vet and adult learning in iceland presentation for guests from lithuania, 4 december, 2012 Ólafur...
TRANSCRIPT
VET and adult learning in Iceland
Presentation for guests from Lithuania, 4 December, 2012
Ólafur Grétar Kristjánsson, adviser
Tri-partite system in VET
• Ministry of Education: laws, regulations and financing
• Schools: provide school-based education• Companies: provide workbased learning• Social partners´access via occupational
councils and training institutions
Occupational councils in Iceland
• Appointed by the Minister of Education
• Law on Upper Secondary Schools no. 92/2008
• 5-9 members, majority from social partners
• Cover 12 different sectors that have education at upper secondary level
Deciding learning outcomes in VET
• Occupational councils develop profiles for professions, occupational standards
• Decide on competence requirements in the form of learning outcomes
• Published in national curricula
• Both school education and training in the workplace (integrated)
Role of social partners
• Social partners make up the majority of occupational councils
• Practical knowledge of skills requirements in the labour market
• Advise the Ministry of Education on competency requirements and VET curricula
Role of VET schools
• Enrol VET students and teach basic skills
• General subjects
• Technical subjects
• Basic work technique: materials, tools and machines, work security and environmental issues
Role of companies
• Provide students with workbased training in apprenticeships
• From 3 weeks to 3 years (out of 4 yrs)
• Many fields have developed handbooks to guide teaching in workplace
• State started in October 2011 to give grants to companies that offer training
Workbased training
• No actual curricula, but guidelines
• Supposed to support and further develop skills acquired in VET school
• Needs to overlap and take into account development of apprentice in a holistic manner
• Communication: workplace – school?
Common assessment
• Teachers assess whether goals in separate modules have been reached during school training - formative
• Ministry appointed examination committees assess each VET student at the completion of a course of education
• Sveinspróf – journeymen´s tests, summative (not for health professions)
Final assessment
• Ask whether the individual is fully qualified• Is he/she prepared to enter the labour market
and work as a fully qualified craftsperson• Examination committee appointed on the
basis of work experience and professional knowledge
• Different focus than that of a VET teacher• Examinations held once or twice a year
Legal framework
• Status of assessment decided in law and in a regulation
• Is being further developed in separate rules for each profession
• Rules need to reflect learning outcomes and how they can be confirmed
• Committee knows – can it describe too?
Weaknesses
• Basic weakness is connection between VET schools and companies, that they approach learning of individual as a holistic process
• Supply of qualified VET teachers, professionals with pedagogic skills
• Unclear descriptors for learning outcomes
Weaknesses
• Question of quality: who reacts when examinations result in failure en masse?
• Does the “system” respond when something has gone amiss, either school education, workplace training or the final examination itself?
• This is a human question, not a mechanical issue
Adult learning
• Division of adult lerning in Ministry 2006
• Division of adult learning and VET in 2010
• Establishment of division reflects the ever greater emphasis laid on adult learning in Iceland and lifelong learning strategy
Act on adult learning 1992
• Previously no legal framework on adult learning in Iceland
• New act of 1992 with provisions on goals, administration, organization and financing – but no funds!
• Act was repealed in 1996, perhaps because of unclear policy on adult learning
Developments the last decade
• Increase in activities and financing
• Underlined importance of legislation
• What where these activities?– who are the actors?– what do they do?– what is the target group?
Actors
• They are:– municipalities– upper secondary schools– social partners (organizations of employers
and employees)– independent providers in adult learning,
training organizations in crafts and trades, as well as lifelong learning centres
Activities
– training courses intended to improve competencies within certain sectors
– leisure courses– Icelandic for foreigners– evening classes in upper secondary
schools– courses aimed at improving study
competencies, tackle learning difficulties
Target group
– employed in the labour market, especially– people without formal qualifications at
upper secondary level – (30% of active workforce, dropouts are 28% of enrolled in study programmes (2009)
– increased demands from companies– increased provision aimed at fighting
learning disabilities
Target group
• The goal is to: – improve access to formal education– increase participation in learning– increase the percentage of people who
have acquired a formal qualification– generally, to heighten the level of
education in this country
Icelandic for foreigners
• Special effort - 7% of the labour market comes from abroad – highest in Europe
• Foreigners want to study Icelandic• Integration, participation, quality of life• Public funding went from 26 m.kr. (0,2 m.
euros) in 2006 to 200 m.kr (1,6 m. euros) in 2007 – emphasis on learning in the workplace
Challenges
• Setting up of a National Qualifications Framework, ISQF)
• Referencing to the EQF
• Shift to learning outcomes, KSC
• Ensure recognition of non-formal and informal learning towards formal system
• Setting up of a system of validation
Validation of non-formal, informal learning
• Policy making since 2003• Inspired by EU Guidelines on validation
of non-formal and informal learning (2004)
• Contract with Education and Training Service Centre 2004 (FA)
• Legal basis in act of 2008 act on adult learning in 2010
Financing
• Public funding of:– certified courses offered by providers in AL– guidance and counselling– Icelandic for foreigners (public funding
covers 50% of costs)– furtner financing possible from trade unions
and companies– Financial volume increased last 10 years,
stands now at 6 m. euros
