Live&Learn Issue 19 by European Training Foundation

ISSUE // 19

January 2011

NEWS, VIEWS AND INITIATIVES FROM ACROSS THE ETF COMMUNITY

Commissioner Štefan Füle: Moving steadily towards new policies

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 07 10 16 18

Promoting social inclusion Country focus: Republic of Moldova Social partnership support From occupational standards to vocational qualifications 20 A social laboratory in southern Turkey

Profile

INSIDE 15 ETF projects reach out to the occupied Palestinian Territory

Inspiring reform benefits EU and its partners

Social partnership produces win-win-win solutions

COMMENT ON OUR BLOG We’d love to know what you think. You can comment on any of our articles online at

www.etfliveandlearn.eu

Promoting social inclusion at the European Parliament

From occupational standards to vocational qualifications

CONTACT US Further information can be found on the ETF website: www.etf.europa.eu For any additional information, please contact:

Black Sea countries document

A social laboratory in southern Turkey

ETF Communication Unit European Training Foundation ADDRESS Villa Gualino, Viale Settimio Severo 65, I – 10133 Torino, Italy TELEPHONE +39 011 630 2222 FAX +39 011 630 2200 EMAIL info@etf.europa.eu

To receive a copy of Live&Learn please email info@etf.europa.eu

Country Focus: Republic of Moldova

In the next issue…

The European Training Foundation is the European Union’s centre of expertise supporting vocational and training reforms in the context of the European Union’s external relations programmes. www.etf.europa.eu Cover photograph: ETF/EUP Images

Please recycle this magazine when you finish with it. 02

Live&Learn

January 2011

Guest editor

REFLECTING ON QUALITY IN VET Writing an editorial is not an easy task. I am tempted to report on progress, but I would rather invite you to reflect on the definitions and goals of vocational education and training (VET) in the light of developments in 2010. The EU wants to provide a new impetus for VET through the contribution it can make to the EU2020 agenda leading to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. At the G20 summit in Seoul in November, leaders identified structural reform as a key policy area:

Guest editor: Madlen Serban Director, ETF

“We will implement a range of structural reforms to boost and sustain global demand, foster job creation, contribute to global rebalancing, and increase our growth potential, and where needed undertake labour market and human resource development reforms, including better targeted benefits schemes to increase participation, education and training to increase employment in quality jobs, boost productivity and thereby enhance potential growth.” Moreover, the Seoul Consensus aims to resolve the most significant bottlenecks to inclusive, sustainable and resilient growth in developing countries - the so-called labour income countries (LICs) - focusing in particular on:

This may be so, but I believe the way to becoming more productive is through the promotion of a shift in attitudes rather than exclusively focusing on mathematical modelling. The question is, what does it mean for employment and VET policies in general? VET must become relevant, quality-driven and attractive - some say it needs rebranding. It’s all about getting the right mix of portable skills which can be used by employers immediately, but still being able to adapt to new job requirements or other jobs in this volatile labour environment. But VET providers alone cannot solve this issue of quality in VET. The influence and credibility of VET training institutions are, therefore, strengthened when integrated into a nation’s human and fiscal resources. Nations, and employers alike, are recognizing that an innovative and knowledgeable workforce is truly a competitive advantage in the global marketplace and the terms learner and worker are becoming synonymous in an educated society. VET systems can become catalysts for this transformation, bringing community groups and nations together to promote workforce preparation reform. And what is the ETF’s role?

“Improv(ing) the development of employable skills matched to employer and labour market needs in order to enhance the ability to attract investment, create decent jobs and increase productivity. We will support the development of internationally comparable skills indicators and the enhancement of national strategies for skills development, building on the G20 Training Strategy”.

For sure, policy dialogue and institutional support can empower policy makers and practitioners to produce efficient and effective VET and employment policies. Looking ahead, our mission continues to focus on stimulation of reflection rather than just presenting models - business as usual is no longer acceptable if equity and quality of VET systems are missing.

The Nobel Prize for Economics in 2010 was awarded to Peter Diamond, Dale Mortensen and Christopher Pissarides whose models help us understand the ways in which unemployment, job vacancies, and wages are affected by regulation and economic policy.

In closing, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to colleagues in the EU and Member State institutions, and counterparts in our 29 partner countries, for their advice, support and cooperation and invite you to become reflective practitioners ensuring successful lifelong learning for all.

They conclude that more generous unemployment benefits give rise to higher unemployment and longer search times.

Madlen Serban Director, ETF

January 2011

Live&Learn

Profile

INSPIRING REFORM BENEFITS EU AND ITS PARTNERS Štefan Füle, Europe’s Commissioner for Enlargement and the European Neighourhood Policy (ENP) talks to the European Training Foundation (ETF) about the importance of investing in neighbouring countries.

Nothing could be further from the archetype of a Brussels-based civil servant than Štefan Füle. In mid-November Commissioner Füle was in Montenegro encouraging the government to further improve the rule of law. A few days later he was to be found in Belgrade facilitating preparations for Serbia’s application for membership of the European Union (EU).“I am convinced that [their] preparation … will give further impetus to Serbia’s process of European integration,” he says. Füle’s motivation for inspiring reform in countries around the EU stems from his deep commitment to the role that Europe can play on the world stage. “European integration started because of the need to consolidate peace and reconciliation in post-war Europe. Over the years, the EU has evolved into a geopolitical player, by integrating its foreign and security policy, trade and cooperation agreements with individual countries or regional groups. It has done so because it increasingly has global interests to defend,” he says.

Who is Štefan Füle?

Füle’s vision is to use the EU’s influence to help shape the world order Photo: European Union 2010

Live&Learn

January 2011

Štefan Füle, 48, studied at Charles University in Prague and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Füle served as First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the United Nations in New York from 1990 to 1995. He later returned to diplomatic work before taking up the post of Minister for European Affairs in the caretaker government of Jan Fischer. In 2009, Füle was appointed European Commissioner for the Czech Republic, and on 10 February 2010 he became the Commissioner for Enlargement and the European Neighourhood Policy. He is married with three children.

He sees the EU as a world player both on account of its economic strength and the size of its population. It therefore has a responsibility “to use its influence to shape the world order, to make it more peaceful, more equitable and more consistent with our common values,” Füle argues. “This is the vision I have for the EU. My responsibilities are the Enlargement and Neighbourhood policies, and if through these, we can move steadily towards this vision, then I will be satisfied.”

Füle argues for a coordinated response from Europe to issues such as migration, minorities and political instability Photo: European Union 2010

Investment in neighbouring countries Europe’s stability, peace and growth needs to be built in close partnership with its neighbours, not by erecting new barriers between them. Füle emphasises the fact that the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) has a strong human dimension because without well educated people, Europe will not be able to establish good relationships with its neighbours. “How can we develop mobility and promote trade, investment and cultural exchange if there is a gap in terms of economic development and living standards?” he asks, “this is why we also need strong human capital in our neighbouring countries.”

The role of the ETF When asked about the ETF’s strategic priorities in neighbouring countries, Füle is clear about the part the agency must play.

MY RESPONSIBILITIES ARE ENLARGEMENT AND NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICIES, AND IF THROUGH THESE, WE CAN MOVE STEADILY TOWARDS THIS VISION, THEN I WILL BE SATISFIED

However along with this potential for growth and exchange in new areas, neighbouring regions also bring fresh challenges, such as migration, minorities and political instability. Füle argues that these issues call for a co-ordinated response. “Our partners’ attitudes need to reflect the understanding that social cohesion, political stability and sustainable economic development are conducive to enhancing our relations. For example, developments in employment policy, labour rights, social inclusion, social protection, gender equality and the business climate are essential to further develop links with the EU,” he says. “One of the most important ways to tackle these challenges is to develop training and education. And we have many instruments such as active participation in EU education programmes and specific schemes in the field of training and lifelong education in order to achieve this,” Füle adds.

“In 2010-2013 the ETF should support partner countries by placing vocational education in a lifelong learning context; help link training closely to the labour

market; improve individuals’ employability and help to develop a quality labour force. It is also essential to encourage enterprises to invest in human capital development through education and business partnerships that focus on knowledge-sharing, entrepreneurship skills and support for the transition from school to work.” Turning to the future of the financial instruments to support the implementation of EU policies, Füle emphasises that new proposals will be put forward in 2011. “I hope we will be able to gather a full range of comments to help us design the new financing framework for the period 2014 and onwards,” he concludes, “I look forward to receiving contributions from the ETF and its partners, based on their in-depth knowledge of their sector.” n Words: Paul Rigg, ICE

What are the Enlargement and European Neighbourhood policies? For more than 50 years, the EU has pursued deeper integration while at the same time bringing in new members. Today the EU has 27 Member States and a population of close to 500 million. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo (as defined in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244), Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey are all official candidates or potential candidates to join the EU.

Through reform and improving standards, accession brings benefits both to the EU and the countries that join. The ENP began to be developed in 2004 with the aim of promoting closer relations with the countries around the EU. The policy currently includes 16 partners. It is based on the premise that encouraging greater prosperity, stability and security in these areas can benefit both the EU and its neighbours.

January 2011

Live&Learn

News

NEWS FROM ETF.EUROPA.EU 27 SEPTEMBER 2010 | ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN Kazakhstan and ETF to reinforce cooperation in vocational education A declaration of intent between the ETF and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan was signed in Astana. The parties agreed to focus in the next three years on enhancing cooperation in education policy-making through the Torino Process, and to promote links and social partnership between the vocational education system and business sector.

18 OCTOBER 2010 | TUNIS, TUNISIA ETF shares Torino Process with international education experts More than seventy education practitioners and aid agencies experts from Africa, Asia and Europe, and the ETF gathered in Tunis on 18-20 October 2010, to discuss ‘sustainable and effective technical and vocational skills development’. The ETF presented the Torino Process as a sound and stable framework for analysing economic and social effectiveness of VET systems.

25 OCTOBER 2010 | TURIN, ITALY Commissioner Vassiliou stresses strategic role of vocational education European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou, and representatives of 33 countries, from Morocco to Uzbekistan - ministers, experts, members of professional organisations - met in Turin for a two day education policy conference. ‘Vocational training has a strategic role to play in helping our economies get out of the crisis and in putting us back onto a sustainable growth path’, said Ms Vassiliou.

3 NOVEMBER 2010 | TURIN, ITALY MEPs say ETF is a critical tool for EU2020 strategy A delegation of Members of the European Parliament lead by Pervenche Berès, chair of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, visited the ETF from 3 to 5 November. The MEPs said the ETF is a ‘critical tool regarding the recent decisions of the European Parliament in favour of long-term thinking in economic governance to meet the targets set in the EU2020 strategy on social inclusion and poverty reduction’.

5 NOVEMBER 2010 | TURIN, ITALY Apprenticeship - a tested means for school-to-work transition Apprenticeship, i.e. combining learning in the classroom with learning in the workplace, helps the economy and is good for students. Experts from the EU and neighbouring countries brought together by the ETF in Turin agreed that apprenticeship should be promoted as it reduces youth unemployment, is self-financing, and is one of the best ways of making people proud of their occupations.

16 NOVEMBER 2010 | DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN Entrepreneurial learning takes hold in Central Asia Tajikistan‘s government, in cooperation with the ETF, held a workshop on entrepreneurial learning in Dushanbe. This was the first activity of this kind in Central Asia. Tajikistan‘s authorities requested the ETF‘s advice as to how to develop lifelong entrepreneurial learning in a strategic way. 06

Live&Learn

January 2011

Feature

PROMOTING SOCIAL INCLUSION AT THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT The ETF held a conference at the European Parliament in Brussels on 2-3 December 2010. Entitled Promoting social inclusion and combating poverty through cooperation in education, training and work in EU neighbouring countries, the conference was organised by the ETF with the support of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture, and in cooperation with the Belgian Presidency of the European Union. The event is part of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. It will bring together policymakers, officials and experts from the EU, the countries of the Western Balkans, the European Neighbourhood and Central Asia. The purpose is to encourage discussions among policy makers and foster cooperation to promote social inclusion though education, training and work. All participants will bring their knowledge, cultures, values, policy priorities and experience from different contexts. Live&Learn talked to Lida Kita, ETF expert who was in charge of the organisation of the conference. You have been doing research on the issue of social inclusion for years. You often travel to countries where this problem is especially serious. Tell us what it means in practice for a person to be socially excluded? To be socially excluded means, for example, not to have an ID card. And because you don’t have an ID card or a birth certificate, something that most of us take for granted, you are not able to register for school, you are not able to participate in elections, and decide about the issues that concern you. To be excluded means not to be able to go to school because you don’t have money to buy books or shoes to walk for miles. Or it means not to be able to go to school because the school teaches in a language that you don’t understand. I could

Lida Kita, ETF expert Photo: ETF/A.Ramella

go on like this, giving more examples of exclusion. Schools can include or exclude people. What’s education’s positive potential to create inclusive societies? We have only recently started seriously discussing the role of education in social inclusion. At the ETF we believe that education has the potential to build more inclusive societies. It is true that sometimes education can divide people, create exclusiveness. Even with good intentions you can do harm. Can you give an example? For example, you set up special classes for language minorities so that they can make use of their fundamental right to education in their own language. And what you get is that afterwards the students are not able to integrate themselves in the labour market, which is dominated by the majority’s language.

“EDUCATION CAN CREATE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, CIVIC PARTICIPATION AND CIVIC ETHICS IN THE SOCIETY” overall more inclusive. Finally, we learn, collect evidence. And what does the ETF do with this knowledge? We share the knowledge with organisations in all 29 partner countries; we bring EU experience to the countries we work with. We also pass the information onto the European Commission, so that various EU services know where help is needed, where the EU can support the countries to enhance the quality of education, to improve access, to make education better and fairer. n Words: Marcin Monko, ETF

So where can education make a positive difference? Education can broaden the access for all people to further training and to jobs; it can make people more employable. What perhaps is even more important is that education can create civic engagement, civic participation and civic ethics in the society. But, let’s be clear on one thing - education can’t solve all problems. Social exclusion is a complex issue, tackling it is a process, and it requires understanding, and also resources and skills at the disposal of teachers, principals, communities, parents, and politicians. What does the ETF do to make social inclusion a reality? Within our mandate we try to foster discussions on this topic, for example, at conferences such as the one in Brussels in December. We support links between countries, we gather together international experts, local specialists, teachers and students. In our contacts with the decision-makers we promote policies that help make education systems

GET INVOLVED It is possible to participate in discussions about the event, as the conference made use of web-based interactive tools (e.g. social media) for communication in order to involve, virtually, more participants in the debates. Should you think about joining the conversation, please have a look at: Promoting social inclusion Posterous blog -

http://etfpsi.posterous.com/ Promoting social inclusion Facebook page -

http://bit.ly/9deZ65 Promoting social inclusion Twitter feed -

http://twitter.com/ search?q=%23etfpsi January 2011

Live&Learn

BLACK SEA COUNTRIES DOCUMENT 20 YEARS OF UNIQUE TRANSITION

Educated citizens must be used in the right places to benefit the economy Photo: ETF/A.Jongsma

The ETF will soon publish a new report on 20 years of transition in six post-Soviet countries with a special focus on education and employment. The report is based on a ‘Black Sea Labour Market Review’, project implemented in Belarus, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Live&Learn spoke with Ummuhan Bardak, ETF expert, coordinator and one of the authors of the report. The title of the new ETF report on labour markets in six post Soviet countries is somewhat modest because the document covers two decades and an impressive range of issues covering political changes, economic policies, migration and the labour market and education. Is it at all possible to summarise the findings? Indeed, the new report is a result of very comprehensive work, which resulted in six separate country reports and a comparative regional study. First of all, the report shows that these six countries went through huge changes. And of course, the change is not bad or good in itself, but we need to recognise that it is always difficult. Any policymaker needs to keep this in mind. These changes were enormous and the hardship was enormous, too. Changes on this scale would be an immense challenge for any country, whether highly developed or not.

Ummuhan Bardak, ETF expert Photo: ETF/A.Ramella

Live&Learn

January 2011

Did you find out anything new that surprised you during the research? Frankly, I was surprised by the diversity of these countries. They are often called post-Soviet, transition economies, but they are so different. In fact, they were different from the beginning, from the very start of the transition. Ukraine had industry, Azerbaijan had oil, the Republic of Moldova had agriculture, etc. And then they experienced different conditions as the years passed - for example: countries in the southern Caucasus experienced armed conflicts. Governments from Belarus to Georgia made different policy choices, based on national preferences or other factors.

“CHANGE IS NOT BAD OR GOOD IN ITSELF, BUT WE NEED TO RECOGNISE THAT IT IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT” In general, it is a grim picture that you paint in the report - declining populations, continuing poverty, rising inequality, limited jobs, migration, corruption, relatively low human development levels due to low GDP per capita. It seems that the transition has not yet produced the expected results. There is only one exception: education. It is one of the few areas that brings hope. It is true that education and human capital are still positive elements. Around the world, similar countries in terms of GDP per capita, perform less well in education.

High literacy rates and education attainment levels seem to be a good legacy of the Soviet system. There is also a revival of vocational education and training. People are literate and they value education, but does it actually pay to be educated in these countries? On the macro level, it is very difficult to find evidence that better education leads to better economic performance in a particular country. One thing is having well educated citizens; another is whether the economy is able to use them. And we actually think that our eastern partners’ economies are underutilising their human capital. So skills that people acquire during their long education are not used later or are used to a lesser extent. People work in jobs that do not require their high quality skills. Still, the authors of the study think that even if underused, better education has a positive impact in these economies. Everywhere young people leaving school face a difficult transition to work. Is it different in the six countries analysed in the report? Not very different. But here, on this micro level, education plays a crucial role. There is no doubt that if you attain a higher level of education, you will have a better chance of finding a job. This is the positive side. Unfortunately it is not always a straight-forward situation in other contexts. In southern Mediterranean countries, for example, it is quite the opposite: when you stay at school longer, you have a higher probability of facing unemployment.

Feature

The findings of this report are extremely interesting, but are you making any practical recommendations as to how to tackle the problems which you identified? As I said the study is wide-ranging and covers very different countries. It would be difficult to give a one size fits-all recommendation. Nevertheless, we are identifying certain key issues that need to be addressed. What are these issues? First, the urgent need for job creation. It’s clear for us that these jobs will have to be created in the private sector and that governments should enact policies that make it easier to do business and employ people. Second, it is employment policies that often seem to be mere rhetoric. The resources for passive (e.g. unemployment benefits) and active (e.g. training or job seeking advice) employment measures must be better used in a more targeted manner. The organisation, resources and skills of public institutions need improvement. Then social partners, especially employers’ organisations, should be better involved in policy making, and the

Government policies should create jobs in the private sector Photo: ETF/A.Jongsma

What about education? Yes, this is the final issue we raised: human capital stocks and how to maintain high flow levels. There are some worrying trends. In all countries, there is a lack of proper public funding for education. We registered rising dropout rates in some

“IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND EVIDENCE THAT BETTER EDUCATION LEADS TO BETTER ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE IN A PARTICULAR COUNTRY” legislation should create a good balance between security and flexibility. The third issue is migration, which, if well managed, can bring benefits (flow of remittances, less pressure for jobs), but it can also lead to ‘brain drain’ back home and ‘brain waste’ of the migrants who can’t use their skills abroad.

countries, and there are problems with access to schools, for example in rural areas. There are also signs that the quality and labour market relevance of education need considerable improvement. Finally, as these countries’ populations age, there is a critical, not yet addressed need for training for adults.

To whose attention would you like to draw these important issues? We would like to reach policy makers and politicians. And not only in these six countries but also in the EU and beyond, in all institutions that cooperate with our six eastern partners on economic and social development. To make the report more digestible for less technical readers, we published a short report that selects and summarises the findings. In addition, the ETF disseminated the findings and promoted debate about them during a series of conferences launched officially in Odessa on 20-21 October 2010. n Words: Marcin Monko, ETF

FURTHER INFORMATION Labour markets and employability: trends and challenges in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine (short report)-

http://bit.ly/cx3YzE Individual country labour market reports available from

http://www.etf.europa.eu/ web.nsf/pages/Publications_ catalogue_EN

VET is experiencing a revival in the Eastern Partnership countries Photo: ETF/A.Jongsma

January 2011

Live&Learn

Country Focus x Republic of Moldova

THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA: PARTNER IN LEGAL MIGRATION

The Republic of Moldova is probably the European country most affected by migration. In peak years, more than 20% of the population live and work abroad. Large numbers work in the EU, many of them as illegal immigrants. What they have learnt in Moldova is wasted because EU employers do not accept or recognise their degrees. What they learn in the EU is wasted when they return, because their credentials are not acknowledged back home. The ETF is helping to change this by means of a pioneering project to make skills more transparent. To improve the mutual benefits of labour migration, the EU and the Republic of Moldova signed their Mobility Partnership in 2008. One of its pillars covers labour market development. The Moldovan economy depends largely on agriculture and efforts to change this have been hampered by a rigid and antiquated education system. Many diplomas carry outdated descriptions that cannot be used in the labour market. Companies such as Italy’s Cedacri, which outsources software development to Moldova, have found their own solutions. “We chose Moldova principally because of the high level of education here,” says Chisinau manager Francesco Pipio, “but that doesn’t mean we can simply go by student qualifications. In this country, it is impossible to know what lies behind a diploma so we never look at the degrees of new applicants. We test them ourselves.” The problem is not limited to EU employers. The prime beneficiary of more transparency in Moldovan qualifications will be the country’s own labour market. The ETF therefore kills two birds with one stone with a project that in three years’ time will develop two models; one for the definition of broadly

Live&Learn

January 2011

accepted occupational profiles and standards and another for the recognition of prior learning. It concentrates on two pilot sectors agriculture and construction. Leonard Palii is Vice-President of the National Federation of Trade Unions and chairs a sectoral committee on VET in agriculture. He is one of the driving forces in the policy dialogue group which is developing a national system for the recognition of prior learning. Mr Palii thinks that one of the biggest problems in the Moldovan labour market is that social partners have no tradition of working together on issues related to learning and accreditation. “Employers and employees must cooperate with the education sector,” he says. “Our committee encourages them to, but this is all new and pro bono work often done at evenings and over weekends. But here we are and at least we have identified the key problems. Employers think the education system doesn’t deliver the goods. School directors say that this is because employers do not want to get involved in internships and because their equipment is out of date, which in turn is a result of the lack of funds because schools are not allowed to operate in an entrepreneurial way.”

At the end of the day however, most sources believe that the system overall is in need of update. Laws have been adopted to address many of these problems but they are fragmented and some have never been implemented, with the government usually overwhelmed by many priorities. So, no, Mr Palii’s sectoral committee does not work with the government at the moment. Quite the contrary. “We are getting ready for engaging them! And the ETF is involving them from the angle of legislation and governance and that’s what is so good about the project.” “Moldovans look to EU projects as a source of money but we should look to them as a source of expertise. Normally when a project ends, everything that has been set in motion comes to a grinding halt. But when this project is done piloting, I hope that at least in agriculture we will have our employers, trade unions and schools ready with a team to start implementing the models developed and define the occupational standards we need.” That should just win the necessary support from the authorities who, from the outset, have been involved in the development of these procedures. It could also swing the balance in education where reform-hungry

Young people at work for Cedacri in Chisinau Photo: ETF/A.Jongsma

educationalists stand ready and keen to translate earlier successes in general secondary education reforms into vocational training reforms. It would benefit the EU, which seeks highly skilled workers but currently employs them at well below their capacity. And that in turn would benefit Moldova once more, with higher remittances sent home and, eventually, with skills developed abroad coming back to benefit the domestic economy. n

“MOLDOVANS LOOK TO EU PROJECTS AS A SOURCE OF MONEY BUT WE SHOULD LOOK TO THEM AS A SOURCE OF EXPERTISE.”

Words: Ard Jongsma, ICE

FURTHER INFORMATION EU-Moldova Mobility Partnership - http://bit.ly/crR7rJ

January 2011

Live&Learn

Country Focus x Republic of Moldova

The Republic of Moldova is the poorest country in Europe and faces huge challenges Photo: ETF/A.Jongsma

MOLDOVA HOMES IN ON EUROPE The Republic of Moldova shows how a change in government approach and commitment can dramatically change international relationships. The inauguration of a new government in the Republic of Moldova last year signalled the intensification of political dialogue between Brussels and the national authorities in Chisinau. The coalition cabinet of Prime Minister Vlad Filat has decisively locked its sights onto the European Union. According to the man in charge of relationships with Moldova at the Directorate General for External Relations in Brussels, there is a lot more than rhetoric to the intensification of links.

Live&Learn

January 2011

“Two of the new government’s key policy aims are reducing the country’s poverty, which is severe, and moving closer to the European Union,” says John Kjaer, the Head of Unit for Relations with Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and Southern Caucasus. “Cooperation with the EU has intensified in a number of areas in the past year. Living in the poorest country in Europe, the Moldovans face huge challenges but the good thing is that

many of these are shared with other countries that aspire to closer links with the EU: the need to reform their economy, the need to work towards legal and regulatory convergence, and the need to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.” “Moldova is a small country and that is an advantage. When the political will is there, it is possible to get things done quickly.”

went before with non-Member States.” In the meantime the European Commission and other European institutions are helping the Republic of Moldova to prepare the ground for closer links with Europe, such as through the Mobility Partnership which was set up to better manage migration flows. It is part of a much wider train of actions that has been set in motion.

“MOLDOVA IS A SMALL COUNTRY AND THAT IS AN ADVANTAGE. IT IS POSSIBLE TO GET THINGS DONE.” John Kjaer knows from personal experience how swiftly small countries can move under dedicated guidance. He was the Head of the EU Delegation in Tallinn in the four years leading up to Estonia’s accession to the European Union. “The enthusiasm and dedication of the current government is significant,” he says. “They address with vigour the core issues that will need to be cleared before we can sign an association agreement.” A good example of this is the work in justice and in mobility, where ETF support to Moldovan labour market development fits in. “The activities under the Mobility Partnership (see p. 10) are not a strict requirement for more formal cooperation, but they will become an important part of a future association agreement. The vigour with which the Moldovans approach these issues too really shows their determination.” “Another thing that will feature prominently in a future association agreement is cooperation in specific sectors where we need what we call ‘approximation and convergence with EU legislation’. This is very important, for example in fields such as the environment and energy.” “Finally, a key element of our work with Moldova is clearing the road for a deep and comprehensive free trade area, or ‘DCFTA’. This is one of the novelties of the Eastern Partnership that goes much further than we ever

Most of these actions are sector-related but they also include broader initiatives, such as human rights development and structural reforms, and support to the development of the institutional infrastructure through the Comprehensive Institution Building Programme - another novelty brought by the Eastern Partnership. But there is more work on human capital in the pipeline too and quite likely in fields that make possible further ETF involvement in helping to prepare the Republic of Moldova for association negotiations. “In the National Indicative Programme for 2011-2013 we have foreseen actions aimed at labour market reforms and an education component.” According to John Kjaer, progress with reforms has been very good this year. “We are not quite there yet. We have a set of conditions that must be met for full negotiations to be launched on a DCFTA.” It may not seem like much, but there is a very clear horizon for the relationship with the Republic of Moldova to unfold. “We now have a framework document for supporting institution-building projects that is literally only waiting to be signed and we are very closely monitoring progress to see if the conditions for the launch of DCFTA negotiations are in place. Once they are, we are ready to roll.” n

John Kjaer believes progress in the Republic of Moldova has bettered his expectations

Words: Ard Jongsma

Photo: ETF/A.Jongsma

January 2011

Live&Learn

Country Focus x Republic of Moldova

Siria Taurelli, ETF country manager, Republic of Moldova Photo: N.Ionacsu

TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY

The main article in this country focus describes how ETF expertise is employed in the Republic of Moldova to develop one of the core prerequisites for successful labour migration: transparency of qualifications. But ETF involvement in Moldova does not stop here. Together with Tajikistan, the country features in the ETF’s recent twin studies on human capital development. This study quite clearly exposed one of the biggest problems in current education and training in Moldova. “There is no comprehensive strategy for human capital development,” says Siria Taurelli. She is the country manager for Moldova at the ETF, where she began work in 1995 and has been responsible for country activities in Armenia, Georgia and the Russian Federation. But her familiarity with EU Neighbourhood countries dates back to 1991 when she joined the European Commission’s DG External Relations as the new cooperation agreements with the former Soviet Republics were being signed.

Her mandate was never limited to Eastern Europe but also covered other regions, such as in 2007, when she spent over a year on secondment to the World Bank in Washington DC to write a VET country analysis on Morocco, and to identify areas for cooperation between the two organisations. Over the years she has also worked on management development - higher education cooperation, and project evaluation. She enjoys working with Moldova, partly because of its proximity with Europe.

“There are only some 75 vocational schools in Moldova, so change is quite attainable.” But change will require a paradigm shift? “Initial education is still viewed as one thing, adult education and training of the employed as a different thing. This is not helpful.” The authorities are aware of this, as became clear when a new education law was debated last spring. The ETF contributed to this by inviting a delegation led by deputy minister Loretta Handrabura to Turin for discussions. According to the latter, the ETF study will be of great benefit to the country. “Human capital development is a top priority for the Republic of Moldova and this study covers all the pillars that we must build our development strategy on,” she said when the ETF presented the study in Chisinau earlier this year. n Words: A.Jongsma, ICE

One of the Republic of Moldova’s top priorities is a human capital development strategy Photo: ETF/A.Jongsma

Live&Learn

January 2011

Project focus

ETF PROJECTS REACH OUT TO THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

Photo: ETF/A.Jongsma

2010 was a year of great change for the ETF in the occupied Palestinian Territory. Until now, Palestinian ministries and experts have mainly been involved in regional projects, such as MEDA-ETE. That all changed earlier this year, when the Palestinian Ministry of Labour took responsibility for Torino Process activities, the Ministry of Education took charge of the Palestinian contribution to the Education and Business study and the Palestine Technical University in Khodori started to participate in the ETF‘s entrepreneurial learning project. On 17 October, ETF director Madlen Serban and country manager Mariavittoria Garlappi met with Ministers Lamis Alami (Education and Higher Education) and Ahmed Majdalani (Labour) of the Palestine National Authority in Ramallah. They were joined by the new EU representative in East Jerusalem, Sergio Piccolo. Both ministers stressed the importance of TVET for the occupied Palestinian Territory, where higher education is a priority for most students, despite the fact that the highest proportion of unemployed people is to be found among university graduates.

The OPT can now boast a strategy for encouraging private sector investment and international cooperation Photo: ETF/A.Jongsma

“It is important that we promote TVET,” said education minister Lamis Alami who was head of a TVET college before moving on to positions at the Council for Higher Education and UNRWA. “We cannot force it onto those who don‘t pass the 10th grade exam. That would only reinforce prejudices about TVET being a last ditch option. We must present it as an alternative with a real return on investment, investing our energy in counselling and improving the relevance of TVET,” she said. The latter will be quite a challenge as most of the Palestinian economy is built around very small companies where family ties play a far more important role in employment considerations than qualifications from a sector that enjoys a low status among young Palestinians. Labour minister Ahmed Majdalani said that the Torino Process in particular had helped to plot a road map that fits in with other current developments in the occupied Palestinian Territory, such as the development of a higher council for TVET which will offer a platform for more structural cooperation with the Ministry of Education, a new costing assessment mechanism to encourage private sector involvement and international cooperation with Morocco and Tunisia and with Germany through GTZ. “We now have a strategy, we almost have a council and we have advanced blueprints for international cooperation. The timing for this study was quite right indeed,” said Mr Majdalani.

Madlen Serban also used the meetings with ministers to discuss the fourth strand of the agency‘s 2010 work that covers the Occupied Palestinian Territory: a €4M programme to support the TVET sector which the ETF has designed for the European Commission with the help of local stakeholders. “The European Commission wanted this to be a local development project that puts vocational schools centre stage,” said country manager Mariavittoria Garlappi. “It builds on earlier German activities by GTZ, which have a good reputation here. In three of the Palestinian governorates (Nablus, Bethlehem and Hebron), a European Social Fund -style project will call on consortia of schools and private partners to submit proposals. The best proposals will be supported - not with funds, but with know-how and equipment.” While the ETF wrote the proposal, GTZ will manage the actual project. The latter will also move the project into its second phase, when more sectors or more governorates may be involved and the best results of the first phase will be introduced into mainstream education in the country. n Words: A.Jongsma, ICE

FURTHER INFORMATION Education and Business: Occupied Palestinian Terrirory -

http://bit.ly/9hTbrW January 2011

Live&Learn

Feature

SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP PRODUCES WIN-WIN-WIN SOLUTIONS Gérard Mayen of the ETF tells Live&Learn how pioneering ETF work on supporting social partnership is helping create a new vision of the future for VET for the southern Mediterranean. Euro-Mediterranean ministers of foreign affairs and labour held two meetings in 2008 that have now led to an ambitious new three-year ETF project on social partnership. The meetings in Marseille and Marrakech underlined the critical importance of ‘effective social dialogue for enhancing employment, employability and decent work in the Euro-Mediterranean countries.’ “The ETF took that statement 16

Live&Learn

January 2011

very seriously and decided it was time to analyse the situation in depth,” says Gérard Mayen, a human capital specialist at the ETF. The resulting study, called ‘Social partnership and VET in the southern Mediterranean region (SMR)’ the first of its kind, was presented recently at the Education and training for employability in the SMR conference held in Rome on 10 December. The aim of the report is to

Decent work is critically important for the people economies of countries in the southern Mediterranean Photo: ETF/A.Salih

“As the ETF study shows, southern Mediterranean economies have a high proportion of small enterprises and family businesses. Trade unions and employers may not be highly organised and VET is often perceived having a as low status,” explains Mayen. “Now however there is a growing realisation that you need a well-trained workforce in order to compete, and that this calls for the involvement of social partners.”

our experience and make use of our services and expertise,” says Mayen. One proven method that will be employed is peer learning in order to exchange knowledge and promote understanding between partners. Proposed milestones for the project include setting up an advisory committee to monitor implementation, peer reviews and thematic workshops in each region.

“THERE IS A GROWING REALISATION THAT YOU NEED A WELL-TRAINED WORKFORCE IN ORDER TO COMPETE” A second result of the research has been to produce a snapshot showing up the differences between the various countries. Some of this can be traced back to either French colonial rule in countries like Morocco and Tunisia or to diverse influences in Egypt, Jordan and Syria. The latter tend to focus on involving employers, while the former have more balanced forms of social partnership. However, Mayen emphasises another significant difference: “It is not just about history but about the vision each country has for its future. Tunisia and Morocco are engaging strongly with the EU and so things are likely to move faster there.” contribute to the EU’s work in strengthening the bargaining power of social partners in the field of human resources development. The timing of the report could hardly be better. The global economic crisis, increased international competition, the demographic boom and, for some countries, the move away from a centralised economy have made the need for both quality products and for more responsive VET systems that much more pressing.

Photo: ETF/A.Ramella

Words: Paul Rigg, ICE

Employers and trade unions have also often played limited roles. “In Jordan for example, the trade union federation had only worked on traditional areas such as wages, labour “EVERY DAY WE GAIN A conditions or safety and did not see a SUPPORT FROM POLICY role for itself in VET. SOCIAL PARTNERS” However we shared examples of trade union participation in the Netherlands and Germany with them and they reconsidered. Now three of the social partners are preparing a policy paper on their role in VET.” “We know that in some countries governments do not like to involve trade unions because they see them as troublemakers,” says Mayen “but with VET we are speaking about a win-win-win situation because parties can more easily agree than in other areas of collective bargaining.”

Gérard Mayen, ETF expert on social partnership

“Every day we gain a little more support from policy makers and social partners because they see that they need to work together to find solutions to the problems they are facing,” says Mayen. “It is very exciting because it is a new field and some key actors are going to be brought together for the first time. After that each partner will have to work to build their own vision.” n

The ETF is in a strong position to contribute to this development through its mandate. “All the countries know about

LITTLE MORE MAKERS AND

FURTHER INFORMATION The Social partnership and VET in the southern Mediterranean region, report will be available on the the ETF website from early 2011

www.etf.europa.eu

January 2011

Live&Learn

Feature Qualifications systems affect the way qualifications are designed Photo: ETF/A.Jongsma

FROM OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS TO VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS Like many countries Turkey has taken an interest in developing occupational standards and has been doing so since the early 1990s. This activity involves an industry-led approach to fine-tuning the offer of education institutions with demand in the labour market. Occupational standards describe the competences people must have in the workplace - the requirements for employment. Setting these standards defines minimum expectations for a worker in a specific occupational role in a sector. Employers and in particular sector bodies, which are strong in Turkey, have been asking for this move as they often lack confidence in the existing vocational qualifications. The aim is to make these qualifications more relevant and of greater use for

people as a passport to finding a job or acquiring more education and training. “Qualifications systems are not only about certifying people’s competences; they affect the way qualifications are designed and maintained, how they are delivered, mainly through training, and how people are assessed, how qualifications in the system are coordinated and linked,” says Arjen Deij, a senior ETF qualifications expert. “This requires involvement by many different stakeholders and can therefore have widespread consquences. The most difficult part of reforming qualifications systems is actually agreeing how to go about it.”

“The VQA started operating in 2007 and during the last two years many new occupational standards have been prepared by sectors and validated by sectoral committees of stakeholders from the public and private sector and approved by the vocational authority,” says Arjen Deij. The ETF has been working with the VQA since 2008 to assist in implementing its strategic planning and policy. Seminars and training sessions have drawn on the experience of professionals from a range of Member States so Turkish colleagues can compare different approaches and decide on which options are the most appropriate for Turkey.

“THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF REFORMING

Arjen Deij, a senior ETF qualifications expert Photo: ETF/A.Ramella 18

Live&Learn

January 2011

Many standards QUALIFICATIONS SYSTEMS IS ACTUALLY developed in Turkey in the past 15 years AGREEING HOW TO GO ABOUT IT” have not been used The Turkish stakeholders and the to inform qualifications and education Delegation of the European Union in programmes to ensure these are more Ankara asked the ETF to help prepare for relevant to the labour market. So in 2006 a an integrated national qualifications new law set up a Vocational Qualifications framework (NQF) that can be measured Authority (VQA) to approve occupational against the European Qualifications standards, making them national Framework. This will enable comparison standards published in the official gazette.

of Turkish qualifications with EU countries and support the mobility of skilled labour. The ETF has discussed with the Turkish stakeholders the basic principles of such a framework and used international developments and examples to illustrate options. It worked with the Council of Europe, the Ministry of Education, the Higher Education Council and the EU Delegation to prepare European funded projects to link the NQF developments to quality assurance of the provision. “The example of Turkey is important. Turkey is ahead of around 20 partner countries that are moving towards reforming their qualifications systems and the Turkish participatory approach, with a strong role for sectors, is an example that is useful for other countries,” says Arjen Deij. “Turkey has strong sectors and is a big country with strong regional disparities. It is also a rapidly expanding industrialised economy with a growing population and is looking for integration into the EU. Turkey is trying to find appropriate solutions for the new framework and taking practical steps. It is not copying

what other countries have developed but informing itself and looking for ways to move forward with solutions that can really work in Turkey.” n

Words: Jane Marshall, ICE

ANKARA SEMINAR SHARPENS THE FOCUS Seeing how existing occupational standards could be used to produce learning outcomes that could be used for training, assessment and certification was the aim of a VQA seminar in Ankara last September. “There was discussion of the dilemma that the labour market is constantly changing its requirements for thousands of job titles, while the education system for organisational reasons is slow to respond and has to cluster these needs into a limited number of programmes,” says Arjen Deij. Seminar participants decided the vocational qualifications for which the VQA is responsible should not move too far from the occupational standards as this might erode trust in the qualifications. They proposed a prototype for qualifications consisting of a basic qualification closely linked to the requirements of the occupational standard, but which would allow additional units for mobility, progression and employability to be built in. “Occupational standards often repeated the same requirements in different units,” says Deij. “Sometimes the difference between learning outcomes and the assessment criteria was not clear. Identifying common units would help the qualification developers focus their work.”

January 2011

Live&Learn

Feature

A SOCIAL LABORATORY IN SOUTHERN TURKEY 20

Live&Learn

January 2011

Quite unaware of the current discourse on inclusive education, one Turkish governorate is setting an example of how to act, not talk or, worse, wait for the national authorities to drop by with a wad of banknotes, when thousands of children lack access to basic education. Less than three decades ago, Sanliurfa was just a speck on the edge of the desert, locked in a futile struggle for visibility behind the map legend in the bottom right corner of most topographic depictions of Europe. In dusty, hot southern Anatolia, the Great Urfa from the days of oriental glory and sustainable agriculture had become a ghost of its former mighty self. Then came the GAP regional development project for Southeastern Anatolia and the huge Atatürk dam in the Euphrates river. It soaked the parched plains of northern Mesopotamia so thoroughly that the region soon produced half of Turkey’s cotton. With the cotton came new industries and migrant labourers. With the migrant labourers came a need for education that was not answered. Sanliurfa occupied a lowly position in Turkey’s education attainment rankings. But then, the task facing it was also enormous. Between 1990 and 2010, the population of the province almost doubled to 1.7 million. In 2003, one of the years with the most staggering demographic statistics in the province, a mindboggling 44.2% of the population were under the age of 15, placing an immense strain on the education system. Those who lost out were the usual suspects: children of migrant labourers and from poor backgrounds and rural families. And girls. By 2009, there was a huge unmet need for education. Then came a new governor. He had pulled it off in Trabzon before. He was going to pull it off in Sanliurfa once more. His name was Nuri Okutan, age 48,

Türk bürokrat by profession, according to his Wikipedia page in Turkish. “We produce 50% of Turkish cotton. We produce 15% of the country’s lentils. Our power to produce is good, but our development is lagging far behind,” he told the participants at the ETF meeting on inclusive education in the city in September this year before hitting the ‘play’ button on the overhead screen. His video was a jumble of pictures of new schools in fertile soil under old olive trees and three-digit figures of new facilities and teachers, one seemingly more unlikely than the other. More than 1000 classrooms built with the bare hands of the people of Sanliurfa as parents, politicians and businessmen stood united. It is the kind of thing you do not show to an audience mainly from Eastern Europe. Propaganda - those who did not whisper it had it written across their faces.

Sanliurfa’s rapid growth brought major education challenges

More than 1000 classrooms were built by locals to meet school needs

The thing is though, it was not propaganda. Or at least it was true propaganda, if such a thing can be said to exist. “This is my fourth district,” Okutan continued unperturbed. “In every province where I have worked so far, I have started out with a survey. The one in Sanliurfa showed that more women than men believed in the importance of education. So the schooling of girls became our first priority.”

Development of schools will lead to development of businesses in the region Photos: ETF/A.Jongsma

“[THE SURVEY] IN SANLIURFA SHOWED THAT MORE WOMEN THAN MEN BELIEVED IN THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION”

January 2011

Live&Learn

Feature

“THERE WAS NEITHER MONEY NOR TIME TO TEST WHETHER EDUCATION COULD AFFECT WORK. WORK WOULD HAVE TO AFFECT EDUCATION” He used the right words: “minorities”, “Kurdish”, “girls”, “disadvantaged”. He asked the right questions: “Does education affect employment or does employment affect education?” Okutan gambled on the latter. He didn’t have a choice anyway. There was neither money nor time to test whether education could affect work. Work would have to affect education. Unfortunately he didn’t share the extraordinary details with the participants. We had to ask his director of education, a day after the conference. “We gathered all the rich people in town,” says Hanifi Sahin matter of factly, as if that is what everyone does when their education system needs an enormous injection of capital. “The governor invited them for lunch in a very expensive restaurant. Then he gave a speech about how Sanliurfa would only develop if we educated our children, and how they could only develop their businesses if they helped to develop the schools in the city. He promised that he would find the funds for teachers if they built the classrooms. Pre-primary education was the first target in his sight.” They did. They built eight whole schools in town and Okutan not only kept his side of the bargain, but he really put his money where his mouth was by introducing half

Nuri Okutan (left) and Hanifi Sahin Photo: ETF/A.Jongsma

Live&Learn

January 2011

an hour’s reading at the close of working hours in all public buildings to support general literacy. Every day. But that was still the easy bit. The town had always been better educated than the countryside. “Outside Sanliurfa we basically did the same thing,” says Sahin. “We set up meetings with village elders and made the same promise: build a classroom and we’ll find you a teacher. We organised school nights with parents. We went round the entire province.” All in all they built 430 new classrooms and refurbished three times that number. Not between 1990 and 2010. Not in the last five years. No, in the summer of 2010. At the same time libraries were built in mosques and existing schools were sold off at prime downtown rates to build new up-to-date facilities in the huge suburbs that are mushrooming all around Sanliurfa. Pre-primary, which had been virtually non-existent in the region, was the one to benefit the most from the building frenzy. “Before we started the campaign, we had 160 classrooms for pre-primary education. Afterwards we had 1,330.” But all forms of education have received a massive boost, including VET with new schools and much improved facilities and higher education with the splendidly lush

modern facilities of Harran University just east of town. Leaving the offices of the governorate for dinner with Sahin, together with his mobile phone and all the other people he still needs to speak to and drink tea with before his working day is over, we cross the yard which had been formerly empty. In the twilight of the early evening looms a large van with speakers on the roof which has just come back from a mission in the Harran plains. On the back is a photo of a girl in the cotton fields saying: “I don’t want to be a farm worker, I want to be a farm engineer.” “We have three of those,” says Sahin, “the other two are still out.” “Sanliurfa is a social laboratory,” governor Okutan had said during the ETF meeting. “In the next year or two we will see significant results.” True, but the odd thing is they make it sound as if Sanliurfa is not a social laboratory but a social playground. Which brings us back to inclusive education because, when our interview comes to a close, Sahin asks if he can ask a question too. Of course he can. “This inclusive education thing,” he says, “what is it really all about?” n Words: A. Jongsma, ICE

Coming up

IN THE NEXT ISSUE… SKILLS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT The word sustainable is used as a prefix to many concepts, and the ETF is involved in discussions on sustainable development from a partner country perspective. To this end, a two day meeting was held in Turin last 22-23 November with a view to obtaining input on the state of the art of sustainable development, examples of good practice and concepts and lessons-learned from other international organisations working to promote sustainable development in their work. The meeting also provided an opportunity for participants to learn about perspectives on sustainable development from ETF partner countries following the distribution of the ETF’s draft position paper. n

PROMOTING SOCIAL INCLUSION AND COMBATING POVERTY THROUGH COOPERATION IN EDUCATION, TRAINING AND WORK IN EU NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES This conference, held on 2-3 December 2010, examined how enhanced cooperation in education, training and work can improve social inclusion and combat poverty. The expected outcomes of the conference: + enhanced awareness of the issues, challenges and policy approaches at all levels for promoting social inclusion and combating poverty; + innovative policies, programmes and actions of ETF partner countries, the EU and beyond, shared to support mutual learning; + conclusions on the main challenges, lessons learnt and suggestions for the ETF’s work in its partner countries, will be brought to you in the next issue of Live&Learn together with interviews with participants and more information on the network of bloggers which was built up around the event. n

COUNTRY PROFILE: OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY Following this issue’s article on the Palestinian Education and Business Study, Live&Learn speaks to ETF country manager for the occupied Palestinian Territory, Mariavittoria Garlappi, and investigates EU education and training policy there. n

January 2011

Live&Learn

For information on our activities, job and tendering possibilities please visit our website: www.etf.europa.eu For other enquiries please contact:

TA-AF-10-019-EN-C

HOW TO CONTACT US:

ETF Communication Unit European Training Foundation Villa Gualino Viale Settimio Severo, 65 I â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10133 Torino

Printed on paper awarded the European Union Eco-label,

reg.nr FI/11/1, supplied by UPM

T +39 011 630 2222 F +39 011 630 2200 E info@etf.europa.eu