Empowering adults through upskilling and reskilling pathways : conclusions : chapter 4.
Date: 2020-10-09
Institutions: Cedefop
Subjects: adult education, digital literacy, education policy, skill obsolescence, skilled worker, unskilled worker, updating of skills, vocational retraining

Chapter 4. CONCLUSIONS

Empowering adults 
through upskilling and 
reskilling pathways
Volume 2: Cedefop analytical framework for  
developing coordinated and coherent approaches 
to upskilling pathways for low-skilled adults

You can download  
the publication at:
www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/
publications-and-resources/ 
publications/3082

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Please cite this chapter as:
Cedefop (2020). Chapter 4: Conclusions. In: Cedefop, Empowering adults through 
upskilling and reskilling pathways. Volume 2: Cedefop analytical framework for 
developing coordinated and coherent approaches to upskilling pathways for low-
skilled adults. Luxembourg: Publications Office. Cedefop reference series; No 113, 
pp. 97-100. http://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2801/268828

© European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), 2020. 
   Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

ISBN 978-92-896-3066-5 
doi:10.2801/268828
TI-01-20-474-EN-N       

CHAPTER 4. 

 CHAPTER 4.

Conclusions 

Accompanying  some  of  the  challenges  that  European  countries  currently 
face,  there  are  also  opportunities  for  learning,  progress  and  innovation, 
as  well  as  the  integration  of  new  talent  and  expertise  into  the  workforce 
and in our societies. Europe needs to improve and maintain a high level of 
skills,  knowledge  and  competences  to  remain  competitive  and  innovative. 
Individual knowledge, skills and competences – along with their recognition, 
validation and activation – are both essential to access and progress in the 
labour  market  and  to  fulfilling  one’s  potential  and  playing  an  active  role  in 
society.  Individual  empowerment  through  a  platform  providing  upskilling 
opportunities, such as adult learning or even the recognition of prior learning, 
can  lead  to  greater  participation  in  society,  increasing  the  chances  that 
Europe will be more adaptable to each new challenge we face, expected and 
unexpected. This is even more urgent now, as our societies and economies 
are  confronted  with  the  unprecedented  consequences  of  the  Covid-19 
pandemic outbreak.  

Building  on  the  knowledge  presented  in  Volume  1  of  this  series, 
Empowering  adults  through  upskilling  and  reskilling  pathways  (Cedefop, 
2020), as well as the previous related Cedefop study on the economic and 
social cost associated with low skills (Cedefop, 2017), this second publication 
responds to the call for a renewed policy approach to upskilling low-skilled 
adults.  This  renewed  approach,  as  realised  in  the  analytical  framework, 
is  both  comprehensive  and  strategic,  coordinated  and  coherent,  allowing 
countries to pull together various resources, creating synergies from different 
arrangements,  measures  and  policies  already  in  place  across  European 
countries.  Given  the  experience  of  national  stakeholders  in  addressing 
the  needs  of  their  own  target  groups  for  upskilling,  as  well  as  evidence 
presented  in  Volume  1  (Cedefop,  2020),  systems  need  to  acknowledge 
the heterogeneity of the low-skilled population and the diverse needs and 
characteristics of adults with potential for upskilling. More than this, systems 
designed to increase access and support for low-skilled adults need to be 
transparent and responsive to adult needs, through engagement, feedback 
and different forms of participation.

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Empowering adults through upskilling and reskilling pathways 

In ensuring access for all low-skilled adults, upskilling pathways is about 
creating  and  sustaining  optimal  conditions,  structures  and  comprehensive 
provisions,  pulling  together  resources  and  creating  the  right  synergies 
between key policy areas. Individuals should, as a consequence, be able to 
access, construct and steer their own individual pathways to empowerment, 
based on their own complex needs and taking full advantage of the tools, 
opportunities and resources provided through upskilling pathways. 

The  overall  aim  of  Cedefop  work  in  this  area  is  to  support  the 
development of coordinated and coherent approaches – especially ones that 
are  comprehensive  –-  to  upskilling  pathways  for  low-skilled  adults.  Given 
this  general  aim,  the  objective  of  this  report  is  to  describe  the  conceptual 
and  collaborative  development  of  the  analytical  framework  for  upskilling 
pathways  for  adults  as  a  tool  for  national  policy-makers,  social  partners 
and other relevant stakeholders in designing and implementing sustainable, 
coordinated and coherent policy approaches. 

Participants  in  the  stakeholder  consultations,  including  the  second 
PLF  on  upskilling  pathways  and  national  stakeholder  focus  groups  in  the 
five  selected  countries  (Chapter  2),  largely  acknowledged  that  Cedefop’s 
analytical framework is a useful source of inspiration and a tool to facilitate 
reflection on and identification of key areas for action.
framework’s  value-added  aspects 

the  collaborative 
development process, its core foundation and its multidisciplinary contents. 
Accordingly, the development of the framework:
(a) is based on an iterative process integrating both qualitative research and 

involve 

The 

two rounds of stakeholder consultations;

(b) is  grounded  in  a  lifelong  learning  perspective  and  focused  on  the 

empowerment of the individual learner/beneficiary; 

(c) is  in  line  with  the  principles  and  frame  of  reference  provided  by  the 

Upskilling pathways recommendation; 

(d) involved the continuous coordination of Cedefop’s Department for learning 
and employability knowledge and expertise in the in adult learning, early 
leaving  from  education  and  training,  financing  adult  learning,  lifelong 
guidance and outreach, validation and recognition of prior learning, and 
work-based learning; 

(e) derived from an analysis of systemic features found in a selection of good 
and interesting practices collected for the project, for a unique approach 
to upskilling pathways for adults with low skills.

 CHAPTER 4.
Conclusions 

99

The framework reflects multiple areas of policy related to upskilling, which 

form an integrated whole:
(a) it is articulated around important systemic features needed for a coherent 
and coordinated approach to upskilling pathways for low-skilled adults;
(b) it  has  10  key  areas  of  the  policy  process  organised  according  to  three 
levels: decision-making, focused on creating the right synergies, paving 
the way for coordinated and coherent approaches to upskilling pathways; 
support,  which  involves  ensuring  that  pathways  are  inclusive  and 
accessible; and implementation, offering tailored, adaptable and flexible 
upskilling pathways; 

(c) it  is  articulated  horizontally,  in  promoting  coordination  and  cooperation 
across the 10 key areas, particularly within the decision-making level: it 
unlocks synergies and fosters complementarities, but it also contributes 
to the enrichment of knowledge and evidence within each key area. 

This  reference  publication  is  presented  in  connection  with  Cedefop’s 
continuing policy support and knowledge development in upskilling pathways 
for low-skilled adults. To date, knowledge and experience in adult learning 
and continuing vocational training, and particularly on adult empowerment, 
has  been  gained  in  several  ways:  investigating  adult  populations  with 
potential  for  upskilling  and  reskilling;  documenting  examples  of  existing 
country provisions and arrangements for upskilling pathways; and through 
conducting  research  and  generating  policy-relevant  knowledge  on  fields 
critical 
to  creating  comprehensive,  coherent,  coordinated  upskilling 
pathways,  in  the  areas  of  decision-making,  support  and  implementation, 
realised in the analytical framework. In order to focus the current report on the 
development and presentation of the final analytical framework, not all these 
results and the knowledge generated have been presented here; however, 
this work forms the basis for future work and outputs, and positions Cedefop 
as a knowledge broker in the area of upskilling pathways.

The next step will be to apply the final analytical framework presented 
in  this  report  in  a  selection  of  countries  that  agree  to  participate  in 
thematic country reviews specifically focused on upskilling pathways for 
low-skilled adults. 

There will also be further follow-up on upskilling pathways for low-skilled 
adults, involving the analytical framework, during the forthcoming third peer 
learning forum on upskilling pathways: a vision for the future, in November 

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Empowering adults through upskilling and reskilling pathways 

2020. Stakeholders will have an opportunity to share the latest developments 
in  upskilling  pathways, 
including  their  knowledge,  experiences  and 
innovative  practices,  challenges  and  inspirations  toward  the  identification 
and implementation of key areas for action.