Learning Connects No. 14

Understanding civil society's role in lifelong learning

Unity between all government, civil society and private sector stakeholders will be crucial to advance the aims of skills development embodied in the European Year of Skills, which kicked off on 9 May 2023. The Year of Skills is an opportunity to develop more and better skills partnership...

The ETF, the Lifelong Learning Platform (LLLP) and the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) joined forces to promote policy dialogue and partnerships – at all stages of skills policy-making and delivery – between governments and civil society organisations (CSOs) active in skills development and lifelong learning across Europe with a joint conference held on 23 May in Brussels at the European Commission Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. The hybrid event was titled “Civil Society for Lifelong Skills Development in Europe and Partner Countries”.

Pislaru Dragoș Pîslaru, a member of the European Parliament and Chair of its Employment and Social Affairs committee, said that in order to meet Europe’s vast skills needs, ideology must be muted, dialogue with CSOs entrenched, and the work of the ETF supporting civil society engagement in skills development in the EU’s neighbouring regions promoted.

Without CSO actors who can deliver skills training at local level, “we have a big problem in implementing skills development”, he said, calling for structured dialogue and more best practice sharing across the Europe and beyond. Gina Ebner, secretary general of the EAEA, stressed that CSOs help to bridge formal and non-formal learning, they reach out to diverse groups of people, and know people’s skills needs.

Manuela Geleng, Director for Skills in the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the European Commission, highlighted the importance of skills development whatever people’s age, and the important role that CSOs have to play in passing on the message. And Gina Ebner, Secretary General of the EAEA, stressed that CSOs help to bridge formal and non-formal learning, they reach out to diverse groups of people, and know people’s skills needs.

A diversity of learners

The first session focused on how CSOs address the skills needs of a diversity of learners. The importance of CSOs as service providers also came through clearly. Further, governments should not overlook the key roles of CSOs in implementing skills policies.

Anna Gherganova, a senior official in Moldova’s Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, described government initiatives involving CSOs in local skills provision for marginalised youth. Given capacity constraints, it is only by harnessing the capacities of government, CSOs and other social partners that skills development at scale could be achieved. Find out more from the interview with Anna Gherganova featured below.

Monica Verzola is a board member of the European Vocational Training Association and vice-president of conference co-organiser the LLLP, an umbrella association that gathers together 42 organisations active in education, training and youth that represent 50,000 education institutions.

“CSOs create bridges between skills actors and stakeholders, moving in the ecosystem that surrounds learner needs. Within this ecosystem we act as mediators with a two-way approach: on one side linking the bottom level to the top one; on the other side operating as a dissemination agent of all initiatives implemented at European level, ensuring outreach to the grassroots level,” highlights Verzola.

National skills strategies

The second session at the event, on national skills strategies and the roles of CSOs, was a conversation with Andrew Bell, Head of Skills Strategies at the OECD, and Mairead O'Connor, Skills Development Senior Manager at the Wheel, Ireland’s national CSO association.

Bell said most people think of skills as being for a specific occupation. However, there are many kinds of skills – cognitive and metacognitive, technical and professional and sector specific, and social and emotional skills. “Skills strategies must speak to all of these skills.”

He pointed out that a range of policy areas impact on skills development and use – education, industry, innovation, housing and transportation, migration, taxation and social – and there are skills policy implications for a wide range of partners across the public, education, private and civil sectors. “So governments engaging widely and meaningfully is a key input for a skills strategy, and to be meaningful it must be sustained.”

Mairead O’Connor described three interlinked key roles that the CSO sector plays in national skills strategies – providing a vital workforce, advocating for lifelong learning, and as an essential partner of the state in social change.

O’Connor said that what has helped CSOs to contribute effectively in the skills arena in Ireland has been: providing an evidence base through independent research; trust and a good relationship with government; good models in other sectors for closing the gap between CSOs and government.

Nicolas Jonas, team leader of the inclusive learning programme at the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, spoke about the inputs of CSOs in discussions around adult education and lifelong learning, including at a gathering of 142 countries and social partners in Marrakech, Morocco, last year. It called for a renewed social contract for adult education.

“At UNESCO we see CSOs as key partners to follow up on commitments made by countries.” Civil society contributes to “unfiltered” reporting on country progress made in adult and lifelong learning. “We would like to give even more space to CSOs in monitoring the Marrakech declaration implementation,” he said.

Civil Society needs funding

Siria Taurelli “Resilience is the art of navigating transitions. There is social transition, green and digital – everything is changing. Civil society, people and organisations with their feet on the ground, are absolutely indispensable to navigate this transition,” concluded Siria Taurelli, Senior Human Capital Development Expert at the ETF

“Policies, dialogue, development – everyone wants more and more from civil society. But the Year of skills is also about increasing the financial resources for skills.

“We cannot move from 37% to 60% of adults in training if there is not more financial allocation, from national budgets, and public and private. We can find different formulae, but financial allocation is absolutely key. We have to move from the logic of project occasional funding, to the logic of long-term sustainability in order to support the delivery of skills.”

Moldova: from crisis to opportunity. Torino Process highlights from ETF expert, Mihaylo Milovanovitch

As the world gradually emerged from the grip of the pandemic, Moldova saw an opportunity not to revert, but to advance its education and trainin...

As the world gradually emerged from the grip of the pandemic, Moldova saw an opportunity not to revert, but to advance its education and training system. Building on the foundation laid during the lockdown, Moldova committed to enhance its digital pedagogies, aligning with its broader strategy to prioritise digital skills development. This decision was particularly pertinent given Moldova's recent acceptance as an EU candidate country, a status that provided access to resources to fuel its digitalisation efforts.

"However, managing the additional workload presented a challenge," says Mihaylo Milovanovitch, Coordinator for System Change and Lifelong Learning at the ETF.

The ETF stepped in to provide the necessary support, which among other things led to the implementation of the SELFIE project in partnership with the ETF and the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), aimed at evaluating schools' readiness for digital training.

"These actions resonate with Torino Process findings, which show that Moldova is on par with other countries in the monitoring, demonstrating commendable progress in incorporating learning content related to the digital transition within its education system," explains Milovanovitch.

Simultaneously, Moldova launched the Moldova Integrated Initiative for Digitalisation in VET (MIIDIV). More details on Moldova's digital transition efforts feature in a subsequent article and conversation with Filippo Del Ninno, ETF country liaison for Moldova, in this edition of Learning Connects.

In the face of the global pandemic, Moldova swiftly embraced online learning, driven by a robust partnership between private sector, non-profit organisations, and international bodies. This rapid transformation not only demonstrated Moldova's nimbleness and creativity but also served as a testament to the potential of collaboration in tackling unprecedented challenges.

This initiative aims to enhance digital teaching and learning by promoting the sharing of examples of best practice and instituting a robust quality assurance process. It's an important move, particularly since the latest Torino Process monitoring identified quality assurance as an area where many countries, including Moldova, are under performing internationally.

"Quality assurance is a common stumbling block, mainly due to the limited capacity of VET providers," notes Milovanovitch, adding, "It's heartening to see Moldova proactively tackling this issue."

Galina Rusu, State Secretary and Head of Vocational Education and Training Department of the Ministry of Education and Research, emphasised the importance of quality assurance as well, stating that Moldova has been aligning with European quality assurance standards since 2016 and has actively sought feedback to improve these efforts. This openness was exhibited recently this month when the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education and Research (ANACEC) of Moldova, in cooperation with the ETF, invited peers from countries including Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Israel, Montenegro, Morocco, and Palestine to conduct an external review of their quality assurance mechanisms and the relevance of the evaluation standards for vocational programmes and institutions.

In parallel with digitalisation and quality assurance efforts, Moldova also focused on skills development for all learners, irrespective of their background and age.

"Moldova is making substantial progress in digitalisation and quality assurance in education, while also ensuring skills development is accessible to all learners, irrespective of their background and age," asserts Milovanovitch.

He highlights a key challenge from the Torino Process results, stating, "Despite the impressive strides in improving quality and boosting participation, there's still work to do. It appears that VET access and participation in Moldova does not consistently translate into better labour market prospects."

National authorities are aware of these challenges and are now implementing local employment initiatives focused on vulnerable groups, an essential step towards mitigating this issue. Indeed in the following interview with Anna Gherganova, Head of the Department for Employment and Labour Migration Development Policies, she stresses that collaboration between government, civil society, and private sector stakeholders is critical to support this endeavour.

"The Torino Process results for Moldova confirm that the involvement of employers in the steering and management of the VET system remains a weak link," adds Milovanovitch.

Moldova's response to the pressures of the pandemic reflects resilience, adaptability, and an emphasis on cooperative action. While the Torino Process evidence highlights the presence of challenges as well, Moldova's dedication to quality assurance and inclusive skills development marks a promising direction for the future.

Building better skills: the power of collaboration - an interview with Anna Gherganova, Moldova

“Working separately, we cannot boost skills delivery and development,” says Anna Gherganova, Head of the Department for Employment and Labour Mi...

“Working separately, we cannot boost skills delivery and development,” says Anna Gherganova, Head of the Department for Employment and Labour Migration Development Policies in the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection in Moldova. "It is crucial to unify the efforts of all government, civil society and private sector stakeholders."

“There is a lack of training providers for non-formal education, and for lifelong learning, in Moldova. Civil society could be an important stakeholder in skills provision in future.”

Gherganova was talking to the ETF ahead of the conference "Civil Society for Lifelong Skills Development in Europe and Partner Countries” held in Brussels in May at the European Commission.

Gherganova The ETF, the Lifelong Learning Platform (LLLP) and the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) have joined forces to promote policy dialogue and partnerships between governments and civil society organisations (CSOs) active in skills development and lifelong learning. The ultimate aim is to increase access to good quality lifelong learning for everyone in Europe and beyond.

Cooperation, research and practice sharing

National collaboration is key, stressed Gherganova. “As the Ministry of Labour, we cannot improve skills without the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Economy, or without the private sector, which has to tell us what kind of skills they need, or without civil society.

“At the same time, even the private sector cannot always say what skills they need. So how can we know what kind of skills will be a priority in future? We need research for that.”

Moldova is exploring strategic approaches and experiences across many areas of activity, including non-formal education and lifelong learning. The country is developing regulations on non-formal education, such as criteria for selecting priorities and training providers, and issues around accreditation.

“An exchange of knowledge and good practice with countries that have developed non-formal education would be helpful for us,” Gherganova said.

The skills backdrop

In Moldova, skills development is a responsibility across ministries, including the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and the Ministry of Education. “We work together on this issue.”

Gherganova’s ministry oversees pre-employment policy, and develops active labour market programmes contributing to skills development and training for job seekers – for example, trainee internships. It also produces short-term labour market forecasts, including skills forecasts.

The Ministry manages the development of occupational standards, describing the responsibilities for occupations, and collaborates with the Ministry of Education to ensure these standards and their required knowledge and skills are included in curricula of training providers.

Also, the Ministry updates the classification of occupations, which organises jobs into sets according to the tasks and duties undertaken in the job. “Two years ago we adapted our national classification of occupations to be in line with ESCO, the classification of European skills, competences, qualifications and occupations,” Gherganova said.

The skills councils

Recognising the significance of cooperation with social partners, the Moldovan government has proactively established a robust legal framework and has facilitated sector-based skills councils since 2017. These councils, primarily focused on vital sectors such as agriculture and construction, play a pivotal role in elevating the quality of skills training across the nation.

Comprising representatives from both public and private sectors, the independent skills councils continuously evolve and strive to enhance their effectiveness. Their key responsibilities encompass the development of occupational standards, curricula, and assessment tools. Of equal importance, they collaborate with employers to promote lifelong learning and foster the acquisition of 21st-century skills.

As advocates for the private sector, the skills councils ensure that diverse industry voices are heard, with companies playing an active role as council members. They play a crucial function by informing the government about skills-related challenges and deficiencies within their respective sectors, prompting collaborative efforts with relevant ministries to address employment and skills gaps. To support their initiatives, the government provides project-based financing to the councils.

Additionally, the skills councils, along with business associations, trade unions, and other social partners, may engage in government policy development and implementation. This involvement grants them the opportunity to participate in discussions that shape workforce development policies, influence support measures, and provide valuable feedback on policy implementation.

While the strength of social dialogue on training and skills is on the rise, it remains primarily consultative rather than being actively involved in determining skills development policies and systems. However, the skills councils stand as a positive example of engagement and collaboration between the government and social partners, according to Gherganova.

Skills for the vulnerable

The government of Moldova actively extends its support for skills development among marginalised groups, including NEETs (young people Not in Employment, Education, or Training), women vulnerable to domestic violence or human trafficking, and older individuals facing challenges in accessing the labour market.

"We are working particularly with NEETs, in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), piloting employment initiatives at the local level," stated Gherganova. The ILO contributes both financial assistance and human resources to these efforts, engaging young people in training programmes conducted at public employment offices.

According to the OECD, the youth unemployment rate in Moldova stands at approximately 16% for men and 15% for women. Although comparable to rates in other European countries, the risk of joblessness is twice as high for young individuals compared to adults in Moldova. Gherganova noted that around 20% of young people fall under the NEET category.

Women at risk belong to various vulnerable groups protected under employment law and are offered active labour market measures by the Public Employment Service. This includes training programmes aimed at supporting and facilitating their integration into the labour market.

The government collaborates with civil society organisations (CSOs) to deliver non-formal education initiatives. Gherganova highlighted the partnership with CSOs in providing psychological support and skills enhancement programmes to boost the motivation of NEETs.

To reach out to young people, the government supports the National Youth Council, which provides outreach and non-formal training opportunities. Additionally, the Ministry of Education grants funding to civil society groups organising non-formal training programmes for young individuals, covering a wide range of skills such as public speaking and entrepreneurship.

Digitalisation – A new skills focus

According to Gherganova, Moldova currently lacks a national skills development strategy. Nevertheless, significant education reforms are underway to modernise and enhance skills development. Transforming higher education is a priority for the government.

However, as the digital future takes centre stage on both the Moldovan and European agendas, there is a national digital strategy overseen by the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitilisation. This strategy is driving the advancement of digital skills across the public and private sectors, as well as among professionals and the general population.

The 2023-27 Strategy for Digital Transformation, developed through extensive public consultation, including with CSOs, aims to foster a dynamic and inclusive digital society. Its key objectives include establishing advanced technological infrastructure, equipping citizens with digital proficiency, fostering a digitally-driven government, and enabling the business sector to leverage digital opportunities.

Once again, Gherganova emphasised the importance of collaboration in skills training and delivery, highlighting its role in driving effective outcomes.

Enhancing education in the digital age in Moldova: insights from Filippo Del Ninno

During the pandemic lockdowns, necessity forced education systems around the world to adapt quickly. Like many of their counterparts, Moldova’s ...

During the pandemic lockdowns, necessity forced education systems around the world to adapt quickly. Like many of their counterparts, Moldova’s schools swiftly switched to online learning.

Filippo Del Ninno, the European Training Foundation’s (ETF) country liaison for Moldova, applauds the nation's response, highlighting the valuable role played by the private sector, non-profit organisations and international organisations.

Embracing digital education and lifelong learning, Moldova is also addressing the need to constantly improve the labour market outcomes of its population. There may still be obstacles ahead, but the steadfast efforts to enact systemic change, supported by strategic partnerships and organisations like the ETF, have set Moldova on a promising trajectory towards becoming a digitally progressive participant in European education and training.

“They invented a system from scratch and were quite creative and flexible in the solutions they found,” says Filippo Del Ninno, a human capital development expert and the European Training Foundation’s (ETF) country liaison for Moldova.

The government supported parents, teachers, students, and schools by drawing up guidelines for a healthy lifestyle during quarantine and launched a programme to support mental health. The public and private sectors joined forces on a campaign to provide teachers with free internet access for two months. To facilitate distance learning and teaching, as well as education process management, Simpals (a private company) in collaboration with the UN and the Association of ITC Companies made the platform, Studii, widely available. By July 2020, over 70 public schools and 77,000 users had benefitted.

"This was a remarkable feat since digital learning in Moldova was limited before COVID. Now that schools have gone back to in-person learning, countries are faced with two choices: resume traditional teaching and learning models or continue pushing for the widespread adoption of digital pedagogies. Moldova has chosen the latter," says Del Ninno

Taking the decision to embrace change has come at the right time for Moldova as the Eastern European country was granted EU candidate country status in June 2022. Being on the path to EU membership unlocks resources that will give Moldova the opportunity to develop all sectors, which, of course, includes the digitalisation of education systems. The challenge for Moldova lies in its preparedness to take advantage of these resources by building capacity to handle the extra workload generated. Shoring up government staff responsible for managing the newly available funding will be crucial to maximising their impact.

The ETF’s role is to support developing countries bordering the EU, like Moldova, to improve their vocational education and training systems (VET), analyse skills needs, and develop their labour markets. As such, the ETF will continue to work with Moldova to plan its digital future by undertaking progress monitoring and expertise provision to help shape the country’s VET policy.

"Moldova offers many valid learning points on ways to optimise the digital transition in education that can be of value to other countries," adds Del Ninno.

These include: integrating sub-sectoral reform to achieve faster and better results in terms of digital teaching and learning; monitoring the rate at which teachers embrace new technologies and set time-bound targets for this to happen; moving beyond the textbook and developing digital teaching material that is student-centred; creating awareness at all levels that the role teachers and students play is changing; mindfully managing staff resources; and being attentive to the expense and challenge of digitalisation being over used as an excuse to stall reform.

Examples from Moldova on how the education system is moving forward on digitalisation

SELFIE: a Moldovan success story

SELFIE (Self-reflection on Effective Learning by Fostering the use of Innovative Educational technologies) is one of the tools Moldova used to assess the readiness of its schools to integrate digital training and pedagogy. Moldova partnered with the ETF and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) to deploy SELFIE within the context of “Digital Moldova 2020", a project that kicked-off on 18 February 2020. The tool was piloted in a number of vocational schools before it was applied more broadly to include all vocational schools and in 2022, to all general education schools as well. Today, “every single school in Moldova has gone through the exercise,” Del Ninno observes. As a result, Moldova’s education ministry can now see where each school stands in terms of digitalisation.

This knowledge is not based on informal conversations with school leaders, it is based on self-assessment exercises carried out by teachers, students, and administrators. With this new-found perspective, policy makers understand the extent to which schools are capable of integrating digital training. They can then provide resources specific to each schools’ needs. The impetus behind SELFIE is, thus, non-judgemental. Its purpose is to conduct a thorough 360° review in order to implement the right policies.

This approach saves time and generates efficiencies, but “it is not about a ministry imposing its will, it’s about creating awareness and a digital mentality,” Del Ninno says.

Follow-up work on SELFIE involves establishing digital action plans based on feedback from staff and students regarding their relationship to new technologies, and setting-up a way to monitor indicators identified by the action plan.

To make sure these objectives are reached, the Ministry of Education and Research is working in partnership with the ETF and Future Classroom to develop a methodology to incorporate digital action plans in the school development plans, as well as build a corresponding monitoring policy within the ministry. Carrying out these steps will enable Moldova to partner with Future Classroom Lab to ensure that schools maintain a results-oriented outlook and that policies align with actual needs.

Towards system-wide education reform with MIIDIV

The ETF has joined forces with the Austrian Development Association (ADA) and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) on the Moldova Integrated Initiative for Digitalisation in VET or MIIDIV. This initiative has two approaches: the first one is a bottom-up, peer-to-peer approach that allows schools with examples of best practice in place to share their experiences with other schools. The idea is to push these examples in digitalisation up to system-level; and the second is a top-down approach that entails learning from pilot projects to determine what worked well and from that basis define a national policy.

Managing digital education content is also an important component of this initiative. In the short-term, digital content used during the pandemic needs to be mapped and clustered so that it remains accessible. In the medium-term, more advanced and interactive solutions could be developed. One solution could be to expand use of successful Moodle platforms such as the one developed by the Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) for Information and Communication Technologies (ITC).

The MIIDIV project will also support the establishment of a quality assurance process for digital teaching and learning materials. The ETF will facilitate dialogue on defining digital content and establishing quality assessment (QA) for it. During the pandemic there, QA was limited, because the content had to be created and used immediately. Going forward, it is imperative to establish clear criteria to evaluate this content in terms of the competences it develops for students and the competences required by teachers to effectively impart skills and knowledge digitally.

What's on in June?

ETF podcast #28 - Humans versus machines: The future of jobs What do we know about the jobs of the future? As new professions are emerging at...

ETF podcast #28 - Humans versus machines: The future of jobs

What do we know about the jobs of the future? As new professions are emerging at a rapid pace, what skills will be required to thrive in a new world? Are today’s young people adequately prepared for the jobs in the coming decades? How should education and training adapt to the new challenges?

In this 28^th episode of our Skills Factory podcast series, ETF expert Francesca Rosso explores the future of jobs and skills in our fast-changing world.

Listen here

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Green Skills Award 2023 – Update

The evaluation of the numerous applications to our Green Skills Award competition has now been completed. The 10 finalists will be announced early June. Stay tuned to discover their inspiring stories. You are warmly invited to select your favourite ones and cast your vote for the public’s winner.

Green Skills Award poster

Events

European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit in Turin, 1 June

On the occasion of the visit to the ETF of European Commissioner Nicolas Schmit, we will host a knowledge sharing event with Cedefop, which will focus on micro-credentials. Stay tuned for more – an interview, a video conversation with ETF Director Pilvi Torsti.

EU Green Week conference, 6–7 June

In the framework of the EU Green Week, debates on the theme ‘Delivering a Net-Zero World’ will focus on the latest policy developments on biodiversity, circular economy and zero pollution. In preparation for the event, ETF GRETA initiative has released a new paper:Greening of vocational education and training

Making Skills Count conference, 8–9 June

This flagship event of the European Year of Skills will explore different ways in which skills ‘count’ and matter. Taking place in Brussels, it will be livestreamed.

More information

The 10 finalists of our Green Skills Award competition should be announced during the event.

Artificial Intelligence for Educators webinar, 12 June

AI tools could enhance teaching and learning. Could they also have harmful consequences? This webinar will focus on the concept of ethical AI – the development, deployment and use of AI that ensures compliance with ethical norms, principles and core values. The European Commission's ethical guidelines on the use of AI in teaching and learning for educators will be presented.

More information and Registration

European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA) 2023 high-level event, 26–27 June

As it marks the EAfA’s 10^th anniversary as well as the 5^thanniversary of the European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships, the event will provide an opportunity to reflect on apprenticeships – what has been achieved and how these experiences can pave the way forward.