Recent Developments at a European Level

29–04–2021

Progress in Graduate Tracking  

In November 2017, to enable policy makers and stakeholders to improve the employability of graduates, to tackle skills gaps and mismatches and ensure social inclusion as well as to allow prospective students to make informed choices about potential career paths, a Council Recommendation on tracking graduates was adopted.

To help support its implementation, a number of useful resources have since been published, including:

Making progress on the establishment of graduate tracking systems and setting out how they should be implemented were both proposed by the Recommendation, as it was seen that initiatives and systems for collecting information about leavers of higher and vocational education and training could benefit from improvement and standardisation. 

 

European Digital Skills Certificate: Feasibility Study Announced 

One of the actions of the Digital Education Action Plan (EDSC) adopted by the European Commission on 30 September 2020 is the development of a European Digital Skills Certificate to allow individuals to communicate their levels of digital proficiency.

As a first step towards the European Digital Skills Certificate a feasibility study will be carried out by the Joint Research Centre in 2021/2022. In the context of the study a broad range of stakeholders will be consulted. QQI will share the results of this study as soon as they are available.

 

An Inclusive, Innovative, and Inter-connected EHEA: Key priorities of the Rome Bologna Communiqué

The ministerial conference of the Bologna Process took place on 19 November 2020 virtually, organised by Italy. The Communiqué reflects well the Commission’s priorities for higher education, as set out in the recent Communications on the European Education Area, the European Digital Action Plan and the European Research Area.

Guided by the objective of meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the vision as set out in the communiqué is founded on three key pillars: an inclusive, innovative, inter-connected European Higher Education Area (EHEA):

  • An inclusive EHEA: adoption of the “Principles and guidelines to strengthen the social dimension of higher education in the EHEA”, and request to put in place monitoring measures to assure an evidence-based follow-up.  
  • An innovative EHEA: student-centred learning is highlighted, as well as the need to explore how micro-credentials can be developed, implemented and recognised using Bologna tools.  
  • An inter-connected EHEA: Ministers are expected to reaffirm their target that at least 20% of graduates should have had a study or training period abroad. At the same time, all students should be able to acquire international and intercultural competences through internationalisation of the curricula or participation in innovative international environments in their home institutions, and to experience some form of mobility, whether in physical, digitally enhanced (virtual) or blended formats. The European Universities initiative is mentioned as an important vehicle to explore deeper and systemic cooperation, and detect and overcome obstacles to closer transnational cooperation.  

As well as adopting recommendations for the enhancement of higher education learning and teaching and parity of esteem between education and research, ministers were asked to commit to ensuring automatic recognition of academic qualifications and periods of study abroad within the EHEA. A strong commitment to fundamental values was also expressed, with the adoption of a definition of academic freedom, and a request that a framework be developed to monitor and assess its implementation. Finally, the communiqué confirmed the will of ministers to foster better synergies and alignment between higher education and research and innovation policies.

  

European Skills Competencies, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO)

Using the ESCO classification as a common language, Jobs Ireland (the Irish public employment service of the Department of Social Protection) offers a free job advertising service to employers that allows job seekers to search for jobs and create a profile to match their skills and experience with available jobs.

ESCO is a European multilingual classification of skills, competences and occupations that works as a taxonomy, describing, identifying and classifying professional occupations and skills relevant for the EU labour market and education and training.

 

Survey on Career Guidance

Several international organisations - members of the Interagency Working Group on Work-Based Learning (European Commission, ETF, CEDEFOP, ILO, UNESCO, OECD) + the International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy (ICCDPP) - have joined forces to develop a joint international survey designed to provide a snapshot of how career guidance policies, systems and services were adapting and coping, following the declaration of the world COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

The survey report has been published by Cedefop on 23 December 2020. You can find the link to the report here: 

 

Upskilling Pathways

The Commission is preparing to evaluate implementation of the Council Recommendation on Upskilling Pathways, to report to the Council on progress towards raising the level of basic literacy, numeracy and digital skills and/or qualification of low-qualified adults, during the first five years.

The Recommendation stipulates that the Commission do so in cooperation with the Member States and after consulting the stakeholders concerned. To this end a study will be launched and a public consultation will take place, if possible in Q2 2021.

Another group of seven countries have signed up to a third round of mutual learning on implementing Upskilling Pathways (EE, ES, HR, IE, LA, LT, MT). The events are being held online, the first took place on 19-21 January, followed by a second three-day session in late April-early May.​

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