1. Who, why and how should meet the
Europe 2020 targets in education?
The gap between rhetoric and realities
Anja Heikkinen
School of Education
University of Tampere
anja.heikkinen@uta.fi
1

2. 1a. Europe 2020: 3 interlinked priorities (a
short look)/Manfred Wallenborn, ETF
1.) Smart growth: developing an economy based
on knowledge and innovation
2.) Sustainable growth: promoting a more
efficient, greener and more competitive
economy
3.) Inclusive growth: fostering a high-employment
economy delivering social and territorial
cohesion
2

3. 1b. EU headline targets for 2020 (translated
into national targets)/Manfred Wallenborn, ETF
• 75 % employment rate (what kind of
employment?)
• 3% GDP investment in R&D (where?)
• < 10% early school leavers &
min. 40% tertiary degree (or equivalent) (why?)
• 20 million less people at risk of poverty (what
risk, what poverty?)
3

4. 1c. Among other EU-member states, Finland
aims at becoming the most qualified nation in
the world by 2020. It should be at the leading
edge of knowledge, participation and creativity.
The strategic priorities are
•attraction of education and culture
•competitiveness of society
•vigour of the regions and environments
•inclusion and communality
(http://www.minedu.fi/OPM/Linjaukset_ja_rahoitus/strategiat_ja_ohjelmat/
?lang=en)
4

5. 2a. What do we know about skills needs
and skills mismatches /Wallenborn, ETF
• Is there a job polarization?
• What are the most demanded jobs? (by whom, why?)
• Do workers need more training? (in whose opinion, what
training – only training?)
• What do employers think about graduates? (and
graduates…?)
• Are trends similar in each sector?
• What about green jobs? (what is green?)
5 5

6. 2b. But what do we know about / Anja
•Orders of knowledge, which legitimize orders of
citizenship and occupational work?
•How higher education and research are feeding into
the EU strategies?
• Educational contribution of “international”, “multi-
cultural” or “cross-cultural” study and research
programmes?
•Consequences of expansion of “globally recognized
and competitive” studies and research and education
export?
6

7. 2c. Education and research in the struggle on
dominance of planet earth?
• EU-Europe needs a population
• Europeans in and outside of Europe: to whom
does what kind of future belong to?
• Non-Europeanness inside and outside of Europe
• Trans-national competence markets, global skills
mall and excess population
• Erosion of collective formations in work and
society
• Citizenship as consumption of global brands
• ICT – networks, social media... - as “the” solution
7

8. 3. Attempts to transcend national & cultural frameworks in
research and development of (vocational/HE) education:
tools, models, best practices…
• Trans-national research and development methodology
(evaluation tool!) for re-integrative pedagogy (Re-enter, Re-
integration)
• Transcending gender barriers in VET and work (Genderqual)
(model)
• Support of people in recognition of prior learning (LeoSpan)
(best practice)
• Cross-cultural study pathway for lifelong learning and work
(Crosslife)
• Framework for education of European VET professionals
(Euroframe) (model)
• Adult learning professionals in Europe (Alpine) (standards)
8 8

9. SOCIO-ECONOMICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT
employment social youth educational VET- special education
policy policy policy policy policy policy
Professional paradigms and actors
Practitioners in
ReI-activity
Youth in their Youth in their
life context: life context:
ReIntegration-
Peer groups activity, Pedagogical Peer groups
practices, Learning
Home, family experiences Home, family
School&work School&work
Researchers
ACDEMIC
CONTEXT
3a. Re-enter&Re-Integration: Joint research and development 9
process abt 3-4 years

10. “Analytical model” for evaluation of re-integrative
activity (Finnish -+ Belgian partners)
Education
and
employmen
t structures
Programme Inclusive Collabora Funding Qualificatio Admini Vocatio Didactic Match:ed Assessmen
/ ness tive mechani n and strative nal al ucators t and
pedagogica networks sm recognition structu relevan solution and Evaluatio
l activity of actors of skills and res ce s students n
competences
Action and
experiences
of learners
and
practitioner
s
10

11. Re-integrative activities according to professional
paradigm, integratedness to mainstream and between actors (weight
x-xxx)
Paradigm/policy Gate- New- Life- IIP Casa- Pre- JAW Kytkin Tracs Supra
way Deal skills Pia paths
Youth work /recreation xxx x
Social pedagogy /social x xxx x x xx
work
Special education xxx x xx
Counselling xxx x x x x xx x x
Employment training x xxx xxx xx
VET x xx x xxx xx xxx xx
Unique project xxx xxx xx xxx
Project linked to xxx xxx x xx xxx
mainstream
Established activity xxx xxx
Separation of xx xx xxx xxx xx xxx xxx xx
learners&practitioners
Interaction/transfer x x x x
between
learners&practitioners
Integration of xxx xxx
learners&practitioners 11

12. Trans-national research and development methodology for re-
I
integrative activity (emerging new paradigm?)
N
T Critical ,
E emansipatory
R TRDM
N Re-
A INTEGRATIVE
T ACTIVITY
I Phenomenolo
O Deconstructi gical-
N ve hermeneutic
A
L
N
A critical critical critical
T
I
O ReI ReI
ReI
N activity activity
activity
A deconst phenome deconst phenome deconstru
L ructive nological ructive nological ctive phenome
nological
THEORY PRACTICE
Researchers Practitioners, Policy-
makers, Students 12

13. Cultural embeddedness of re-integrative
activities/measures: crucial categories and institutions
"Family“: "Industry&work“:working life /
kinship social or labour market partners
“Vocational education”
"State“: schooling "Religion“: church, schooling...
Necessity of historical and cultural contextualization
Problematizing power, deviancy, normality
13

14. 3b. Aims of CROSSLIFE CD project
• To pilot a scheme that builds capacity and cross-cultural
expertise for a new generation of research experts
• To create cooperative networks in universities that cross
cultural boundaries and enhance collaborative studying
through the exploration of cultural diversity
• To develop research-led programs, which include
different types of research that connect to the interests of
students and promote sharing of research process
• To enhance team-research that allows students to compare
perspectives across different cultural and contextual settings
• To develop a Masters and PhD program of studies in VET and
Culture
14

15. Research-based study programme for MA / Dr degrees
CROSS-LIFE – Cross-cultural collaboration in lifelong learning and work
2005-2008
MA/Dr degree Practices of
in London education and
MA/Dr degree work
in Tampere
institutional and
administrational
collaborative
collaboration
research
MA/Dr degree
in Copenhagen
collaborative
MA/Dr degree teaching and
Malta studying
collaborative planning
and supervision
MA/Dr degree
MA/Dr degree in Monash
Studying and expert resources: in Zürich
Vocational Education and Culture-
network - Transforming politics of
education and work research
programme
Majors in MA/Dr degrees: educational, social, economical sciences 15

16. Gradual growth process: holistic/specific & distal/focal periods,
increasing complexity & multi-dimensionality, embodiment of
knowledge & comprehension of the “laboratory cases”; inter-
generational interaction and encounters
16

17. 4a Concern about the role of academics in shaping
the future of occupational and civic life 17

18. 4b Or Alternatives
Research and development projects challenging the (hegemonic)
reproduction of (hegemonic) professional paradigms
* the trans-nationalisation of the education and training patterns (best
practices) in relation to exclusion and inclusion, to orders of normality and
deviancy: legitimacy of low-paid, second-class labour market ?
* the interconnectedness of micro-, meso- and macropolitics of
education: why save the “system”
Education as practical science
* projects as platforms for negotiating democracy
* projects as promoters of (alternative/challenging) educational
innovations : complex and holistic "pedagogy of care" developed in
varieties of ways
* as multioccupational or multiparadigmatic networking - among VET
teachers, youth workers, special educators (Kytkin, Supra)
* as new professionalism - VET teacherhood enriched with special
educational expertise (Tracs)
* as networks coordinated by new hybrid "adviser-experts" (UK)
* as dialogues on normality/deviancy between mainstream and re-
integration actors (JAW and prepaths)
* as transitions of educators into new positions enabling the 18