The Wolf Report Perspectives from Europe

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The Wolf ReportPerspectives from Europe

• Dr Andrew McCoshan
• Associate Fellow
• Centre for Education and Industry
• University of Warwick

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Wolf Report Overview

• Purpose to consider how we can improve
  vocational education for 14-19 year olds and
  thereby promote successful progression into the
  labour market and into higher level ET routes
• UK faces similar labour market trends to Europe,
  especially youth position
• UK VET system is structurally different market
  system qualifications play key role
• Problems stem from too much/wrong type of
  government intervention

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Wolf Report Details

• 14-16(a) recent vocational qualifications are
  valueless in the labour market and dont enable
  progression(b) balance of vocational and
  general is out of kilter with trends in Europe
• 16-19(a) application of occupational standards
  is inappropriate, too narrow(b) offer broader
  programmes of study(c) government should limit
  itself to setting general principles, allowing
  educational institutions to offer any
  qualifications they please from a recognised
  (i.e. regulated) awarding body(d) strengthen
  WRL and apprenticeships

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Issues

• Much (but not all!) of the diagnosis is
  incontrovertible
• Many of the solutions are left open
• How do other European countries approach these
  common issues?
• What are their starting points?
• What can we learn?
• Two main examples Netherlands and Sweden

Health Warning - Make international comparisons
at your peril!
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(No Transcript)
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Progression patterns
General upper secondary 44
Primary lower secondary levels
VET upper secondary 56
Labour market is majority choice
Post-secondary non-tertiary attainment Ireland
10, Greece 8, Germany 6, Portugal 1
Tertiary VET c15 of tertiary enrolments Perhaps
3-4 of current total population cohort But
growing
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EU policies

• Copenhagen process the Open Method of
  Coordination in VET
• Quality and attractiveness labour market
  relevance
• Accessibility
• Flexible systems, learning outcomes
• Transparent qualifications European education
  and training area
• Information, guidance and counselling

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EU tools

• Qualifications and credit transfer systems EQF,
  ECVET- focus on learning outcomes-
  unpacking and repacking of training- need for
  trust- effectively Wolf concludes such tools
  have been misapplied
• Validation of non-formal and informal
  learning- access to formal examinations-
  access to formal education if entry criteria met
  through prior learning- individual competence
  assessment to shorten VET- integrating
  non-formal and informal learning

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VET in the compulsory phase (lower secondary)

• Becoming increasingly unpopular but its more
  complicated than that
• Being reformed/repositioned rather than
  abolished
• Generally becoming more pre-vocational and
  focused on preventing early school leaving

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A Dutch Example
Track 2009 B / G 2000-09 B / G
VWO 20 / 23 4 / 3
HAVO 23 / 24 3 / 2
VMBO plus support/special types 21 / 16 4 / 6
VMBO 42 / 37 -10 / -11
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VET in the compulsory phase (lower secondary)

• Dutch system offers four VET routes (2008
  figures)
• Theoretical - 36Combined - 12Pre-voc higher
  27Pre-voc lower 25
• 2006-08 enrolments down in all tracks except
  combined
• Better pathways opened up in to upper secondary
  VET

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Programmes and qualifications 16-19

• Qualifications reform commonplace in Europe
• Sweden - over-generalised the curriculum-
  now revocationalising - 17 national
  programmes 13 vocationally oriented 4
  academic- VET programmes typically 85
  school-based- 8 core subjects make up 30 of
  the credits (Swedish, maths, general science,
  English, the arts, PE and health, social studies,
  religion)- at least 15 weeks workplace based
  training (optional in general tracks)- in 2nd
  and 3rd years there can be local and regional
  variations to respond to labour market needs
  municipalities assemble subjects from different
  programmes. 10 of cohort in 2009

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Programmes and qualifications 16-19

• Netherlands - new competence-based
  qualifications structure in 2011- 25 national
  competence types- occupational profiles
• - core tasks, work processes- process
  competence matrix

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Work-related learning and apprenticeships

• Sweden informal model- 15 weeks work
  placement- education providers responsible for
  finding places and student supervision major
  effort- place availability depends on schools
  links with local social partners leading to great
  variability in quantity and quality- schools
  have to ensure that workplace supervisors have
  enough knowledge of ET to ensure that placement
  is positive experience

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Work-related learning and apprenticeships

• Sweden informal model contd- new
  apprenticeships piloted since 2008, roll out in
  2011- expected to attract 10 of cohort- core
  course loads in all subjects except science and
  arts will be reduced- at least 50 work-based
  training, apprentices may or may not receive a
  wage- municipalities to set up local
  apprenticeship councils

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Work-related learning and apprenticeships
Netherlands pathways model Lower
secondaryBasic vocational programmes may offer
programmes combining work and study practical
out-of-school component of 80-160 days in last 2
years Upper secondary2 tracks both lead to
same qualifications- school-based with
internships 20-60 of time as interns
(participants mostly young)- apprenticeship
at least 60 in the workplace (40 participants
aged over 24)
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Netherlands - Participation in Upper Secondary
VET by level and learning pathways, 2007
School-based route (BOL) Dual (apprenticeship) route (BBL)
Assistant training 3 7
Basic vocational training 19 41
Vocational training 23 33
Management training 56 19
TOTAL 101 100
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Work-related learning and apprenticeships

• Netherlands pathways model contd.
• - web-based service introduced 2009 to broker
  internships www.stagemarkt.nl- joint website
  of all 17 sectoral Knowledge Centres- more
  than 223,000 accredited training companies
  regularly offer places- 6.6 million searches
  since launch

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Work-related learning and apprenticeships

• Norway unified model aka 22 model-
  Normally 2 years at school with practical
  training in school workshops and short industry
  placements- Then 2 years apprenticeship- But
  variations on 22 depending on the model- 9
  vocational areas progressive specialisation
  over the 4 years- High degree of confidence
  amongst stakeholders, though some query initial
  breadth of programmes- By international
  standards relatively inclusive and few parity of
  esteem issues - But challenges include weak
  basic skills of entrants non-completion QA
  student choice skills of enterprise-based
  trainers and counsellors

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Progression

• Widespread moves to open up progression
• But most people stay within their tracks e.g.
  Netherlands
• VET to general progression is a particular
  issue- bridge courses- double qualifying
  pathways- EQF (equivalence issue)
• VET students can struggle to make the transition
  

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Progression
Source Cedefop VET in Europe Netherlands Country
Report
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Conclusions/speculations

• Move in Europe to more flexibility within
  well-structured systems around which there is
  consensus
• More structure makes it easier to open up
  pathways
• Programmes versus qualifications?
• Variety of work placement models horses for
  courses ?