EUROPEAN CREDIT TRANSFER SYSTEMS

1
EUROPEAN CREDIT TRANSFER SYSTEMS

• Purpose
• Policy frameworks
• ECTS
• ECVET
• Considerations

2
Why is this an issue for European co-operation?

• Provides a way of recognising learning
  achievements acquired in cross border education
  and training

3
Policy framework-Bologna

• Ministers confirm support for credit
• systems
• As a proper means of promoting the most
  widespread student mobility-1999
• To provide transferability and accumulation, for
  flexibility in learning-2001
• To facilitate mobility and international
  curriculum development -2003

4
Policy framework Copenhagen

• Ministers consider it a priority to
• investigate how a credit transfer system
• could promote
• transparency and comparability
• transferability and recognition
• of competences and/or qualifications
• between different countries
• at different levels

5
BEYOND TRANSNATIONAL MOBILITYWHY?

• Credit systems
• Facilitate transparency and comparability of
  programmes and qualifications
• Provide a means of making learning provision
  flexible and accessible

6
HIGHER EDUCATION European Credit Transfer
System

• Achievements
• Recognised on a European wide basis
• Common framework of tools
• Facilitates transparency of systems, programmes
  and standards
• Provides an accreditation infrastructure for
  joint programmes
• Success factors
• Comparability of universities, programmes,
  qualifications, learners
• The autonomy of universities
• The existence of European networks and
  associations
• Time
•  

7
Vocational education and training-ECVET

• National and transnational transfer of learning
  outcomes and the accumulation and mutual
  recognition of learning activities, or
  qualification units.
• National approaches to credit systems in VET
• Reference levels for VET qualifications and
  competences
• Zones of mutual trust
• A common typology of knowledge, skills and
  competences

8
Challenges

• Common
• Acceptance
• Reform systems, institutions and programmes
• Needs experience/expertise/resources
• European credit accumulation system
• VET
• Same goals as ECTS, different point of departure
• Engaging stakeholders and building solid
  foundations

9
CONSIDERATIONS

• OWNERSHIP
• DESIRABILITY
• FEASIBILITY
• DIVERSITY
• REFORM
• IMPACT
• SYNERGY

10
TOWARDS 2010

• Common themes and approaches across vocational
  education and training and higher education

11
What is driving European co-operation in VET and
higher education?

• The need to respond to combined political,
  economic and social goals

12
2010 GOALS

• education and training a world quality reference
  by 2010
• the most competitive and knowledge-based economy
  in the world
• Reform and investment
• Lifelong learning
• A Europe of education and training

13
VET and higher education

• Purpose
• Governance
• Curricula and qualifications
• Organisation of provision
• International outlook

14
VET and higher education

• Wider participation and the emergence of new
  forms of provision?
• State playing a bigger role?
• Similar goals for human resource development?
• Increasing convergence of purpose, goals,
  curricula, methods

15
Key areas for co-operation?

• Increasing the transparency and comparability of
  systems
• Improving the quality of education and training
• Internationalisation

16
Levels of co-operation?

• Policy
• European councils, committees, ad-hoc groups
• Process
• European level agencies, associations, networks
• Practice
• Key actors at national level

17
European Policies

• EU
• Social, education and training and employment
  Quality
• Lifelong learning
• Recognition and Mobility
• Action Programmes
• Future objectives
• Enhanced co-operation-Copenhagen process
• European Intergovernmental
• Bologna process
• UNESCO/ILO, Council of Europe, OECD

18
Selected common themes

• Mobility and the recognition of qualifications
• Transparency of qualifications
• Credit systems
• Quality
• Qualifications frameworks

19
Scope of the study

• European level
• Mapping policy and practice
• Considering outcomes
• Examining commonalities and differences
• Identifying tensions
• The future?

20
CONFERENCE

• Exchange experience
• Discuss tensions and challenges
• Consider possibilities for joint actions

21
General issues

• Policy running ahead of practice?
• Valuing the necessary processes?
• Evaluating emerging outcomes?
• Managing synergy?
• Resources?

22
Transparency context

• Free movement of labour key principle in policy
• single market
• influence of globalisation
• establishment of multinational corporations and
  conglomerates
• obstacles to mobility?
• problem of transferring qualifications from one
  country to another
•  

23
Outline

• Three strategies
• Recent Community action on transparency and
  recognition of qualifications
• Gradual convergence of approaches and policies
• Europass single framework for transparency of
  qualifications
• Main tensions
• Questions for discussion

24
Removing obstacles to mobility three strategies

•  
• Recognition of qualifications directives (top
  down)
• Comparability of qualifications five-level
  framework
• Transparency of qualifications projects to
  policy (bottom-up)

25
Actions to improve transparency of qualifications

• Networks of specialised agencies
• (ENIC, NARIC, Information points on the EU
  Directives, EURES, Euroguidance, NRP)
• establishment of formal recognition processes
• new instruments to make qualifications more
  easily understood

26
Instruments to promote transparency of
qualifications

• Diploma supplement, Certificate supplement,
  European CV
• A gradual convergence of approaches and policies
• A single framework for transparency Europass
• European CV, certificate and diploma supplements,
  the common European framework of reference for
  languages and Europass-Training (MobiliPass)

27
Europass added value

• Creates a co-ordinated portfolio of documents
• stronger communications impact than separate
  documents
• for citizens coherent, effective, accessible
• for national systems link information services
  and systems, improve internal transparency
• for Community open architecture for future
  development

28
Progress on transparency

• Working methodology was European Forum a
  critical success factor?
• Mainstreamed successful practice from projects
• linked separate initiatives at national, sectoral
  and project level
• built on experience of diploma supplement
• integrated the technical and political aspects
• achieved strong consensus among Member States,
  promoted mutual understanding and trust, and
  created a positive climate for progress.

29
Implementing transparency instruments

• Issues
• different agencies and networks involved
• challenge of co-ordination at national level,
  conflict?
• tensions between approaches to transparency
  HE/VET
• individual / collective approach
• focus on system / focus on individual learner
• inputs /process / outcomes

30
  Issues for discussion

• Has transparency become a reality at national
  level?
• Is this a bigger issue than transnational
  transparency?
• What progress has been made in implementing the
  existing transparency instruments at national
  level?

31
Issues for discussion

• What can be learned from the transparency
  experience?
• Could it be applied to other themes credit,
  quality, frameworks?

32
Quality

• While quality is difficult to define, its
  importance is universally appreciated (Garvin
  1988)(.). There is no patent remedy and no
  universally applicable, standard solution for
  developing or assuring quality. (Source European
  quality observatory-website)

33
Quality

• Need for European co-operation
• Goals
• Frameworks

34
Why is quality an issue for European co-operation?

• Improving quality and
• being responsive to needs
• ensuring trust in qualifications
• increasing competitiveness
• managing internationalisation
• are common challenges

35
 Common goals

• Shared concepts
• Transparent practices
• Enhanced mutual trust
• Benchmarking and quality improvement
• Increased compatibility
• Increased attractiveness
•  

36
Policy frameworks

• EU Treaty
• EU Instruments
• 2010 Work programme
• Copenhagen and Bologna processes
• Action Programmes

37
Education and training 2010

• Improving the quality and effectiveness of
  education and training

38
Enhanced co-operationCopenhagen

• Exchange of models and methods and common
  criteria and principles
• Attention to the learning needs of teachers and
  trainers in VET
•  

39
Bologna-Quality assurance

• Comparable criteria and methodologies
• Scenarios for mutual acceptance of evaluation and
  accreditation mechanisms
• Common framework of reference
• Set of standards, procedures and guidelines

40
Areas of co-operation

• Input curricula, teachers, environment
• Process managing quality
• Outputs indicators
• Accountability quality assurance/accreditation
• Methods self assessment, customer assessment,
• peer review and publication of reports

41
Main outcomes

• Laying the foundations for a European framework
  for quality
• European Networks
• Working groups
• Transnational partnerships
• Conceptual developments
• Models and methods

42
CONFERENCE

• Build on the experiences of in VET and higher
  education
• Balancing policy developments with developments
  at programme, institutional and systemic levels
• Considering future common actions

43
Qualifications frameworks

• Context
• Existing frameworksNational , sectoral,
  transnational
• What is the next step?
• A framework of qualifications at European level
  (Bologna, Joint Interim report , future
  objectives work programme)

44
Outline

• Definition, rationale for qualifications
  frameworks
• Features of existing national, international and
  sectoral frameworks
• Issues in implementing them
• Role of qualifications frameworks in achieving
  the Lisbon goals
• Issues for discussion

45
Definition and rationale

•  
• Qualification, qualifications system,
  qualifications framework
• Conceptual/technical frameworks.
• economic, social and political objectives
• modernising education systems
• challenges of globalisation and change
  political, economic, social, technological
• Institutional/user reasons

46
Adding value to national systems

• more transparent
• more coherent
• more accessible
• more flexible
• more consistent in quality
• more responsive to needs of learners, society,
  economy
• Tensions
• flexibility for individuals / rigidity of
  institutions
• focus on learner / on system.

47
Implementing qualifications frameworks Common
issues

• Conceptual definitions, purpose, scope,
  principles, philosophies
• Political ownership, control, involvement of
  stakeholders, responsibilities, linkages
• Technical levels, criteria, standards access,
  transfer, progression arrangements for credit,
  quality assurance, validation of non- formal and
  informal learning.

48
The case for a European qualifications framework

• Facilitate mobility, make systems more
  transparent
• based on national frameworks
• build on Bologna and Copenhagen
• include VET and HE
• need for mutual trust, quality assurance

49
Issues

• Relationships national framework / overarching
  framework
• Ownership and control of European framework
• Responsibility for development, support and
  updating
• Bottom-up or top-down development
• Level of detail required in the framework
  loose or tight
• Balance simplicity of use /comprehensiveness of
  coverage
• Focus on inputs or outcomes
• Definition of elements or building blocks of
  framework.

50
Is there a platform for the development of a
common European qualifications framework?

• Conceptual?
• Not yet
• Technical?
• No a long way to go
• Political?
• Support at policy level

51
Political support

• Powerful driver of progress towards key Lisbon
  objectives
• Help make lifelong learning a reality
• Remove obstacles to mobility
• Enabling conditions quality assurance, credit
  transfer, transparency

52
BUT.

• Implementing strategy is never easy, quick or
  cheap
• Need to build political support in MS
• Some are agnostic, sceptical or unsure
• Consultation and communication
• Do not force it before stakeholders are ready

53
  Issues for discussion

• Is single framework for lifelong learning, all
  countries, all sectors, all levels desirable,
  feasible?
• Principles, philosophies, purposes?
• Can European framework add anything at national
  level?
• Level of support in the Member States?
• Who owns, is responsible for framework?
• How should the key stakeholders be involved?
• Meeting needs of VET/HE/LLL/sectors
• How many levels descriptive or prescriptive?

54
Conclusions

• Key messages
• A lot happening in pursuit of education and
  training 2010 goals.
• On first examination fragmented, unfocused,
  slow, complex, difficult, unproductive
• Examined in more detail examples of good
  practice, important and successful outcomes
• Opportunity to build on success in Bologna,
  Copenhagen process, future objectives work
  programme, projects
• Working to forge an integrated new strategy for
  the future

55
Summary of research

• Show what has happened to date
• How convergence has been achieved
• How polarities have been managed
• What have been the challenges?
• What issues are unresolved and why?

56
What enables positive outcomes?

• Building consensus
• mutual trust, common understanding
• shared goals, purpose, vision
• partnership, respecting and celebrating diversity
• valuing different perspectives and traditions
• creating a climate for change
• creating an imperative for change.

57
What has helped to create a climate for change?

• Thirty years of projects and exchanges in
  education and training
• The European social agenda
• The infiltration of ideas from other fields eg
  employment, trade, fiscal policy

58
Managing polarities

• access / quality
• diversity / collective approach
• top down / bottom up
• integration/fragmentation
• competitiveness/cohesion
• employability/academic values

59
Managing polarities

• voluntary/legally based
• national/European
• flexible/rigid
• State/market control
• System focus/learner focus
• Revolution/evolution

60
Issues

• How to manage polarities, strike balance?
• What position has been adopted?
• Is this the best position now?
• In the future?
• Different answers in different places, times
• Can/should the positions change?

61
Euro News 8 March 2010

• Europe is now the worlds leading knowledge
  economy!
• Education and training played a key role in this
  historic achievement

62
How did we get there?