COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Partnership and flexible pathways for lifelong skills development Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes
Date: 2012-11-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: continuing vocational training, cooperation in the field of education, economic growth, educational reform, in-service training, job creation, new educational methods, public-private partnership, teaching curriculum, teaching quality

EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION 

Strasbourg, 20.11.2012  
SWD(2012) 376 final 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

Partnership and flexible pathways for lifelong skills development 

Accompanying the document 

Communication from the Commission 

Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes 

{COM(2012) 669 final} 
{SWD(2012) 371 final} 
{SWD(2012) 372 final} 
{SWD(2012) 373 final} 
{SWD(2012) 374 final} 
{SWD(2012) 375 final} 
{SWD(2012) 377 final} 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
  
 
Table of Contents 

1. 

2. 

2.1  

2.2  

2.3  

2.4  

2.5  

3. 

3.1  

3.2  

3.3  

3.4  

3.5  

Executive summary for policy makers......................................................................... 2 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 4 

Coordination, shared responsibility and partnership between stakeholders ................ 5 

Coordination between highly segmented policy areas................................................. 5 

Dedicated coordination strategies and mechanisms..................................................... 7 

Factors of success for partnerships between public and private actors........................ 8 

Different types of effective partnerships...................................................................... 9 

Lessons learned .......................................................................................................... 16 

Flexibility of learning pathways and learning offers ................................................. 18 

Addressing system level barriers to flexibility of pathways ...................................... 18 

Making learning provision more flexible................................................................... 23 

Promoting openness of institutions to flexible learning............................................. 25 

Tackling barriers at individual level .......................................................................... 27 

Lessons learned .......................................................................................................... 30 

Annex - Examples of policy practice ......................................................................... 31 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PARTNERSHIP AND FLEXIBLE PATHWAYS FOR LIFELONG SKILLS 
DEVELOPMENT 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS 

Strengthening  partnership  and  flexibility  is  important  for  modernising  education  in 
Europe.  The  present  Staff  Working  Document  is  part  of  a  larger  policy  initiative:  it 
accompanies  and  offers  analytical  support  to  the  Commission's  Communication  on  "Re-
thinking Education: investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes". It is part of the 
European  efforts  to  make  lifelong  learning  a  reality,  and  contributes  to  the  objectives  of 
Europe 2020. The findings presented build on analytical work carried out in cooperation with 
Member States and academic experts: 

1.  Cooperation  and  partnership  increase  flexibility  and  relevance  of  learning  and 
improve  efficient  use  of  resources.  They  should  be  promoted  across  and  between  all 
levels of policy making and implementation (national, regional, local), between public and 
private actors, and in all contexts and forms of learning, in pre-primary education, schools, 
VET, higher education and adult learning.  

2.  Effective partnerships and cooperation require strong and sustainable coordination 
structures and a shared vision among stakeholders. They will often necessitate adapted 
funding mechanisms to take account of their specific decision making structures.  

3.  Cooperation  with  social  partners  seems  to  work  best  where  it  is  based  on  standing 
consultation mechanisms and sharing of responsibility between public and private actors. 

4.  Creating  partnerships  for  funding  can  be  effective,  such  as  sectoral  training  funds 
based  on  social  partner  agreements.  This  can  mobilise  private  resources  and  share  the 
costs of learning. 

5.  Flexible  pathways  have  an  important  potential  for  encouraging  participation  in 
lifelong  learning  as  they  allow  individuals  to  build  upon  prior  learning,  and  link 
competences  and  qualifications  gained  across  different  phases  and  contexts  of  life  – 
leisure and working life, inside and outside formal education and training.  

6.  Such flexibility requires the removal of system-level barriers between different sub-
sectors (e.g. restricted progression from VET to higher education). The implementation of 
learning  outcomes  based  approaches,  guidance  and  transparency  tools  (EQF,  NQFs, 
ECVET, EQAVET) is expected to clarify progression possibilities for individual learners. 
Further convergence between these EU tools would increase their benefit for end-users.  

7.  This  needs  to  be  supported  by  the  creation  of  structures  that  give  easy  access  to 
integrated  learning  services.    New  modes  of  delivery  of  learning  content  (e.g. 
modularisation  of  programmes,  distance  learning,  evening  classes,  etc.)  will  attract  new 
learners,  and  adapted  funding  mechanisms  can  provide  incentives  for  institutions  to 
develop  such  offers.  In  addition,  institutions  need  to  develop  their  internal  lifelong 

2 

 
 
 
learning  capacities,  including  abilities  of  staff  to  deal  with  non-traditional  or  adult-
learners.  

8.  Implementing strategies for groups of current non-learners require learner centred 
programmes  and  effective  outreach  strategies  (notably  approaching  disadvantaged 
groups in their social environment) aimed at raising their awareness of the available offer 
and  its  benefits,  and  motivating  them.  This  includes  easily  accessible  information  and 
guidance. Learner-centred programmes should be delivered in settings relevant to learners' 
daily  life,  e.g.  in  the  workplace  or  local  community,  etc.,  and  with  the  support  of 
employers, trade unions, NGOs and civil society organisations. 

9.  Close cooperation with the voluntary and community sector can be particularly crucial 
when  it  comes  to  attracting  vulnerable  and  disadvantaged  groups  into  learning  and 
offering low-threshold and targeted support.  

3 

 
 
1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The implementation of lifelong learning policies is lagging behind… 

One  of  the  key  priorities  of  the  Europe  2020  strategy1  is  to  boost  quality  and  resource-
efficient  education  and  training  in  a  lifelong  learning  perspective.  Too  much  of  the  EU's 
human  capital  remains  undeveloped  due  to  structural  barriers  and  blind  spots  in  learning 
provision. This concerns initial education and training of young people, notably the persisting 
lack  of  flexibility  and  transparency  between  different  learning  pathways,  but  even  more 
severely it concerns adult learning which is stagnating in volume (9%), remaining far off the 
EU's 2020 target (15%). 

Lifelong learning policies, understood as holistic approaches to link and validate all learning 
and  facilitate  skills  development  across  lifetime,  are  considered  paramount  to  address  these 
challenges.  The  implementation  of  such  policies  is  an  explicit  objective  of  the  strategic 
framework ET 2020 and of the Agenda for New Skills and Jobs2.  

The 2012 Joint Progress Report of the Commission and the Council on the implementation of 
ET2020 showed that the majority of the European countries are still experiencing difficulties 
in  integrating  and  interlinking  different  sectors  of  education  and  training.3  All  analysis 
indicates  that  a  lack  of  cross-sector  policy  cooperation  remains  evident  in  many  countries. 
However, the promotion of the learning outcomes approach as a basis for progressive policy 
initiatives in this field is slowly gaining in both importance and influence.  

…but boosting cooperation and partnerships can increase effectiveness… 

This  document  intends  to  set  the  scene  for  such  a  shift  by  discussing  effective  forms  for 
cooperation  between  several  policy  sectors,  different  stakeholders  and  providers  of  lifelong 
learning.  It  will  examine  how  such  collaboration  can  make  education  and  training  more 
relevant  and  generate  important  synergies  in  times  of  scarce  public  budgets.  A  partnership 
approach to lifelong learning is also key to make learning more flexible and connective, and 
more easily accessible for those who tend to participate less without support. 

…and good practice from Member States can show the way. 

In  some  Member  States,  e.g.  Austria,  Denmark,  Finland,  the  Netherlands  and  Sweden  the 
implementation of lifelong learning policies and principles is already well advanced. This is 
demonstrated both through high rates of participation in learning including adult learning, as 
well  as  by  the  availability  of  instruments  that  increase  the  flexibility  of  learning  pathways 
across different areas of the education and training system. 

Evidence  and  examples  of  good  practice  presented  in  this  SWD  take  stock  of  recent 
developments and highlight effective ways to develop partnership approaches and a flexible 
learning  supply  for  more  efficient  education  and  training  systems.  The  issues  faced  are 

1   See also Commission Communication COM(2012) 299 
2   Council conclusions of 12 May 2009 on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and 

training (‘ET 2020’), (2009/C 119/02); Agenda for New Skills and Jobs, COM (2010)681 final 

3   2012 Joint Report of the Council and the Commission on the implementation of the Strategic Framework for 

European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) (2012/C 70/05) 

4 

 
 
                                                            
transversal  and  crucial  for  all  levels  of  skills  development  (early  childhood  education  and 
care, school education, VET, higher education, adult learning).   

This SWD supports key messages within the ‘Rethinking Education’ Communication on how 
collaboration  and  partnerships  can  positively  influence,  guide  and  support  the  development 
and implementation of lifelong learning policies in Member States. 

2. 

COORDINATION, 
STAKEHOLDERS 

SHARED  RESPONSIBILITY  AND 

PARTNERSHIP  BETWEEN 

Strong forms of cooperation maximise effectiveness and efficiency… 

In order to boost growth and social cohesion and counter the effects of demographic change, a 
more prominent role for education and training in and across different governmental policies 
(economy,  labour,  fiscal  policy,  youth,  social  affairs,  etc.)  is  demanded.  For  example,  to 
increase the relevance of learning programmes for the labour market and to promote lifelong 
skills  development  at  the  work-place,  close  cooperation  between  different  governmental 
actors  and  involvement  of  social  partners  is  a  key  condition  for  success.  And  even  more 
urgent in times of scarce public budgets, strong partnership is needed for sharing the cost of 
lifelong learning, achieving synergies and complementarity between different providers and to 
make the best use of available resources.4 

…and education and training systems must adapt quickly to ensure that skills development 
meets the changing needs of individuals and employers.   

However, in most EU countries, education and training policy is still organised mainly along 
the margins of sub-sectors with a vast array of stakeholders (public and private) at national, 
regional  and  local  levels  responsible  for  implementation  of  specific  parts  and  aspects  of 
lifelong  learning.5  Another  important  barrier  to  effective  lifelong  learning  policies  is  that 
education policies and welfare systems are still based on assumptions of an individual’s linear 
progression through education and employment which no longer correspond to the manifold 
trajectories people are facing nowadays.  

employment, 

The development of both effective  coordination  and strong partnerships across policy  fields 
government 
(education, 
(national/regional/local)  and  sectors  (public,  private/individual)  thus  seems  crucial.  In  many 
Member  States  there  is  scope  for  better  involving  social  partners,  and  also  for  the 
development  of  regional/local  partnerships  to  improve  skills  development  and  ensure  it  is 
meeting the needs of individuals and employers.6 

affairs 

youth, 

social 

levels 

etc.), 

of 

2.1 Coordination between highly segmented policy areas 

Lifelong learning policies needs to link across and between policy areas…  

4   See Agenda for New skills and Jobs, COM (2010)681 final 
5   2012 Joint Report of the Council and the Commission on the implementation of the Strategic Framework for 

European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) (2012/C 70/05) 

6   2012 Joint Report of the Council and the Commission on the implementation of the Strategic Framework for 

European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) (2012/C 70/05) 

5 

 
 
                                                            
There  is  broad  agreement  that  a  comprehensive  policy  approach  on  lifelong  learning 
inevitably needs to stretch across and link various policy areas, notably: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Education  and  training  policies,  providing  both  formal  education  and  training  and 
also an important share of non-formal learning; 

Employment  policies,  often  entailing  a  training  element  but  also  defining  the 
conditions  under  which  an  individual  can  receive  unemployment  and/or  continuing 
training; 

Social and health policies,  defining  entitlement of specific target groups to support 
(including for education and training);  

Fiscal  and  economic  policies,  often  including  instruments  to  stimulate  both 
employers' and individuals' investment in education and training. 

…and across levels of governance…  

Successful policies also require vertical coordination across different levels of governance in 
most  Member  States,  since  national,  regional  and/or  local  governments  often  share 
responsibilities  for  the  design  and  implementation  of  relevant  parts  of  lifelong  learning 
policies, such as schools, adult learning7 or social services. This may include allocation and 
mobilisation of the necessary resources for learning from early childhood to post-retirement.  

However, experience shows that lifelong learning strategies developed by Member States or 
Regions  have  sometimes  lacked  impact  because  insufficient  emphasis  was  given  to  the 
involvement of stakeholders outside of the education sector.8  

…and between education and training sub-sectors. 

In addition to horizontal coordination between different policy sectors, coordination between 
education and training sub-sectors is another core condition for successful lifelong learning 
policies. For example, to support progression from VET to higher education there is, on the 
one  hand,  a  need  to  ensure  that  VET  equips  people  with  the  necessary  competences  to 
succeed in higher education, and on the other hand, that higher education programmes are not 
too  narrowly  designed  and  hence  privilege  people  with  certain  profiles,  competences  and 
attitudes. Similarly, when validation and recognition of non-formal and informal learning aim 
to  lead  to  the  same  or  equivalent  qualifications  as  those  awarded  in  the  formal  system  it  is 
important to ensure that the same level and quality of standards is respected in both systems. 

7   Similar  to  trends  in  school  governance,  a  number  of  countries  have  transferred  responsibilities  for  adult 

learning policy to regional and local authorities in order to better respond to regional and local needs. 

8   See e.g. Lifelong Learning 2010 research project (2007): Patterns of Policy in Thirteen European Countries, 
http://lll2010.tlu.ee; and Hungarian national report 2009 on the implementation of the "Education and training 
2010" work programme http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learningpolicy/doc/natreport09/hungary_en.pdf 

6 

 
 
 
 
                                                            
2.2 Dedicated coordination strategies and mechanisms 

Stakeholders must be actively engaged for successful policy implementation… 

Policies  that  rely  on  implementation  by  a  large  number  of  heterogeneous  parties  with 
divergent  interests,  identities  and  institutional  missions,  face  important  challenges  when  it 
comes to generating consensus and commitment to policy reform and/or implementation.  

What may appear self-explanatory at first glance, is not always self-evident in terms of policy 
implementation. Based on the experiences of several Member States, research has highlighted 
the need for active stakeholder coordination and commitment as a basis for successful policy 
implementation.9  Weak  communication  and  cooperation  between 
development  and 
stakeholders representing different relevant policy fields is a major source of policy failure. It 
can  put  at  risk  the  relevance  of  learning  offers  (mismatches  between  skills  provided  by  the 
education  and  training  systems  and  those  demanded  by  the  labour  market  and  society  at 
large), lead to barriers for individuals' access to learning (non-connectivity between different 
sectors and forms of learning, lack of transparency of the various learning opportunities), and, 
last but not least, it can substantially limit the efficiency of investment as it bears the risk of 
duplication, excessive administrative burden, etc..  

…and there must be clear consensus and shared responsibility… 

Naturally,  different  groups  of  stakeholders  have  divergent  and  often  competing  interests  in 
in  particular  regarding  spending  priorities. 
policy  design  and 
Consequently, a lifelong learning strategy will only be effective when it is based on thorough 
coordination,  i.e.  negotiation,  consensus  building  and  development  of  clear  agreements  on 
sharing of responsibility between stakeholders. Key points to be taken into account are: 

implementation,  and 

– 

– 

– 

A  clear  division  of  responsibilities  among  public  authorities  at  different  levels  of 
governance.10 An increasing trend is for centralised authorities to focus on defining 
the strategic objectives and priorities, quality assurance, support (funding, guidance 
and good practice) and evaluation while actors on the ground design and implement 
the  specific  actions.  Key  challenges  for  such  approaches  are  quality  assurance  as 
well as to promote the mainstreaming of innovation developed on the ground. 

To involve key stakeholders in both the design and implementation of measures, in 
order to secure information flow and long term commitment. 

To  set  up  specific  coordination  mechanisms  to  rationalise  strategic  planning  and 
funding decisions and to exchange information and good practices. To achieve this, a 
number  of  European  governments  have  set  up  inter-ministerial  task  forces,  inter-
agency  committees  and  various  forms  of  education  and  training  councils  or  skills 
councils.11  

Policy practice: Coordinating implementation of an overarching LLL strategy in Austria  

9   Lifelong  Learning  2010  research  project  (2007):  Patterns  of  Policy  in  Thirteen  European  Countries, 

http://lll2010.tlu.ee/  

10  Ibid pp. 95 
11  UNESCO (2010), Global report on adult learning and education, Hamburg: UIL 

7 

 
 
                                                            
In  July  2011  the  Austrian  government  adopted  its  National  Lifelong  Learning  Strategy 
"LLL:2020", which bridges education and training with the labour market and social issues. 
The intensive consultation process involved four federal ministries: education and training; 
science and research; labour and social affairs; economy, youth and families. It was inspired 
by EU-wide developments such as increased focus on learning outcomes, key competences, 
validation, etc. and helped to base the LLL:2020 strategy on a broad common understanding 
among stakeholders. Remarkably, for the first time the Austrian government has committed to 
reach agreed benchmarks on a number of LLL issues by 2020, which will be monitored and 
reported.  
In detail see Annex, Policy example 1 

2.3. Factors of success for partnerships between public and private actors 

Non-governmental stakeholders need to be involved from the beginning… 

While  public  authorities  have  a  leading  role  in  the  design  and  implementation  of  lifelong 
learning  policies  this  cannot  be  done  effectively  without  involvement  and  cooperation  with 
non-governmental  stakeholders  –  notably  employers,  trade  unions,  learning  providers, 
community  and  voluntary  groups,  and  the  individual  learners.  Creating  mechanisms  of 
cooperation and partnership between public and private sector organisations can support the 
sharing  of  responsibilities  for  relevance,  costs  and  benefits  of  actions  and  programmes 
supporting lifelong learning.12 

Such  partnerships  allow  for  pooling  of  financial  and  human  resources,  infrastructure  and 
knowhow  of  various  stakeholders  and  are  considered  "effective  in  supporting  on-going 
education reform efforts and adding value to the activities and public images of partners"13.  

…for the effective design and implementation of partnerships 

Peer learning and large evaluations suggest that sustained partnership involvement is critical 
to  the  long-term  success  of  initiatives.  The  following  issues  can  be  regarded  as  critical  for 
effective stakeholder cooperation:14 

– 

– 

Successful partnerships involve all strategic partners, seek the early participation of 
the relevant co-founding agencies, and promote the concrete and active participation 
of partners, including representatives of target groups. 

Agreements  on  concrete  objectives  and  measures.  Consultations  and  fora  are 
necessary to give stakeholders space to express opinions, but not sufficient to create 

12  The types of partnerships between public and private actors discussed in this SWD are generally understood 
as  voluntary,  non-contractual  collaboration  and  cooperation  between  stakeholders  in  the  education  system 
mainly to support policy development, exchange of knowledge and sharing of resources.  

13  Global Education Initiative (GEI) Model of Effective Partnership Initiatives for Education, World Economic 

Forum 2007 

14 See summary report on EU peer learning seminar on critical factors for the implementation of lifelong learning 
policies,  Vienna,  2010,  http://www.kslll.net/Documents/Summary%20report%20-%20seminar%20critical% 
20factors%20for%20LLL%20implementation.pdf;  and Global Education  Initiative  (GEI) Model of  Effective 
Partnership Initiatives for Education, World Economic Forum 2007; Bernard Brunhes International, (2006), 
EU-Wide Evaluation of the Community Initiative Equal 2000-2006, Final Report, Volume 1. 

8 

 
 
 
                                                            
– 

– 

– 

– 

commitment. Other actions, such as pilot projects are much more effective for testing 
the willingness of stakeholders to contribute. 

A  clear  division  of  roles  and  competences  and  a  clear  identification  of 
complementarities  among  stakeholders  representing  different  interests  to  reduce 
duplication and fragmentation. 

Monitoring  and  evaluation  and  considerations  of  scale-up  and  mainstreaming  of 
activities are essential to ensure sustainability the long-term success of initiatives; 

Finally, the creation of partnerships and working with several stakeholders requires 
sufficient funding as it imposes certain transaction costs.  

The  issue  of  the  optimal  size  of  the  partnerships  remains  debated.  While  restricted 
partnerships (and partnerships with centralised decision making) can be regarded as 
more  reactive,  more  manageable  and  hence  more  efficient,  wide  partnerships 
increase the potential for mainstreaming and sustainability. 

Policy practice: "Learning and working" programme in the Netherlands  

"Leren  en  werken",  operational  between  2005-2011,  focused  on  coordinating  the  education 
and training and guidance provision in the area of adult learning with the labour market needs 
at  regional  level.  The  government  decided  to  subsidise  the  contact  and  coordination  among 
the relevant stakeholders - by setting up regional networks. Main success factors were: 

- The cross sectoral management of the programme through a joint directorate set up by the 
two  involved  ministries  (ministry  of  education  and  ministry  for  social  affairs  and 
employment). 

-  The  importance  of  leaving  autonomy  to  the  actors  on  the  ground  to  define  their  own 
objectives and actions. 
In detail see Annex, Policy example 2 

2.4 Different types of effective partnerships 

The following section shows the main approaches and types of partnership building that have 
proved to be particularly effective for skills management, notably partnerships between public 
actors  and  social  partner  organisations,  cooperation  between  learning  institutions  and 
businesses,  and  local  multi  stakeholder  partnerships  for  LLL  that  give  an  important  role  to 
third sector organisations (NGOs).    

Cooperation with social partners brings valuable benefits… 

In addition to general considerations concerning stakeholder involvement, the contribution of 
social  partners  is  particularly  important  to  develop  coherent  and  comprehensive  skills  and 

9 

 
 
 
  
  
 
lifelong learning policies. In particular, social partners support the design and implementation 
of such policies in many European countries by:15  

– 

– 

– 

– 

identifying  needs  for  skills  and  qualifications  needs  and  anticipating  their 
development 

improving the recognition and validation of acquired skills; 

informing, supporting and providing guidance; and  

mobilising resources for skills development. 

The degree of their involvement however varies greatly across European countries depending 
on  their  traditions  and  regulations  regarding  tripartite  relations.  In  the  case  of  continuing 
vocational  education  and  training  (CVET),  the  following  four  main  forms  of  social  partner 
cooperation  can  be  found:  direct  consultation  on  policy  setting,  participation  in  formal 
consultative  councils  or  advisory  bodies,  participation  in  VET  coordination  mechanisms, 
involvement in tripartite or public bodies. Despite these different traditions, successful modes 
of cooperation can be found in all countries. 

For  example,  cooperation  with  social  partners  is  considered  a  key  factor  in  particular  for 
increasing the relevance of education and training and facilitating transitions from school to 
VET and/or to work. In the Member States with strong dual VET systems the social partner 
organisations  are  given  strong  and  system-wide  responsibility  for  developing  and  revising 
training  curricula  (e.g.  in  Austria,  Denmark,  the  Netherlands.  Germany).  A  more  detailed 
discussion on the role of social partners in the implementation of effective VET systems can 
be  found  in  the  Staff  Working  Document  on  Vocational  training  and  education  for  better 
skills, growth and jobs. 

Social  partner  cooperation  also  has  proven  beneficial  for  skills  management  in  a  more 
sectoral  perspective,  e.g.  such  as  identification  of  future  skill  needs,  developing  skill 
strategies  or  getting  advice  on  those  training  providers  and  programmes  that  meet  given 
needs.  Business  organisations,  chambers  and  professional  bodies  can  pool  their  expertise  in 
order to propose tools for tailor made analysis and comprehensive strategies.16 17 

Sector  councils  for  employment  and  skills  have  been  established  in  around  half  of  the 
Member States, and sector skills issues are discussed in many Member States in transversal 
councils. Evidence reveals positive effects of such councils on sectors, enterprises, employees 
and employers.18  

Trade  unions  also  have  an  important  role  in  supporting  the  learning  of  their  members.  For 
example union-led learning at work in the UK took on an important function through Skills 

15  See  Eurofound  and  CEDEFOP  (2009),  Contribution  of  collective  bargaining  to  continuing  vocational 
training,  Dublin:  European  Foundation  for  the  Improvement  of  Living  and  Working  Conditions;  and 
"Framework of actions for the lifelong development of competencies and qualifications" signed by the main 
European social partners in 2002, http://www.gencat.cat/diue/doc/doc_13227450_1.pdf. 

16  See Ecorys (2010),  Sector Councils on Employment and Skills at EU level - A study into their feasibility and 

potential Impact 

17  Several examples exist in different countries where SME employers/owners are the target group for setting-up 
human resources strategies, such as in France (APCMA with COMAFOA) or in Germany (with Elbcampus 
18  Ecorys  (2010)  Sector  Councils  on  Employment  and  Skills  at  EU  level  -  A  study  into  their  feasibility  and 

potential Impact 

10 

 
 
                                                            
for Life and has moved on to address skills at higher levels. Their experience shows that union 
involvement in workplace learning can increase the amount of training an employee receives. 
Where  there  is  a  union  learning  representative  (ULR),  46.5  per  cent  of  employees  received 
five or more training days in the last 12 months compared to 29 per cent in workplaces where 
there  is  no  ULR.19  In  Finland  a  similar  approach  was  designed  in  cooperation  with  trade 
unions to train mentors to stimulate continuing training. 

Tripartite or bipartite dialogue has often led to the introduction of measures related to training 
in collective agreements.20 In some countries, these measures have notably led to the creation 
of (inter-) sectoral training funds.21 Sectoral training funds are created on a voluntary basis, 
often  under  sectoral  agreements,  and  are  governed  by  bipartite  bodies.  These  funds  are 
generally  financed  by  employers  through  (inter-)  sectoral  training  levies,  although  several 
have  received  financial  support  from  governments  and  the  European  Social  Fund.  Also 
employees are sometimes required to contribute to the financing through compulsory payroll 
contributions.  Sectoral  training  funds  appear  to  have  several  advantages,  including  the 
fostering  of  social  dialogue  and  creation  of  a  learning  culture  among  employers  and 
employees. From a funding point of view, they are successful in pooling substantial resources 
for  training  and  avoiding  uneven  distribution  of  employer  provided  training.  22  Sectoral 
training funds can improve the distribution of resources among groups of workers and types 
of organisations, e.g. large companies and SMEs. 

A  more  detailed  and  comprehensive  discussion  on  models  that  aim  to  stimulate  private 
contributions, including partnership and collaboration approaches, to financing of continuing 
VET and adult learning can be found in the Staff Working Document on Vocational training 
and education for better skills.  

Partnerships between individual learning institutions and the world of work are having a 
real impact on learning… 

In  addition  to  the  system-wide  and  sectoral  perspective,  a  growing  number  of  partnerships 
between education and training institutions and the world of work are developed at the level 
of individual institutions. At school level their main objectives are often to improve learning 
and  career  guidance,  teaching  and  learning  of  technical  subjects  and  entrepreneurship 
education,  and  notably  to  facilitate  the  transition  from  school  to  work  or  school  to  VET. 
Notably in the VET sector partnerships between businesses and schools have a long tradition 
and  are  crucial  for  maintaining  or  increasing  the  relevance  of  training,  including  the 
competences of trainers. A more detailed discussion on partnerships in VET can be found in 
the Staff Working Document on Vocational training and education for better skills. 

…while closer collaboration between higher education and business can bring real benefits 
(e.g. for funding) but must be more effectively implemented at policy level. 

Furthermore,  in  the  past  few  years  increasing  attention  has  been  paid  to  developing  ever 
closer collaboration between the higher education sector and business. Higher education is at 

19  http://www.unionlearn.org.uk/files/publications/documents/211.pdf  
20  For instance, see Eurofound (2009), Contribution of collective bargaining to continuing vocational training, 

Dublin: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. 

21  For  instance,  see  CEDEFOP  (2009),  Sectoral  training  funds  in  Europe;  European  Commission  (2007), 

Employment in Europe 2007. 

22  Ibid 

11 

 
 
                                                            
a  cross-road  in  Europe;  caught  between  shrinking  state  support  and  competition  from  the 
BRIC countries, a greater emphasis on the relevance and conversion value of education on the 
job  market  is  needed  as  well  as  its  full  contribution  to  increasing  Europe's  innovation 
capacity.  

Whilst  business  and  industry  involvement  in  the  design  and  delivery  of  curricula  and  the 
identification of transferable skills and methods is increasingly accepted at a policy level the 
degree  of  implementation  is  still  poor.  In  2011  a  comprehensive  study  on  the  State  of 
European  University-Business  Cooperation23  looked  at  the  pros  and  cons  of  UBC  and  the 
various  factors  that  affect  it  and  which  actions  would  encourage  more  UBC  to  take  place. 
Thirty  good  practice  case  studies  were  also  identified  during  the  course  of  the  study.24 
Alongside this European overview of the factors leading to or preventing UBC, another study 
was undertaken looking at fifteen institutional examples of successful UBC in greater depth.25  

Notably  under  the  impact  of  fiscal  consolidation  needs,  growing  attention  is  devoted  to  the 
opportunities regarding additional funding which may arise from partnerships with business. 
E.g. in Germany a public programme (“Deutschlandstipendium”) introduced in 2011 awards 
grants  to  "high-performing"  students  (300  EUR  monthly)  under  the  condition  that  their 
universities raise private partner matching funding.26  

A  2011  study  by  the  European  University  Association  into  the  income  flows  into  higher 
education institutions in Europe27 found that funds from business can account for a significant 
share of institutional funding, but remain low in comparison to public funding in its various 
forms and student contributions (tuition or administrative fees). While consistent comparative 
data  on  funding  streams  to  higher  education  is  not  available,  the  survey  of  institutions 
undertaken for the study found 6.5% of total funding to participating institutions coming from 
research  contracts  with  the  business  and  a  further  4.1%  from  "service  provision"  (use  of 
university  services  and  resources  to  provide  services  to  external  parties).  These  average 
figures  disguise  a  diversity  of  patterns  and  practices  across  EU  Member  States  and 
institutions.  Importantly,  the  scope  for  income  generation  from  research  contracts  with 
business  is  clearly  conditioned  by  the  research  intensity  and  activities  of  the  institution  in 
question. 

As  in  other  sectors  of  education,  staff  costs  account  for  a  high  proportion  of  the  operation 
costs  of  higher  education  institutions  (between  60  and  90%)28.  Depending  on  the  level  of 
autonomy  enjoyed  by institutions, this places limits  on  institutions'  margin  of  manoeuvre  in 
budgetary  management.  However,  efficiency  efforts  tend  to  focus  on  internal  organisation 
(where  streamlining  structures  can  often  increase  efficiency)  and  cost-cutting  through 
cooperation  and  partnerships.  Examples  in  this  respect  include  sharing  equipment  and 
services (such as IT) between institutions or providing previously internal services to external 
clients. To date, most notably owing to the specific status of higher education institutions in 
most countries, there appear to be limited examples of private sector expertise being used to 

23  http://ec.europa.eu/education/higher-education/doc/studies/munster_en.pdf  
24  http://ec.europa.eu/education/higher-education/doc/studies/munstercase_en.pdf  
25  http://ec.europa.eu/education/higher-education/doc/studies/technopolis_en.pdf  
26  http://www.deutschland-stipendium.de;  Further Information on funding of higher education: EC, National 

Student Fee and Support System, 2011/12; see http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/facts 
_and_figures/fees_and_support.pdf 

27  EUA (2011) Financially Sustainable Universities II: Diversifying Income Streams 
http://www.eua.be/pubs/financially%20sustainable%20universities%20ii.pdf 

28  Ibid 

12 

 
 
                                                            
improve the governance and overall resource management of institutions of higher education. 
The  scope  for  such  learning  from  the  private  sector  and  the  potential  impacts  need  to  be 
analysed in more detail. 

Multi-stakeholder partnerships at regional and local level can improve skills provision…  

In addition to the sectoral perspective on skills development, a number of European countries 
have  also  promoted  a  territorial  approach.  The  concept  of  "learning  regions"  has  been 
discussed,  further  developed  and  implemented  across  the  EU.  While  the  term  may  refer  to 
large  regions  as  well  as  to  municipalities,  villages or small scale communities,  all  share the 
underlying  rational  of  developing  a  geographical  area  by  engaging  in  close  cooperation  the 
actors  responsible  for  innovation,  skills  and  economic  development.  With  increasingly 
flexible and changing labour markets a growing focus is on effective management of learning 
provision in response to current and emerging regional skills needs.  

…and  local  partnerships  can  support  the  engagement  of  demographic  groups  currently 
under-represented in lifelong learning 

Against the backdrop of a shrinking workforce and higher skills needs, local partnerships also 
have an important role in engaging marginalised groups in higher levels of education and in 
up-skilling  low  qualified  people  to  ensure  their  re-integration  into  the  labour  market  and 
society.  There  is  evidence  that  engagement  of  voluntary  community  level  organisations  in 
lifelong  learning  partnerships,  especially  those  aimed  at  disadvantaged  and  hard-to-reach 
groups  of  "non-learners",  can  be  particularly  effective.  Cooperation  with  grass-roots  NGOs 
can provide highly valuable knowledge about target groups.29 

Policy practice: How Sector Skills Councils function in the United Kingdom 

Partially  funded  by  the  UK  government  Sector  Skills  Councils  (SSCs)  are  independent, 
employer-led,  UK–wide  organisations  designed  to  build  a  skills  system  that  is  driven  by 
employer demand with a view to enhance competitiveness of industries. SSC boards include 
representatives  from  employers,  employees,  education  and  training  institutions,  as  well  as 
government  observers.  There  are  currently  22  Sector  Skills  Councils  covering  over  90%  of 
the economy and they all work towards the following four key goals: 1) reducing skills gaps 
and  shortages;  2)  improving  productivity,  business  and  public  service  performance;  3) 
increasing  opportunities  to  boost  the  skills  and  productivity  of  everyone  in  the  sector's 
workforce;  4)  improving  learning  supply  through  National  Occupational  Standards, 
apprenticeships, and further and higher education. An evaluation of impacts of SSCs showed 
gains of between £100m and £130m a year from Government and Industry funding of £5m a 
year.  
In detail see Annex, Policy example 3 

Policy practice: The industry competence fund for paid training leave in Denmark 

In  Denmark  in  2007  CO-Industri  and  Dansk  Industri  signed  a  new  collective  agreement 
allowing  Danish  workers  to  increase  their  right  to  paid  continuing  VET  and  to  undertake  a 
two-week paid vocational training course of their choice. The Industriens Kompetencefonden 

29  Bernard  Brunhes  International,  (2006),  EU-wide  Evaluation  of  the  Community  Initiative  Equal  2000-2006, 

Final Report, Volume 1. 

13 

 
 
 
 
                                                            
(industry  competence  development  fund)  has  been  set  up  for  this  purpose.  This  industry 
competence  development  fund  secures  up  to  85  %  of  employee  salaries  while  they  are 
training. The public sector pays salary compensation up to the level of unemployment benefit, 
whereas  the  competence  development  fund  pays  the  difference  between  the  unemployment 
benefit and the specified 85 %. 
In detail see Annex, Policy example 4 

Policy  practice:  Educational  Partnerships  between  Schools  and  Companies  in  Baden 
Württemberg, Germany 

In order to optimally prepare all pupils for their transition into working life, partners from the 
worlds of school and business decided to start the cooperation school-business partnerships in 
2008.  Every  secondary  school  providing  general  education  should  establish  and  maintain  at 
least  one  business  partnership.  Against  this  backdrop,  the  Government  of  the  Land  Baden-
Württemberg, the Association of Chambers of Industry and Commerce, the Confederation of 
Skilled  Crafts  and  the  Union  of  Employers’  Associations  have  decided  to  conclude  an 
agreement on the establishment of partnerships. Since the first agreement of 2008 around 90% 
of all lower secondary schools have entered into contractual partnerships.   
In detail see Annex, Policy example 5 

Policy practice: Roadmap for employment – Academic Partnerships (REAP), Ireland  

REAP is a collaborative project, involving eight Higher Education Institutional partners, for 
the  research,  development  and  validation  of  a  Higher  Education  /Employment  Partnership 
Model  and  Roadmap.  It  identifies  learning  needs  within  workplaces,  draws  up  a 
comprehensive  plan  for  partnership  between  employers  and  HEIs  and  verifies  the 
effectiveness of the strategy through a diverse range of demonstrator collaborative activities. 
In detail see Annex, Policy example 6 

Policy practice: Local learning networks in Germany (Lernen vor Ort) 

Lernen vor Ort is a national programme funding municipalities (60 Mio EUR, ESF supported, 
2009-2014) supporting the setting up and operating of partnerships for a better local education 
and  training  systems.  Knowhow  on  innovation  in  education  management  is  provided  by 
around 180 German foundations who are key partners of LvO. The broad objective of LvO is 
that  municipalities  put  in  place  a  well-functioning  local  education  management  based  on  a 
monitoring and reporting system and involving all relevant stakeholders. 
In detail see Annex, Policy example 7 

Policy practice: Community based access to further and higher education in Ireland 

In  Ireland  a  specific  policy  approach  to  community  based  access  to  further  and  higher 
education  involves  local  community  organisations,  including  third  and  private  sector 
organisations,  to  engage  with  and  support  people  from  these  target  groups  throughout  their 
education, with a particular focus on bringing them up to tertiary level. Key elements of the 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
approach  include  stakeholder  cooperation  and  communication,  outreach  to  people,  and 
support to learners, including financial support. 
In detail see Annex, Policy example 8 

15 

 
 
 
2.5 Lessons learned from Partnerships 

Cooperation  and  partnerships  positively  support  the  implementation  of  lifelong  learning 
policies… 

Cooperation and partnerships have proven beneficial to lifelong learning implementation with 
regard to numerous aspects: they have shown strong potential to promote better management 
of  education  and  training  and  skills  provision,  increase  flexibility  and  relevance  of  learning 
programmes,  and  improve  efficient  use  of  resources.  Partnerships  are  also  important  for 
generating and disseminating innovation in learning provision. 

…but must involve all relevant stakeholders, link all areas of lifelong learning, work across 
different policy areas and engage all levels of governance 

Thus  they  should  be  promoted  across  and  between  all  levels  of  administration  and  policy 
implementation, between public and private actors and in all contexts and forms of learning, 
in  pre-primary  education,  schools,  VET,  higher  education  and  adult  learning.  In  particular, 
regional  partnerships  and  cooperation  shows  strong  potential  for  ensuring  that  skills 
development  and  provision  is  closely  matched  with  citizens,  learning  institutions  and  the 
needs of the local economy. 

…with a shared vision… 

Effective partnership and cooperation require strong and sustainable coordination structures, a 
shared vision among stakeholders and often they necessitate adapted funding mechanisms to 
take account of their specific decision making structures.  

…and the involvement of social partners from the beginning  

In a number of Member States cooperation with the social partners is given high importance 
in  design  and  implementation  of  lifelong  learning  policies,  including  learning  provision, 
guidance  and  validation,  thus  underlining  their  key  responsibility  for  effective  skills 
management  at  national  and  notably  regional  or  local  levels,  closest  to  the  needs  of 
individuals  and  society.  Creating  partnerships  for  funding,  such  as  sectoral  training  funds 
based on social partner agreements, appear to be effective with a view to mobilising private 
resources and sharing the costs of learning. 

Cooperation  with  social  partners  seems  to  work  best  where  it  is  based  on  standing 
consultation mechanisms and shared responsibility between public and private actors. 

…that can support the engagement of marginalised groups 

While  the  role  of  non-governmental  organisations  in  education  and  training  provision  may 
sometimes appear underestimated in the LLL debate, close cooperation with the voluntary and 
community  sector  seems  particularly  crucial  when  it  comes  to  attracting  vulnerable  and 
disadvantaged groups into learning and offering low-threshold and targeted support.  

…while  collaboration  between  HEIs  and  business  can  support  funding  but  has  to  be 
extended 

On  a  theoretical  level,  increased  cooperation  between  higher  education  institutions  and 
business  has  a  potentially  positive  impact  on  the  overall  levels  of  income  into  HEIs  (as 

16 

 
 
additional private sector funds are brought in) and on the efficiency with which resources are 
used  (as  expertise  in  resource  management  from  outside  the  world  of  higher  education  is 
transferred or exploited inside institutions).  

17 

 
 
3. 

FLEXIBILITY OF LEARNING PATHWAYS AND LEARNING OFFERS 

System barriers must be tackled to make learning pathways more flexible… 

Expanding  flexible  learning  pathways  is  considered  a  key  element  of  effective  lifelong 
learning  policy  in  the  EU  Member  States.30  Individuals  should  be  able  to  move  between 
different  learning  tracks  (general  education,  VET  and  higher  education),  settings  (formal, 
non-formal), and fields of studies with a view to horizontal and vertical progression to higher 
or new qualifications.  

As  a  key  principle,  prior  learning  (independent  of  whether  it  was  achieved  through  studies, 
work  or  in  leisure)  should  be  validated  and  recognised,  as  repeating  learning  content  is  a 
waste  of  time  and  discourages  learner  participation.  The  tackling  of  system  level  barriers 
(linked to the regulatory framework in a wide sense) therefore has to be a priority for national 
policy makers.  

In all Member States learners are, at a certain level, tracked into different pathways, usually 
by  setting  conditions  for  access  (typically  for general  and  vocational  education  and  training 
streams  or  between  upper-secondary  level  and  higher  education).  This  early  assignment  to 
separate  tracks  potentially  leads  learners  into  dead-end  streets  where  further  vertical 
progression  to  higher  qualifications  levels  may  become  difficult.  This  is  primarily  the  case 
between  vocational  tracks  and  higher  education  and  contributes  to  the  generally  lower 
prestige of vocational tracks in most Member States. 

At the same time, flexibility of entry points needs to be combined with quality assurance of 
the  certification  of  learning  outcomes  at  the  end  of  a  specific  learning  process.  This 
diversification of entry conditions to education and training programmes and diversification in 
modes of learning combined with clear ‘exit’ conditions (qualifications standards), means that 
education and training institutions have to re-think and adapt their approach towards learning 
and  learners.  Flexible  pathways  also  imply  a  greater  diversification  of  learners  and  require 
new capacities from staff and institutions. 

…while barriers to learning for individuals must also be broken down  

Finally,  achieving  more  flexible  pathways  also  requires  measures  to  overcome  barriers  that 
are  intrinsic  to  individuals,  often  linked  to  their  socio-economic  background  and  prior 
learning experience, and which, for manifold reasons, may keep them from making full use of 
their learning capacities. 

3.1 Addressing system level barriers to flexibility of pathways 

Conditions of access to different levels of education must not be barriers to progression… 

Addressing barriers to progression from vocational qualifications to higher education has been 
paid  relatively31  close  attention  in  the  past  decade.  Member  States  have  developed  various 

30  Council Conclusions of 12 May 2009 on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and 

training (‘ET 2020’) (2009/C 119/02), Bruges Communiqué on enhanced European Cooperation in 
Vocational Education and Training for the period 2011-2020, December 2010 

31 GHK Consulting (2005): Study on Access to Education and Training, Basic Skills and Early School Leavers; 

Cedefop (2010) Guiding at risk youth through learning to work 

18 

 
 
                                                            
approaches  to  facilitate  access  from  vocational  education  and  training  to  higher  education, 
notably with a view to increasing its attractiveness32: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Ensuring  that  a  vocational  pathway  leads  to  a  qualification  at  a  level  equivalent  to 
the general education pathways which traditionally grant access to higher education. 
In many EU countries there are already such vocational pathways in place.  

‘Top-up’  programmes  to  grant  access  to  higher  education  also  through  vocational 
qualifications  that  are  at  a  lower  level  than  the  general  education  upper-  secondary 
leaving certificate (e.g. in Germany, Slovenia, Czech Republic or Slovakia) 

Integrated  models  whereby  learners  acquire  a  vocational  qualification  and  at  the 
same  time  prepare  for  a  general  education  qualification  (for  example  in  Finland, 
Austria).  

Recognition  of  work  experience  or  other  learning  achievements  to  grant  higher 
education access to learners who do not provide over the required mainstream upper 
secondary certificate (e.g. in the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal and Spain) 

What is crucial for all approaches to truly impact is to enable students to acquire a sufficient 
level  of  basic  skills  and  general  education  already  during  their  vocational  education  and 
training programme. 

…and  transparency  instruments  such  as  the  European  Qualifications  Framework  can 
support this  

In addition, system level instruments such as qualifications frameworks are also expected to 
clarify  progression  possibilities  for  learners.  As  qualification  levels  are  defined  through  the 
same categories of learning outcomes, without any reference to the institutional setting or the 
sub-sector  of  education  and  training,  improving  the  permeability  of  education  and  training 
systems to aid transfer and progression is a key objective of national qualification frameworks 
in  many  countries33.  In  the  same  perspective,  most  frameworks  include  or  plan  to  include 
qualifications awarded outside the formal education and training systems34. The indication on 
individual  diploma  and  certificates  of  the  level  in  the  national  and  European  qualification 
framework – the second phase, just now starting, of the EQF implementation – should draw 
attention  away  from  the  sector-based  attitude  and  focus  on  the  level  of  learning  outcomes, 
thus supporting permeability.  

An important boost to transitions between education and training sub-systems would also be 
obtained through the interoperability of European credit transfer and accumulation system in 
higher  education  (ECTS)  and  vocational  training  (ECVET).  Equally  helpful  would  be  a 
common model of information supplement to qualifications across the education and training 
sub-systems,  building  upon  the  existing  Diploma  Supplement  in  higher  education  and 
Certificate  Supplement  in  vocational  training.  Some  convergence  is  already  being  applied 

32  Ibid 
33  Cedefop  (2012),  Working  paper  No  12,  The  development  of  national  qualifications  frameworks  in  Europe. 
October  2011,  in  particular  pp.  15-16.    Cf.  European  Parliament,  2012,  State  of  play  of  the  European 
Qualifications Framework implementation, in particular Section 4.5.1. 

34  Cedefop  (2012),  Working  paper  No  12,  The  development  of  national  qualifications  frameworks  in  Europe. 

October 2011, in particular pp. 26-29. 

19 

 
 
                                                            
with  the  use  of  learning  outcomes  in  the  Diploma  Supplement  (e.g.  in  Finland)  and  of 
personal information in the Certificate Supplement (e.g. in Slovenia). 

It is vital to recognise and validate non-formal and informal learning… 

For  both  vertical  progression  to  higher  levels  and  horizontal  mobility  between  tracks,  it  is 
important that learning outcomes acquired previously are recognised.  

The  proposal  for  a  Recommendation  on  the validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning 
adopted  by  the  Commission  on  5  September  2012  has  the  objective  to  provide  all  citizens 
with the opportunity to have their skills validated and recognised for access to further learning 
or to the labour market. Currently, while some validation arrangements exist in all countries, 
the number of countries where system level approaches are developed and widely used is still 
small (e.g. Finland, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal)35. To date in many countries 
such  mechanisms  are  rather  limited  to  a  specific  sector  of  education  and  training  (e.g. 
Germany, Spain,  Luxembourg,  Romania,  Sweden, United Kingdom), or broader approaches 
are still being developed.  

…and member states can already provide good examples of where this is being done. 

The countries with advanced methods and systems can be said to have ‘mainstreamed’ their 
approach by closely linking them to their national qualifications frameworks and the general 
certification approaches. An important factor for success seems to be to see validation as one 
out  of  several  pathways  to  a  qualification;  it  is  important  to  avoid  a  situation  where  the 
outcomes of validation are seen as inferior to the qualifications acquired through traditional 
approaches (e.g. Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Portugal).  

Learning credits can be an important tool in expanding learning pathways… 

In  addition,  schemes  to  recognise  learning  credits  are  increasingly  used  to  develop  system-
level  pathways  between  different  qualifications  within  a  sub-system  and  qualifications  sub-
systems36. Approaches developed in the Member States include: 

– 

– 

Articulation of units between different qualifications at the same level/subsystem to 
enable  progression.  For  example,  in  France  all  upper-secondary  vocational 
qualifications (at the same level/type) share the same core competences and general 
knowledge.  Once  a  vocational  qualification  has  been  achieved  a  person  can  get 
recognition  for  this  part  of  the  qualification  if  they  need  to  re-qualify  in  the  future 
without additional assessment or learning. In Romania all vocational qualifications at 
a given level share units concerning key competences and all qualifications within an 
economic sector/field also share a number of units. In addition to offering flexibility 
for learners when it comes to progression, this approach offers some advantages for 
organisation of lifelong learning at institutional level (see below).  

Diversifying the entry and exit points from a pathway. Credit systems can be used to 
give  people  the  possibility  to  enter  a  pathway  with  different  achievements  (by 
recognising  credit  from  elsewhere)  but  also  to  leave  at  different  levels  with  a 

35  GHK  Consulting  (2010)  Update  to  the  European  Inventory  on  Validation  of  Non-formal  and  informal 

learning: Synthesis 

36  Cedefop (2010) Linking credit systems and qualifications frameworks 

20 

 
 
                                                            
qualification.  Some  countries  (for  example  Denmark,  Luxembourg,  Hungary37)  are 
introducing  the  possibility  for  people  who  do  not  succeed  in  obtaining  the  full 
qualification  to  receive  at  least  a  partial  qualification  (which  has  relevance  for  the 
labour market and can be recognised if they return to education and training).  

– 

Stipulating in legislation the requirement for institutions to recognise relevant prior 
learning  (formal,  non-formal  or  informal).  For  example,  in  Slovenia  the  obligation 
for  VET  providers  to  consider  learners’  credit  for  exemption  is  embedded  in  the 
legislation38. In Finland the legislation on higher education stipulates that universities 
have  to  consider  recognition  of  credit  for  learners  who  come  from  polytechnic 
institutions  in  view  of  entering  a  masters  degree  (depending  on  the  polytechnics 
degree  the  university  may  require  some  additional  learning  or  examination).  In 
Slovenia  and  Ireland  graduates  of  post-secondary  non-tertiary  education  can 
sometimes enter directly into the second year of university education39. 

…and there are some difficulties of validation in higher education 

The 2010 update of the inventory on validation of non-formal and informal learning identified 
a very broad range of framework conditions for validation in higher education. Firstly there is 
a group of countries where validation in higher education is not possible. In other countries 
there is a limit on the volume of learning (in terms of credit or time) that can be recognised (in 
Germany for example validation can account for up to 50% of credit, in Hungary up to 30% 
and  in  Spain  up  to  15%).  In  only  few  countries  individuals  can  acquire  a  full  qualification 
based on validation of NFIL (France, Denmark, Iceland or Belgium Flanders). 

Policy practice: Flexible pathways to higher education in Austria 

Since 1997 vocational education and training students have had the possibility to obtain the 
professional  baccalaureate  (Berufsreifeprüfung  or  Berufsmatura).  In  2008  the  possibility  to 
combine  an  apprenticeship  with  preparation  for  the  professional  baccalaureate  (Lehre  mit 
Matura)  was  introduced  and  preparatory  courses  made  free  of  charge.  In  the  academic  year 
2007/2009,  2  609  students  received  the  professional  baccalaureate  certificate.  45%  of  these 
graduates started a university programme, 23% went to a Fachhochschule science, about 10% 
a university college of education and 20% a VET college. 
In detail see Annex, Policy example 9 

Policy practices in the field of validation 

In Portugal specific infrastructure for validation was set up, namely the New Opportunities 
Centres (454 in total) where people could apply for validation and receive guidance, and the 
National  Agency  for  Qualifications  (in  2007)  as  the  body  responsible  for  both  the 
coordination  of  the  national  validation  system  and  for  vocational  training  reform.  The  New 

37  ECOTEC (2008) Beyond the Maastricht Communiqué: developments in the opening up of VET pathways and 

the role of VET in labour market integration 

38  Cedefop (2010) Linking credit systems and qualifications frameworks 
39  ECOTEC (2008) Beyond the Maastricht Communiqué: developments in the opening up of VET pathways and 

the role of VET in labour market integration; p.170 

21 

 
 
 
 
                                                            
Opportunities Initiative has had significant reach: more than one million low qualified adults 
were encouraged to improve their educational attainment.40 

In  France  individuals  can  apply  for  validation  by  submitting  a  portfolio  of  experiences 
including  detailed  descriptions  of  skills  and  competences  to  the  ministry  responsible  for 
awarding  qualifications.  An  established  jury  appointed  by  the  responsible  ministry  decides 
upon the award of a full or partial qualification based on the application. 

In  the  Netherlands,  individuals  can  apply  for  validation  of  experiences  by  submitting  a 
portfolio  of  experiences  to  a  recognised  provider  of  "experience  certificates".  Assessors 
within these providers can deliver an experience certificate to be used either for job searching 
or  for  official  recognition  by  an  examination  board  of  a  formal  education  and  training 
provider. The Dutch validation system is further supported by a knowledge centre which set 
up  a  quality  code  for  validation  that  has  to  be  respected  by  the  providers  of  experience 
certificates. 
In detail see Annex, Policy examples 10 

Policy practice: NQF and credit system for flexible pathways in Slovenia41 

Flexibility  of  pathways  is  developed  in  Slovenia  by  enabling  people  with  lower  level 
qualifications to have their credit recognised in view of higher level qualifications (mainly in 
VET).  Equivalence  between  partial  qualifications  and  units  of  qualifications  is  established 
when qualifications are designed. This enables learners who fail the full qualification to hold 
at  least  a  partial  qualification  and  it  facilitates  accumulation  of  a  full  VET  qualification 
through validation. 
In detail see Annex, Policy example 11 

Policy practices of countries where system level conditions promote validation of NFIL in 
higher education 

In Estonia, the 2003 University Act requires that universities accredit prior and experiential 
learning  and  obliges  them  to  elaborate  their  own  rules  and  procedures  for  recognition.  The 
legal  act Standard of Higher Education (Kõrgharidusstandard,  updated in 2007) sets a  very 
broad framework for common regulations for recognition of prior learning and states that all 
HEIs need to have such regulations within the institution. 

In  Finland,  a  set  of  21  recommendations  for  universities  and  polytechnics  (universities  of 
applied  sciences)  regarding  the  validation  of  informal  and  non-formal  learning  have  been 
prepared in 2009 by the Council of University Rectors and the Rectors’ Conference of Finnish 
Universities  of  Applied  Sciences.  This  set  of  recommendations  covers  various  aspects  of 
validation,  from  both  the  perspective  of  HEIs  and  students’  perspectives  and  general 
recommendations for implementation. 
In detail see Annex, Policy examples 12 

40  R. Carneiro (ed.) (2011), Accreditation of prior learning as a lever for lifelong learning: lessons learnt from 
Portugal,  UNESCO,  MENON  Network,  CEPCEP, 

Initiative, 

the  New  Opportunities 
http://www.ucp.pt/site/resources/documents/CEPCEP/Accreditation_final.pdf. 
41  Source: Cedefop (2010) Linking credit systems and qualifications frameworks 

22 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
3.2 Making learning provision more flexible 

Modularisation of learning programmes can support flexibility of learning… 

Linear  ‘in-block’  education  and  training  programmes  create  certain  difficulties  for  flexible 
provision as they make it rather difficult for people to enter into the programme at a different 
point than at the beginning, for instance following validation of prior learning or recognising 
credits from another institution.  

One  aspect  of  developing  flexible  learning  at  provider  level  is  the  modularisation  of 
programmes. In Luxembourg, for example, the on-going reform of vocational education and 
training  combines  the  development  of  a  competence  based  approach  to  programmes  and 
qualifications with a modular system. The new approach to vocational education and training 
programmes  and  qualifications  improves  the  combination  of  work-placed  and  school-based 
learning.  For  the  individual  it  means  that  persons  who  fail  in  a  particular  module  of  their 
training scheme only need to sit that particular module again42. 

Another approach to diversification of flexible provision is by combining education with on-
the-job learning. While dual VET has a long-standing tradition in a number of EU countries 
(notably  DE,  AT,  NL,  DK)  dual  tertiary  VET,  i.e.  alternance  of  in  company  learning  and 
tertiary studies, is a rather recent phenomenon. A detailed discussion of work based learning 
and dual forms of training can be found in the SWD on Vocational training and education for 
better skills 

…as can opening up education through the use of ICT and open educational resources 

Distance learning has traditionally played a relevant role in improving access to education and 
training for people with time constraints or limited financial means and in remote areas. It is 
also very developed in the area of continuing education, especially within companies. 

However, as a consequence of the ICT revolution over the last few years there has also been 
an  exponential  growth  in  educational  courses  and  other  resources  available  via  the  Internet, 
either  free  as  Open  Educational  Resources  (OER)43  or  paid-for  educational  content.  In  the 
field  of  education,  the  so-called  "Open  Educational  Resources  Movement"  and  other  public 
and  private  initiatives  are  promoting  the  use  of  ICT  for  less  barriers  to  education  and  more 
flexible  and  creative  ways  of  learning,  characterised  by  collaboration,  bottom-up  practices 
(both  in  traditional  and  new  channels  and  markets)  and  where  the  user  is  also  a  creator  of 
learning content.  

Basic skills training can effectively be offered in the workplace… 

The time and space available to adults is a key factor but also a scarce commodity. As most 
adults  cite  learning  for  work  as  a  priority,  it  is  important  that  organisations  are  willing  to 
respond  to  this  by  adjusting  work  plans  and  schedules  and  being  flexible  in  how  work  is 
organised to allow time for learning. Since the majority of the low-skilled population in the 
European  Union  is  active  in  the  labour  market,  the  workplace  is  a  key  setting  where  low-
skilled individuals can participate in structured learning and basic skills training.  

42  P. Thill (2010) EEO Review: Youth Employment Measures, 2010. Luxembourg Report  
43  OER,  as  defined  by  UNESCO  in  2002,  are  teaching,  learning  or  research  materials  that  are  in  the  public 
domain or released with an intellectual property license that allows for free use, adaptation, and distribution. 

23 

 
 
 
                                                            
For  example,  in  Norway,  adult  education  is  a  well-developed  sector  with  a  nation-wide 
network  of  adult  education  centres  run  by  the  municipalities.  The  Norwegian  “Education 
Strategy”  has  a  set  of  mechanisms  that  facilitate  adults  in  gaining  qualifications,  namely:  a 
statutory right; study leave; validation of prior learning; financial support in the form of loans 
and  scholarships;  flexibility;  national  primary  and  secondary  school  curricula.  Yet, 
participation  among  vulnerable  groups  remained  a  problem  and  it  was  decided  to  take 
learning out to the workplace, where many of them are to be found.   

…as basic skills training can be embedded into a wide range of other learning offers. 

Another  successful  method  of  flexible  provision,  notably  for  low-skilled  workers,  is 
‘embedded  learning’.  Research  suggests  that  people  with  inadequate  basic  skills  are  often 
hesitant to take literacy, numeracy or language training; they are more likely, though, to take 
the  same  training  if  it  is  part  of  a  course  of  their  choice. Embedding  basic  skills  with  other 
types of learning gives the opportunity for individual learners to find themselves the benefits 
of  improving  their  basic  skills.  It  has  been  found  that  15%  more  people  stay  on  embedded 
courses  than  stand-alone  basic  skills  courses  and  that  there  is  a  higher  achievement  rate 
among those learning44.  

For young adults who have left school early, combining basic skills and VET has been shown 
to improve qualification rates as well as providing basic skills. Tutors from general education 
and vocational tutors must work closely together to develop and deliver such programmes, be 
they  inside  or  outside  the  workplace.  Basic  skills  at  the  workplace  will  always  need  the 
professional competence of teachers and trainers. 

Policy practices in the field of Modularisation 

Modularisation for more flexible learning in Lithuania 

In 2007 the Lithuanian government introduced a revised Law on vocational education with a 
modularised structure of qualifications whereby content is regulated by individual guidelines 
for higher education study fields and professional standards. According to the Law, a module 
in  vocational  training  is  a  self-contained  teaching  and  learning  unit,  leading  from  a  defined 
input  level  of  the  learner  to  a  competence  increase  planned  in  advance.  Modularisation  has 
been  taken  forward  to  introduce  more  flexibility  and  greater  opportunities  for  lifelong 
learning.  

Structuring initial VET in units and modules in Luxembourg 

The  2008  Law  for  reforming  VET  focuses  on  reorienting  IVET  towards  a  modular  and 
competence-oriented structure. All vocational training is structured into learning units which 
can be accumulated. The development from qualification to curricula is based on a four step 
includes  working 
approach: 
training  profiles 
areas/domains, 
(Ausbildungsprofil) to which competences are associated; the training profiles are structured 
into framework curricula (Rahmenlehrpläne) which includes units or modules; the framework 
curricula build the basis for developing assessment and curricula. 
In detail see Annex, Policy examples 13 

the  definition  of  professional  profile 
and 

(Berufsprofil) 
the  development  of 

assignments 

tasks; 

44  E.g. Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) (2008), Skills for Life: Progress in Improving Adult Literacy 

and Numeracy, HC 482 Session 2007-2008 

24 

 
 
 
                                                            
Policy practice: Programme for Basic Competence in Working Life, Norway  

The Programme for Basic Competence in Working Life (BCWL) was introduced to fund and 
support basic learning projects in enterprises that prevent the exclusion of low-skilled people  
from work, or projects aiming at preparing people for working life in co-operation with the 
Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration. The programme requires close co-operation 
with  employers  who  agree  to  the  provision  of  basic  skills  in  the  workplace  in  return  for 
financial compensation for workers’ time spent on structured learning. 
In detail see Annex, Policy example 14 

3.3 Promoting openness of institutions to flexible learning 

The  capacity  to  deliver  flexible  learning  must  be  expanded  by  developing  the  ability  and 
readiness of existing learning providers… 

In  addition  to  institutional  aspects  that  concern  the  delivery  of  flexible  learning,  the 
development  of  open  pathways  also  depends  on  organisational  capacities  of  learning 
providers such as:  

– 

– 

Readiness and preparation of staff to work with diversified groups of learners.  

The  role  of  leadership  in  driving  the  development  of  the  LLL  agenda  and  flexible 
pathways within an institution and keeping it high on the agenda. As in any change 
management  process  strong  and  convinced  leadership  is  a  supportive  element  for 
motivating staff towards implementation of change and innovation.  

…and adapting funding mechanisms to stimulate institutional flexibility… 

Mechanisms  for  the  funding  of  learning  can  pose  further  system  level  barriers  to  flexible 
learning pathways. Under certain conditions, funding mechanisms may discourage providers 
from recognising credit and non-formal and informal learning (e.g. if funding is provided per 
taught  hours)  and  they  can  also  discourage  individuals  from  participation  (e.g.  if  through 
returning to education and training learners lose unemployment benefits).  

The  concept  of  flexible  pathways  inevitably  challenges  established  funding  methods  in 
education  and  training  which  were  designed  to  fit  the  model  of  linear  learning  trajectories 
(public funding is often based on per-capita yearly basis or per hours taught). This model can 
create  situations  where  providers  have  disincentives  to  provide  flexible  pathways  to  their 
learners in order to safeguard funding streams. For example, for higher education programmes 
in a number of countries (e.g. Portugal, Norway, Finland) validation and recognition of non-
formal and informal learning in view of exemption is free of charge for the individual, but no 
financial  incentive  is  provided  for  the  higher  education  institution.  This  requires  innovative 
solutions to overcome obstacles and financial incentives to encourage promotion of flexible 
pathways.   

Project  based  funding  can  also  be  considered  as  giving  providers  flexibility  to  adjust  to  the 
needs  of  a  range  of  target  groups.  However,  project  based  funding  is  typically  a  one-off 
source  of  revenues  and  it  therefore  caters  for  the  creation  and  early  implementation  of 
innovative measures but it does not provide sustainable sources of funding. 

25 

 
 
 
 
 
… with services integrated and working together to support learning, especially guidance 

To  allow  individuals  take  advantage  of  the  range  of  opportunities  for  the  development  and 
recognition  of  skills  made  available  by  lifelong  learning  policies,  effective  provision  of 
guidance is a necessity. Citizens need support in planning their individual learning pathways 
to acquire the right mix of skills that will enable them to access further learning or the labour 
market. They need support in the identification, documentation and validation of the skills and 
competences that they have already developed through study, work, volunteering, leisure and 
life  experience.  Integrated  guidance  services  need  to  be  able  to  accompany  citizens  to  both 
plan  voluntary  transitions  and  tackle  external  changes.  The  more  education  and  training 
systems become open and flexible, the more crucial guidance becomes to help citizens reap 
the benefits of such programmes. 

Policy  practice:  Turning  a  university  into  a  lifelong  learning  centre  -  University  of 
Graz/Austria 

The  University  implemented  its  lifelong  learning  strategy  within  several  steps  including 
research  on  the  state  of  LLL  within  the  university,  on  models  of  lifelong  learning  in 
universities  and  by  consulting  internal  stakeholders.  As  a  key  result  of  the  strategy 
development  a  Centre  for  Continuing  Education  was  established,  which  is  in  charge  of 
developing and promoting education and training activities and programmes of interest to the 
general public.  
In detail see Annex, Policy example 15 

Policy practice: Adapted funding solutions to support flexible learning pathways 

In  Denmark,  Higher  education  institutions  are  paid  a  one-off  taximeter  funding  if  the 
competence assessment to enter higher education results in an exemption of at least 15% of 
the study programme. 
In Belgium/Flanders, the funding model for higher education, introduced in 2008, includes 
multi-annual  agreements  between  the  minister  and  each  higher  education  institution  setting 
out agreed objectives and targets and the commitment of the institution to deliver on them and 
the  amount  of  funding  involved.  The  performance  agreements  include  objectives  aimed  at 
widening participation and incentives for the institutions to support achievement and success 
of  students  from  more  vulnerable  backgrounds,  from  ethnic  minorities,  students  with  a 
disability, or students who are already in work. 
In  Finland  a  performance  based  funding  system  has  been  introduced  to  support  the  VET 
reform in view of competence-based and individualised provision. The main indicators for the 
performance  based  funding  are  employment  after  graduation,  proportion  of  students 
completing their programmes and students continuing on to further studies. 
In detail see Annex, Policy examples 16 

Policy practice: National Plan on Adult Education in Slovenia 

Slovenia developed and established an Adult Education Plan. Key features are: holistic access 
and the connectedness of all forms of learning; diversity and flexibility of learning offers; key 
competences  and  learning  for  personal  growth,  work  and  the  development  of  society; 
possibilities  for  the  recognition  and  validation  of  learning;  appropriate  information  and 

26 

 
 
 
 
 
guidance  infrastructure.  The  network  of  fourteen  lifelong  learning  centres  in  Slovenia  is 
central  in  the  achievement  of  improved  quality  and  effectiveness  of  education  and  training 
systems. 
In detail see Annex, Policy example 17 

3.4 Tackling barriers at individual level 

Improved  flexibility  of  pathways  and  removal  of  structural  barriers  is  a  pre-condition  for 
increased take up, but not sufficient in itself to make people progress to new fields or higher 
levels  of  learning.  The  reasons  why  people  opt  for  a  specific  pathway  can  only  partially  be 
influenced  by  the  education  and  training  offer.  Aspects  such  as  attitudes  towards  a  certain 
type  of  education,  the  self-perception  of  their  capacities,  and  notably  the  behaviour  of  their 
peers  influence,  to  a  large  extent,  the  choices  individuals  make.  People’s  choices  are  rarely 
linear and affected by their interests, prior experience, their aspirations or the guidance they 
receive45. 

For  example,  in  France  the  success  rate  of  students  holding  the  vocational  upper-secondary 
leaving  certificate  (Baccalaureat  Professionnel)  in  achieving  a  Bachelor  degree  is  20 
percentage  points  below  the  success  rate  of  people  who  hold  the  general  education 
qualification  (this  figure  does  not  take  into  account  those  who  drop  out  during  their  studies 
and  many  drop  out  in  the  first  year  in  fact)46.  The  indication  of  EQF  levels  on  individual 
diplomas  and  certificates  should  have  a  positive  impact  on  attitudes  and  self-confidence, 
helping people to perceive progression as separate from institutional considerations and more 
confidently plan personal learning pathways. 

Integrated approaches show good results… 

Increasing  use  of  flexible  pathways  requires  approaches  that  combine  more  flexible  offers 
with  measures  for  outreach  to  non-traditional  learners,  targeted  (financial)  support  to 
individuals and institutional capacity building, and, crucially, adequate lifelong guidance.47  

Research and analysis of practice48 show that for vulnerable groups learning is usually not the 
only  problem.  They  tend  to  have  multiple  problems:  social,  financial,  health  and  others,  as 
well  as  learning  needs,  which  are  best  addressed  in  a  holistic  way,  and  in  partnership  with 
relevant  agents.  Addressing  their  skills  needs  may  require  a  joined-up  solution  which 
addresses  a  combination  of  learning  and  other  challenges  such  as  housing,  unemployment, 
etc. In general, they are "non-learners" who have been alienated and deterred from education 
and training through failure, disaffection, disappointment with the initial systems, social and 
financial constraints, etc., and as a result their confidence in themselves and their abilities are 
low. Their disengagement with learning means that they will not come looking; learning must 

45  ECOTEC (2008) Beyond the Maastricht Communiqué: developments in the opening up of VET pathways and 

the role of VET in labour market integration 

46  Quérés et al (2010) Repères et références statistiques sur les enseignements, la formation et la recherche - 

édition 2010 

47  See e.g. ECORYS (2012) Evaluation of the ESF support to Lifelong Learning, 

http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=7922&langId=en 

48  See e.g. P. Federighi et al (2009) Enabling the low-skilled to take their qualifications "one Step Up" - final 
report  and  inventory;  GHK  (2010)  Basic  skills  provision  for  adults:  policy  and  practice  guidelines 
http://www.kslll.net/Documents/ALWG_Basic% 20skills%20guidelines_final%20report.pdf 

27 

 
 
 
 
                                                            
 
be brought to them in settings which are meaningful to their lives and work and socio-cultural 
context. Also voluntary and community organisations, as well as cultural and creative sector 
organisations,  can  play  a  powerful  role  in  engaging  vulnerable  groups  back  into  learning, 
Motivating them will also require raising their awareness of the personal benefits of learning 
and improving their competences.  

The  European  Guide49:  Strategies  for  improving  participation  in  and  awareness  of  adult 
learning is rich in examples of how countries are effectively designing awareness campaigns 
and  reaching  vulnerable  target  groups.  Outreach  and  awareness  raising  should  be  followed 
up  promptly  by  guidance  to  provide  information  on  the  learning  offer  and  to  develop 
individual  learning  plans.  For  many  who  have  gained  extensive  experience  and  non-formal 
and informal learning, validation of outcomes of their prior learning and experience should 
be  the  basis  for  developing  their  individual  plans.  Once  their  interest  has  been  stimulated, 
learning opportunities should follow immediately. However, they will not and should not be 
attracted back to the same institutions and programmes of which they dropped out or failed at.  

…with a focus on raising aspiration and changing stereotypes… 

When aiming to tackle a negative cycle of under-achievement in education and competences 
in  a  community,  it  is  important  to  raise  or  change  young  people’s  aspirations.  This  also 
matters for example for breaking gender stereotypes in choice of learning pathways and career 
pathways50.  Lack  of  progression  towards  higher  levels  among  disadvantaged  groups  is  also 
linked to the low aspirations that education and training staff tend to have of them and their 
future  learning  careers.  There  is  evidence  that  positive  aspirations  of  teachers  for  their 
students  are  related  to  students’  success51.  Other  approaches  that  appear  effective  are: 
mentoring, support by peers and positive examples, empowering learning approaches.  

…an including adaptation of learning methods to the needs of target groups… 

The  approaches  used  for  second  chance  learners  should  be  learner-centred,  and  related  to 
work and daily life, based on less formal, blended and embedded methods. Persistence is an 
issue  as  these  people  have  full  and  often  complex  personal  and  family  lives  competing  for 
their  time  and  attention.  Flexible  programmes  that  they  can  dip  in  and  out  of  are  therefore 
suitable. Modules and units of content will help their progression and re-entry.  

It  is  not  enough  to  simply  attract  these  groups  into  learning,  they  must  also  have  real 
opportunities  to  progress  and  raise  their  level  of  qualification.  This  needs  formative 
assessment  approaches  to  sum  up  their  achievements  but  more  importantly  to  help  the 
learning process and identify specific needs and adapt teaching accordingly. 

There  is  likely  to  be  a  wide  digital  gap  between  most  vulnerable  groups  and  mainstream 
citizens. Developing their ICT skills will broaden their learning opportunities by giving them 
access to Internet and social media, but also distance learning and OER, as well as enhance 
their basic skills.  

49  European Commission, 2012, http://ec.europa.eu/education/more-information/doc/2012/adult_en.pdf  
50  See e.g. Ofsted (2011) Girls’ career aspirations 
51  See e.g. Ofsted (2011) Removing barriers to literacy, which cites teachers’ aspirations for students as a key 

factor in their success in developing literacy skills 

28 

 
 
 
                                                            
Policy practice: System level measures to support equity of access to higher education in 
Ireland  

In  2008  the  Irish  Higher  education  authority  defined  a  strategy  to  strengthen  the  access  of 
people from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter higher education including a range of actions 
e.g.  Building  capacity  through  a  range  of  supports,  including  continuing  professional 
development,  practitioner  workshops  and  seminars  through  the  Strategic  Innovation  Fund. 
In detail see Annex, Policy example 18 

Policy practice: Competence agencies (‘Kompetenzagenturen’) in Germany 

Competence  agencies  in  over  200  locations  in  Germany  aim  at  the  social  and  professional 
integration  of  disadvantaged  young  people  (for  example  young  people  having  left  school 
without  qualifications,  long  term  unemployed,  people  facing  family  difficulties  or  those  in 
debt  and  at  improving  their  transition  from  school  to  work.  The  initiative  focuses  on 
encouraging  them  to  reflect  on  their  own  skills  and  competences  and  empower  them  to 
develop these.  
In detail see Annex, Policy example 19 

Policy practice: Effective practice in raising aspirations of young people – UK England  

Effective practice in raising aspirations of young people was identified in the UK/England 
and highlighted the importance of several aspects, including: engagement with young people 
at an earlier stage and at key transition points, alternative offers to mainstream schooling, use 
of mentors, role models and peer support, advice and guidance, empowering etc. 
In detail see Annex, Policy example 20 

29 

 
 
 
 
 
 
3.5 Lessons learned from Flexible Pathways and Learning Offers 

Flexible pathways are vital for participation… 

Evidence  suggests  that  flexible  pathways  have  important  potential  for  encouraging 
participation  in  lifelong  learning  as  they  allow  individuals  to  build  upon  prior  learning  and 
link their competences and qualifications gained across different phases and contexts of life – 
leisure and working life, inside and outside formal education and training.  

…and barriers must be removed as both system and individual levels 

While  removing  system-level  barriers  between  different  sub-sectors  (e.g.  restricted 
progression from VET to higher education) is a precondition for flexible pathways, this is not 
sufficient in itself.  

EU transparency instruments can support flexibility…  

The  implementation  of  learning  outcomes  based  approaches  and  transparency  tools  (EQF, 
NQFs,  ECVET,  EQARF)  is  expected  to  clarify  progression  possibilities  for  individual 
learners. This needs to be supported by the establishment of structures that give easy access to 
integrated  learning  services,  including  guidance  and  validation  of  prior-learning  in  order  to 
effectively support learners who are willing and motivated to follow such paths. 

…alongside changes in the way education and training is delivered and funded 

Flexible pathways also require more flexible learning offers including new modes of delivery 
of  learning  content  (e.g.  modularisation  of  programmes,  distance  learning,  evening  classes, 
etc.) and adapted funding mechanisms to provide incentives for institutions to develop such 
offers.    In  addition,  institutions  need  to  develop  their  internal  lifelong  learning  capacities, 
including abilities of staff to deal with non-traditional or adult-learners.  

…and a focus on raising aspiration especially of disadvantaged groups 

This  needs  to  be  coupled  with  measures  to  promote  the  educational  aspirations  of 
disadvantaged groups, including through guidance, mentoring and targeted support.  

30 

 
 
 
ANNEX - EXAMPLES OF POLICY PRACTICE 

Policy  example  1:  Coordinating  implementation  of  an  overarching  LLL  strategy  in 
Austria  

After  several  years  of  development  and  stakeholder  consultation,  in  July  2011  the  Austrian 
government  adopted  its  National  Lifelong  Learning  Strategy  "LLL:2020",  which  bridges 
education and training with labour market and social issues. It identifies 10 areas of priority 
and  a  total  of  73  measures.  The  intensive  consultation  process,  inspired  by  EU-wide 
developments such as increased focus on learning outcomes, key competences, validation, etc. 
helped to base the LLL:2020 strategy on a broad common understanding among stakeholders 
about the principles and objectives of LLL. 

For the implementation process of the strategy, a National Task Force for Lifelong Learning 
brought together four federal ministries covering the areas education and training; science and 
research;  labour  and  social  affairs;  economy,  youth  and  families.  A  National  Platform  for 
Lifelong  Learning  with  an  advisory  and  monitoring  function  has  also  been  established, 
representing all relevant stakeholders i.e. other federal ministries and governmental agencies 
such as PES, the social partners, the regions and communes, universities, researchers, NGOs 
etc.  

Remarkably,  for  the  first  time  the  Austrian  government  has  committed  to  reach  agreed 
benchmarks  on  a  number  of  LLL  issues  by  2020.  To  monitor  this,  a  yearly implementation 
report is submitted to the federal council of ministers to analyse developments and progress as 
well as identify obstacles and under-performance. A final report will be submitted in Autumn 
2020. 

Source:  “LLL:2020:  Strategie  zum 
http://www.bmukk.gv.at/medienpool/20916/lllarbeitspapier_ebook_gross.pdf 

lebensbegleitenden  Lernen 

in  Österreich”/ 

: 

Policy example 2: "Learning and working" programme in the Netherlands  

"Leren  en  werken",  operational  between  2005-2011,  focused  on  coordinating  the  education 
and training and guidance provision in the area of adult learning with the labour market needs 
at  regional  level.  The  main  principle  behind the  national  funding programme presented was 
that the government decided to subsidise not specific programmes organised by the involved 
stakeholders (these are funded through other sources) but the contact and coordination among 
them.  By  setting  up  regional  networks,  the  stakeholders  can  mutualise  their  activities  and 
reach common objectives more effectively. These success factors were highlighted: 

- The cross sectoral management of the programme through a joint directorate set up by the 
two  involved  ministries  (ministry  of  education  and  ministry  for  social  affairs  and 
employment) helped to overcome sectoral thinking and strengthened commitment. 

31 

 
 
 
 
-  The  importance  of  leaving  autonomy  to  the  actors  on  the  ground  to  define  their  own 
objectives and actions: the funded networks needed to have clear objectives which had to be 
agreed among the partners; 

- The new role of the government as a “partner” and a provider of a service going beyond 
the usual functions of subsidiser and controller (the civil servants in charge of the programme 
went directly to the regions, on a frequent basis, and “recruited” partners for these networks 
and advised them on their actions);  

-  The  stimulation  of  commitment  through  co-funding  requirements:  The  networks  had  to 
provide 25% of the funding – this can be in the form of human resources rather than budget. 

Source:  Summary  report  of  the  EU  peer  learning  seminar  on  critical  factors  for  the 
implementation 
http://www.kslll.net/Documents/ 
Summary%20report%20%20seminar%20critical%20factors%20for%20LLL%20implementat
ion.pdf;  see  full  case  study  GHK  (2010)52,  http://ec.europa.eu/education/moreinformation/ 
doc/2010/strategies _en.pdf, p. 160 

strategies 

(2010), 

LLL 

of 

Policy example 3: How Sector Skills Councils function in the United Kingdom 

Partially  funded  by  the  UK  government  Sector  Skills  Councils  (SSCs)  are  independent, 
employer-led,  UK–wide  organisations  designed  to  build  a  skills  system  that  is  driven  by 
employer demand with a view to enhance competitiveness of industries. SSC boards include 
representatives  from  employers,  employees,  education  and  training  institutions,  as  well  as 
government  observers.  There  are  currently  22  Sector  Skills  Councils  covering  over  90%  of 
the economy and they all work towards the following four key goals: 

1) reducing skills gaps and shortages; 2) improving productivity, business and public service 
performance;  3)  increasing  opportunities  to  boost  the  skills  and  productivity  of  everyone  in 
the  sector's  workforce;  4)  improving  learning  supply  through  National  Occupational 
Standards, apprenticeships, and further and higher education. 

The main rationale for the sector skills councils is to create platforms which bring together 
employers representatives, employees’ representatives and the education and training sector 
to  continuously  ensure  that  training  provision  is  up-to  date  and  responsive  to  labour  market 
needs. The role of these councils is to support information exchange and common decisions 
about  themes  outlined  above  and  to  be  proactive  in  developing  actions  in  the  areas  of 
education and training. This includes: working with employers to identify future skills needs; 
developing  skills  and  training  solutions;  setting  occupational  standards;  influencing  and 
shaping  the  future  development  of  qualifications;  designing  apprenticeship  frameworks; 
encouraging greater investment in training; providing labour market information that assists in 
long-term business planning. 

Their  performance  was  evaluated  in  2009/2010.  22  of  the  25  Sector  Skills  Councils  were 
successfully relicensed. An evaluation of impacts of SSCs showed gains of between £100m 
and £130m a year from Government and Industry funding of £5m a year. 

52  GHK Consulting (2010), Lifelong Learning Strategies – Critical factors and good practice in implementation 

(analytical report commissioned by DG Education and Culture under framework contract EAC 19/06) 

32 

 
 
 
                                                            
Sources:  http://www.ukces.org.uk/sector-skills-councils/;  http://www.sscalliance.org/Home-
Public/SectorSkillsCouncils/SectorSkillsCouncils.aspx 

Baker Tilly (2010): Alliance of Sector Skills Councils. Evaluating economic impact 

Policy example 4: The industry competence fund for paid training leave in Denmark 

In  Denmark  in  2007  CO-Industri  and  Dansk  Industri  signed  a  new  collective  agreement 
allowing  Danish  workers  to  increase  their  right  to  paid  continuing  VET  and  to  undertake  a 
two-week paid vocational training course of their choice. The Industriens Kompetencefonden 
(industry competence development fund) has been set up for this purpose, starting activities in 
January  2009  and  intended  to  coexist  with  the  industry  training  fund.  The  competence 
development  fund  is  expected  to  change  the  traditional  Danish  STF  model.  The  rationale 
behind this competence development fund is the matter of delocalisation; there is a need for 
employees to get relevant skills and competences in new sectors/jobs before their transfer to 
other areas of the world. In the present Danish CVET system, the employee has to agree on 
training activities with the manager/employer, which makes it difficult for employees to train 
in  competences  for  a  different  job  in  a  different  sector.  Therefore,  the  idea  was  to  set  up  a 
more flexible and proactive CVET system intended to facilitate training for other jobs/sectors. 
This industry competence development fund secures up to 85 % of employee salaries while 
they are training. The public sector pays salary compensation up to the level of unemployment 
benefit,  whereas  the  competence  development  fund  pays  the  difference  between  the 
unemployment benefit and the specified 85 %.  
(2008), 
Source: 
http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/Files/5189_EN.PDF, p. 43 

Sectoral 

Cedefop 

training 

Europe, 

funds 

in 

Policy  example  5:  Educational  Partnerships  between  Schools  and  Companies  in  Baden 
Württemberg/Germany 

In order to optimally prepare all pupils for their transition into working life, partners from the 
worlds of school and business decided in 2012 to renew their cooperation on school-business 
partnerships, which started in 2008.  

Every  secondary  school  providing  general  education  should  establish  and  maintain  at  least 
one  business  partnership.  Such  cooperation  can  also  be  formed  with  a  network  of  several 
companies and with vocational training institutions. Partnerships enable schools to use a more 
in-depth  and  defined  approach  in  their  work  concerning  the  requirements  and  demands  of 
working life and give companies the chance to prepare themselves for their future members of 
staff  and  contribute  towards  the  provision  of  knowledge  concerning  complex  business 
contexts.  

Against  this  background,  the  Government  of  the  Land  Baden-Württemberg,  the  Association 
of Chambers of Industry and Commerce, the Confederation of Skilled Crafts and the Union of 
Employers’  Associations  have  decided  to  conclude  an  agreement  on  the  establishment  of 
partnerships.  Since  the  first  agreement  of  2008  around  90%  of  all  lower  secondary  schools 

33 

 
 
 
 
 
have entered into contractual partnerships with one or several companies (some schools have 
up to 20 partners), involving around 3.500 enterprises throughout the region. 

Sources:  Earlall  2012, 
report 
http://www.mutual-learning.eu/documenti/en/pub_w_40.pdf  and  http://www.kultusportal-
bw.de/servlet/PB/menu/1241669/  

step  ahead"  project,  Baden-Württemberg 

"One 

Policy example 6: Roadmap for employment – Academic Partnerships (REAP), Ireland  

REAP is a collaborative project, involving eight Higher Education Institutional partners, for 
the  research,  development  and  validation  of  a  Higher  Education  /Employment  Partnership 
Model  and  Roadmap.  It  has  been  developed  in  response  to  the  Irish  National  Development 
Plan  (NDP)  2007-2013,  which  identified  one  of  two  key  areas  for  action  in  labour  force 
development as:  “Ensuring the development of a high-skilled, adaptable workforce through 
continued emphasis on lifelong learning and training of those in employment.” as a key area, 
which can best be achieved by coherent, consistent and well developed tripartite relationships 
between Learners, Employers and Higher Education Institutions.  

The  strategy  for  the  REAP  project  is  based  on  an  initial  analysis  on  the  learning  needs  of 
workplace  sectors,  followed  by  partnership  model  development.  The  initial  learning  need-
analysis  strand  has  key  actions  including  a  review  of  employers,  learning  needs  and 
partnership  approaches,  and  regional  and  sectoral  research.  The  partnership  model 
development  activity  has  three  key  strands:  implementation  and  validation,  integration  and 
dissemination  aimed  at  establishing  a  framework  of  employer,  and  HEI  collaboration  based 
on  specific  activities  and  context.  The  REAP  project  adopted  a  ‘trial  implementation 
approach’  specifically  delivering  demonstration  programmes  in  specialist  targeted  courses, 
co-operative  placements,  academics  and  researchers  into  the  workplace,  professional 
postgraduate programmes, and industry into academia. 

Source: Science-to-Business Marketing Research Centre (2011), 30 best case studies of good 
practice 
the  area  of  UBC  within  Europe;  Full  case  study  accessible  at 
http://ec.europa.eu/education/higher-education/doc/studies/munstercase_en.pdf  

in 

Policy example 7: Local learning networks in Germany (Lernen vor Ort) 

Lernen vor Ort is a national funding programme (60 Mio EUR, ESF supported, 2009-2014) 
supporting  the  setting  up  and  operating  of  partnerships  for  a  better  local  education  and 
training systems. The programme tries to address the lack of long term vision at the local level 
shared  by  stakeholders  active  in  the  educational  field.  The  types  of  stakeholders  concerned 
are:  relevant  public  administration  departments  at  the  local,  regional  and  national  levels; 
public  providers;  for  profit  and  not  for  profit  private  providers;  social  partners;  enterprises; 
and  associations.  Currently,  each  stakeholder  is  responsible  for  a  fragment  of  the  lifelong 

34 

 
 
 
 
 
 
learning provision, but the role of the different institutions is not always clearly defined and 
overlaps  exist.  This  makes  the  learning  offer  hard  to  understand  for  both  individuals  and 
policy-makers, and undermines vertical and horizontal permeability, especially for those who 
have  fewer  resources  to  find  and  process  the  relevant  information.  The  complexity  of 
provision is combined with a lack of coordination, making it difficult to ensure the offer as a 
whole matches needs of the labour market. 

The design of Lernen vor Ort draws on the lessons learnt during the implementation phase of 
the  previous  ‘Learning  Regions’  program114.  The  main  lesson  learnt  is  that  for  a  strategic 
vision to be implemented successfully, it has to be anchored in a permanent structure, close to 
the  people,  with  a  mandate,  decision-making  power  and  financing  capacity,  such  as  a 
municipality. 

The  broad  objective  of  LvO  is  that  municipalities  put  in  place  a  well-functioning  local 
education management based on a monitoring and reporting system and involving all relevant 
stakeholders.  Municipalities  should  get  a  good overview  of  who  is  doing  what  in  education 
and  training,  and  undertake  a  coordination  function  to  make  sure  each  actor  is  pursuing  the 
same objectives, defined collectively, on the basis of quantitative information provided by a 
monitoring system. Special attention needs to be given to the smooth management of pathway 
transitions and efficiency of guidance and counselling.  

Knowhow  on  innovation  in  education  management  is  provided  by  around  180  German 
foundations who are key partners of LvO. 

Sources: 
by  GHK 
http://ec.europa.eu/education/more-information/doc/2010/strategies_en.pdf, p. 129 

http://www.lernen-vor-ort.info; 

study 

case 

and 

(2010), 

Policy example 8: Community based access to further and higher education in Ireland 

Community-based  access  to  further  and  higher  education  is  an  approach  developed  as  from 
2000 and aimed at increasing participation in tertiary education of people from lower socio-
economic  backgrounds.  The  approach  involves  local  community  organisations,  including 
third  and  private  sector  organisations,  to  engage  with  and  support  people  from  these  target 
groups  throughout  their  education,  with  a  particular  focus  on  bringing  them  up  to  tertiary 
level.  Key  elements  of  the  approach  include  stakeholder  cooperation  and  communication, 
outreach to people, and support to learners, including financial. 

The approach has been put into practice in various programmes, most notably the Millennium 
Partnership  Fund  for  Disadvantaged  (2001-2010).  The  Fund  operated  as  part  of  a  broad 
continuum  of  work  being  done  by  partnerships/local  development  communities.  This  work, 
which covered a spectrum from pre-primary school education through to mature students, was 
considered critical in raising the aspirations of learners within the local community.  

The fact that community-based organisations managed the Millennium Partnership Fund was 
seen  as  vital  in  successful  delivery.  It  engendered  trust  with  learners  from  the  local 
communities  involved.  It  also  allowed  local  consortia  to  be  created,  e.g.  in  Cork  City  and 
county where the local organisations in receipt of the Millennium Partnership monies worked 

35 

 
 
 
with  University  College  Cork,  Cork  Institute  of  Technology  and  six  local  further  education 
colleges. 

A variety of ways of raising aspirations were developed including visits to the local tertiary 
educational  institutions  for  school  children,  including  Easter  or  summer  camps;  homework 
clubs  run  by  universities;  more  focussed  mentoring  and  tuition;  parents’  programmes  to 
explain  to  the  advantages  of  tertiary  education.  Thus  action  addressed  also  the  wider 
environment of individuals. 

Source: 
information/doc/2010/strategies_en.pdf, p. 151 

(2010) 

GHK 

case 

study, 

http://ec.europa.eu/education/more-

Policy example 9: Flexible pathways to higher education in Austria 

Since 1997 vocational education and training students have had the possibility to obtain the 
professional  baccalaureate  (Berufsreifeprüfung  or  Berufsmatura)  and  in  2008  the  possibility 
to combine an apprenticeship with preparation for the professional baccalaureate (Lehre mit 
Matura)  was  introduced  and  preparatory  courses  made  free  of  charge.  In  the  academic  year 
2007/2009, 2 609 students received the professional baccalaureate certificate, about 2.7% of 
the comparable age cohort (Klimmer, Schlögl and Neubauer, 2009). 45% of these graduates 
start  a  university  programme,  23%  go  to  a  Fachhochschule  science,  about  10%  a  university 
college of education and 20% a VET college (Klimmer et al., 2009). Good general education 
is  a  pre-requisite  for  students  to  enrol  in  higher    education,  including  tertiary  education  at 
university  and  Fachhochschule,  and  the  option  to  move  into  higher  education  is  not  only 
valuable in itself, it also directly confers status on VET programmes. 

Source:  OECD  (2010)  Learning  for  Jobs  –  OECD  Reviews  of  Vocational  Education  and 
Training – Austria, http://www.oecd.org/edu/45407970.pdf  

Policy examples 10: 

In Portugal a specific infrastructure for validation was set up, namely the New Opportunities 
Centres  (NOC,  454  in  total)  where  people  could  apply  for  validation  and  receive  guidance, 
and the National Agency for Qualifications (in 2007) as the responsible body responsible for 
both the coordination of the national validation system and for vocational training reform. The 
New  Opportunities  Initiative  has  had  significant  outreach:  more  than  one  million  low 
qualified adults were encouraged to improve their educational attainment 

The New Opportunities Initiative (NOI) was officially announced and launched in December 
2005.  NOI  is  a  vast  public  sponsored  programme  contemplating  Accreditation  of  prior 
learning (APL), Recognition of prior learning (RPL) and adult education, targeted at the entire 
Portuguese low-skilled adult population (estimated at around 72% of the labour force below 
secondary studies, or circa 3.5 million adults according to the 2001 Population Census). 

36 

 
 
 
 
These NOC register a record 1.6 million enrolments and have topped the impressive figure of 
430,000 certifications (9th and 12th grades).53 

In  France  individuals  can  apply  for  validation  by  submitting  a  portfolio  of  experiences 
including  detailed  descriptions  of  skills  and  competences  to  the  ministry  responsible  for 
awarding  qualifications.  An  established  jury  appointed  by  the  responsible  ministry  decides 
upon the award of a full or partial qualification based on the application.    

In  the  Netherlands  individuals  can  apply  for  validation  of  experiences  by  submitting  a 
portfolio  of  experiences  to  a  recognised  provider  of  "experience  certificates".  Assessors 
within these providers can deliver an experience certificate to be used either for job search or 
for official recognition by an examination board of a formal education and training provider. 
The  Dutch  validation  system  is  further  supported  by  a  knowledge  centre  which  set  up  a 
quality code for validation that has to be respected by the providers of experience certificates. 
In  2009  the  government  provided  funding  for  validation  as  a  means  to  cope  with  collective 
redundancies,  allowing  dismissed  employees  to  obtain  an  experience  certificate  facilitating 
their  recruitment  by  other  employers.  A  comprehensive  evaluation  study  on  the  Dutch 
experiences,  in  which  more  than  one  thousand  individuals,  stakeholders  and  employers 
participated,  made  it  clear  that  the  Dutch  system  of  validation  has  been  successful  as  an 
instrument  for enhancing the  qualification  level of individuals. The same study showed that 
the impact of the validation system for individual career development is more mixed, but that 
validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning  is  an  important  catalyst  in  situations  where 
individuals invest in the management of their own career and where employers invest in the 
careers of their staff54. 

Policy example 11: NQF and credit system for flexible pathways in Slovenia 

In Slovenia the qualifications framework and the credit system are used to enable the design 
of pathways within a specific field/ professional area. In Slovenia pathways are developed by 
enabling  people  with  lower  level  qualifications  to  have  their  credit  recognised  in  view  of 
higher  level  qualifications  (mainly  in  VET).  There  are  three  levels  of  vocational  upper-
secondary qualifications in Slovenia each having a different level but also a different typical 
duration. The objective of these pathways is to enable young people or adults with lower level 
qualifications  to  have  their  credit  transferred  if  they  want  to  achieve  higher  level 
qualifications. The credit is transferred across pathways on the basis of providers’ decisions. 
Some modules for general education are identical and can therefore be transferred easily. The 
transfer of credit for vocational components is decided not only on the basis of completion but 
also on basis of the level of performance as expressed in grades. It is also possible to award 
them partial qualifications (NVQs) if they did not succeed in achieving the full qualification. 
Equivalence  between  partial  qualifications  and  units  of  qualifications  is  established  when 
qualifications  are  designed.  This  will  have  a  two-fold  purpose:  it  will  on  one  hand  enable 
learners who fail the full qualification to hold at least a partial qualification and on the other it 
will  facilitate  accumulation  for  adult  learners  who  achieve  a  partial  qualification  through 

53  R. Carneiro (ed.) (2011), Accreditation of prior learning as a lever for lifelong learning: lessons learnt from 
the New Opportunities Initiative, Portugal, UNESCO, MENON Network, CEPCEP, http://www.ucp.pt/site/ 
resources/documents/CEPCEP/Accreditation_final.pdf. 

54  D. Stoel & E. Wentzel (2011), Beloften, feiten en ongekende mogelijkheden: Onderzoek naar de effecten van 

EVC 

37 

 
 
 
                                                            
validation and wish to achieve a full vocational qualification. 

Source:  Cedefop 
http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/Files/5505_en.pdf  

(2010)  Linking  credit 

systems  and  qualifications 

frameworks, 

Policy examples 12:  

In Estonia, the 2003 University Act requires that universities accredit prior and experiential 
learning  and  obliges  them  to  elaborate  their  own  rules  and  procedures  for  recognition.  The 
legal  act Standard of Higher Education (Kõrgharidusstandard,  updated in 2007) sets a  very 
broad framework for common regulations for recognition of prior learning and states that all 
HEIs need to have such regulations within the institution.  

In  Finland,  a  set  of  21  recommendations  for  universities  and  polytechnics  (universities  of 
applied sciences) regarding the validation of informal and non-formal learning were prepared 
in  2009  by  the  Council  of  University  Rectors  and  the  Rectors’  Conference  of  Finnish 
Universities  of  Applied  Sciences.  This  set  of  recommendations  covers  various  aspects  of 
validation,  from  both  the  perspective  of  HEIs  and  students’  perspectives  and  general 
recommendations for implementation. 

Source:  Cedefop  (2010),  European  Inventory  on  Validation  of  Non-formal  and  Informal 
Learning 
Finland: 
Country 
http://libserver.cedefop.europa.eu/vetelib/2011/77460.pdf 
and Country Report Estonia: http://libserver.cedefop.europa.eu/vetelib/2011/77456.pdf  

Report 

2010 

Policy examples 13:  

Modularisation for more flexible learning in Lithuania 

The  2007  revision  of  the  1997  Law  on  vocational  education  introduced  a  modularised 
structure  of  qualifications  whereby  content  is  regulated  by  individual  guidelines  for  higher 
education  study  fields  and  professional  standards.  According  to  the  Law,  a  module  in 
vocational training is a self-contained teaching and learning unit, leading from a defined input 
level  of  the  learner  to  a  competence  increase  planned  in  advance.  Modularisation  has  been 
taken forward to introduce more flexibility and greater opportunities for lifelong learning; it 
also links to the expected development of validation of non-formal and informal learning in 
vocational education and training. Modularisation is also conceived as part of creating better 
conditions for learning mobility and an overall internationalisation of studies.  

The  modularised  approach  has  been  tested  in  a  European  project  for  the  trade  of 
decorator/builder (funded by Leonardo da Vinci /Lifelong learning programme). As this trade 
is offered by 40 of the 70 VET institutions testing of modularisation involved more that 50% 
of  all  VET  providers.  This  project  took  as  a  starting  point  the  Scottish  modular  VET  to 
develop  a  European  modular  training  programme  for  decorator/builder  with  the  associated 
credit system.  

Mechanisms to recognise non-formal/informal learning 

38 

 
 
 
 
According to the existing procedure, individuals with at least one year of work experience and 
those  over  18  can  apply  to  VET  institutions  for  the  recognition  of  their  competences.  The 
level  of  skills  and  knowledge  of  an  applicant  is  defined  on  the  basis  of  VET  standards  and 
relevant VET programmes. Furthermore the applicant and the school agree on a timetable of 
courses  as  necessary  and  a  final  qualification  exam.  Individuals  who  successfully  pass  the 
exam  are  awarded  the  qualification  certificate  or  qualified  worker’s  diploma  which  gives 
access  to  further  formal  education.  For  those  who  continue  learning  according  to  a  chosen 
VET programme prior learning is recognised as part of their training programme. 

Non-formal  education  may  be  taken  into  account  at  sectoral  or  employer  level  for 
improvement  of  professional  position  (when  participating  in  validation  (atestacija),  annual 
activity  assessment,  etc.).  For  example,  for  receiving  a  license  in  health  care  sector  nurses 
must  prove  participation  in  qualification  development  events  in  the  five  years  prior  to  the 
assessment. The  documents (certificates, diplomas,  etc.)  provided  by  nurses  are  assessed  by 
experts in charge of validation and certification. 

Source: Vilnius Builder Training Centre et al. (2010); Cedefop ReferNET Lithuania (2011).  

Structuring initial VET in units and modules in Luxembourg 

The  2008  Law  for  reforming  VET  focuses  on  reorienting  IVET  towards  a  modular  and 
competence-oriented  structure.  The  changes  setting  up  requirements  for  ECVET  and 
EQF/NQF  implementation  will  run  in  the  period  2009-13.  The  reform  concerns  119  initial 
VET  programmes  over  three  qualification  levels.  All  vocational  training  is  structured  into 
learning units which can be accumulated.  

The  reform  includes  dividing  IVET  programmes  into components (units  and modules). It is 
new to the Luxembourg VET system that units correspond to assessable partial qualifications 
and are further structured into modules. Units run from six to a maximum of twelve months; 
the  model  foresees  six  units  corresponding  to  a  full  qualification.  The  development  from 
qualification  to  curricula  is  based  on  a  four  step  approach:  the  definition  of  professional 
profile  (Berufsprofil) 
the 
development  of  training  profiles  (Ausbildungsprofil)  to  which  competences  are  associated 
(competences  are  defined  following  a  2008  law  as  encompassing  knowledge,  skills  and 
attitudes necessary to master one profession or trade; they are also broken down into cognitive 
competence,  social  competence,  self-competence);  the  training  profiles  are  structured  into 
framework  curricula  (Rahmenlehrpläne)  which  includes  units  or  modules;  the  framework 
curricula build the basis for developing assessment and curricula.  

includes  working  areas/domains,  assignments  and 

tasks; 

Source:  Euler  and  Frank  (2011);  Ministère  de  l’Education  nationale  et  de  la  formation 
professionnelle (2011). 

Policy example 14: Programme for Basic Competence in Working Life, Norway  

39 

 
 
 
 
 
 
The Programme for Basic Competence in Working Life (BCWL) was introduced to fund and 
support  basic  learning  projects  in  enterprises,  or  projects  aiming  at  preparing  people  for 
working  life  in  co-operation  with  the  Norwegian  Labour  and  Welfare  Administration.  The 
overall  goal  is  the  prevention  of  exclusion  from  working  life  because  of  insufficient  basic 
competence.  Key  features  of  the  programme  include:  co-operation  between  companies  and 
providers; the provision of guidance and information; and quality assurance for providers. The 
programme  requires  close  co-operation  with  employers  who  agree  to  the  provision  of  basic 
skills  in  the  workplace  in  return  for  financial  compensation  for  workers’  time  spent  on 
structured learning. 

Implementation is evidence-based: the responsible Norwegian Agency for Lifelong Learning 
Vox carries out research, analyses and evaluations in the field of lifelong learning. Data are 
collected  from  public  registers  and  Vox  surveys  relating  to  enterprises  and  to  the  general 
public, which contribute to the body of statistical evidence on adult learning and documents 
needs and effects of measures and methods – for the individual and for society. Consequently, 
Vox contributes to the development of provision for individually adapted training in literacy, 
numeracy,  ICT  skills  and  oral  communication  skills  for  adults,  and  is  also  engaged  in  the 
development of an integrated service for career guidance and validation. 

In  co-operation  with  education  providers  and  enterprises  Vox  developed  competence  goal 
descriptions  for  adult  basic  skills  and  contributes  to  the  development  of  screening  tools,  as 
well as the continuing professional development for teachers and facilitators delivering these 
skills.  Since  2008  BCWL  applicants  are  obliged  to  relate  their  proposals  to  the  Norwegian 
Framework  for  Basic  Skills  for  Adults.  The  framework  comprises:  competence  goals  in 
literacy,  numeracy,  digital  competence  and  oral  communication;  guidelines  for  providers; 
mapping  tools  and  tests;  didactic  models  and  teaching  resources;  and  a  model  for  teacher 
training. 
http://ec.europa.eu/education/more-
information/doc/2010/strategies_en.pdf, p. 166 

Source:  GHK 

(2010) 

study, 

case 

Policy  example  15:  Turning  a  university  into  a  lifelong  learning  centre  -  University  of 
Graz/Austria 

The University started to develop its lifelong learning strategy in 2000 and adopted it in 2002, 
following a long internal consultation process, including the following steps:  

1)  Internal  survey  on  the  state  of  continuing  education  within  the  university  –  including  an 
assessment  of  strengths  and  weaknesses;  2)  Research  on  models  of  lifelong  learning  in 
universities and an internal project for the development of services and products in continuing 
education;  3)  Consultation  of  internal  stakeholders  (Rector’s  office,  heads  of  departments, 
staff, etc.) and establishment of an internal project group. 

The  implementation  of  lifelong  learning  activities  within  the  university  requires  pooling  of 
expertise,  time  and  commitment  from  a  large  number  of  staff,  i.e.  the  key  internal 
stakeholders. They are initiators and designers of learning activities but also participants (and 
learners) in some cases. Therefore creating a genuine lifelong learning culture among the staff 
members  was  crucial  to  the  success  of  the  development  as  well  as  implementation  of  the 
strategy. A central feature of the strategy is that LLL has become an intrinsic element of the 
University’s activities and is among the core internal performance indicators. In other words 
LLL  activities  are  not  a  secondary  activity  but  are  of  equivalent  importance  to  the  core 

40 

 
 
 
teaching  and  research  activities.  As  a  key  result  of  the  strategy  development  a  Centre  for 
Continuing  Education  was  established  as  an  independent  organisational  unit  which  is  in 
charge  of  developing  and  promoting  education  and  training  activities  and  programmes  of 
general interest to the broad public. The creation of an innovative learning offer, based on the 
University's  scientific knowledge and expertise, is combined with information and  guidance 
to non-traditional target groups of learners. A further result of the strategy process is the "Uni 
for Life" programme, offering continuing professional development training for business and 
industry (for graduates/post-graduates). 
Source: 
information/doc/2010/strategies_en.pdf, p. 97 

http://ec.europa.eu/education/more-

(2010) 

study, 

GHK 

case 

Policy examples 16: Adapted funding solutions to support flexible learning pathways 

In  Denmark,  Higher  education  institutions  are  paid  a  one-off  taximeter  funding  if  the 
competence assessment to enter higher education results in an exemption of at least 15% of 
the study programme55; 

In Belgium/Flanders, the funding model for higher education, introduced in 2008, includes 
multi-annual  agreements  between  the  minister  and  each  higher  education  institution  setting 
out agreed objectives and targets and the commitment of the institution to deliver on them and 
the  amount  of  funding  involved.  The  performance  agreements  include  objectives  aimed  at 
widening participation and incentives for the institutions to support achievement and success 
of  students  from  more  vulnerable  backgrounds,  from  ethnic  minorities,  students  with  a 
disability, or students who are already in work.56 

In  Finland  a  performance  based  funding  system  has  been  introduced  to  support  the  VET 
reform in view of competence-based and individualised provision. The main indicators for the 
performance  based  funding  are  employment  after  graduation,  proportion  of  students 
completing  their  programmes  and  students  continuing  on  to  further  studies.  An  additional 
incentive is the vocational education award of excellence given by the Ministry of Education 
to  the  top  three  schools  each  year.  The  excellence  award  competition  has  been  organised 
annually since 2001.57 

Policy example 17: National Plan on Adult Education in Slovenia 

In  Slovenia,  a  National  Plan  on  Adult  Education  was  adopted  in  June  2004  and  its 
implementation  is  determined  by  the  Annual  Programme  of  Adult  Education  passed  by  the 
government.  The  development  of  lifelong  learning  practices  is  closely  associated  with  the 
adult  education  field,  as  well  as  with  social,  political,  economic,  cultural  and  technological 
changes.  Key  features  are:  holistic  access  and  the  connectedness  of  all  forms  of  learning; 
diversity and flexibility of learning offers; key competences and learning for personal growth, 
work  and  the  development  of  society;  possibilities  for  the  recognition  and  validation  of 

55  GHK (2010) European Inventory of Validation of non-formal and informal learning 2010: thematic report on 

costs and benefits of validation, http://libserver.cedefop.europa.eu/vetelib/2011/77455.pdf  

56  National Report 2009 of the Flemish community Belgium on the implementation of "Education and training 

2010", http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc/natreport09/belgiumnl_en.pdf  

57  European Employment Observatory (2009): Spring 2009 review 

41 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
learning;  appropriate  information  and  guidance  infrastructure.  The  network  of  fourteen 
lifelong  learning  centres  in  Slovenia  is  central  to  the  achievement  of  improved  quality  and 
effectiveness of education and training systems. Their activities include counselling services 
to local communities, outreach, a mobile unit to serve Roma communities and self-directed as 
well as organised learning at lifelong learning points. 

Source: 
information/doc/2010/strategies_en.pdf, p. 172 

(2010) 

GHK 

case 

study, 

http://ec.europa.eu/education/more-

Policy  examples  18:  System  level  measures  in  Ireland  to  support  equity  of  access  to 
higher education 

In  2008  the  Irish  Higher  education  authority  defined  a  strategy  to  strengthen  the  access  of 
people from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter higher education. Building on the findings of 
an earlier evaluation58, the strategy presents a range of actions to reach this global objective, 
including: 

-  Institution-wide  access  plans  to  promote  greater  equity  of  access  and  participation  in 
higher education. 

-  Building  capacity  through  a  range  of  supports,  including  continuing  professional 
development,  practitioner  workshops  and  seminars  and  through  the  Strategic  Innovation 
Fund. 

-  Supporting  exchange  of  good  practice  in  widening  participation  for  practitioners, 
registrars and all interested staff.  

-  Recognising  good  equality  practice:    The  National  Access  Office  promotes  equality 
training for staff in higher education institutions and recognition of good equality practice 
as part of promotional criteria. 

- Expansion of part-time/flexible learning opportunities and student support for part-time 
learners 

-  Diversification  of  entry  routes  to  higher  education:  Key  issues  include:  progression, 
national  policy  for  higher  education  access  courses,  higher  education  access  route, 
supplementary  admission  route  for  students  with  disability  and  recognition  of  prior 
learning  

- An early second-chance strategy for 17-22 year olds 

- Promotional campaign 

- Transition year module on access to further and higher education 

The  mid-term  review59  showed  progress  in  several  areas  namely  participation  of  mature 
students and students with disabilities, flexible learning opportunities but also development of 
institutional access strategies.  

58  National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education, HEA (2006) Towards the best education for all: an 

evaluation of access programmes in higher education in Ireland http://www.hea.ie/webfm_send/1577  

59  National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education, HEA (2010) National Plan for Equity of Access to 

Higher Education 2008-2013 : Mid-Term Review 

42 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Extracts  from:  National  Office  for  Equity  of  Access  to  Higher  Education,  HEA  (2008) 
2008-2013, 
National  Plan 
http://www.hea.ie/files/files/file/ National_Access_Plan_2008-2013_(English).pdf 

to  Higher  Education 

for  Equity 

of  Access 

Policy example 19: Competence agencies (‘Kompetenzagenturen’) in Germany 

Competence  agencies  in  over  200  locations  in  Germany  aim  at  the  social  and  professional 
integration  of  disadvantaged  young  people  and  at  improving  their  transition  from  school  to 
work.  The  young  people  targeted  (for  example  young  people  having  left  school  without 
qualifications, long term unemployed, people facing family difficulties or those in debt) face 
multidimensional  problems  and  are  not  often  reached  by  the  existing  support  system.  The 
initiative focuses on encouraging them to reflect on their own skills and competences and on 
developing  these.  Competence  agencies  empower  these  young  people  to  manage  their  own 
lives and support them in the development and implementation of a realistic career plan. 

The  support  provided  by  the  competence  agencies’  staff  is  tailored  to  the  situation  of  each 
individual. Teams are made up of social workers and educators who provide an advisory role 
with the help of psychologists. Competence agencies follow a specific method, called "Case 
Management",  to  empower  disadvantaged  young  people  and  foster  their  social  and 
professional  integration.  In  this  process,  the  added  value  of  competence  agencies  is  both  to 
provide  services  and  to  serve  as  a  gate-opener  to  services  provided  by  the  partners.  The 
process can be described as follows: 
Situation  assessment:  The  focus  is  on  what  brought  the  young  person  to  the  competence 
agency  and  on  his/her  biography.  Questions  such  as  “why  did  you  decide  to  drop  out  from 
what  you  undertook  in  the  last  few  years”  are  explored  (two-three  meetings  with  a  case 
manager). 
Test of competences: A psychologist or social worker undertakes standardised tests with the 
young person to evaluate their key competences, including communication skills and ability 
to concentrate. 
Debriefing:  The  young  person  is  given  the  opportunity  to  assess  the  support  so  far  and 
possibilities for further support are discussed. 
Detailed  career  plan:  The  young  person  and  the  case  manager  develop  and  agree  on  a 
detailed career plan specifying achievable objectives and the steps needed to achieve them. It 
also  involves  career/vocational  guidance  generally  provided  by  the  local  employment 
agency133,  in  partnership  with  chambers  and  professional  organisations.  Typical  objectives 
are entry into the job market (job, apprenticeship, internship) or entry into a vocational school. 
Follow-up:  Approximately  quarterly,  an  exchange  session  takes  place  to  follow  up  on  the 
implementation  of  the  career  plan.  Discussions  take  place  on  which  steps  have  been 
accomplished successfully, what difficulties were encountered and, if needed, objectives are 
revised. 
Feedback:  A  few  months  after  the  person  has  started  training  or  a  job,  another  exchange 
session  is  organised  to  ensure  s/he  has  not  dropped  out.  If  problems  are  detected,  other 
exchanges take place. If this is not sufficient, the whole process of case management can be 
restarted. 
Source:  GHK 
(2010), 
information/doc/2010/strategies_en.pdf, p. 136 

http://ec.europa.eu/education/more-

study, 

case 

full 

43 

 
 
 
 
 
Policy  example  20:  Effective  practice  in  raising  aspirations  of  young  people  –  UK 
England  

A review of examples of effective practice which focused on engaging and re-engaging, and 
on  the  progression  of  young  people  (apprentices  or  NEETs)  with  regard  to  education  and 
training showed that the following aspects of the learning approaches were related to success:  

Engage  with  young  people  at  an  earlier  stage  and  at  key  transition  points:  To  raise 
awareness  at  an  opinion  forming  stage  such  as  through  taster  sessions,  mentors,  visits. 
Key transition points include from primary to secondary; between compulsory and post-
compulsory; and between education and labour market. 

Provide for the specific needs of the different sub-groups within the NEET category: The 
NEET term is problematic as it refers to different groups of young people with a range of 
different  and  often  multiple  needs  of  varying  intensity.  Key  areas  of  effective  practice 
include  distinguishing  between  ‘frictional’  and  long  term  NEET;  BME  and  gender 
specific initiatives; targeting specific support to address the specific barriers of particular 
groups, especially childcare. 

An alternative offer to mainstream schooling: A key element to raising the aspirations of 
young people, particularly those currently disengaged from learning, is for the offer to be 
something that is not associated with their experience of formal schooling, yet importantly 
still linked to the mainstream so that re-engagement is possible and encouraged, such as 
offering  young  people  opportunities  to  study  outside  of  school,  with  different  learning 
styles and experience a new environment and also to engage in positive activities. 

Use  of  mentors,  role  models  and  peer  support  to  encourage  engagement:  A  recognised 
effective approach in the context of funded pathways to employment and training such as 
personal tutors, business mentors, peer support, and role models. Group work as well as 
one  to  one  mentoring  can  provide  a  mechanism  for  providing  contact  with  and  support 
from  peers  and  non-peers  alike.  Developing  group  work  in  this  way  can  be  resource 
intensive, requiring time and particular skills in facilitating group dynamics. 

Impartial,  realistic,  tailored  and  responsive  information,  advice  and  guidance:  IAG 
should  be:  At  the  right  level,  delivered  in  the  right  learning  style  and  in  the  right 
environment, specific, impartial, realistic and provided on a one-to-one basis and provided 
by  experienced  and  knowledgeable  advisers,  focused  on  ensuring  all  young  people  are 
provided with IAG at the ages of 11, 14 and 16 years, multi-dimensional and embracing.  
Flexible  and  tailored  support  based  on  trust  and  respect:  Some  programmes  include  a 
designated trusted adult with whom they build a strong relationship founded on advocacy, 
brokerage  and  support.  Learning  should  be  a  co-operative  venture  between  adults  and 
young  people.  Practitioners  should  understand  the  individual  and  be  supported  in  a 
flexible and tailored way. Staff support and development is important. 

Pro-active tracking and empowering young people: Need to proactively track progress to 
stimulate and reaffirm engagement in a way that captures both personal development and 
attainment.  This  is  often  the  element  of  support  that  is  neglected  by  providers  due  to 
competing  priorities;  this  area  of  work  needs  to  be  recognised  and  properly  resourced. 
Equally  important  is  allowing  young  people  to  lead  on  the  review  process  through  a 
package of individualised support. 

Celebration  of  achievement:  Particularly  important  for  those  that  have  not  received  a 
certificate or qualification previously e.g. end of course awards, celebration events, such 
as Youth Achievement Awards. 

44 

 
 
On-going support and tracking: Progression is not always about ‘getting a job’ but should 
also  include  further  skills  development  and  an  appreciation  of  the  value  of  learning. 
Relationships  and  activities  which  have  lifted  aspirations  can  be  difficult  to  maintain 
beyond  the  life  of  a  programme  unless  support  continues  after  the  programme.  In  this 
context,  identifying  destinations  and  monitoring  regression  is  therefore  important, 
particularly for disadvantaged learners 

Extract  from:  Learning  and  Skills  Council  (2009)  Identifying  Effective  Practice  in  Raising 
Young 
http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/national/nat-
raising_aspirations-re-24sep2009-v1-1.pdf 

Aspirations, 

People’s 

45