Importance, awareness and efficiency of Adult Learning in Europe”. A Key Note Speech.”It is Always a Good Time to Learn”. Final Conference on Implementing the Action Plan on Adult Learning. Típus: Tudományos-közéleti-társadalmi megjelenés a projektben elért tudományos eredmények elterjesztésének céljával Alprojekt: 5.4.3 Tanulás/tanítás kutatása és fejlesztése a felnőtt- és felsőoktatásban Megjelenés: Budapest. March 8-9, 2011. Résztvevő: Halász Gábor, előad

1. Importance, awareness and efficiency
of Adult Learning in Europe
”It is Always a Good Time to Learn”
Final Conference on Implementing the Action Plan on Adult
Learning
Budapest, March 8-9, 2011
Gábor Halász
ELTE University, Budapest
(http://halaszg.ofi.hu)

2. Why adult learning is important?
There are many reasons but two of them seem to be
particularly alarming:
– Quantitative labour supply 2004
– Qualification needs
• The only solution is boosting
adult learning
• But looking at quantitative projections is not enough
B 2050

3. Are we sufficiently
aware of the challenge?
Probably not.
„Make the case for skills” (the first message)
„Skills, the right skills, are the key
to moving us out of recession into recovery, and the
best guarantee of our ability to sustain our growth
and secure lasting economic success”
New Skills for New Jobs: Action Now.
A report by the Expert Group on New Skills for New Jobs prepared for the European Commission

4. High level of awareness at community
level…
„The Commission is fully aware that an
effective adult learning sector is vital to
our economy and society for the next
decade (…) We remain as committed to
this as ever”
Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou’s speech at the
Grundtvig 10th anniversary conference

5. … but uneven awareness and
readiness to act at the level of
Member States
• As it is strongly reflected in national policies
and conditions…
– Coherent LLL policy with legal frameworks stressing AE (AT,
BE, CZ, DK, EE, PT, LT, LU, NL, NO, LI, FI, FR, DE, IS, IE,
SI, SE and UK)
– Developed LLL policies but AE not stressed
(HR, EL, MT and IT)
– No coherent strategy but important steps to develop AE
(CY, LV, PL, HU, ES)
– No coherent policy
(BG, RO, TR).
• and also in national policy outcomes
Source: Impact of ongoing reforms in education and training on the adult learning sector
(2nd phase). Final report. Research voor Beleid. 2010

6. Making adult learning systems more
efficient
• Efficiency depends on the right focus of
policy interventions
• Where to put the focus?
– More on formal education?
– More on non-formal education?
Two ways of perceiving the challeng
• A more balanced perspective might lead to a more

7. A new „Triple
Options for the Helix” for the
learning sector?
future The formal
Concluding
system
questions
The non-formal
sector Workplaces

8. Thank you
for your attention!
„Those who predict a 21st century of adult
learning, just as the 19th and 20th saw the
development of schools and universities, may
not be far from the truth…”
Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou’s speech at the
Grundtvig 10th anniversary conference

9. Labour force in Europe:
the „what would happen without change” scenario
No migration counted, constant labour force participation rates, no change in retirement age
Source: Rainer Muenz: Contribution to the NSNJ Expert Group. September 29, 2009

10. But this will not happen because we probably shall…
The „no change” scenario
• …increase activity rate
through bringing new
social groups into work
• …let older people remain
in or turn
back to work and
• …let further immigrants
come to find work in
Europe.
The „access to new
reserves” scenario

11. The required qualification level of new jobs created between
2006-2020
39%
52%
Source: Skill needs in Europe. Focus on 2020. Cedefop. 2008

12. Where shall we find the skilled labour force?
According to the same CEDEFOP projection
„The young generation entering the labour
market in the next decade cannot fulfil all
the labour market skill needs”
•
(Skill needs in Europe. Focus on 2020)
We have to count more and
more on the skills of adults!

13. Pressing need to increase
qualification levels
• Around 30% of the adult population in the EU has
at most lower secondary education.
• More than 70% of people with low levels of
education in low-skilled professions do not
participate in any kind of education and training.
• Only 24% of the adult population
has tertiary level education
(as compared to the US and Japan with 40%)
Source: Various recent EU documents

14. The need for better skills
• The need for skills is determined
by many factors, such as
– technological and organisational
innovations
– the ambition of companies to compete
on new, challenging markets
– the intention of public authorities to
renew public services
– political goals of breaking „low skills
equilibrium” in countries, regions or
sectors
• These factors generate new needs for
new skills in workplaces and create
also new needs for adult learning

15. Preference and reality
(participation in formal/non-formal and work-based/non-work-based education for
updating professional skills)
RE AL I TY
P R E F E R E NC
E
P r o p o r t io n o f r e s p o n d e n t s h a v in g le a r n e d s o m e t h in g in t h e
p r e c e d in g y e a r ,
Source: 2004 Eurobarometer survey. CEDEFOP (Lifelong learning: citizens’ views in close-up Findings
from a dedicated Eurobarometer survey)

16. Formal learning, non-formal learning
and workplaces
• The great majority of adult
learners participate in non-
formal education and training
• A great proportion of non-formal
learning activities is provided at
workplaces
A dult E ducation Survey, 2007

17. Job-related and non job related
non-formal education
(participation rates among those who are involved in adult learning)
Source: Eurostat, Adult Education Survey,

18. Stressing the importance of work- based
and workplace learning
„Workplaces could play a more active role in providing
real spaces for learning in real life projects…(…)
New Skills for New Jobs: Action Now.
A report by the Expert Group on New Skills for New Jobs prepared for the European Commission
„ Work-based learning, apprenticeships and voluntary action
schemes should be given a much greater role not only in VET
and adult education but also in schools and higher education”

19. A better balance could make the
system more efficient
• Between formal and
non-formal education
– Making formal settings more receptive to the needs of
adults
– Enhancing the role of non-formal settings (including
workplaces)
• Between vocationally and
generally oriented learning
– Including more workplace-related elements
into general educational programs
– Stressing the development of general competences and
higher skills in workplace learning

20. European Commission.
Progress towards the Lisbon objectives in education and training.
Indicators and benchmarks 2009

21. Questions for the future
• How to share responsibilities better
between the formal and
the non-formal sector?
• How to make a better use of
the richness of innovative
workplace learning?
• How to make adult learning
the source of innovation
and inspiration for the formal
system?

22. The amazingly rich world of workplace learning
Percentage of enterprises providing different forms
of learning (2005)
EU 27
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Attendance at On-the-job Self-directed Job rotation Learning
conferences training learning circles
Source: The third continuing vocational training survey. Cedefop

23. The unveiled potential of workplace learning
Source: E uropean W orking C onditions Survey 2000.
I nnovative workplaces learning organisations and innovation. OE C D C E R I

24. Developing general competences and higher level skills in
workplaces
• The shift towards High Performance Working Places?
• The learning potential in WP
– Engagement with challenging work
– Interactions at work „Low skilled” jobs
may also have a
– Knowledge at work high learning
potential!
– Self-directed learning at work
– Identities at work („anchors and chains”)
– Supporting the learning of others
Source: Alan Brown (2009): Higher skills development at work:
Commentary by the Teaching and Learning Research Programme. Warwick
Institute for Employment Research

25. Some indicators of
High Performance Working Places
90 2010
85 2005
80
75 2005 2010 U s e f u ln
70
65 ess
60 2010 Le a rni
2005
55 ng
Te a m -
50
45 w ork
40
Do you work in a group or team Does your work involve learning Do you feel you are doing useful
that has common tasks and can new things? work?
plan its work?
„Yes” answers (%)
Source: Data from the European Working Conditions Survey