The Wolf ReportPerspectives from Europe

Dr Andrew McCoshanAssociate Fellow

Centre for Education and IndustryUniversity of Warwick

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 E&T 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

Wolf Report – Details• 14-16:

(a) recent vocational qualifications are valueless in the labour market and don’t 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

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!

General education Vocational education and training

Lower/upper secondary(ISCED 2/3)

Tertiary(ISCED 5&6)

Post-secondary non-tertiary(ISCED 4)

Higher level technical education

Lower level VET

Apprenticeships

General, ‘academic’

higher education

Tertiary VET Post-secondary

VET

Bridge courses

L A B O U R M A R K E T

General secondaryeducation

Double qualifying pathways

Primary & lower secondary levels

General upper secondary44%

VET upper secondary56%

Labour market is majority choice

Post-secondary non-tertiary attainmentIreland 10%, Greece 8%, Germany 6%, Portugal 1%

Tertiary VETc15% of tertiary enrolments

Perhaps 3-4% of current total population cohort … But growing

Progression patterns

• 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

EU policies

• 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

EU tools

VET in the compulsory phase (lower secondary)

• Becoming increasingly unpopular … but it’s more complicated than that

• Being reformed/repositioned rather than abolished

• Generally becoming more pre-vocational and focused on preventing early school leaving

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

VET in the compulsory phase (lower secondary)

• Dutch system offers four VET routes (2008 figures):

Theoretical - 36%Combined - 12%Pre-voc higher – 27%Pre-voc lower – 25%

• 2006-08 enrolments down in all tracks except ‘combined’

• Better pathways opened up in to upper secondary VET

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

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

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 E&T to ensure that placement is positive experience

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

Work-related learning and apprenticeships

Netherlands: ‘pathways model’

Lower secondary:Basic vocational programmes may offer programmes combining work and study: practical out-of-school component of 80-160 days in last 2 years

Upper secondary:

2 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)

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

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

Work-related learning and apprenticeships

Norway: ‘unified model’ aka 2+2 model

- Normally 2 years at school with practical training in school workshops and short industry placements- Then 2 years apprenticeship- But variations on 2+2 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

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

Progression

Source: Cedefop VET in Europe Netherlands Country Report

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 …?