaseminar on the skills agenda, and the opening ofthe #CedefopPhotoAward (65) exhibition at theEuropean youth Event 2016 (EyE2016) inStrasbourg. European Commissioner forEmployment, Social Affairs, Skills and LabourMobility Ms Marianne Thyssen opened the event,attended by 7 000 young Europeans from all 28 EUMember States. Commissioner Thyssencongratulated Cedefop on this initiative andencouraged Europe’s youth in education andtraining to contribute to the competition, whichgives ‘more visibility to vocational education andtraining, showing that it is a first choice, not asecond option’. In the second semester Cedefopfocused on promoting the DG EMPL’s firstEuropean vocational skills week ((see box on page51) (66) with dedicated social media activities, onlinenews, eight video productions and four localevents, including the photo exhibition Europe’syouth in education and training, at the 57thThessaloniki international film festival in November.The winners of the #CedefopPhotoAward were

invited to the official closing ceremony of theEuropean vocational skills week in Brussels inDecember, where they received their award fromCommissioner Thyssen. Thanks to excellentcollaboration with DG EMPL’s communication unit,an accompanying campaign for raising the visibilityof VET and engaging younger audiences via socialmedia networking exceeded all expectations: theestimated outreach via Facebook was 857 625individual users, with 1 420 492 impressionscounted. More than 70 organisations posted newsabout Cedefop’s photo award initiative.

Cooperation between the Greek employmentand education authorities and Cedefop to helpequip Greek people with the skills needed to findand stay in employment was the topic of a seminarorganised in June 2016 in Thessaloniki (67), jointlywith Thomas Händel MEP, Chair of theEmployment and Social Affairs Committee.Cedefop has been supporting the Greek authoritiesby reviewing the existing apprenticeship system,monitoring the development of the nationalqualifications framework and contributing to thenational skills anticipation mechanism foridentifying emerging skills and labour market needsand their match to VET supply.

Further, with the support of the Brussels liaisonoffice, Cedefop organised three stakeholder events

COMMUNICATION, INFORMATION AND DISSEMINATION 49

(66) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tags/european-vocational-skills-week

(67) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/events/making-learning-work-greece-bringing-together-world-employment-and(65) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tags/cedefopphotoaward

Opening of #CedefopPhotoAward exhibition by EuropeanCommissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills andLabour Mobility, Marianne Thyssen


in Brussels: an EP-Cedefop working dinner onwork-based learning and apprenticeships, inJanuary, an event in collaboration with the DutchPermanent Representation to the EU on policies formatching better skills in better jobs, in June and ajoint seminar with the Slovak PermanentRepresentation to the EU on competitiveness andstrong vocational qualifications, in December.

In 2016, Cedefop published seven briefingnotes, 19 press releases, three issues of theSkillset and match magazine, 17 video clips andinterviews, 10 issues of Cedefop’s electronicnewsletter, and 71 website headlines. The pressservice facilitated 16 interviews with internationalmedia for Cedefop staff, including with Compassmagazine, the Italian daily Corriere della Sera andthe Brazilian newspaper Fohla S. Paulo, as well aswith various Greek broadcasters, MEGA channel,TV 100, ERT 3, ERT 3 radio, Thessalonikimunicipal radio FM 100, Athens 984 municipalradio, Real FM radio and the Macedonian NewsAgency radio station. A continuous flow of socialmedia postings (135 Facebook posts, 1 670 tweetsand retweets) complemented Cedefop’scommunication activities. By the end of 2016,Cedefop counted 9 350 Facebook likes (anincrease of 28% compared to 2015) and 5 170twitter followers (an increase of about 35%compared to 2016).

The publication service (linguistic support,production, dissemination) supports allcommunication and public relation activities.

According to Cedefop’s publication policy, mostpublications, such as briefing notes and researchpapers, are published online only, but printing-on-demand continues to play an important role. E-bookproduction is also a standard online publicationformat. Video animations for Presidency countryVET systems are now produced regularly, as withthe animations on VET in the Netherlands,published in the first quarter, and on VET inSlovakia, in October. Following revision ofCedefop’s publication policy, a pilot for granularpublishing was successfully launched and theresearch paper Leaving education early: puttingvocational education and training centre stage isnow downloadable as a whole or granular, withexecutive summary and chapters individuallyavailable (68).

2016 was the year during which Cedefop’s webportal (69) focused on data visualisation, with threelarge data visualisations projects successfullyimplemented. First, the European database onvalidation of non-formal and informal learning (70),available online since March, provides an overviewof validation arrangements in the EU, allowingcross-country comparisons for different timeperiods.

Forecasting skill demand and supply (71),presented at the launch of the New skills agenda inMay 2016, provides an overall picture of labourmarket trends and skill developments in the EU.Using the online forecast allows data comparisonand aggregation across countries.

The mobility scoreboard for IVET (72) is a tooldesigned for assisting policy-making in internationallearning mobility in IVET and provides relevantinformation, analysis and suggestions. The onlinetool was delivered in two phases. Phase 1displayed data for the 2015 for four indicators andwas presented to stakeholders during an event inJune 2016. Phase 2 displays a new data set for 14indicators. The mobility scoreboard was officiallylaunched during the European vocational skillsweek in Brussels in December 2016.



(69) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/(70) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/

data-visualisations/european-database-on-validation-of-non-formal-and-informal-learning

(71) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/projects/forecasting-skill-demand-and-supply/data-visualisations

(72) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/data-visualisations/mobility-scoreboard


COMMUNICATION, INFORMATION AND DISSEMINATION 51

(73) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/sk/news-and-press/news/learning-outcomes-vet-qualifications-next-step

(74) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/news-and-press/news/refernet-partners-and-national-representatives-brought-together-plenary-meeting

(75) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/news-and-press/news/professional-vet-teacher-and-trainer-development-key-quality-learning

(76) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/hu/news-and-press/news/validation-fights-exclusion-and-makes-employability-possible

(77) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/news-and-press/news/cedefopphotoaward-winners-honoured-special-exhibition

(78) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/news-and-press/news/mobility-scoreboards-launched-brussels

CEDEFOP CONTRIBUTIONTO EUROPEAN VOCATIONAL SKILLS WEEK

I n 2016 the first European vocational skills week, involving morethan 900 events across Europe and more than 650 000 people,

took place from 5 to 9 December. Cedefop contributed to this suc-cessful European Commission initiative with speakers, workshops,conferences and a communication campaign. Support also involvedorganising five dedicated Cedefop events in Thessaloniki:• ‘Learning outcomes for VET qualifications: the next step’ (73), a

second policy learning forum on learning outcomes;• the ‘ReferNet partners and national representatives plenary

meeting’ (74), where challenges and opportunities of workingtogether in Cedefop’s network for VET were debated;

• ‘Professional VET teacher and trainer development: key to qualitylearning’ (75), a policy learning forum;

• a Cedefop conference on validation of non-formal and informallearning, which concluded that ‘validation fights exclusion andmakes employability possible’ (76);

• #CedefopPhotoAward 2016 (77), whose winners were honouredwith an exhibition at the Thessaloniki international film festival.

The winners of the #CedefopPhotoAward 2016 were invited tojoin the European vocational skills week and received their awardsfrom Commissioner Marianne Thyssen at the official closingceremony on 9 December.

During the week, Cedefop experts were involved in variousactivities, demonstrating the Agency’s expertise and adding valueon matters such as costs and financing of adult learning (adult skillsconference), quality and trends, and developments in VET-businesscooperation (European business forum on VET).

Another Cedefop highlight was the launch of the IVET mobilityscoreboard (78) during the European business forum on VET, whileEACEA/Eurydice presented the mobility scoreboard for highereducation (HE).


I n 2016, Cedefop maintained cooperation withother agencies working in related spheres, in par-

ticular the ETF and Eurofound (see below). Thiscooperation is not only focused on making sure thatthe work of the agencies is complementary otherbut that synergies and shared resources add valueto them and their stakeholders. This is achieved bybuilding on each other’s strengths and areas ofexpertise and administration; it will continue during2017.

The inter-agency report Towards age-friendlywork in Europe: a life-course perspective onwork and ageing from EU agencies coordinatedby EU-OSHA, includes contributions by EIGE,Eurofound and Cedefop. It reviews ageing trends,reflects on recent policy responses, mostly focusedon increasing retirement ages and limiting earlyaccess to pension, and proposes ways forward toensure that active ageing can support longer andhealthier working lives. Each agency focused on adifferent aspect of demographic change and itsimplications for employment, working conditions,workers’ health and education and training.Cedefop’s chapter focused on the role of VET foractive ageing. It presents recent demographic andlabour market trends, including employment, skillsand lifelong learning, and shows how VET andother policies can contribute to keeping olderworkers employed, active and skilled. The chapteralso covers guidance and counselling for maturelearners, the role of suitable learning approaches,validation, and comprehensive age-managementstrategies in enterprises.

Another example is the ITC-ILO/Cedefop/ETF/AFD (79) joint workshop/training course onfinancing skills development, which took place inMarch in Turin (80). This focused on sharingknowledge about systems and mechanisms of

financing training and the conditions that need tobe in place to provide appropriate funding for skillsdevelopment.

4.1. COOPERATIONwiTh ThE ETFCollaboration between the two agencies is long-standing. Since its outset in 1997, the ETF andCedefop have aimed at creating synergies in areasthat are relevant to both agencies, taking intoaccount their different mandates, geographic scopeand stakeholders. This has led to increasedefficiency, economies of scale and increasedservice levels. The current framework (2014-17)aims at more structured cooperation in thematicareas, projects and activities of common concernto the Commission and to each of the agencies’stakeholders and regulatory functions. Jointactivities of Cedefop and the ETF in 2016 werebased on this cooperation framework.

In 2016, Cedefop and ETF experts wereinvolved in events and projects of mutual interestorganised by both agencies. The ETF activelyparticipated in the Cedefop-UNESCO conference‘Skills, jobs and sustainable development’ inOctober in the UNESCO headquarters, Paris.Cedefop contributed to the ETF conference ‘Gettingorganised for better qualifications’ in November inBrussels. A joint meeting was convened in July toensure knowledge-sharing and complementarity inthe activities of the two agencies. The meeting, inTurin focused on quality assurance of certificationin IVET, the impact of globalisation on VET, theIVET mobility scoreboard, and VET monitoring


RELATIONSWITH EU AGENCIES

(79) International Training Center-International Labour Organisation(ITC-ILO) / European Training Foundation (ETF) / AgenceFrançaise de Développement (AFD).

(80) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/events/training-workshop-financing-skills-development-0


through partnership (Cedefop ReferNet).The two agencies continued joint work on a

revised approach to reporting on VET policies andsystems. Background papers for the June ACVTand the October DGVT meetings on monitoringcountries’ progress towards the commonly agreedpriorities for VET 2015-20 (Riga conclusions) werejointly prepared and presented.

Cedefop and the ETF are also cooperating ona comparative study of 10 learning-outcomes-based VET qualifications, which is currently beingcarried out in 25 countries inside and outsideEurope (in cooperation also with UNESCO). Thestudy allows for systematic discussion on strengthsand weaknesses of existing ways of defining andwriting learning outcomes for VET.

Preparatory work on the third edition of theglobal inventory on national and regionalqualifications frameworks also features cooperationof Cedefop, the ETF and UNESCO. The first outlineof the inventory, which will be available in 2017, hasbeen agreed, including the outline of the thematicchapters and structure of the national and regionalcases.

The two agencies continue their collaboration onwork-based learning and adult learning, in the frameof the inter-agency working group on work-basedlearning together with the OECD, the ILO, UNESCOand other major international organisations.

The ITC-ILO-Cedefop-ETF-AFD commonworkshop/training course on financing skillsdevelopment took place from 7 to 11 March 2016in Turin. The workshop provided an opportunity forknowledge sharing about systems andmechanisms of financing training and necessaryconditions to provide appropriate funding for skillsdevelopment.

Since 2013, Cedefop, the ETF, and the ILOhave engaged in a joint endeavour to promotemethods for skills anticipation and matching. Partof this effort was the preparation of six guides onmethods and approaches to be used to anticipateskill needs. The guides take a very practical stanceand are aimed at national/regional authorities,sector organisations and public employmentservices. Five of the six guides to anticipating andmatching skills and jobs were published in 2016:Using labour market information; Developing skillsforesights, scenarios, and forecasts; Working atsectoral level; The role of employment serviceproviders; and Carrying out tracer studies.

There was also cooperation with the Brusselsoffices of the ETF and Eurofound.

4.2. COOPERATIONwiTh EuroFounDCooperation between Eurofound and Cedefoptakes place in the framework of a collaborationagreement renewed in 2016. Each year, based onearly analysis of the respective work programmes,activities of common interest are identified. Thishelps to structure the exchange of knowledge andsharing of expertise between the two agencies, toavoid overlaps and to identify promising areas forcollaboration, such as in the case of the Europeancompany survey.

In 2016, Cedefop and Eurofound explored thepossibility of organising together the next round ofthe European company survey. To do so, bothagencies considered a thematic focus for thesurvey that would be policy-relevant, answer keyquestions about European companies’ strategies,and tap the respective expertise of both agencies.The resulting proposal for a survey was presentedto an ad hoc consultative group composed ofrepresentatives of the governing boards of bothagencies (EC, government group, employers’ groupand trade unions’ group). The consultative groupendorsed and refined the proposal, which was thenadopted by the governing board of each agency.

The joint Cedefop/Eurofound Europeancompany survey will focus on the links betweencompany skills and business strategies – includingthe response to digitalisation – and how they affectbusiness outcomes. The joint European companysurvey will add to the available evidence and drawon each agency’s strengths, while increasingefficiency and cost-effectiveness. The projectleading to the survey will start in 2017 and firstresults will be available by end-2019.

knowledge sharing between the two agenciescontinues. Topics of specific exchanges in 2016were the future of manufacturing (with a focus onapprenticeship) and NEETS.

RELATIONS WITH EU AGENCIES 53


4.3. COOPERATIONwiTh ThE Eu agEnCiEs’pErFormanCE DEVElopmEnTnETworkIn 2016, Cedefop continued to benefit from, andcontribute to, the work of the EU agencies’performance development network (PDN). ThePDN work directly supports the common approachof EU decentralised agencies for more balancedgovernance, improved efficiency and coherencebetween them.

The network develops templates, guidelines,and toolkits as follow-up to the EuropeanCommission’s roadmap. In 2016 Cedefopcontributed to several activities of PDN work. Itparticipated in two meetings of the network,contributed to the EC roadmap revision, and sharedits experience with other EU agencies ondeveloping key performance indicators for the EUagencies’ directors.

The exchange of ideas and practices with otherEU agencies on topics of common interest hasbeen beneficial to Cedefop. This is especially so inrelation to developing a new performance indicatoron the quality of Cedefop’s stakeholder consultationand on developing ex-post controls on procurementprocedures. The PDN also provided a good forumfor exchanging views on the preparation of theProgramming document 2017-20 especially withCedefop’s ‘sister’ agencies Eurofound, the ETF andEU-OSHA.

4.4. COOPERATIONwiTh ThE Eu agEnCiEsnETworkIn 2016, Cedefop has, again, actively cooperatedwith other agencies, both through the relevantnetworks and meetings under the aegis of the EUagencies network and directly with individualagencies, based on shared interest and need.

At EU agency level, Cedefop has extensivelycontributed to the shared services catalogue,offering support to agencies in all horizontalservices (HR, IT, procurement, facilities). It hassystematically contributed to inter-agencyconsultations launched by the network andparticipated in ad hoc working groups such as themutual value creation task force and the inter-agency competence framework working group. Ithas pursued efficiency gains by joining, asappropriate, inter-agency procurement procedures,such as the call for tender on online languagelearning administered by EFSA.

Cedefop has also successfully leveragedsynergies with individual agencies. For example, itparticipated in ENISA’s pan-European cyber crisiscooperation exercise (CyBER Europe 2016) with aview to enhancing Cedefop’s ICT securityinfrastructure, and hosted a visit from ENISA toexchange best practices in HR management.Cedefop also provided ad hoc support and fosteredknowledge sharing with other agencies in areasranging from health and safety to selectionprocedures. At EU level, Cedefop has become aconstituent of the computer emergency responseteam (CERT-EU) for the EU institutions, agenciesand bodies, which serves as a forum to share andexchange ICT security knowledge and data relatedto malware, cyber threats and cyberattacks.

These diverse strands of cooperation haveenabled Cedefop to capitalise on sharing ofknowledge and expertise. Against the backgroundof increasing resource constraints, agencycooperation also provides a unique opportunity forsynergies and sharing of resources in selectedareas.



D espite disruptions and increased workload inkey functions of the DRS (head of resources

and support post vacant since April and head offinance and procurement post vacant untilSeptember 2016), services have been deliveredefficiently and effectively in support of the corebusiness.

5.1. managEmEnT anDrEsourCEs5.1.1. HUMAN RESOURCESNew rules on promotion were adopted by theGoverning Board in September and the promotionround was launched in December after extensivepreparations.

To improve employment conditions for staff, inJune the Director adopted a decision on a measureof a social nature on the financing of schooling forchildren of Cedefop staff. The measure provides forincreased financial support for schooling in fee-paying primary and secondary levels. HRimplemented the decision through directagreements with the schools concerned.

Learning and development activities focused onthe professional development of experts, whichtakes place mainly through participation in externaltraining and missions. Experts’ professionaldevelopment was also supported through in-houseknowledge-sharing activities. Workshops on paneldata methods and labour market statistics are inpreparation. A mission report template was put inplace. It streamlines mission reporting and providesan opportunity for reflection on the professionaldevelopment aspect of missions. Internal andexternal training applications have been fullyautomated, in cooperation with ICT, resulting infurther efficiency gains.

Cedefop’s long-standing traineeshipprogramme was complemented with the launch ofa trainee alumni network, an interactive way for

trainee alumni to network and keep in touch withCedefop activities, projects and events.

5.1.2. FINANCE AND PROCUREMENTThe procedure for paperless provisionalcommitment and its complementary commitmentswas launched in October as a pilot project andprecursor for the gradual deployment of electronicworkflows for all financial transactions.

All tender activities proceeded on track andCedefop started preparatory work in anticipation ofthe launch of the use of e-Prior modules in 2017.

5.1.3. INFORMATION ANDCOMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGyThe ICT infrastructures and services are wellmaintained to ensure agreed levels of availability(key performance indicators) of core ICT systemsand services. The ICT service continued to supportdirectly Cedefop’s core business. In addition to thecontinued running of operational projects (such asEuropass and Skills Panorama) and thedevelopment of tools that enhance efficiency indata collection (extranets for guidance, VPS andmobility scoreboard), the ICT service supportedspecific projects such as real-time labour marketintelligence. It has also contributed to furtherrationalisation of transactions and reporting in theadministrative services.

5.1.4. FACILITIESCedefop building and facilities are operated in anenergy-efficient manner. A computerised energymanagement system provides reporting and controlof the building’s energy-related activities and helpsoptimise start-up time, power-down time, andequipment sequencing. Optimum efficiency isachieved in the use of heating oil, electricity andwater.

In response to deficiencies identified in glasswindows and the main facade, risk assessments

MANAGEMENT, RESSOURCES AND INTERNAL CONTROLS 55

MANAGEMENT, RESOURCES

AND INTERNAL CONTROLS


were undertaken, followed by an accelerated openprocedure to undertake the necessary repair works.These were completed at the end of September,under third-party inspection, for optimal qualitycontrol and compliance.

A new policy on office allocation wasimplemented to ensure physical proximity ofdepartments, functional allocation of space andcompliance with health and safety requirements.

Cedefop attaches great importance toprotection of the environment and, despite therestrictions on human and financial resourcesimposed in recent years, has made a firmcommitment in this field, particularly through acomprehensive and struc tured internalenvironmental management system (EMS).

As a result of the introduction of measures forthe improve ment of building insulation, optimisationof the energy programming of the building,optimisation of the maintenance programme, andimprove ments in irrigation systems, reductionswere recorded, between 2012 and 2016, inGHG emissions (-8,11%), electricity consumption(-7,86%), heating oil consumption (-48,76%) andwater consumption (- 40,59%).

5.2. auDiTs anD inTErnalConTrol5.2.1. EXTERNAL EVALUATIONThe report on Cedefop’s external evaluation,carried out by the European Commission in 2013,concluded that Cedefop had been highly successfulin implementing its objectives and had played animportant role in strengthening cooperationbetween VET policy stakeholders in Europe. Thereport also said that Cedefop’s work onmodernising VET systems and analysing skills washighly esteemed and that Cedefop is recognised asa leading centre of expertise worldwide onqualifications frameworks and skills. The evaluationalso found that Cedefop did not duplicate activitiesof any other actors at European, national orinternational level.

The report made 23 recommendations on howCedefop can develop and strengthen its role. Afollow-up action plan was approved by theEuropean Commission and presented to Cedefop’sBureau on 8 and 9 December 2014. Allrecommendations have been acted upon. At itsmeeting in September 2016, the Governing Board

agreed to close a number of recommendations. Asa result, only one recommendation (6.1. ‘GB self-assessment’) remains open.

5.2.2. AUDIT RESULTS AND FOLLOW-UP OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONSCedefop’s internal auditor is the Internal AuditService of the European Commission (IAS) and theAgency is annually controlled by the EuropeanCourt of Auditors (ECA). The Agency informs theEuropean Parliament annually of the results of theaudits through a note on audits. This informationnote was produced by October 2016.

Following each audit, Cedefop draws up anaction plan for the implementation of allrecommendations. Regular monitoring of actions iscarried out by the Internal Control Coordinator. Aconsolidated action plan, updated at leastbiannually, is posted on Cedefop’s intranet,accessible to all staff.

Cedefop is also following up closely on therecommendations received from the DischargeAuthority.

In addition to the audits conducted by the IASand ECA, Cedefop has also developed severalprocedures and tools to allow ex-post and ex-antecontrols throughout the year, thus further ensuringthat controls and actions are in place andimplemented.

5.2.2.1. Court of auditors (ECa)The European Court of Auditors carried out its firstvisit from 14 to 18 November 2016 on Cedefop’sannual accounts 2016. The audit concerned mainlyprocedures for commitments, payments andprocurement. The visit led to one preliminaryfinding. The centre submitted its reply to thepreliminary finding on 12 January 2017. Auditorswill carry out the related desk review by end ofMarch 2017.

According to the new audit arrangements forthe annual audits under Article 208 (4) of theFinancial Regulation and Article 107 of theFramework Financial Regulation, Cedefopcontracted an external audit company (81) to auditCedefop’s 2016 accounts, based on a DG BUDGframework contract. The audit of the external auditcompany will take place in April 2017.


(81) MAZARS.


5.2.2.2. internal audit service (ias)All recommendations of the agreed action planresulting from the IAS audit on procurement,including fraud prevention and legal advice atCedefop – carried out in 2016 – have beenimplemented and sent for review by the end of2016. Four out of five recommendations wereclosed and one was recommended by IAS to beclosed.

To prepare the strategic audit plan for 2017-19,the IAS carried out a risk assessment exercise atCedefop from 7 to 11 March 2016. The prospectivetopics selected for future IAS audits of Cedefop in2017-19 are:(1) Cedefop web-based services;(2) knowledge brokering in VET (support to

Member States and social partners);(3) human resource management.

See below an overview of the status of IASrecommendations as of 31 December 2016:

5.2.2.3. other sources of assurance

(a) ETHICS, INTEGRITy AND INTERNALCONTROLThe action plan of Cedefop’s anti-fraudstrategy (83) is updated yearly and is includedin the annual management plan. Relatedactions are also included in the Agency’sconsolidated action plan.

Mandatory sessions on good governanceare organised regularly for new comers. Thesessions, which are open to all staff members,specifically addresses ethics, integrity andinternal control issues. This year’s session washeld on 23 November.

Presentations on the ‘dignity at work’ policyare organised regularly for newcomers and arealso open to all staff. This year’s presentationwas held on 7 December. A presentation to thedirectorate and middle managers on ‘dignity atwork – the role of a manager’ took place on 7

June 2016. Short presentations on dignity atwork policy are organised regularly inDepartment meetings.

(b) EVALUATION ACTIVITIESFollowing the completion of the works of theinter-institutional working group ondecentralised agencies (IWG) an action planand a roadmap have been available sincebeginning of 2013. Cedefop will continue tofollow the process closely and include allactions required from Cedefop in theconsolidated action plan.

MANAGEMENT, RESSOURCES AND INTERNAL CONTROLS 57

(82) Rec. 2 – Completing the communication strategy (IAS audit onexternal communication and stakeholder managementconducted in 2014).

(83) DIR/RB(2014)02387 adopted on 22 October 2014.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Very important 0 0 0 0

Important 8 0 8 1 (82)

Total 8 0 8 1

Priority Openon

31.12.2015

Newin 2016

Issued

Implemented, sent for reviewand closure

in 2016

Openon 31.12.2016

Comments


Following the completion of a staff surveyearly 2013 and the endorsement of its actionplan by the Bureau on 5 December 2013,Cedefop implemented the agreed plan andreported regularly on progress to the GoverningBoard/Bureau. The GB agreed to close theaction plan at its meeting on 29 and 30September 2016 as it considered thatnecessary actions had been taken on allrecommendations.

In line with the provisions of Article 45 ofCedefop financial rules, ex-ante evaluationsare been carried out for procurementprocedures above EUR200 000. In compliancewith Article 29(5) of the financial rules adoptedby the Governing Board on 9 January 2014,and with a view to improving decision-makingunder the principle of sound financialmanagement, Cedefop carries out ex-postevaluations for programmes/activities whichentail a spending of above EUR 500 000.

An ex-post evaluation working party wasappointed by the Director on 21 March 2016.Performed with the support of an externalcompany selected on the basis of a frameworkcontract of DG BUDG for audit activities, 2016evaluations covered the following activities:• ReferNet framework partnership agreements

2012-15;• skills obsolescence and mismatch among EU

workers;• travel agency services – Eurostar ATEBE.

The three ex-post evaluations will befinalised by the second quarter 2017.

(c) AUDIT ACTIVITIES 2016As part of the ex-post controls plan, fiveCedefop payments are audited. The fivepayments selected at random by the internalcontrol coordinator were reviewed by Cedefop’saccountant who checked that all procedureshave been followed and that the supportingdocumentation was in place and in line withCedefop’s financial rules. The report wasdelivered on 30 November 2016.

Following the decision in 2013 not to moveto ABAC, Cedefop has been requested toconduct an annual internal technical review ofthe agency’s financial and budgetary(Fibus) operating platform. The secondtechnical review was conducted in October2015 concluding that there was no immediatetechnological threat in Fibus. A third technicalreview was conducted in October 2016. Thereview confirmed that there was no immediatetechnological threat in Fibus

As foreseen in the Note on internal controlsex-post, of 12 December 2012, and asrecommended by the Internal Audit Service,Cedefop drafted a procedure and introduced on23 September 2016 annual ex-post controlson a sample of its procurement procedures.A working group on ex-post controls wasappointed by the Director on 28 September.The results of the ex-post controls werescheduled for the end of March 2017.



LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 59

lisT oF ABBREVIATIONS

ACVT Advisory Committee on Vocational Training CPD continuing professional development CVET continuing vocational education and trainingDG BUDG Directorate General for BudgetDG EMPL Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and InclusionDGVT Directors General for Vocational Education and Training EACEA Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency EEA European Economic AreaEEfA European alliance for apprenticeshipsEESC European Economic and Social CommitteeEC European CommissionECA European Court of Auditors ECVET European Credit system for Vocational Education and TrainingEFTA European Free Trade AssociationEIGE European Institute for Gender EqualityELET early leaving from education and trainingEMS environmental management system EQAVET European quality assurance in vocational education and trainingEQF European qualifications frameworkETF European Training FoundationETUC European Trade Union ConfederationEU-OSHA European Agency for Safety and Health at WorkHE higher educationHRM human resource management ICT information and communication technologyIAS audit service of the European CommissionISCED international standard classification of educationIVET initial vocational education and trainingILO International Labour OrganisationLMI labour market informationMEP Member of the European ParliamentMPOs mismatch priority occupationsNEETS not in education, employment or trainingNQF national qualifications frameworkOER open education resourcesPDN performance development networkSTEM science, technology, engineering and mathematicsTVET technical vocational education and training VET vocational education and trainingWBL work-based learning



ANNEXESI. organisaTion CharT

SITUATION ON 31 DECEMBER 2016

Micheline ScheysChair

James J. CallejaDirector

Mara BrugiaDeputy Director

Miriam FuchsLegal Advice

Thomas MelliosStaff Committee

Director's Office

Governing Board/Bureau

DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT

Pascaline DescyAntonio RanieriHead of Department Head of Department Head of Department Head of Department Head of Department

Loukas Zahilas Vacant

Learningand Employability

Skills andLabour market

VET Systemsand Institutions Communication

Resourcesand Support

Gerd-Oskar Bausewein


ANNEXES 61

II. sElECTED pErFormanCE inDiCaTors – 1 JANUARy TO 31 DECEMBER 2016

OUTCOME INDICATORS

Evidence to informpolicies and their implementation

New knowledge and insights generated

Raised awarenessamong stakeholders

Efficient and effectivesupport services

Policy documents citing Cedefop work

by EU institutions

by international organisations

Policy documents which Cedefop has helped prepare

of EU institutions

of international organisations

Participation in Presidency events and meetings of senior stakeholders or which support policy

Downloads of Cedefop publications (84 )

All publication downloads

of which briefing notes

Citations of Cedefop publications/studies in the literature

Participation in conferences and events

Quality of events organised by Cedefop(participants rated event as very good or good)

Website traffic

Visits

Page views

Media coverage, take-up of articles and press releases

Europass outcomes among citizens

Visits to Europass website

Downloads of Europass documents

Europass CVs generated online

Internal support services – resources

Percentage of establishment plan filled

% of budget executed

Timeliness of payments (number of days to make payments)

(84) For comparability purposes, 2015 figures have been revisedfollowing a new improved methodology.

2014 data arenot comparableas a new meas-urement toolwas introduced

in 2015

2016

167

88

48

3

191

472 200

88 400

591

78

96%

438 000

1 269 000

856

27.01 m

14.96 m

19.28 m

98%

99.99%

14.01

2014

97

31

127

7

164

479

78

92%

331 000

929 000

745

21.75 m

15.98 m

12.49 m

97%

99.10%

12.5

2015

107

56

114

13

172

469 000

71 800

604

70

95%

393 000

1 266 000

544

23.90 m

16.24 m

18.31 m

2015

98%

98.55%

16.28



R eferNet, Cedefop’s reference network onvocational education and training, was created

in 2002 to meet the growing demand for compara-tive information on national vocational educationand training (VET) systems and policies in the EUMember States, Iceland and Norway.

Each ReferNet member is a key nationalinstitution, involved in VET-related issues, wellplaced to collect first-hand information fromdifferent stakeholders on VET’s role, governanceand structure. (see http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/content/national-contacts).

ReferNet’s annual work plans include:(a) reporting on national policy measures and

actions which countries have agreed to carryout. This input informs detailed country fichesand cross-country overviews of developments,and helps building the evidence base forCedefop’s review of progress in implementingthe Bruges communiqué;

(b) national news stories informing on the latestdevelopments in vocational education andtraining, and employment and labour marketissues in all partner countries. Theycomplement the news in Cedefop newsletters;

(c) VET in Europe country reports, which describethe key features of countries’ VET systems intheir socioeconomic contexts. They arevalidated at national level and peer-reviewedbefore being published online on Cedefop’swebsite and in hard copy for Presidencycountries;

(d) Spotlight on VET flyers, which summarise keyfeatures, challenges and developments of thenational VET systems and are meant forreaders who need a concise introduction. Theyare published online for all countries and inhard copy in several languages for Presidencycountries;

(e) providing current country data on mobilitypolicies in initial VET. This input informsdetailed country fiches and monitoringinstruments within the framework of the mobilityscoreboard, a recently established tool forpolicy-making in learning mobility in initial VET;

(f) thematic information on issues featuring high onthe VET agenda of the EU Presidencies (earlyleaving from VET, apprenticeships, innovation,teachers and trainers, key competences).Thisinformation complements the general contextprovided in country reports and Spotlights forpolicy analysis;

(g) maintaining and updating national ReferNetwebsites, which helps raising the visibility ofCedefop, its products and more generally VETissues in the Member States, Norway andIceland. ReferNet partners act as multipliersand dissemination channels in their countries.

ReferNet activities are jointly financed byCedefop and Member States annually under a four-year framework partnership agreement (2016-19).

III. rEFErnET


ANNEXES 63

ausTriaReferNet Austria (ibw, IHS, öibf)www.refernet.at

bElgiumIBFFP – Institut Bruxellois Francophone pour laFormation Professionnelle (Bruxelles formation) www.refernet.be

bulgariaNAPOO – Nacionalna agencia za profesionalnoobrazovanie i obuchenieНАПОО – Национална агенция запрофесионално образование и обучениеwww.refernet.bg

CroaTiaASOO – Agencija za strukovno obrazovanje iobrazovanje odraslihwww.refernet.hr

CyprusΑνΑΔ – Αρχή Ανάπτυξης ΑνθρώπινουΔυναμικού Κύπρουwww.refernet.org.cy

CzECh rEpubliCNÚV – Národní ústav pro vzděláváníNVF – Národní vzdělávací fondwww.refernet.cz

DEnmark Professionshøjskolen Metropolwww.phmetropol.dk/refernet

EsToniaHTM – Haridus- ja Teadusministeeriumwww.hm.ee/et/refernet

FinlanD OPH – Opetushallitus/Utbildningsstyrelsenwww.oph.fi/tietopalvelut/kansainvalinen_koulutustieto/cedefop/refernet

FranCE Centre Inffo – Centre pour le développement del’information sur la formation permanente www.centre-inffo.fr/refernet

gErmanyBIBB – Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildungwww.refernet.de

M E M B E R S



grEECE EOPPEP – Εθνικός Οργανισμός Πιστοποίησης Προσόντων & ΕπαγγελματικούΠροσανατολισμούwww.refernet.gr

hungaryNOVETAL – Nemzeti Szakképzési ésFelnőttképzési Hivatalhttp://refernet.nive.hu

iCElanDMenntamálastofnun – The Directorate ofEducationwww.refernet.is

irElanDSOLAS – An tSeirbhís Oideachais Leanúnaighagus Scileannawww.fas.ie/en/Refernet/Default.htm

iTalyISFOL – Istituto per lo sviluppo della formazioneprofessionale dei lavoratoriwww.isfol.it/isfol-europa/reti/refernet

laTViaAIC – Akadēmiskās informācijas centrswww.aic.lv/refernet

liThuaniaKPMPC – Kvalifikacijų ir profesinio mokymoplėtros centraswww.kpmpc.lt/refernet

luxEmbourgINFPC – Institut national pour le développementde la formation professionnelle continuewww.refernet.lu

malTaMinistry of Education and Employmenthttp://education.gov.mt/en/refernet/Pages/main-page.aspx

nEThErlanDsECBO – Expertisecentrum Beroepsonderwijswww.refernet.nl

norwaySIU – Senter for internasjonalisering av utdanninghttp://siu.no/Videregaaende-opplaering/Samarbeid-med-land-i-Europa/ReferNet

polanDIBE – Instytut Badań Edukacyjnychwww.refernet.ibe.edu.pl

porTugalDGERT – Direcção-Geral do Emprego e dasRelações de Trabalhowww.dgert.mtss.gov.pt/refernet

romaniaCNDIPT – Centrul Național de Dezvoltare aÎnvăţământului Profesional şi Tehnicwww.refernet.ro

sloVakiaSNO – Slovenské národné observatóriumodborného vzdelávania a prípravy – Štátny inštitút odborného vzdelávaniawww.refernet.sk

sloVEniaCPI – Center RS za poklicno izobraževanjewww.refernet.si

spainFundación Estatal para la Formación en elEmpleowww.refernet.es

swEDEnSKOLVERKET – Statens skolverkwww.skolverket.se/refernet

uniTED kingDomUK NARIC www.refernet.org.uk


20

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Tel. +30 2310490111, Fax +30 2310490020, E-mail: [email protected]

European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training

ENEN

ENEN

ANNUAL REPORT

ANNUAL REPORT

16

2016

4154 EN – TI-AB-17-001-EN-N – doi:10.2801/474919

ISSN: 2443-6410

ISBN 978-92-896-2427-5