Newsletter 9a, 15 December 2014 INVITATION FOR PARTICIPATING IN: ANNUAL CONFERENCE + COMMUNITY MEETING / 12-13 FEBRUARY 2015 IN AMSTERDAM Almost a year ago we have informed you about the founding of CHAIN5, as an international community for those who are involved in developments concerning qualifications at level 5, formal and non-formal. After that announcement it showed that such a community of practice for level 5 is filling a gap between what is happening in education and training till level 4 and from level 6 on in higher education and similar training systems. Of course there is an overlap between those two sectors at level 5, with for instance HVET at one side and SCHE at the other including all instruments that are being used to deliver those qualifications in the right context to the target groups. And that is exactly why the start-up of CHAIN5 got in a relatively way a lot of attention, leading to at the moment a list of more than 85 members from 24 countries. We are talking about associations, institutions, networks, experts, representatives of NGOs, and so on. This shows that there is a need to discuss level 5 issues, sharing good practices and to support each other in case relevant information can be used for writing a report or memorandum for a national or regional strategy on the role of level 5 of the EQF (and the corresponding level of the NQF). Like in February this year there will a two day conference of CHAIN5, on 12-13 February 2015 in Amsterdam. These days are intended for the community meeting on the position of CHAIN5 as an organization, and the annual conference which will address a number of interesting issues related to the deployment and use of qualifications at level 5 of the EQF (formal and non-formal). In this newsletter you will find information on both activities. Registration for these events is now possible. Please see the notice on 'practical issues', in this newsletter. We hope to welcome as many members and those who are interested in CHAIN5 in Amsterdam, to take the next steps around this community. Community Meeting (optional for interested members) Part of the morning of the first day will be devoted to the 'community meeting' ( general assembly ) for CHAIN5. This meeting will take place from 10:30 till 12:00, to examine a number of issues concerning the organization of CHAIN5. As discussed in Amsterdam in February this year the organization of CHAIN5 will be - till the next community meeting in 2016 - in the hand of Leido as being a Foundation under Dutch law. In the meantime we will see what can be the most adequate way to operate as community and to find out what kind of legal identity fits best. The agenda will have an outline like this: 1. Welcome, approval of agenda and note of attendance 2. Board and Steering Committee - Secretariat 3. Membership and Statutory matters: proposal for statutes and internal rules 4. Our Strategy / Project under Erasmus+ 5. Contacts with other organisations, involved in level 5 - representation 6. Seminars 7. Website - Newsletters 8. AOB 1
The 'community meeting' is open to anyone who is involved in CHAIN5 and those who will and can contribute to the further development of the organization in the coming years (maybe as a member of the Board, the Steering Committee of one of the working groups). Conference This conference will focus on a further positioning of CHAIN5, to be combined with current developments and good practices related to what is happening with level 5 in Europe. Interesting is what will happen with SCHE in the European Higher Education Area. Also the question about how to deal with the overlap between HVET, SCHE and other formal and non-formal qualifications at level 5 has the answered in the right way. And because we know that DG Employment of the European Commission is from January 2015 on also involved in Vocational Education and Training and also Adult Learning, level 5 qualifications will become very important in discussing the opportunities for having in the near future more people with knowledge, skills and competences at a higher level. That s why we will talk also about the topics for an application under Erasmus+. It will mainly be naming a number of current developments around qualifications at level 5, to match them in an international context. These aspects will be described in the application so that each partner and those organisations that will be acting as an associate partner in the project can explicitly elaborate the critical success factors for use in many countries as possible, together with other members within the community of CHAIN5. The annual conference will be used to highlight some of those developments, and to give everyone the opportunity to contribute to a list of issues that are relevant for CHAIN5 in an international context. Some of them will also be used for (regional) seminars to be clear about that: not as part of the project to be held in the coming year, in cooperation with our members and of course with other organizations involved in VET and/or HE. Below you will find the provisional program. There is certainly still room for contributions from more members of CHAIN5. In that case your proposal has to be send to info@leido.nl and we can discuss the way how it fits in the conference programme. Programme Thursday 12 February 2015 12:30 13:30 Registration 13:30 13:50 Opening session 13:50 14:30 Plenary presentation - state of play - level 5 in Europe (and other parts of the world ) - role of CHAIN5 - playing field for VET, HE and level 5 - implementation of SCHE in the European Higher Education Area - follow-up research level 5 (Cedefop) 14:30 15:10 Short plenary presentations about the issues, to be discussed during the workshops 15:10 15:30 Coffee break 15:30 16:45 Workshops (see below) 16:45 17:25 Forum discussion 17:25 17:30 Closing of the first day 19:00 21:30 Dinner (optional) 2
Workshops Here are the outlines for these workshops. In the next newsletter we will give more specific background information. 1 International cooperation between VET Colleges and Universities The Norwegian Council for Vocational Colleges has performed a study on cooperation between Norwegian Vocational Colleges, Norwegian Universities and University Colleges abroad. This study will be presented, together with examples of good practices and templates for how to take care for a transnational transfer from VET to HE. 2 Flexibility in The Netherlands and a new type of qualifications at level 5 The Dutch government recently published a lifelong learning letter, about more possibilities for offering flexible study programmes for adult learners. This means that there will be in the coming period a national discussion about the role of higher education institutions offering higher professional education in a private and public-financed setting a new level playing field for them. The Associate degree-programme as level 5 qualification in the Dutch Qualifications Framework is an important instrument in shaping flexible learning pathways. But it is clear that the world of work, businesses, employers and other organizations representing the labour market, need more than that, not just having a formal degree. Recent discussions have showed that other, nonformal types of qualifications, can fill the gap between at one side professional training and schooling programmes (in most cases very short, with a focus on one company, tailor made) and at the other side SCHE programmes. In the Netherlands Higher Vocational Education and Training (HVET) is not a qualification within the educational system so what to do? In this workshop more about the road to this new type of qualifications at level 5 a higher professional diploma maybe to be seen as a good practice for other countries or viceversa 3 ECVET bridging levels in a transnational setting In this workshop will be presented the ECVET outcomes from projects on permeability and qualification definitions. There will be attention for the background from PERMEVET (bridging levels 4-5-6 in a transnational setting) and Skillsbank (qualification definitions based on Learning Outcomes in a unit structure ) with first step self-assessments for Recognition of Prior learning linked to the respective LOs. Both projects were promoted by Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Science (Norway). Friday 13 February 2015 08:45 09:30 Registration 09.30 09.40 Opening session second day 09.40 10.10 Plenary presentation on VET and HE - Barcelona Declaration VET4EU2 - Flexibility - Permeability between VET and HE - Role of level 5 (See the annex: Memo by VET4EU2, on flexibility as input for this presentation) 10:10 11.10 Discussion in small groups on flexibility in vocational and professional education - recommendations for DG Employment (VET, AE - and also for HE) 11:10 11.30 Coffee break 11:30 12:00 Plenary presentation about the draft of a new application under Erasmus+ 12:00 12:40 Forum discussion about the themes, as input for of such an application 12:40 12:55 Reflection on the outcomes of the discussions 12:55 13:00 Closing of the conference 13:00 14.00 Lunch 3
Practical Issues Place to be: Amsterdam, the Netherlands Venue: To be confirmed - in the center of the city of Amsterdam close to the Waterlooplein (Waterloo Square) see: https://www.google.nl/maps/place/waterloopleinmarkt/@52.368421,4.901761,16z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x47c609be12672301:0x68b3d28ec9507f9 Date for the community meeting: Thursday 12 February from 10:30 till 12:00) Dates for the conference: Thursday 12 February (starting time: 13:30) and Friday 13 February (closing time: 13:00- followed by a lunch till 14:00) The fee for the conference is 75 euro - and for the optional dinner 35 euro. Registration is possible to send an e-mail to: info@leido.nl - mentioning - Name - Position - Organization - Participation in: community meeting / annual conference / both / dinner yes or no. Hotels: We recommend you to use a website like www.booking.com to make a reservation yourself. The prices offered there are in general the lowest In the first week of January we will send more information about the venue, the workshops and other practical matters, to be published in the next newsletter. 4
Annex FLEXIBILITY IN VOCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION LEVEL 4 AND HIGHER Policy contribution The Associations of VET providers combined In VET4EU2 want to contribute to the policy development in VET that is underway in evaluating and revising the Bruges communique. An important issue is the flexibility and connection between VET and higher (vocational) education. We recommend the following points as ingredients for shaping more flexible learning pathways, connecting VET and HE (as part of a column for professional education ). 1. There is a need for more possibilities for people (regardless of age) after completing a level 4 program (the minimum entry requirement to higher education Institutions) to get a degree at levels 5 and higher. 2. In general there is a need to investigate routes that will allow youngsters having a level 4 VET qualification to enter HE with as less as possible thresholds, directly or after taking bridging courses (no more than 1 year). This means that a VET program should have specific modules to prepare students for HE - and that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) must be aware of these students as possible clients. HEIs delivering professional higher education can offer those bridging courses - in collaboration with and support from VET institutions. A flexible first semester or year can facilitate the transition from level 4 VET to HE. 3. Good practices within the EU and third countries of flexible learning pathways for VET students transferring to HE could be exploited and adapted to the needs of individual Member States. It should be proposed to the DG EAC for VET/AE to make this the main subject of a VET Business Forum, having in mind that employers are involved in VET programs. Also the success of practical instruments like apprenticeships, internships, projects as part of those programs are depending of the input of players on the labor market. As input for the Forum, the Associations are offering to prepare a draft document, with concrete ideas for The Column of Professional Education in 2020. 4. Closer cooperation between institutions offering Higher Vocational Education and Training (HVET) and Short Cycle Higher Education (SCHE) is imperative according to the outcomes of the CEDEFOP study on the role of level 5 in countries having a NQF. This means that transfer from HVET to SCHE and from HVET or SCHE to Bachelor s programs (or other qualifications at level 6 of the EQF) can be more and more effective and attractive if a clear and coherent credit transfer system is in place. 5. The Associations can work together to bring together all parties involved to reach a mutually agreed on methodology and the instruments to be used towards accomplishing this very important task. 6. An impetus must be given for the recognition of non-formal and informal learning. All Members States have agreed to have at National level by January 2018, a mechanism for the recognition and transferring of Learning Outcomes acquired via non-formal and informal learning routes. The collaboration of all parties involved in HE, VET, HVET and SCHE, is imperative to facilitate successful and timely implementation of the mechanism for the recognition and transferring of LOs via informal and formal education. Quality Assurance issues, level of the LOs, Certification, Validation of providers are some of the key elements to address and agree on. The necessary instruments and tools are already available, (NQF, EQF, ECTS, ECVET, QA, etcetera) so there is no need to reinvent the wheel just to find ways to implement them and putting them into use. 5
7. A flexible learning pathway can provide the opportunity to the learner at any time and moments to decide about the next step, when, how and why. 8. The use of online resources (open, free, MOOCs) can contribute effectively and efficiently to develop the flexible learning pathways. Facilitation, mentoring, guidance and mentoring will be needed to exploit the potential gains of these resources. 9. Flexibility is also a need for achievement of level 4 programs. For this the European member states shall accept recognition of prior learning and cumulative learning pathways i.e. with help of ECVET as possible pathways without any restrictions. This does not only give a benefit to the target groups but also for enterprises and society in total by acting against dropping out of the system, by producing qualified workforce and opening new pathways for an inclusive future. The abbreviation VET4EU2 refers to the 4 networks that are mainly working in secondary VET and the two networks that work primarily in Higher Professional Education. VET4EU2 could be heard as VET for you too, thus indicating that VET is an honorable educational route for all. It also refers to the route from VET to Higher Education, which should be considered as an equal option compared to the route through General (secondary) Education. Using this abbreviation is also an indication of the strong will to work together on the issues above. 6