These slides were used in a workshop on developing, assessing and certifying key (transferable) competences for Masters level programmes

1. June 14, 2013.
0930 – 1230
Moray House School of Education
A Workshop on Employability & Key
Competences in Postgraduate
Programmes

2. A Workshop on Employability & Key Competences in
Postgraduate Programmes

3. Objec&ve
&
Learning
Outcomes
To
share
experience
&
ideas
of
par&cipants
• The
policy
context
for
Key
Competences
and
Higher
Educa&on
• the
deep-­‐rooted
challenges
of
incorpora&ng
key
competences
into
Higher
Educa&on
• The
PROPOUND
project
and
its
ac&vi&es
• PROPOUND
toolkit:
to
assist
reform

4. PROPOUND
Developing a Key Competences Model for
University Postgraduate Programmes
Project Number: 518051-LLP-1-2011-1-ES-ERASMUS-EMCR

5. PROPOUND
Objec&ves
Drive
the
modernisa*on
agenda
in
higher
educa&on:
• Promote
curricular
reforms
to
promote
employability
of
postgraduate
students
• Encourage
coopera*on
between
universi*es
and
employers
• Promote
the
evalua*on
and
development,
of
transversal
competences
for
postgraduate
students

6. Propound
Outcomes
• Review
of
Key
Competences
in
five
countries
• Case
studies
of
the
development,
assessment
and
cer&fica&on
of
Key
Competences
• Pilot
projects
focused
on
key
competences
• Mainstreaming
Report
• Generic
Ac&on
Plan
for
Universi&es
• Website
www.propound.eu

7. Target
Groups
• Universi*es:
Posi&vely
effec&ng
the
restructura&on
and
improvement
of
a
set
of
selected
Postgraduate
Programmes
of
the
five
European
universi&es
par&cipa&ng
in
the
project.
• Firms:
Benefi&ng
par&cipant
firms
in
Postgraduate
Programmes
enabling
employers
to
iden&fy
the
competence
needs
of
their
employees
(specially
those
capaci&es
and
abili&es
that
improve
the
work
performance).
• Postgraduate
Students:
The
project
has
also
a
posi&ve
effect
on
Postgraduate
students

8. Policy
context:
Lisbon
Declara&on
…
to
create
a
Europe
of
knowledge
[by
2010
the
EU
should
have]
…
the
most
compe66ve
and
dynamic
knowledge-­‐based
economy
in
the
world,
capable
of
sustainable
economic
growth,
with
more
and
be=er
jobs,
and
greater
social
cohesion.

9. Key
Competences?

10. Key
Competences?
Unemployment
in
Europe

11. Unemployment
in
Europe
Unemployment
Rates
of
Popula*on
with
Ter*ary
Level
Qualifica*ons

12. Unemployment
in
Europe
Unemployment
Rates
of
Popula*on
with
Ter*ary
Level
Qualifica*ons

13. Competences

14. European
Key
Competences
Communica&on
–
mother
tongue
foreign
language(s)
Maths,
basic
science,
technology
Digital
competence
Learning
to
learn
Social
&
civic
competences
Ini&a&ve
&
entrepreneurship
Cultural
awareness
&
expression

15. EU
Key
Competences
OECD
Key
Competences
England,
Wales
&
NI
Key
Skills
Scotland
Core
Skills
Communica&on
in
mother
tongue
Use
language,
symbols,
text
interac&vely
Communica&on
Reading,
wri&ng,
document
use
Oral
communica&on
Communica&on
in
foreign
language
Conduct
ac&ve
dialogue
with
world
Mathema&cal
&
basic
competence
in
science
&
technology
Use
technology
interac&vely
Applica&on
of
numbers
Numeracy
Digital
Competence
Use
knowledge
&
info
interac&vely
ICT
Computer
use
Learning
to
learn
Life
plans
&
personal
projects
Improving
own
learning
&
performance
Con&nuous
learning
Social
&
civic
competence
Relate
well
to
others,
resolve
conflict
Sense
of
ini&a&ve
&
entrepreneurship
Problem
solving
Problem
solving
Cultural
awareness
&
expression
Adapt
tools
to
own
purposes

16. Employability?
Competence
to
get
the
job
Competence
to
get
the
job
done
Ever
deeper
pool
of
qualified
applicants
but
competences
to
get
the
job
done
are
not
changing
No
evidence
that
job
design
is
changing
to
make
use
of
available
competence
(SKOPE
2012)

17. Employability?
Our
problem
is
not
…the
supply
of
skills
but
…
employer
demand
for
skills
and
how
these
skills
are
u6lised
in
the
workplace
(Fiona
Hyslop,
2007,
Scobsh
Parliament)

18. Project
Phases
Developing
models
and
tes*ng
through
Pilots:
Experimenta*on
and
Valida*on:
Developing
models
of
iden&fica&on
and
evalua&on
of
transversal
competences
Exchange
and
benchmarking:
Exchange
of
informa&on,
materials
and
best
prac&ces
from
Pilots
between
the
partners
of
the
Project
Strategies
and
Modeliza*on:
realiza&on
of
studies
and
compara&ve
analysis
(PROPOUND
Mainstreaming
Report
+
PROPOUND
Ac&on
Plan)
-­‐
to
guide
the
curricular
reform
of
Postgraduate
Programmes
at
Universi&es.
Dissemina*on
to
disseminate
the
results
of
the
Project
and
to
promote
the
transference
of
the
tested
models
to
other
State
and
regions
of
the
European
Union

19. • PILOT
ESTONIA:
Estonian
Business
School
-­‐
the
pilot
involved
a
compara&ve
analysis
of
communica&on
competence
of
graduates
across
three
postgraduate
programmes
(MA
Interna&onal
Business
Administra&on,
MBA
Interna&onal
Business
Administra&on,
MA
Business
Communica&on)
• PILOT
ITALY:
Fondazione
Politecnico
di
Milano
(FPM)
–
the
pilot
involved
examining
the
programs
at
the
ins&tute
in
terms
of
competences
and
learning
outcomes
from
the
contents
of
specific
courses
using
ques&onnaire
surveys
and
gap
analysis.
• PILOT
SPAIN:
FGUGREM
University
of
Granada
-­‐
The
Pilot
involved
a
strategy
looking
at
the
self-­‐
management
of
competences
where
postgraduate
student
play
the
main
role
in
the
assessment
of
their
competences
as
well
as
defining
plans
for
personal
and
professional
development.
I.E.
Masters
in
“3D
Anima&on
of
Characters”.
The
inten&on
of
the
pilot
is
to
promote
the
interac&on
and
informa&on
exchange
between
the
employers
and
the
postgraduate
students
in
the
phases
of
internship
in
firms.
Pilots
(x5)

20. • PILOT
NETHERLANDS
:
InHolland
University
–
the
pilot
involved
assessing
the
training
of
assessor
competences
based
on
systems
of
Valida&on
of
Prior
Learning
(VPL)
for
teachers.
• PILOT
SCOTLAND,
U.K.
:
The
University
of
Edinburgh
–
The
pilot
involved
mapping
the
LLL
‘Learning
to
Learn’
key
competence
against
the
learning
outcomes
and
(assessment)
performance
criteria
of
a
selec&on
of
different
types
of
Postgraduate
Masters
Programmes.
– Explored
the
experience
of
learners
associa&on
with
Learning
to
Learn
and
amempted
to
iden&fy
scope
for
learner
self-­‐assessment
as
a
means
of
securing
learner
engagement.
Pilots
(x5)
Details
of
the
Pilots
available
in
the
Pilot
Compendia
Manual

21. Learning
to
Learn
‘the disposition and ability to organise and regulate
one’s own learning, both individually and in groups
… the ability to manage one’s time effectively, to
solve problems, to acquire, process, evaluate and
assimilate new knowledge, and to apply new
knowledge and skills in a variety of contexts — at
home, at work, in education and in training. In more
general terms, learning to learn contributes strongly
to managing one’s own career path.’

22. Pilot
(University
of
Edinburgh)
• to map LLL KC 5 (Learning to Learn) against the learning outcomes
and (assessment) performance criteria of a selection of different types
of Postgraduate Masters Programmes (eg Conversion; Advanced;
Research and either PSRB accredited or non-accredited)
• to explore through interviews and focus groups the experience of
learners in the selected programmes respect of the development,
evidencing and assessment of the essential knowledge, skills and
attitudes associated with Learning to Learn
• to attempt to identify scope for learner self-assessment as a means of
securing active learner engagement with LLL KC 5
Aims
&
Objec&ves

23. Findings
• Little conscious consideration of Learning to Learn & so
limited evidence of understanding
• Tended to emphasise time management & specific tools &
techniques
• Learning perceived as individual acquisition of knowledge
from an “authority”
• Bias towards formal learning & being educated
• Limited focus on problem-solving or on reflection in learning
• Acknowledged importance of developing time management
and critical thinking skills

24. Findings
• Recent Graduates have greater awareness of Learning to
Learn but instrumental focus is on:
• Learning to meet programme expectations
• Learning how to get a job
• Very little use of available diagnostic instruments – largely
employment focused
• Knowledge is seen as something to be delivered by “an other”

25. The
purpose
of
PROPOUND
is
to
help
the
higher
educa&on
system
take
a
step
forward
in
the
ac&ons
aimed
at
including
key
competences
in
postgraduate
programmes
and
recognising
them
formally.
Solu&on
via:
• Route
A
Discrete:
Developing
key
competences
aside
• Route
B
Embedded:
Embedding
key
competences
Findings

26. • Both
routes
to
formal
recogni&on
of
key
competences
can
be
fostered,
taking
into
account
their
mutual
cri&cali&es,
limits
and
opportuni&es.
• The
specific
university
contexts
will
play
a
relevant
role
in
choosing
either
approach.
• On
the
whole,
one
of
the
key
success
factors
for
including
key
competences
in
the
formal
recogni&on
process
is
consensus
within
the
university
communi&es
of
teaching
staff
and
students
as
well.
The
first
step
is
deciding
together
that
key
competences
are
to
be
formally
recognised.
Findings

27. Support
for
the
idea
that
the
individual
takes
a
central
place
in
establishing,
designing
and
implemen&ng
lifelong
learning.
Calls
for
co-­‐makership
of
the
learner
him/herself
The
poroolio
is
a
powerful
way
to
give
structure
and
content
to
this
co-­‐makership.
In
the
light
of
the
different
goals
needed
to
make
a
start
in
lifelong
learning,
further
research
is
needed
into
the
mo&ves
for
and
the
desired
design
of
lifelong
learning
strategies
VPL
as
a
bridge
between
the
individual/organisa&on
and
professional
educa&on/
schooling
only
becomes
relevant
when
concrete
learning
ques&ons
have
been
formulated,
which
then
need
to
be
answered
VPL
may
serve
as
a
bridge
between
the
competence
needs
of
the
organisa&on
and
the
individual
–
Top
Down
VS
Bo3om
Up
Implica&ons
for
Higher
Educa&on

28. • Knowledge
Socie&es
–
Financial
Economic
Crisis
–
Need
for
Innova&on
and
Flexibility:
increasing
the
importance
of
key
competences
in
employees.
• Employers
are
wan&ng
graduates
with
relevant
(hence
transversal)
skills
and
competences
• Bemer
synergy
between
the
worlds
of
educa&on
and
work
needed
to
support
investment
in
developing
more
relevant
and
bemer
skills,
(including
transversal
ones)
which
can
be
done
by:
– Facilita*ng
full
integra*on,
autonomy
and
reten*on
of
new
employees.
– Redirec*ng
investment
in
training
and
learning.
– Involving
employees
with
shared
innova*on
and
development
– Having
a
say
and
par*cipate
in
post-­‐graduate
programmes
and
career
services
Implica&ons
for
Employers

29. • Job
shortages
(75
million
unemployed
young
people
in
Europe)
• A
shortage
of
skills
alongside
lack
of
hard
on
required
skills
for
employment
• Employers,
educa&on
providers,
and
youth
live
in
parallel
universes
• Challenges
crea&ng
a
successful
educa&on-­‐to-­‐employment
system:
– Constraints
on
the
resources
of
educa&on
providers,
such
as
finding
qualified
faculty
and
inves&ng
in
expansion.
– Insufficient
opportuni&es
to
provide
youth
with
hands-­‐on
learning.
– The
hesitancy
of
employers
to
invest
in
training
unless
it
involves
specialized
skills.
Implica&ons
for
Policy
Makers
Further
details
available
in
the
Mainstreaming
Report
and
Ac*on
Plan
Manual

30. Ac&on
Plan
Framework

31. Thank
you
www.propound.eu