European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network Database, ELGPN Database

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

Developing CMS in companies undergoing restructuring in Portugal

Country

Portugal

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

1. Background

What makes this an example of good/interesting practice/initiative/policy?

- The motivation of the initiative (What is the history/background of the policy?)

- Linkages with LLG policy priorities (Please add references to other national/EU policies or documents)

- Participants

The Portuguese Public Employment Service has developed a programme addressed to companies undergoing restructuring.

Aims and targets

- Objectives of the initiative (What did the policy set out to achieve?)

- Target group

- Methods applied to reach the objective (technological and /or pedagogical)

This programme has two main goals, in one hand to decrease the impact of these changes in the workers and in other hand to have workers with the skills to face new challenges and in adjusting the availability of their workforce.

2. Implementation

Strategy and actions (Please describe the approach adopted to make the reform work and any actions taken.)

- Level of implementation (national, regional etc.)

- Implementation (description)

The first step is to realize the skills profile of employees that the company needs, after this the work with the employees begin with an interview to evaluate expectations of workers and to explain all the process. Mainly the intervention is developed inside the company.

This initiative is in the hands of guidance practitioners, who operate as part of a wider technical team (counselors, social workers and jobs technicians) that works closely with diverse entities. The goal is to support worker retraining while enhancing employability, largely by fostering the CMS that enable them to face not only this transition, but also the future management of their careers in an autonomous way.
Workers typically accumulate knowledge that can be transferred to other work contexts.

The first intervention is a ‘balance of competences’ to support identify, assess and enhance the skills acquired throughout life in various contexts, as well as to detect skills gaps. After the ‘balance of competences’ is completed, an individual plan is drawn up. This may include the development of CMS (relational skills, as well as problem-solving, information management, learning skills, and teamwork), training (tailor made, according company needs and workers skills after a validation of all knowledge and skills , or other aspects that include attitudes towards change, self-esteem and entrepreneurship. Job seeking strategies are also often part of the plan when it is not possible the worker to remain on the same company or to be placed on one of the employee offers available on the employment center.
Depending on the included actions on the individual plan, small groups, of 10-12 elements that participated on the developing CMS interventions, are constituted. They can participate on a complete program, with an average duration of 60 hours or in specific modules according to the specific needs of each candidate.


This supports efforts to re-integrate workers in employment, in the same company, in another or as a self employee, linked to the needs of the company and the labour market is more and more helpful in times of high rates of unemployment .

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

3. Outcomes

Achievements (Please describe the main outcomes/results according to the following headings. Each option can be answered - up to 50 words)

- Specific results

- Cost effectiveness

- Budget

- Innovative aspects

Success factors (What key success factors have led to or prevented success?)

- Lessons learnt

- Unintended impacts (Have there been any unintended impacts? Positive or negative?)

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

Additional information

Name of contact

Role (in policy initiative)

Organization name

Address

Phone

Fax

E-mail

Website address

No links specified.

Documents and publications

Attached files

Links

No links specified.

This information was provided/updated by:

Marjo Halmiala

No comments by users.

good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, employability, transition, comptences, career management skills, learning skills, problem-solving, information management, teamwork, self-esteem, employment, unemployed, employed, career information, Portugal

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

The Hungarian LLG Council and LLG System development

Country

Hungary

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

1. Background

What makes this an example of good/interesting practice/initiative/policy?

- The motivation of the initiative (What is the history/background of the policy?)

- Linkages with LLG policy priorities (Please add references to other national/EU policies or documents)

- Participants

In Hungary there is no official central ownership of guidance issues. While guidance activities and development are overseen by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (Szociális és Munkaügyi Minisztérium), the Ministry of Education and Culture (Oktatási és Kulturális Minisztérium) is also a key actor in the field. However, the two ministries do not have a long term strategic agreement on the issue. On the other hand, neither the citizens, nor the employers have a clear idea of the aims, methods or the benefits of guidance, counselling and vocational orientation.

Since the establishment of the European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network (ELGPN) at EU level, national developments have pushed ahead. The Hungarian LLG Council (Nemzeti Pályaorientációs Tanács, NPT) was founded in January 2008 and in September of the same year a new national programme was launched in the framework of the Social Renewal Operational Programme (Társadalmi Megújulás Operatív Programja, TÁMOP) of the New Hungary Development Plan (Új Magyarország Fejlesztési Terv, ÚMFT) 2007-2013 which includes the development of a new national LL guidance network.

The national LLL strategy (2005) as well as the National Reform Programme (2008-2010) also specifies the development of some elements of career guidance activities but a policy document was elaborated by the new Hungarian LLG Council.

Aims and targets

- Objectives of the initiative (What did the policy set out to achieve?)

- Target group

- Methods applied to reach the objective (technological and /or pedagogical)

The main aim of the national council is to develop and promote a framework for lifelong guidance policy. The work of the council is strongly related with the national development programme for LLG System in Hungary. According the Hungarian Government decision (2007) this programme was designed for the 7 years period of the NSRF (2007-2013) and cover 22,6 millions EUR total. Within this main aim the subtasks are the followings:
1. unifying the meaning of career guidance within the educational and employment, social regulations in national level
2. re-establish and also reinterpretat policy mechanism in the field of career guidance after the 70’s
3. develop an unified regulation for career guidance and also develop the financing mechanism
4. develop a cross-sectoral common understanding in the field of lifelong guidance/ carrier education and career counselling
5. develop a web-based unified cadastre for career counselling professionals and for other professionals whose are working in related fields (i.e. teachers, social workers etc.)
6. develop unified guidelines for career counselling professionals
7. upskilling professionals for LLG
7a. offering in-service trainings at two different levels:
- for career counselling professionals
- and for professionals in the related fields
7b. develop tools for all age guidance
7c. publishing a new review (Életpálya Tanácsadás) for the professional community
7d. widening access for career guidance services as a common project of different stakeholders

2. Implementation

Strategy and actions (Please describe the approach adopted to make the reform work and any actions taken.)

- Level of implementation (national, regional etc.)

- Implementation (description)

SROP 2.2.2. under the professional supervision of the NPT implementing a numerous new features in the field of career guidance. The main items within the first 2 year-long period are:
- Development a new toolkit for career guidance professional (questioners for all-age services, web based databank)
- Get together the professionals and the related professionals of career guidance
- Provide in-service training for 2000 people whose working in related professions
- Provide 2 year-long post-graduate diploma for career guidance professionals as widening the network of trained professionals
- Develop a national and regional network of the professionals

The programme SROP 2.2.2 supports development in the areas of IT and methodology. In the area of IT development, the development of a new national guidance portal is envisaged, targeting the youth, adults and professionals/experts, with the aim of providing integrated, up to date, and user friendly information related to education and the labour market. The webpage would also offer a portal for the career guidance professionals, where they could reach all the information and tools regarding the project. It has four main functions:
- Social networking
- Knowledgebase
- Special functions: online storage of counselling case diaries, nameless statistical treatment of their facts, tools that make possible to analyse the offline questionnaires

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

The first round of monitoring will be carried out in 2010 before than end of the first phase. Internal evaluation is must of the Hungarian Development Agency (NDA) and the National Agency of European Social Fund. Four internal evaluations are compulsory within these 2 years:
- May 2009
- October 2009
- May 2010
- December 2010

NDA and ESA Agency are monitoring the programme outcomes. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour will get a professional summery before the second programme proposal will be submitted to the National Development Agency Human Resources Managing Authority till June 2010.

Two independent external evaluations are also planed within this period.
- one in policy context,
- another for measuring the performance of the 50 career counsellors’ activates working in the programme

3. Outcomes

Achievements (Please describe the main outcomes/results according to the following headings. Each option can be answered - up to 50 words)

- Specific results

- Cost effectiveness

- Budget

- Innovative aspects

Project indicators and their status:
- Number of clients receiving guidance services - base: 30 000 persons/year, aim: 40 000 persons/year, status: achieved (2009)
- Trained persons (from the fields related to guidance) - base: 0, aim: 2000 persons, status: in progress
- Number of persons who successfully finished trainings - base: 0, aim: 1900 persons, status: in progress
- User satisfaction of clients included in guidance activities - base: N/A, aim: + 20%, status: in progress
- Persons attended in post-gradual trainings - base: 0, aim: 50 persons, status: achieved
- Newly developed occupation folders - base: 202, aim: 302, status: in progress
- Updated occupation folders - base: 172, aim: 222, status: in progress
- Newly developed training materials (and courses) - base: 0, aim: 10, status: achieved
- Newly developed occupation films - base: 344, aim: 364, status: in progress
- Unique visitors of the newly developed national guidance portal - base: 223 200 visitor/year, aim: 268 000 visitor/year, status: achieved (2009)

Budget: 2,08 Bn HUF - 7,8 M EUR - is to be used in the first 2 years.

Success factors (What key success factors have led to or prevented success?)

- Lessons learnt

- Unintended impacts (Have there been any unintended impacts? Positive or negative?)

A strong professional view of the programme management and the international developments (ie. EU Resolutions 2004, 2008, EU-OECD 2004. ILO 2006. UNESCO 2002 publications etc.) help in the implementation period.

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

Lack of evidence of the real economic impact of career guidance and a very segmented human resources development system make the ongoing development and further implementation very fragile. Lack of national resources for the maintaining of the ESA founded development is also an important issue, especially after 2013/2014 for the next development period (2014-2020) of the EU. A national level and cross-sectoral unfiled re-regulation of this field is essential for the success and the marinating of the developments.

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

Additional information

Name of contact

Borbély-Pecze, Tibor Bors, NPT

Role (in policy initiative)

Secretary of NPT

Organization name

Nemzeti Pályaorientációs Tanács

Address

Nemzeti Pályaorientációs Tanács Titkársága Foglalkoztatási és Szociális Hivatal (Borbély-Pecze Tibor Bors, titkár) Budapest Kálvária tér 7. 1089 Hungary

Phone

+36.30.216.0095

Fax

+36.1.459.2099

E-mail

beneiv@lab.hu; borbelytibor@lab.hu

Website address

http://internet.afsz.hu/engine.aspx?page=full_kulfoldi_palyaor_eu_magyar_llg_tanacs

Documents and publications

Attached files

Links

http://internet.afsz.hu/resource.aspx?resourceid=full_kulfoldi_palyaor_eu_magyar_llg_szakpol_ang

This information was provided/updated by:

BORBÉLY-PECZE Tibor Bors

No comments by users.

ELGPN, good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, national development, LLG system development, cadastre, career guidance counsellor, ICT, effectiveness, national standard development, education policy, PES, cross policy coordination, training of the guidance professionals, access, quality, co-operation, co-ordination, guidance in schools, unemployed, employed, older adults, career information, qualifications, Hungary

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

The Retirement Compass

Country

Germany

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

1. Background

What makes this an example of good/interesting practice/initiative/policy?

- The motivation of the initiative (What is the history/background of the policy?)

- Linkages with LLG policy priorities (Please add references to other national/EU policies or documents)

- Participants

In the light of the changing demographics and the future manpower shortage elder people are becoming increasingly important as active citizens. Active aging is an aim and necessity both of the Council of the European Union as well as of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Retirement Compass (Ruhestandskompass) is a new tool to support people with the transition from work to retirement promoting active aging.

It has been developed as part of the Federal programme ‘Local Learning’ (Lernen vor Ort) in the city of Leipzig/ Germany. ‘Local Learning’ (Lernen vor Ort) is a public-private partnership between the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and some German foundations funded by the ESF and the Federal Government with the overall aim to promote coordinated Lifelong Learning of the individual. The programme supports municipalities to strengthen education management in the region. In addition to better regional cooperation and coordination and educational monitoring, the programme aims to facilitate transitions from one life-phase to the other.

Aims and targets

- Objectives of the initiative (What did the policy set out to achieve?)

- Target group

- Methods applied to reach the objective (technological and /or pedagogical)

The Retirement Compass aims to support orientation and planning of retirement and thus helps to manage the transition into a self-determined retirement as a conscious step and should assist to make this phase of life as active as possible.

The tool targets people who will retire shortly (around the age of 65 – but also those who may retire earlier or later). It can be applied individually but consulting a guidance practitioner during the process of working with the compass is highly recommended. Thus, the Compass creates an occasion for guidance and actively encourages elder people, who rarely approach guidance services, to use guidance provisions. It also encourages to exchange reflections, ideas and plans with friends, family and colleagues.

Following a portfolio approach and inspired by such approaches for young people and for competence assessment, the tool also helps to improve self-knowledge and self-reflection, assessing and acknowledging personal interests as well as planning of the future life phase.

The Retirement Compass is open to all possible outcomes including the decision, not to plan anything and leave open space for the retirement. It further provides information on opportunities for volunteer work, and possibilities of leisure, sports and other activities and related services in the municipality.

2. Implementation

Strategy and actions (Please describe the approach adopted to make the reform work and any actions taken.)

- Level of implementation (national, regional etc.)

- Implementation (description)

After its development the Retirement Compass was piloted in 2010 with staff personnel of the municipial administration of Leipzig. Since June 2011 the tool is offered to all employees of the municipal administration who will go into retirement shortly. They are encouraged to use the retirement compass and to see a guidance practitioner. The educational guidance service of Leipzig which has also been established as part of the programme ‘Local Learning’ provides a special guidance offer for the Retirement Compass. The Compass and guidance provision is open to all citizen of the city of Leipzig. It is also available in a fully accessible version for blind and visually impaired people ( developed in cooperation with the German Central Library for the Blind).

This regional implementation results from the context of the development of the tool in the programme ‘Local Learning’ in Leipzig. But, through the exchange between the municipalities taking part in the programme at conferences and working groups, tools and experiences are communicated and shared. In general, the tool is designed to be easily adaptable in all regions.

Other cities have already become interested and are planning to implement the tool. In the city of Dresden the Office for Senior Citizens has made a cooperation agreement with the city of Leipzig to adapt and implement the Retirement Compass. Steps have been taken in the city of Dresden to evaluate the demand and ways of use and dissemination of the tool. Another cooperation agreement has been made with the city of Erfurt. Particularly, the information part on regional opportunities is specific to one region and must be adapted to the provisions and offers available elsewhere.

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

In Leipzig educational guidance on the Retirement Compass is regularly evaluated on the basis of questionnaires handed out to clients. The evaluation of the 1st edition of the Retirement Compass was broadened by involving senior citizen’s clubs and associations as well as providers of continuing education for senior citizen’s. On the basis of these questionnaires and further reactions and responses a second revised and updated edition of the Retirement Compass was developed.

3. Outcomes

Achievements (Please describe the main outcomes/results according to the following headings. Each option can be answered - up to 50 words)

- Specific results

- Cost effectiveness

- Budget

- Innovative aspects

- Specific results
Results from the piloting show that individuals who have used the Retirement Compass felt better informed about opportunities in their region. Further, they had clearer plans for retirement which they were confident to realize.

- Cost effectiveness
The tool is free of charge and is available online as well as in print.

- Budget
The budget is part of the overall budget of the “Local Learning” project in Leipzig which is funded by the city of Leipzig, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, partly by the ESF and which is supported by private foundations.

- Innovative aspects
In the aging society the elder generation is becoming more and more important for the society. Many retired people are still healthy and motivated to work or engage themselves voluntarily. It is important to keep social contacts and to ensure participation in the society. This may also support well-being and health as some studies suggest. The transfer of knowledge and experience to new generations is also of importance to the individual as well as to the society.

Success factors (What key success factors have led to or prevented success?)

- Lessons learnt

- Unintended impacts (Have there been any unintended impacts? Positive or negative?)

Despite the need for orientation at the transition to retirement and the growth of further education for senior citizens confirmed by the Senior Citizen’s Council in Dresden (Seniorenbeirat), the actual demand for the tool is low. Elder citizen are not usually accustomed to using guidance provisions and hesitate to visit places they are not familiar with. Hence, the Retirement Compass needs to remain a voluntary tool which may be used in easily accessible guidance provisions. Thus, the tool is intended to be offered and guidance may be provided in places which older citizens frequently visit, such as libraries, senior’s citizen’s centres etc.

The information on provisions and offers in the region supports local networks between the relevant stakeholders in the field of education and social work for senior citizens.

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

The Compass may be used individually without consulting a guidance practitioner which may not lead to the same results as if a professional practitioner supports the reflection of the personal interests and aims.

Implementing the Retirement Compass more strongly in public administration and to involve more organisations (e.g. the Job Centers for the long-term unemployed, the local PES) remains to be a challenge in Leipzig. In addition, the Retirement Compass shall be disseminated to as many employers as possible. It should be offered more openly than before in the educational guidance service of Leipzig.

Another critical question which is discussed in other cities is the question of publishing. If the tool is published by the municipality it may, on the one hand, receive a higher level of authority. On the other hand, it runs the risk of becoming part of public administration. The question of publishing through the public authorities or the local agencies and non-profit organisations for education or senior citizen’s and social well-fare is also a question of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms of cooperation and coordination with all its implications.

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

The Retirement Compass is organised in three parts:
1. Reflection of working life (positive and negative aspects, leaving and new beginning)
2. Clarification of interests (hobbies, commitments voluntary work)
3. Information and service including adresses, profiles and courses offered of providers adult education etc.
Discussions on the contents of the Retirement Compass and their organisation and arrangement are still going on. While some exoperts feel that the contents and their representation in the tool is banal, others argue that the simplicity of the tool enables all citizens to easily access the Compass by themselves encouraging them to access educational guidance and to review their past, present and future.

Additional information

Name of contact

Stadt Leipzig, Amt für Jugend, Familie und Bildung, Stabsstelle “Lernen vor Ort”

Role (in policy initiative)

Bureau responsible for Local Learning in the city of Leipzig

Organization name

Stadt Leipzig, Amt für Jugend, Familie und Bildung, Stabsstelle “Lernen vor Ort”

Address

Postfach, 04092 Leipzig

Phone

Fax

E-mail

jugend-familie-bildung@leipzig.de, lernen-vor-ort@leipzig.de

Website address

http://www.leipzig.de/lernen-vor-ort

Documents and publications

Attached files

Links

No links specified.

This information was provided/updated by:

Bernhard Jenschke

No comments by users.

good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, access, active ageing, citizenship, transition, continuing education, elderly persons, employed, Germany, hobbies, guidance services, information, instrument, libraries, life planning, lifelong, guidance, municipal, administration, municipalities, portfolio, project, Regional level, self-assessment, social welfare, transitionadult education, older adults

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

Workplace Guidance

Country

Denmark

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

1. Background

What makes this an example of good/interesting practice/initiative/policy?

- The motivation of the initiative (What is the history/background of the policy?)

- Linkages with LLG policy priorities (Please add references to other national/EU policies or documents)

- Participants

•The motivation of the initiative
The Workplace Guidance (WG) project consisted of two consecutive WG 1 and WG 2 Leonardo da Vinci projects. The first one was a mapping and interview-based project; the second one focused on extending guidance and counselling practices to low-paid workers. The WG project developed, therefore, a number of educational materials and a training course targeted at vocational guidance counsellors, trade union activists and employers, in order to update their skills/competence in relation to the identified target group (low-paid workers) and to enhance access of low-paid workers to lifelong learning.

* Linkages with LLG policy initiatives
These overall aims respond to several objectives of the Copenhagen process and the Maastricht communiqué: to increase the skills and competence of low-qualified workers and enhance their motivation to enter in a lifelong learning process; to provide workers with lifelong learning guidance; to increase the attractiveness of vocational training and education.

•Participants
The partnership included partners from 10 European countries: Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom. Among these participants, the policy impact of WG was most significant in IS & DK. Thus, this report concentrates on these two countries as examples.

Aims and targets

- Objectives of the initiative (What did the policy set out to achieve?)

- Target group

- Methods applied to reach the objective (technological and /or pedagogical)

•Objectives of the initiative
The aim of the project was to assist lowpaid workers into lifelong learning through the provision of vocational guidance that is easy for them to access, i.e. at the workplace. Hence the project highlighted good practice, and also gave 100 hours training to vocational guidance counsellors, human resource workers and trade union activists in order to highlight the value of, and assist with, the provision of guidance to lower-paid workers.

•Target group
Low paid workers: the fact that the low-paid workers can receive guidance and counselling on-hand at the workplace increased their learning opportunities and enhanced their motivation to enhance their competence through acquiring new skills. Enhancing the skills of lower-paid workers in Europe is urgently needed to meet both new technological innovations and competition from other countries and continents.

•Methods
The project delivered an online course on workplace guidance that included a wide range of materials on the website through which it was delivered. The project website contains all the education materials in 11 languages, as well as the online course.

2. Implementation

Strategy and actions (Please describe the approach adopted to make the reform work and any actions taken.)

- Level of implementation (national, regional etc.)

- Implementation (description)

Outreach Workplace Guidance was an experimental and somewhat fragmented practice in Denmark, initiated by trade unions. Subsequently components of the Workplace Guidance project were transformed into mainstream national guidance policies, especially in Iceland and Denmark, as mentioned below in Section 3

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

3. Outcomes

Achievements (Please describe the main outcomes/results according to the following headings. Each option can be answered - up to 50 words)

- Specific results

- Cost effectiveness

- Budget

- Innovative aspects

Policy impact
The outreach guidance components of the Workplace Guidance project were transformed into mainstream national guidance policies. Thus, the concepts of Learning Advisors and of Guidance Corners were transferred to Iceland on the basis of the Danish experiences with guidance in the actual workplace, thus incorporating the concept of Workplace Guidance into the 9 Lifelong Learning/Lifelong Guidance Centres all over Iceland (see http://www.frae.is). This guidance provision coverage is remarkable, considering that Iceland is a country with only 300.00 inhabitants. The outreach workplace guidance activities are supported partly by the education funds, which were already in place as part of industrial agreements between employers and trade unions.
In both the case of Denmark and of Iceland, the Workplace Guidance project played an active role in contributing and influencing current adult learning and adult guidance policies. As in the other Nordic countries, in an attempt to improve the skills and qualifications of the workforce, various learning policies have stressed the importance of reaching out the workers with low pay and low formal qualification. In Sweden, for instance, a national ‘Competence and knowledge’ campaigns (Kunskapslyft) stressed the dual purpose of adult learning: (1) the global competitiveness aspect in creating a knowledge-based society; (2) the aspects of social inclusion and democratisation.
In the Danish context, the economic competitiveness has been brought to the forefront, and guidance plays a pivotal role here. In a governmental white paper on the challenges of Globalisation, a whole chapter dealt with guidance, and of 333 concrete proposals, 30 were specifically on guidance, many of which focused on lifelong, and, in particular, adult guidance (see Fremgang, fornyelse og tryghed. Strategi for Danmark i den globale økonomi. København: Regeringen, 2006. 165 pages. Online: Fremgang, fornyelse og tryghed). In this policy-forming process, the Workplace Guidance project was presented by the Danish WG project member to the Danish Ministry of Education, both formally and informally, and explained in some detail to an inter-ministerial policy-making group, which took a special interest in the low-cost aspects of outreach workplace-based guidance, and of the potential synergy between formal and non-formal (peer-based: learning advisors/educational ambassadors). The ensuing political discussions lead, among other things, to a Parliamentary decision on a temporary Adult Guidance Reform, which alotted EUR 17 Mill over two years (2008-2009) to develop workplace guidance (in 22 regional networks), and a further decision to follow this by research into the effects of different approaches (see http://www.uvm.dk/Uddannelse/Vejledning/Vejledningsordninger/Voksenvejledning.aspx). A new National Council on Adult Guidance was also established. On this basis, after a tender, a National Centre for Competence Development was established, with the brief to produce research results to underpin further policy developments in the adult guidance and adult learning field (see www.ncfk.dk). This approach was to be an example of truly evidence-based policy making. Ironically, this plan was overtaken by other policy decisions, whereby the mentioned 22 adult guidance networks were replaced by 13 new, regional adult learning centers (VEU-Centre, 2009), even before the evaluation of the trial period had come to an end.

Success factors (What key success factors have led to or prevented success?)

- Lessons learnt

- Unintended impacts (Have there been any unintended impacts? Positive or negative?)

•Lessons learnt
In both countries (IS & DK) the WG project was in line with current national policy-making, as described above. This gave momentum to the policy impact. Moreover, as an example of cross-national impact of an EU-project, WG had the good fortune to have project members who were themselves centrally placed in guidance policy-making.

•Unexpected outcomes
The Workplace Guidance project was awarded the EU 2006 Helsinki Award as an innovative Leonardo da Vinci project (see http://www.minedu.fi/vet2006/Helsinki_Award.html ), and it was subsequently chosen as one of the outstanding LdV projects with policy transfer potential at the conference in Ljubljana, May 2007 on The voice of Users in Guidance (see http://www.lmvet.net/page/tg1_usersvoice ).

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

Project No
2003/ISL/03/B/F/PP-164 001

Project title
Vocational guidance for low-paid workers (Workplace Guidance)

Project promoter
Starfsafl Educational Fund

Contact details
Name Starfsafl Educational Fund
Address Sætún 1
105 Reykjavík
E-mail starfsafl@starfsafl.is

Partnership
The partnership included partners from 10 European countries: Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.

Website
http://www.gla.ac.uk/wg
Project duration
Start date: 13.10.2003 / End date: 31.3.2006

Additional information

Name of contact

Peter Plant

Role (in policy initiative)

Expert

Organization name

Danmarks Pædagogiske Universitetsskole/Forskningsenhed i Vejledning / Guidance Research Unit

Address

Tuborgvej 164 DK-2400 København NV

Phone

+ 45 88 88 94 07

Fax

+ 45 88 88 97 08

E-mail

pepl@dpu.dk

Website address

http://www.gla.ac.uk/wg/

Documents and publications

Clayton, P (2007). The potential of workplace guidance in the development of lower-paid workers in Europe. In: Lorenz Lassnigg, Helen Burzlaff, Maria A. Davia Rodriguez, Morten Lassen (Eds.), Lifelong Learning: Building Bridges Through Transitional Labour Markets, Amsterdam: Het Spinhuis

Plant, P. & Turner, R. (2005). Getting closer: workplace guidance for lifelong learning. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 24:2, 123-135

Plant, P. (2008). On the shopfloor: guidance in the workplace. In: Athanasou, J. & Esbroeck, R.V. (eds) (2008). International Handbook of Career Guidance. London: Springer

Attached files

Links

http://www.gla.ac.uk/wg/

This information was provided/updated by:

Peter Plant

No comments by users.

ELGPN, good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, workplace guidance, vocational education, access, employed, Denmark

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

Transfer of Innovative Methodology for Assessment of VET Teachers’ Prior Learning

Country

Lithuania

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

1. Background

What makes this an example of good/interesting practice/initiative/policy?

- The motivation of the initiative (What is the history/background of the policy?)

- Linkages with LLG policy priorities (Please add references to other national/EU policies or documents)

- Participants

In three partner countries – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – there are modular study programmes based on the acquisition of competencies, but there is no possibility for VET teachers to assess and recognize their non-formal and informal learning achievements. Project activities and results will promote the development of VET teachers’ education system by establishing the methodology for the assessment of the prior (non-formal and informal) learning and the study module based on this methodology. The possibility to recognize non-formal and informal learning achievements would increase the access to formal education and personalize studies for VET teachers, having practice and pedagogical experience, but having no formal teaching qualification.

Aims and targets

- Objectives of the initiative (What did the policy set out to achieve?)

- Target group

- Methods applied to reach the objective (technological and /or pedagogical)

The aim of the project is to enrich the existing VET teachers’ education programmes in three partner countries – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia by developing introductory module for Assessment of Prior Learning (APL). The possibility to recognize non-formal and informal learning achievements will increase the access to formal education and personalize studies for VET teachers, having practice and pedagogical experience, but having no formal teaching qualification. Expected project results:
• study of APL in VET teachers’ education systems in partner countries;
• methodology for assessment of VET teachers’ prior learning, basing on “donor” – partner (Jyvaskyla University of Applied Sciences) experience;
• study module for assessors of VET teachers’ prior learning developed and tested in partner countries;
• trained groups of assessors of VET teachers’ prior learning in three partner countries – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia;
• introductory module for assessment of VET teachers’ prior learning developed and tested in partner countries.
Target groups:
•VET teacher educators.
•VET teachers.
•Researchers of education.
•Education policy makers.

2. Implementation

Strategy and actions (Please describe the approach adopted to make the reform work and any actions taken.)

- Level of implementation (national, regional etc.)

- Implementation (description)

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

3. Outcomes

Achievements (Please describe the main outcomes/results according to the following headings. Each option can be answered - up to 50 words)

- Specific results

- Cost effectiveness

- Budget

- Innovative aspects

•A study of APL in VET teacher education systems in partner countries (EN) (LT) (LV) (EE)
•Methodology for assessment of VET teachers’ prior learning (EN) (LT) (LV) (EE)
•Study module for assessors of VET teachers’ prior learning
◦Handbook (EN) (LT) (LV) (EE)
◦Study module description (EN) (LT) (LV) (EE)
•Trained groups of assessors in three partner countries (LT, LV, EE).
•Introductory module for assessment of VET teachers’ prior learning
◦Handbook for APL candidates (EN) (LT) (LV) (EE)
•Special issue of scientific journal "Quality of Higher Education"
The material is available on-line: http://projects.ambernet.lt/timabalt/en/7415

Success factors (What key success factors have led to or prevented success?)

- Lessons learnt

- Unintended impacts (Have there been any unintended impacts? Positive or negative?)

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

Additional information

Name of contact

Aušra Fokienė

Role (in policy initiative)

Project manager

Organization name

Vytautas Magnus University, Centre for Quality of Studies

Address

S. Daukanto st. 27-314, LT-44249 Kaunas, Lithuania

Phone

0037037327973

Fax

0037037327973

E-mail

a.fokiene@skc.vdu.lt

Website address

http://projects.ambernet.lt/timabalt/en/7415

Documents and publications

•A study of APL in VET teacher education systems in partner countries
•Methodology for assessment of VET teachers’ prior learning
•Study module for assessors of VET teachers’ prior learning
◦Handbook
◦Study module description
•Trained groups of assessors in three partner countries
•Introductory module for assessment of VET teachers’ prior learning
◦Handbook for APL candidates
A special issue of the scientific journal The Quality of Higher Education No. 6 - http://skc.vdu.lt/index.php/en/journal/archive/no6
All documents and publications are available in LV, LT, EE and EN languages online: http://projects.ambernet.lt/timabalt/en/7415

Attached files

Links

http://projects.ambernet.lt/timabalt/en/7415

This information was provided/updated by:

Euroguidance LT

No comments by users.

good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, competence assessment, competence recognition, competence-based qualifications, competences, continuing education, education planning, education provision, educational development, evaluation of informal learning, evaluation of non-formal learning, further vocational qualifications, lifelong learning, quality, validation of non-formal and informal learning, valuation process, vocational education and training, vocational studies teacher, vocational teacher education college, career management skills, co-operation, tertiary education, employed, qualifications, effectiveness, Lithuania

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

eGuidance

Country

The Danish Ministry of Children and Education launched eGuidance in January 2011. It provides individual and personal guidance to all citizens via various virtual communication channels: chat, telephone, SMS, e-mail and Facebook. eGuidance is for everyone who wants information about education and employment; it may also refer users to other guidance tools (www.ug.dk) and to institutions for further guidance. It is especially targeted at resourceful young people and their parents, to give them easy access to independent information and guidance and thereby to motivate the young people to continue the search and clarification process on their own. It plays a central role as a guide to the national guidance portal, and as a communicator of guidance information etc. Use of Facebook was introduced in January 2012, enabling eGuidance to provide guidance in a common forum and in the social media (www.facebook.com/eVejledning). Users can contact eGuidance during the day and evening as well as at weekends.

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

1. Background

What makes this an example of good/interesting practice/initiative/policy?

- The motivation of the initiative (What is the history/background of the policy?)

- Linkages with LLG policy priorities (Please add references to other national/EU policies or documents)

- Participants

The Danish Ministry of Children and Education launched eGuidance in January 2011. E-guidance is established providing opportunity for personal guidance through “e-channels”
Primarily aimed at resourceful youths and their parents

Aims and targets

- Objectives of the initiative (What did the policy set out to achieve?)

- Target group

- Methods applied to reach the objective (technological and /or pedagogical)

eGuidance provides individual and personal guidance to all citizens via various virtual communication channels: chat, telephone, SMS, e-mail and Facebook. eGuidance is for everyone who wants information about education and employment; it may also refer users to other guidance tools (www.ug.dk) and to institutions for further guidance. It is especially targeted at resourceful young people and their parents, to give them easy access to independent information and guidance and thereby to motivate the young people to continue the search and clarification process on their own. It plays a central role as a guide to the national guidance portal, and as a communicator of guidance information etc. Use of Facebook was introduced in January 2012, enabling eGuidance to provide guidance in a common forum and in the social media (www.facebook.com/eVejledning). Users can contact eGuidance during the day and evening as well as at weekends.

2. Implementation

Strategy and actions (Please describe the approach adopted to make the reform work and any actions taken.)

- Level of implementation (national, regional etc.)

- Implementation (description)

eGuidance is a national service and is manned by professional guidance counsellors and cooperates with the youth guidance centres, the regional guidance centres and the national guidance portal www.ug.dk.

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

eGuidance is evaluated together with all other initiatives in the new Act on Guidance in 2010. eGuidance.

The Ministry of Education is the main stakeholder of the quality assurance system in the educational sector on a national level, as well as the main organisations for managers and guidance counsellors. eGuidance has establish a quality assurance system, which can be used to document activities, quality and effect on clients and society. Several indicators are included in the quality assurance system. Among the indicators are user surveys, based on nationally representative samples of pupils and students, responding on the same questionnaire. The user surveys are designed to provide information on user benefit of guidance in order to create the basis for a user-driven development. Based on inputs from guidance counsellors, the user surveys make it possible to compare and evaluate the user benefit of different types of guidance activities

3. Outcomes

Achievements (Please describe the main outcomes/results according to the following headings. Each option can be answered - up to 50 words)

- Specific results

- Cost effectiveness

- Budget

- Innovative aspects

Success factors (What key success factors have led to or prevented success?)

- Lessons learnt

- Unintended impacts (Have there been any unintended impacts? Positive or negative?)

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

Additional information

Name of contact

Steffen Jensen

Role (in policy initiative)

Organization name

Ministry og Children and Education

Address

Frederiksholms Kanal 26

Phone

0045033952135

Fax

E-mail

steffen.jensen@uvm.dk

Website address

evejledning.dk

Documents and publications

Attached files

Links

http://www.ug.dk/evejledning

This information was provided/updated by:

Hanne woller

No comments by users.

good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, schools, VET, higher education, adult education, employment, guidance in schools, unemployed, employed, career information, Denmark

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

Development and Elaboration of the Open Information, Counselling and Guidance System (AIKOS)

Country

Lithuania

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

1. Background

What makes this an example of good/interesting practice/initiative/policy?

- The motivation of the initiative (What is the history/background of the policy?)

- Linkages with LLG policy priorities (Please add references to other national/EU policies or documents)

- Participants

Main problems and challenges before the start of the project:
– The need of further development of the Open Information, Counselling and Guidance System (AIKOS) portal (www.aikos.smm.lt) in order to improve it’s usability, user-friendliness, appropriateness to different target groups, to ensure accuracy of information, to introduce on-line career information services. The need to develop and ensure effective interconnection of AIKOS and PLOTEUS II (Portal on Learning Opportunities throughout the European Space).
– The need to broaden the existing network of career information services by establishing 640 new Career Information Points (CIP).

Aims and targets

- Objectives of the initiative (What did the policy set out to achieve?)

- Target group

- Methods applied to reach the objective (technological and /or pedagogical)

The project had two main objectives:
1. elaboration of the Open Information, Counselling and Guidance System (AIKOS).
2. developing of the career information system facilities and establishing the network of Career Information Points (CIP).

Direct beneficiaries – students of general education, vocational education and higher education schools, career advisors, teachers. Indirect beneficiaries – all citizens interested in learning opportunities.

Methodologies and tools: applying IT technolgies, making research, creating models.

2. Implementation

Strategy and actions (Please describe the approach adopted to make the reform work and any actions taken.)

- Level of implementation (national, regional etc.)

- Implementation (description)

1. Development of the elaborated AIKOS portal programme equipment (new functional components, new contents produced according to the Standard – descriptions of occupations, qualifications, study programmes, other)
2. Development of the model of establishing the network of Career Information Points in the country. Establishing the CIP’S in the general schools, vocational schools, libraries, labour exchanges, prisons, etc. Equiping the CIP’s with the computors and other office facilities.

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

The main indicators are:
1. number of the new AIKOS portal functional components and new content items (e.g. number of the descriptions of occupations, etc.).
2. number of the instititions in which the Career Information Points were established.

The Ministry had contracted the IT company (JSC “Sintagma”) for the development of the AIKOS portal, this company worked together with the project partner – Centre of Informations Technologies of Education.
The Ministry worked in cooperation with the 60 municipalities in order to ensure the establishment of the network of Career Information Points in the country.

3. Outcomes

Achievements (Please describe the main outcomes/results according to the following headings. Each option can be answered - up to 50 words)

- Specific results

- Cost effectiveness

- Budget

- Innovative aspects

1. New programme equipment of the Open Information, Counselling and Guidance System (AIKOS) portal.
2. 640 Career Information Points established in various institutions.

Success factors (What key success factors have led to or prevented success?)

- Lessons learnt

- Unintended impacts (Have there been any unintended impacts? Positive or negative?)

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

The main strength – usability of project results, free and easy access of the AIKOS portal and the network of Career Information Points for the beneficiaries (various groups of users).
The main weakness – need to find financial resoursces for persistent mainteneance of the AIKOS portal and support of the established Career Information Points.

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

Additional information

Name of contact

Aleksandra Sokolova

Role (in policy initiative)

Representative from the The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania in regard with the information about the Project

Organization name

The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania

Address

A. Volano g. 2/7, LT-01516, Vilnius

Phone

00370 5 219 1190

Fax

00370 5 261 2077

E-mail

Aleksandra.Sokolova@smm.lt

Website address

http://www.smm.lt/es_parama/projektai/smm_projektai/projektas_%20aikos.htm

Documents and publications

General information about the project (in Lithuanian) and it’s results is available on the official web-site of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania (www.smm.lt)
Direct link to the poject’s information:
http://www.smm.lt/es_parama/projektai/smm_projektai/projektas_%20aikos.htm

Attached files

Links

http://www.smm.lt/es_parama/projektai/smm_projektai/projektas_%20aikos.htm; http://www.smm.lt

This information was provided/updated by:

The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania and Euroguidance

No comments by users.

good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, guidance, career management skills, access, quality, guidance in schools, people at risk, tertiary education, unemployed, employed, older adults, disadvantaged groups, career information, qualifications, Lithuania

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

National Quality System for Guidance Provision - Portugal

Country

Portugal

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

1. Background

What makes this an example of good/interesting practice/initiative/policy?

- The motivation of the initiative (What is the history/background of the policy?)

- Linkages with LLG policy priorities (Please add references to other national/EU policies or documents)

- Participants

The present initiative stands as the first articulated attempt to create a fully comprehensive system of quality assurance for guidance activity in Portugal.
Although previous measures existed, providing the quality of instruments and methods used in PES-supplied guidance, as well as basic training for professionals, there was a clear need for a more integrated instrument, with adequate monitoring tools.
Given its institutional mission of assuring the adaptability and adequacy of guidance provision, the national public employment service, IEFP, has taken initiative in establishing a national standard, which will also account for the visions of an advisory network of relevant participants.
Other entities will be enrolled in the project to guarantee diffusion and improvement of standards, namely: the Portuguese Ministry of Education; Universities with research on guidance; professional/scientific associations; inter-national structures.

Aims and targets

- Objectives of the initiative (What did the policy set out to achieve?)

- Target group

- Methods applied to reach the objective (technological and /or pedagogical)

The objectives of the initiative can be resumed in three main points:

- Gaining efficacy and efficiency in guidance provision through implementation and constant check of clear standards, measures and practises
- Increasing autonomy of citizens in establishing critical learning and labour pathways, both by competence building and ease of access
- Sponsoring innovation through systematic research on critical factors in guidance for employability and job stability/success

The end target of the system is the guidance user, although we can also consider both guidance professionals and employment/educational service managers as being targeted by the measures undertaken.
The system is implemented by understanding guidance activity as part of a value chain and acting upon the phases of that chain, considering inputs, process and outputs. Primarily is considered the intervention of the PES and its creation of public value and economic spillovers.
Up-date of instruments, improvement of registry tools, accessibility, competence-assessment and of management information supports and fluxes are part of the methodology, affecting all aspects of guidance provision (materials, contents, technology).

2. Implementation

Strategy and actions (Please describe the approach adopted to make the reform work and any actions taken.)

- Level of implementation (national, regional etc.)

- Implementation (description)

The system has a national scope and is sustained in an incremental and progressive logic. Firstly, its scope is the operation of the PES services with a test run in some of its main job and training centres. Secondly, the initiative should be generalised to the full PES network. A third step should enable the adjusted diffusion of the system to different sectors and networks, namely education and private operators. As early as step two, the standard is to be shared and discussed in a advisory forum of external participants.
Common standards and information tools are already under development.
Some key measures to undertake are:
- Set periodic updates and testing of diagnosis tools, guidance methodologies, information supports, on-line contents/tools
- Improvement of registry and information transitions that allows for interchangibility of user information while guarantying users' rights
- Improvement of accessibility by development of comprehensive e-guidance tools and the improvement of information to disabled people (paper and online) and immigrant users
- Set evaluation and update of guidance professionals' competencies, with strict standards and ethical conduct
- Development of adequate tools for the follow-up of guidance users
- Balanced score-cards for guidance management and multi-level modelling of supervised

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

Monitoring and evaluation is primarily undertaken by the Guidance Directorate of IEFP in articulation with other network participants.
A monitoring mechanism has been established, measuring the efficacy of the planned measures affecting inputs and process as well as a system of indicators aimed at measuring impact variables.
Input variables are monitored through direct control of measures and by user enquiring.
Process/organisation variables are monitored by tools' assessment, management enquiring and technical staff enquiring.
Outputs are monitored by follow-up of PES users (with and without guidance), defining samples that have as basic statistical unit the job/training centres. Follow-up focus on job stability/success, job mobility, autonomy assessment (labour and education), educational success, labour market queuing, entrepreneurship capacities.
A balanced scorecard has been defined with all the assessment dimensions deemed relevant.
A statistical modelling process is being developed to enable research-based adjustments to guidance policy, using as a methodology multi-level analysis.

3. Outcomes

Achievements (Please describe the main outcomes/results according to the following headings. Each option can be answered - up to 50 words)

- Specific results

- Cost effectiveness

- Budget

- Innovative aspects

Specific results: only planning and tools have been developed
Cost effectiveness: progressive implementation and thigh instrument control should allow for low costs of project and improvement of present cost-result ratio in provision
Innovative aspects: Research-based approach

Success factors (What key success factors have led to or prevented success?)

- Lessons learnt

- Unintended impacts (Have there been any unintended impacts? Positive or negative?)

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

Additional information

Name of contact

Pedro Moreno da Fonseca

Role (in policy initiative)

Organization name

IEFP

Address

Phone

Fax

E-mail

pedro.fonseca@iefp.pt

Website address

No links specified.

Documents and publications

Attached files

Links

No links specified.

This information was provided/updated by:

Pedro Moreno da Fonseca PhD

No comments by users.

ELGPN, good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, career management skills, access, quality, evidence-based policy, co-operation, guidance in schools, people at risk, unemployed, employed, disadvantaged groups, career information, qualifications, effectiveness, Portugal

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

Learning & Working

Country

The Netherlands

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

1. Background

What makes this an example of good/interesting practice/initiative/policy?

- The motivation of the initiative (What is the history/background of the policy?)

- Linkages with LLG policy priorities (Please add references to other national/EU policies or documents)

- Participants

The project directorate Learning & Working has developed a method to successfully translate EU- and national-level goals with regards to adult learning to concrete local-level actions. Stimulating and facilitating regional cooperation between local and regional governments, public employment services like the Centre for Work and Income (CWI) and the Social Security Agency (UWV), educational institutions, employers and employees is the heart of the project and has proven to be the key to it’s success.

• The motivation of the initiative (What is the history/background of the policy?)

The interdepartemental project directorate Learning & Working is a joint project of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment with the involvement of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Food Quality. It was started in 2005 to take concrete steps forward to advance adult learning.

• Linkages with LLG policy priorities (Please add references to other policies or documents)

Obviously the activities of the project directorate Learning & Working are closely connected to (the national implementation of) the Lisbon objectives on training and education, specifically the following:
- 20% of the Dutch between the ages of 25 and 64 should be following a course or educational programme in 2010. The Lisbon objectives state that 12,5% of the adult population should participate in education and training. In 2000 the Dutch percentage already exceeded this with a score of 15,6%. Therefore a more ambitious national goal was formulated for 2010.
- 50% of the working population should be highly educated in 2020.
- 80% of the Dutch working population should have a basic qualification (MBO level 2) in 2010.

• Participants

Adults in broadest sense

Aims and targets

- Objectives of the initiative (What did the policy set out to achieve?)

- Target group

- Methods applied to reach the objective (technological and /or pedagogical)

The intention of the project directorate was to take concrete actions. This was implemented and stimulated by formulating concrete objectives that were to be reached at the end of the project period, initially planned at the start of 2008. The goals and objectives from the 2005 action programme related to the intended regional infrastructure for adult learning were the following:
- Ensuring that more young people and adults combine their job or job-seeking efforts with training and education that will lead them to acquiring a vocational and educational training qualification.
- Employers and employees, education providers and local governments in the region conclude collaboration agreements (at least ten in 2005) concerning the creation of work based learning in the region.
- These collaboration agreements will result in a total of 15,000 work-based learning programmes being realized before the start of 2008. This concerns learning-working programmes aimed at integration into the labour process or at earning an occupational qualification, possibly in combination with learning the Dutch language.
- The interdepartmental project directorate for Learning & Working has resolved to realize 20,000 APL procedures (Accreditation of Prior Learning) before the start of 2008.
- Setting up easily accessible and independent contact desks for learning and working in the region is to provide employed people, job-seekers and employers with low-threshold access to career advice, assessment of competencies acquired and education opportunities.

2. Implementation

Strategy and actions (Please describe the approach adopted to make the reform work and any actions taken.)

- Level of implementation (national, regional etc.)

- Implementation (description)

When the project directorate Learning & Working was set up, it was decided that an unorthodox and dynamic approach was needed to achieve progress with adult learning. In the years before, there had been plenty of discussions, expert meetings had taken place and many policy documents were written, but very little action had been undertaken. The establishment of an interdepartemental and temporary project directorate was a change in approach. A pro-active, almost activistic, mentality focused on regional cooperation was chosen.

In the first phase of setting up an infrastructure many parties in the region (employers, employees, education providers and local governments) were consulted concerning concrete objectives. They were asked to establish these objectives in regional collaboration agreements. It started with establishing contacts with regional partners in four regions with regard to setting up such an infrastructure for APL, including career advice and services on educational opportunities. Based on the experiences gained in these four regions, similar initiatives were launched in other regions.

• Level of implementation (national, regional etc.)
Regional implementation , national driven

• Implementation (description)
Several actions were taken to encourage and involve more regional parties. Among others these steps were:
- Conduct discussions with interested parties to explore their interest in collaboration.
- Analyse existing initiatives in order to gain greater insight into the opportunities and possible bottlenecks in the process of launching extra work-based learning programmes in the region.
- Organize account management in order to support parties in finding partners and closing deals.
- Provide temporary financial contributions (subsidies) in order to stimulate and support the organizational capacity of parties.
- With regards to the project plans the account manager from the project directorate Learning & Working played various roles in the implementation ranging from support, steering and feedback up to evaluation.
- Gain more insight into and increase access to financial resources such as subsidies from the European Social Fund.
- Organize a national communication campaign in order to get individuals and employers to invest more in training and to support regional projects, make funds available to them for communication.
- Organise interactive meetings, workshops and work conferences for regional partners.
- Trace any (institutional) bottlenecks and, if possible, solve them or have them solved.
- Monitor, both quantitative and qualitative, results to distinguish successful (and unsuccessful) projects, so other projects may learn from their experiences.

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

An adult learning infrastructure was created virtually covering the whole country. Today there are over 40 partnerships. With the number of parties involved in each of these ranging from five to sometimes fifteen, there are literally hundreds of local organizations taking part in our effort to take adult learning in the Netherlands to the next level.

3. Outcomes

Achievements (Please describe the main outcomes/results according to the following headings. Each option can be answered - up to 50 words)

- Specific results

- Cost effectiveness

- Budget

- Innovative aspects

• Specific results
See above
• Cost effectiveness
Every two years the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science carries out a big research about the external valuation of directorates. This research evaluates directorates in six areas: Transparency, understandability of communication, quality of policy, quality of employees, customer driven and consistency. On all levels the project directorate Learning & Working scores better than other directorates

• Budget
Participating monitoring is used in combination with more formal monitoring by independent agencies. In other projects or subsidies, where government officials are far more monitoring from a distance, less FTE is necessary. The way account management is designed in this project, is more expensive.

• Innovative aspects
The approach of the project directorate Learning & Working is innovative in four different ways. First, the role of national government as both partner in the region and subsidiser. Second, both on the local as the national level a break with traditional structures. Third, as a result of more cooperation between regional and national level, difficulties are made explicit far more quickly. Fourth, partner selection is based on innovative criteria, which strengthens the progress of the regional projects.

Success factors (What key success factors have led to or prevented success?)

- Lessons learnt

- Unintended impacts (Have there been any unintended impacts? Positive or negative?)

Success factors (What key success factors have led to or prevented success? Up to 200 words)
Using a whole new approach compared to the years before, the target number of work-based trajectories was easily surpassed. In terms of network, infrastructure and innovation, much more was achieved than anticipated. Only APL lagged behind, though the number of trajectories completed tripled in comparison to the years before 2005.
• Lessons learnt
Even though an important push has been given, the project directorate’s activities in relation to the whole Dutch society remain modest. External spin-off effects and as mentioned in the previous paragraph further concept-development and implementation of our experiences into new policies are all needed to give this ‘big push’ in adult learning in the Netherlands.

Unintended impacts (Have there been any unintended impacts? Positive or negative? Up to 100
words)
On top of the structural challenges we will have to deal with the impact of an economic crisis whose full scope remains to be grasped. The full package of actions by the Dutch government is still being discussed at the time of writing. It is very likely that the project directorate Learning & Working and it’s regional projects will be involved in the realisation of these actions.

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

In the Learning & Working project, no blue print was used to force the partner selection; an open intake was made possible. This bottom-up process formed the basis for composition of new partnerships in the region. Beside this innovative approach to forming new partnerships, it is obliged to involve employers or employer representatives. This enhances the sustainability for following years, when there will be no financial stimulus on cooperation. This way, companies themselves are involved in the project, which means more focus on human resource management and development.

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

Additional information

Name of contact

Amnon Owed

Role (in policy initiative)

Project Advisor

Organization name

Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment

Address

Anna van Hannoverstraat 4, 2595BJ The Hague

Phone

+31 70 333 5413

Fax

+31 70 3334318

E-mail

aowed@minszw.nl

Website address

http://www.leren-werken.nl

Documents and publications

- Carrying on with Learning & Working: Plan of approach 2008-2011
- Reinforcing Learning & Working: Action programme 2005-2007

Attached files

Links

No links specified.

This information was provided/updated by:

Peter van Deursen

No comments by users.

ELGPN, good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, career management skills, access, co-operation, employed, The Netherlands