Institut für Erziehungswissenschaften

Citizens’ viewson financing C(V)ET:

implications for policy design

Lynne Chisholm

CEI Human Resources Development ForumFinancing of Further Professional Training

9-10 November 2006, Prague

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Lifelong learning costs a lot… but we are not investing enough in education and training:

2003 public expenditure in EU25: 5,22% of GDP from 8,2% in Denmark to 3,5% in Romania; Czech

Republic 4,5% 2002 private household expenditure in EU15+10:

0,38% of GDP from 0,7% in UK to 0,1% in the Slovak Republic and

Portugal; Czech Republic 0,15% CVTS2 (1999): 62% of EU15 enterprises offer CVET

opportunities, in which 47% of employees participate

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Participation is polarised

polarisation exists regardless of real participation rates (except in Denmark)

very marked polarisation in CZ, LV, PL and Sl polarisation is equally strong for non-formal ET (including in

Denmark), in which workplace learning plays a big role (less access for the unemployed)

ISCED 0-2 1,4%

ISCED 3-4 5,2%

ISCED 5-6 8,5%

2003 EU15+10adult (25-64) participation in lifelong learning

Lisbon 2010 benchmark: 12,5%

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Who pays at the moment?

well-documented public expenditure on formal education

diverse patterns and patchy data on IVET and, even more, on C(V)ET

little information on non-formal ET no information on informal learning sparse, poor and highly incomplete data on

household expenditure on education (only) virtually nothing on individual expenditure

(except for HE students)

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Household expenditure

levels vary according to national funding systems and general affluence

mainly goes to HE (exception: AT) generally high and everywhere rising levels in

NMS10 (exception: SK) 10/25 MS have study leave and/or tax incentive

schemes for adult learning (EE the only NMS to do so)

2002: EU25 households contribute 6,6% of all education funding; much higher in UK (13,4%), Malta, Slovenia and Latvia (~11%)

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What is missing?Individuals, families, households and local communities already routinely

invest in learning throughout life

timeenergy

course feesforegone earnings

ancillary/indirect costsfundraising (renovations, excursions)

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What do citizens say?

Two sources of direct information:

Lifelong Learning Eurobarometer 2003 (EU15 + Iceland and Norway)

Vocational Training Eurobarometer 2004 (EU25)

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and yet…

57% had not done any training in the preceding year (64% in NMS)

under one-third would consider taking a study/training break (more in SE, FR)

better pay/promotion prospects are more important training reasons in NMS (especially in CY, LT, LV – but less so in CZ)

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Source: Vocational Training Eurobarometer 2004, p.59

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Source: Vocational Training Eurobarometer 2004, p. 61

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and so…

in one way or another, time and money are crucial

lack of money and lack of time are very important in LT, PL, GR, P

lack of time is prominent in MT, Sl, AT, LU, ES

and predictably they all say: key incentives are financial support (especially in NMS) and dedicated working time for training

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0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Keep job

Improve private life

Get promotion

Learn language

Set up business

Learn for a hobby

Career opportunities

Get a certificate

Pay rise

For retirement

Learn for own work

Return to work

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3

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0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

would pay all of the cost would pay some of the cost would pay none of the costdo not know not applicable

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and so…

Europeans are divided on whether they are willing to pay towards their adult learning

they all see a significant, if not major, role for public and employer funding

Northern Europeans are more willing to contribute than are Southern Europeans

low-income, low-qualified citizens are least ready to pay – and most likely to be non-participants and de-motivated learners

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yet at the same time…

citizens most frequently (37%) mention lack of time as the obstacle to training

within this, family commitments (21%) are more of a problem than job demands (15%)

above all, they want individualised and flexible learning options and facilitators

and for 7%, it would be an incentive to reduce the costs (especially in UK, IS)

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Implications for policy design

clear need for research-based evidence on which to base policy design

visible calculation of material and immaterial investment in learning that citizens already make

diversification of innovative funding mechanisms and synergy between them

concrete measures to release time and space for learning as an integral part of a balanced adult working life

support for grassroots-level partnership-based approaches that include Social Partners and civil society groups

European citizens are strongly committed to public and corporate responsibility for ET – funding mechanisms must take account of this fact

Institut für Erziehungswissenschaften

Many thanks!

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Lynne ChisholmDirector, Institute of Educational Sciences

Leopold-Franzens-University Innsbruckezw-leitungssekretariat@uibk.ac.at