Attractive vocational education and training: What really matters? - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Attractive vocational education and training: What really matters?

Cathy Stasz, Sue Guthrie and Craig Holmes Cedefop Workshop 9th October 2012

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Outline of the workshop

• Session 1: Introduction to the study
• Session 2: Trends and developments affecting IVET

attractiveness

• Session 3: Can the attractiveness of initial vocational

education and training be measured?

• Session 4: Policy initiatives—emerging trends and

examples

• Session 5: Moving the attractiveness agenda forward:

next steps

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• 1. INTRODUCTION AND

APPROACH

Cathy Stasz

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Aims of the Study

• To improve the evidence base for policy decisions and

actions at national and EU level to increase attractiveness of initial education and training (IVET) in Europe.

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Study Questions

• Scope: How can IVET attractiveness be defined, conceptualised

and measured?

• Drivers of IVET attractiveness: What are they?

– To what extent are these drivers specific to the IVET system (endogenous), external to the IVET system, (exogenous)? Can they be influenced by policy (policy levers)?

• Perspectives of attractiveness: what are they among relevant

stakeholders in different countries?

• Policy efforts and effectiveness: what are intended outcomes,

intervention logic, effects and perceptions?

• What works and in what context? What are the characteristics of

successful policies?

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Endogenous drivers of IVET

• utcomes

IVET System characteristics:

• Flexibility of pathways
• Access to higher education
• Access for particular groups
• Quality of provision
• Availability of work-based learning
• Transparency of qualifications
• Recognition of informal learning
• Availability of guidance and

counselling

• Who communicates?
• What is communicated?
• How is it communicated?

IVET outcomes Communication of IVET outcomes Attractiveness of IVET

• Participation rates
• Relative esteem of IVET compared

to general upper secondary education

• Image of vocational education

Policy levers: IVET system

• Improve flexibility and diversity of

pathways and programmes

• Provide financial incentives
• Improve quality of teachers or trainers
• Improve quality processes
• Increase transparency through use of

qualifications frameworks

• Improve transition to HE
• Revise/modernise curriculum
• Improve infrastructure
• Improve collaboration across levels
• Increase involvement of social

partners

Policy levers: Communication

• Campaigns to promote policy

changes and their implications

• Campaigns to raise awareness

(Family, schools, internet and social networks)

• Improve guidance counselling
• Highlighting excellence in IVET skills

provided by IVET (competitions, awards, etc.) IVET System characteristics:

• Drop-out rate
• Employment rate of graduates
• Structural unemployment of graduates
• Educational achievement
• HE enrolment of VET graduates

IVET providers and programmes delivery

Exogenous supply drivers of attractiveness:

• Social factors, particularly views of

family, teachers

• Attractiveness of other education

pathways

• Norms of participation in different

pathway

• Level of interest in subject (education

at earlier levels, stereotypes)

• Exogenous drivers: IVET
• utcomes
• Demographic trends
• Economic conditions
• Labour market conditions
• Wider education system

Exogenous demand drivers of attractiveness:

• Labour market trends (inc. demand for

specific qualifications)

• Expected professional income
• Status of occupations
• Demographics
• Economic progress: (un)employment
• Migration of skilled labour

Conceptual Framework

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A Mix of Methodologies

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Key data sources

Data Sources Description Country studies Desk research plus key informant interviews 27 EU member states, plus Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Australia, and South Korea Case studies Desk research plus key informant interviews 10 policy initiatives in 6 countries: Germany, Finland, Ireland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain Survey Adaptation of Eurobarometer items Web-based; directed at guidance counselors, teachers, employers; limited sample (N=126) Quantitative data European Labour Force Survey (2000- 2011; Eurobarometer (2011, 2004); Continual vocational training survey (2005); National statistics (UOE); European Social Survey (2010)

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Limitations of the study

• Short overall timeframe to gather and analyse wide

variety of data

• Data limitations
• Small survey sample limits generalisibility of findings
• Policy initiatives are complex, ongoing, have

interrelated strands—difficult to isolate effects of single initiative

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Data sources

• National statistics agencies
• European Labour Force Survey (2000-2010)
• Continuing Vocational Training Survey (2005)
• Eurobarometer:

– Special 369 (2011) – Special 216 (2004)

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• 2. TRENDS AND

DEVELOPMENTS AFFECTING IVET

Craig Holmes

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Key Questions

• What are the potential drivers of IVET outcomes and

IVET attractiveness?

• What have the trends and developments looked like
• ver recent years?
• How do they differ between countries?
• What does the picture look like across Europe?

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Data sources

• National statistics agencies
• European Labour Force Survey (2000-2011)
• Continuing Vocational Training Survey (2005)
• European Social Survey (2010)
• Eurobarometer:

– Special 369 (2011) – Special 216 (2004)

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Data sources (2)

• Limitations of the data:

– Some useful measures of attractiveness are not available e.g. wage premia and employment rates for IVET graduates – Other data is collected at higher level of aggregation and should be treated as indicators e.g. IVET enrolments – Some countries do not report for some measures e.g. graduation rates by ISCED level – Eurobarometer uses self-reported perceptions – Some data is going out-of-date e.g. migration up to 2008

• Where relevant, data broken down into pre-crisis (2000-

2007) and post-crisis (2007-2010)

– May still mask effects of crisis if recoveries occur at different paces

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Exogenous drivers of IVET outcomes and attractiveness

• Economic climate

– Rising (youth) unemployment – Fiscal austerity in near future

• Demographics

– Population ageing – increased skill replacement demand – Migration – typically low skilled

• Labour market:

– Changing skills needs

• Wider education system

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Economic climate

• 2000-7: growth; 2007-10: recession
• 30.0%
• 20.0%
• 10.0%

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% Austria Netherlands Denmark Luxembourg Ireland Germany Norway Cyprus Sweden Portugal UK Hungary Malta Slovenia Belgium Romania EU27 Czech Republic France Latvia Finland Spain Estonia Italy Greece Lithuania Bulgaria Poland Slovakia Unemployment rate and change 2010 2007 2000

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Demographics

• European populations are ageing
• 4.0%
• 2.0%

0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% Germany South Korea Lichtenstein Greece Slovenia Italy Finland Malta Austria Latvia Portugal Netherlands Estonia EU27 Denmark Lithuania Hungary Romania Switzerland Czech Republic Cyprus Bulgaria Australia France Poland Sweden UK Belgium Slovakia Spain Iceland Ireland Luxembourg Norway % change, 2000-10 Country Old age dependency ratio Size of 18-24 population

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Demographics (2)

• Countries labour forces face inflows and outflows
• 8%
• 6%
• 4%
• 2%

0% 2% 4% 6% Luxembourg Cyprus Switzerland United Kingdom Malta Norway Liechtenstein Denmark Iceland Spain Sweden Netherlands Belgium Austria Ireland Italy Greece Slovenia Germany France Finland Hungary Portugal Czech Republic Slovakia Estonia Poland Lithuania Latvia Bulgaria % migration rate Immigration rate Emigration rate Net immigration rate

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Demographics (3)

• Immigration is relatively low-skilled

AT BE CY CZ DK FI FR DE EL HU IE IT LU NL NO PL PT SK SI ES SE CH UK 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% 6.0% Relative skill of 15-24 year old immigrant population, 2008 Immigration rate, 15-24 year olds, 2008

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Skills needs in the labour market

• Moves away from semi-skilled manual, skilled trades

and clerical work

• 4.0%
• 3.0%
• 2.0%
• 1.0%

0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% Technicians and associate professionals Clerical support workers Service and sales workers Craft and related trades workers Plant and machine

• perators, and

assemblers Change in employment share, % Occupation major group 2000-2007 2007-2011 2000-2011

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Skills needs in the labour market (2)

• More technicians benefits IVET graduates

EU27 BE BG CZ DK DE EE IE EL ES FR IT CY LV LT LU HU MT NL AT PL PT RO SI SK FI SE UK IS NO CH 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% Proportion of technician workers at ISCED level 3-4 Employment share of technician occupations

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Skills needs in the labour market (3)

• More service occupations benefits less qualified

EU27 BE BG CZ DK DE EE IE EL ES FR IT CY LV LT LU HU MT NL AT PL PT RO SI SK FI SE UK IS NO CH 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% Proportion of service workers with ISCED 3-4 qualifications Total employment share

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Wider education system

• Largely similar upper secondary expenditures

0.00% 0.50% 1.00% 1.50% 2.00% 2.50% 3.00% Belgium Cyprus Estonia Malta Finland South Korea Iceland UK France Latvia Sweden Austria Italy Denmark Netherlands Hungary Slovenia Norway Germany Ireland Poland Bulgaria Czech Republic Portugal Luxembourg Slovakia Lithuania Australia Spain Lichtenstein ISCED 3-4 (type unknown) ISCED 3-4 vocational and prevocational ISCED 3-4 general

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Wider education system (2)

• Large HE sectors in Scandinavia, much of Western

Europe and the South

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Czech Republic Slovakia Lithuania Poland Estonia Latvia Slovenia Germany Switzerland Finland Austria Sweden UK Hungary Bulgaria Norway Cyprus Luxembourg Romania Ireland EU27 Denmark France Netherlands Belgium Iceland Greece Italy Spain Portugal Malta Share of working age population ISCED 5-6 ISCED 3-4

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IVET outcomes

• Skill supply

– Participation rates – Graduation rates and other measures of attainment

• Economic outcomes

– Earnings – Employment prospects

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Skills supply

• Participation rates do not indicate supply

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Austria Belgium Slovakia Finland Czech Republic Netherlands Romania Switzerland Slovenia Luxembourg Italy Sweden Malta Australia Norway Germany Poland Bulgaria EU27 Denmark France Spain Estonia Latvia Portugal Iceland Greece Lithuania UK Ireland South Korea Hungary Cyprus Participation rate in vocational programmes, % all programmes at ISCED 3-4

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Skills supply (2)

• Output of IVET graduates varies dramatically

0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% 6.0% 7.0% 8.0% Romania Liechtenstein Austria Slovakia Belgium Netherlands France Finland Slovenia Sweden Poland Italy Luxembourg Hungary Greece Iceland Estonia Bulgaria Norway Denmark Portugal Latvia Malta Lithuania Cyprus Ireland Graduation rate Level 4 Level 3

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Skills supply (3)

• There is somewhat of a trade-off between turning out

general and vocational graduates

AT BE CY DK FI DE EL HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE IS LI NO

0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8% 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% Graduation rate, general programmes Graduation rate, vocational programmes

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Skills supply (4)

• High drop-out rates are a persistent problem

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Slovenia Norway Poland Czech Republic Slovakia Austria Denmark Lithuania Switzerland Finland Sweden Germany Hungary France Estonia Ireland Belgium Greece Latvia Luxembourg Netherlands EU27 UK Cyprus Bulgaria Italy Romania Iceland Spain Portugal Malta Early school leaver rate 2004 2011

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Economic outcomes

• Higher absolute IVET wages also improve the relative

earnings of graduates

BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR UK EL HU IE NL NO PO PT SE SL SK 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 Earnings ratio: university vs. IVET Earnings ratio: IVET vs. lower secondary

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Economic outcomes (2)

• Vocationally-focused upper secondary systems have

employment rates comparable to HE graduates

AT BE BG CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE EL HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE UK NO CH 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% Employment rate ratio: ISCED 5-6 compared to ISCED 3-4 Participation rate in ISCED 3-4 vocational programmes

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IVET outcomes

• No countries have highly successful IVET systems

across all these output measures:

– High graduation rate but low wage premia (e.g. Netherlands) – Compressed earnings and employment rate distributions  IVET graduates have few advantages over low qualified but relatively close to HE graduates (e.g Nordic countries) – Unequal earnings and employment rate distribution has

• pposite effect (e.g Estonia, Latvia, Hungary etc.)
• More examples of unsuccessful systems with few (if

any) positive outcomes:

– Greece, Ireland, Malta – UK, Iceland, Portugal (with missing data)

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• 3. VIEWPOINTS ON

ATTRACTIVENESS

Sue Guthrie

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Key questions

• What measures can we use to understand the

attractiveness of IVET?

• What data are available?
• What does the picture look like and how does it differ

across Europe?

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How can we measure the attractiveness of IVET?

• Three indicators from two sources

– Do you think that vocational education and training has a very positive, fairly positive, fairly negative or very negative image in this country? (% answering ‘positive’ or ‘very positive’) Source: Special Eurobarometer 369, 2011 – Nowadays, which of the following would you recommend to a young person who is finishing compulsory education? (difference in percentage points between % recommending vocational education and general education) Source: Special Eurobarometer 369, 2011 – Participation rates in vocational programmes as a % of all participation at ISCED 3&4 (15-64 year olds) Source: Eurostat 2010

• Could also use entry-level employment rates and

earnings of IVET graduates, but data not available

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Limitations of the data

• Eurobarometer survey methodology

– Treats vocational education as a homogenous whole – Focuses on vocational education – few questions make the comparison to other available options – Questions not specific and may be differently understood in different countries

• Inclusion of CVET

– Participation covers age group 15-64 – One of Eurobarometer questions asks about image of vocational education as a whole

• Survey is from 2011, participation data from 2010
• Eurobarometer only covers EU MS

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How attractive is IVET: what does the picture look like across countries?

• ’Do you think that vocational education and training has a very

positive, fairly positive, fairly negative or very negative image in this country?’

• Average of 71% answer ‘positive’ or ‘very positive’ across all EU

member states

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Malta Finland Austria Bulgaria Germany Portugal Italy Ireland Cyprus Greece Denmark Estonia Romania Czech Republic UK Spain Slovakia Poland Lithuania Luxembourg Sweden France Latvia Belgium Hungary Netherlands Slovenia

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How attractive is IVET: what does the picture look like across countries? (2)

• Relative esteem indicator (difference in percentage points between the

percentage recommending general education and the percentage recommending vocational education)

• Average value is -5%
• Younger respondents, and those with higher level of educational

attainment more likely to recommend general education

• 50%
• 40%
• 30%
• 20%
• 10%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% France Hungary Finland Netherlands Bulgaria Austria Greece Cyprus Czech Republic Portugal Italy Latvia Slovenia Spain Germany UK Estonia Luxembourg Slovakia Poland Belgium Malta Romania Denmark Sweden Ireland Lithuania

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How attractive is IVET: what does the picture look like across countries? (3)

• Participation rates in IVET (Level 3 & 4) vocational programmes as

a % of all at ISCED 3 and ISCED 4 (15-64 year olds)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Austria Belgium Slovakia Finland Czech… Netherlands Romania Switzerland Slovenia Luxembourg Italy Sweden Malta Australia Norway Germany Poland Bulgaria EU27 average Denmark France Spain Estonia Latvia Portugal Iceland Greece Lithuania UK Ireland South Korea Hungary Cyprus 2006 2010

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Measures of attractiveness are not correlated

AT BE BG CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE EL HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE UK EU27

• 50%
• 40%
• 30%
• 20%
• 10%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Relatvie esteem indicator (2011) Image of vocational education (2011)

AT BE BG CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE EL HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE UK EU-27 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Image of vocational education (2011)

Participation (2010)

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Measures of attractiveness are not correlated (2)

AT BE BG CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE UK EU27

• 50%
• 40%
• 30%
• 20%
• 10%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Relative esteem indicator Participation rate

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Trends in attractiveness

• Participation levels are stable in most countries
• 80%
• 60%
• 40%
• 20%

0% 20% 40% 60% France Hungary Finland Netherlands Bulgaria Austria Greece Cyprus Czech Republic Portugal Italy Latvia Slovenia Spain Germany UK Estonia Luxembourg Slovakia Poland Belgium Malta Romania Denmark Sweden Ireland Lithuania 2004 2011

• Relative esteem indicator (Source: Eurobarometer 369 (2011) and 216 (2004))
• Falls in Western Europe, notably the UK and Ireland
• Increases in Eastern and Southern Europe, e.g. Cyprus, Latvia, Slovakia
• But need to consider the starting points

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Influence of exogenous demand drivers on attractiveness

Participation (2010) Relative esteem (2011) Relative esteem (2004) Spend on ISCED 3-4 vocational/prevocational education as a percentage of GDP (2008)

Yes, positive (0.862) X Yes, positive (0.469)

Unemployment rate

Yes, negative (- 0.403) X X

Youth unemployment

X X X

Proportion working as technicians and associate professionals

Yes, positive X X

Change in proportion working in craft and related trades and clerical support

Yes, positive X X

Change in proportion working as plant and machine operators, and assemblers

Yes, negative X X

Change in proportion working in service and sales

X Yes, positive X

Old age dependency ratio

X X Yes, positive (0.458)

Size of youth population

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Influence of exogenous supply drivers on attractiveness

• Families, teachers, people

from the world of work, and the internet/social media are important

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

TV Internet/social networks Newspapers Radio Events Exhibitions, fairs Schools Family Friends Experience in summer/part-time job

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Family Teachers Guidance counsellors Friends Internet/social networks Events Newspapers Part-time job Television Exhibitions or fairs Radio Work experience Hobbies/interests Other Teachers and Trainers Guidance counsellors Sources of information used. Source: Eurobarometer 369 (2011) Most important influence on decision making. Source: Project survey

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Influence of exogenous supply drivers on attractiveness (2)

• Assessment of attractiveness should compare to the

alternatives

– Relative esteem indicator demonstrates this – IVET rated highly in terms of labour market relevance and quality in Eurobarometer survey – In project survey, when compared to general education, quality less well considered

• Difficult to assess impact on attractiveness of these factors

due to data limitations

– Perceptions around likelihood of finding employment is correlated with relative esteem – Labour market relevance of IVET emerges as important in both surveys

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Influence of exogenous supply drivers on attractiveness (3)

• Student interest in the subject and/or related jobs an important

consideration in decision making

• Norms – participation stable, relative esteem changing

AT BE BG CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE HE HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE UK EU27

• 20%
• 10%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

• 50%
• 40%
• 30%
• 20%
• 10%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Change in participation between 2006 and 2010 Change in relative esteem between 2004 and 2011

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Relationship between endogenous drivers and the attractiveness of IVET

• Lack of suitable data makes it difficult to analyse
• Previous studies suggest some drivers:

– Labour market relevance – Accessibility – Provision of guidance – Assured quality of education

• Survey and Eurobarometer data support the importance of

labour market relevance to attractiveness

• Contrasting broad classifications, market-led systems, (e.g.

UK and Ireland) lead to lower levels of IVET attractiveness

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Relationship between IVET outcomes and the attractiveness of IVET

• Limited availability of data on the direct outcomes of IVET

– E.g. employment rates of IVET graduates, or HE enrolment of IVET graduates

• Where available, not strongly correlated with attractiveness

– E.g. Overall early dropout levels, Level of educational attainment at the population level, Wage premiums for differing levels of education

• Can infer from survey data that labour market relevance and

access to HE are likely to be important

• Scarcity of data suggests outcomes are not being well

communicated

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Conclusions

• Three measures of IVET attractiveness are available

– Relative esteem – Image of vocational education – Participation

• The picture regarding attractiveness is mixed, and differs

significantly across countries

– Participation is typically high relative to general education – Esteem is typically lower – Relative esteem typically growing in new MS (from a low starting point) and declining in Western Europe

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Conclusions (2)

• Can identify a number of factors that influence attractiveness

– Spend on vocational education – Composition of the labour market – View of others, particularly family – Comparison to general education – Norms

• Survey data suggests key factors in decision making are:

– Personal interest in the subject – Future employment opportunities

• This analysis is limited by data availability

– More data on IVET outcomes in particular are needed – Eurobarometer could be improved as a tool for gathering data

• n attractiveness

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• 4. POLICY MEASURES AND

EXAMPLES

Cathy Stasz

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Policy Approaches: Data

• Sources of information for country fiche

– ReferNet report is main source – Other sources include: Ministry reports on implementation of EC strategic framework , OECD Learning4Jobs, T. Leney et al 2004 – Key informant interview

• Could not validate information due to time and resource

constraints, but attempted to reconcile conflicting information

• Findings should be interpreted as broad snapshot of

policy measures, not exact accounting

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Countries Adopt a Wide Variety of Measures to Increase IVET Attractiveness

• Categorised about 20 broad types of measures
• Most frequently mentioned (by at least 15 countries)

– Provide financial incentives – Improve quality of teachers or trainers – Improve guidance and counselling – Improve flexibility and diversity of pathways and programmes – Increase transparency through use of qualifications frameworks – Campaigns to raise awareness – Improve quality processes

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Countries Adopt a Wide Variety of Measures to Increase IVET Attractiveness (2)

• Less frequently mentioned (cited by 11-14 countries)

– Improving transition from VET to higher education – Revising, modernizing the curriculum – Supporting skills competitions or awards – Improving the infrastructure of VET schools – Improving access for specific groups – Making structural changes to improve collaboration across levels – Increasing the involvement of employers, the labour market and social partners – Improvements to the apprenticeship system

• A few countries noted particularly successful measures, but

extent of countries’ evaluation of measures is unclear

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Relationships Between Measures and Indicators

• f Attractiveness
• Carried out preliminary analysis to identify patterns
• Used Eurobarometer data to classify countries

according to level of relative esteem

– Compared measures cited by countries in highest and lowest quartiles – Compared measures cited by countries where esteem increased to those where esteem decreased from 2004-2011

• Used participation data to identify countries with

highest and lowest IVET participation

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Measures Associated with Relative Esteem

High Esteem Countries (N=7) Low Esteem Countries (N=6) Improvements to guidance and counselling Reducing drop-out rates Skills competitions Introduce IVET at lower secondary or at younger age International/transnational mobility Adjust IVET curriculum to meet changes in the labour market Initiate structural changes to improve collaboration across stakeholders

Measures cited by low esteem countries appear to deal with more fundamental issues like increasing IVET participation and completion

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Measures Associated with Participation

High participation (N=7) Low participation (N=7) Reduce drop-out rate Recognition of prior learning Improve infrastructure of VET schools

Suggests that countries with high participation are more focused on ways to keep students enrolled

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Case studies of selected initiatives

• Aim is to examine IVET attractiveness in selected

countries to identify ‘what works,’ in what contexts

• Six countries, 10 cases: Germany, Finland, Czech

Republic, Ireland, Denmark, Spain

• Selection based on several considerations: measure of

attractiveness, IVET participation, geographic spread, presence of key initiatives, availability of data, expertise within study team

• Conducted desk research plus interviews with key

informants and descriptive analysis

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Case study #1: Skills Competitions in Finland: Context

• Upper secondary education divided into general and

vocational: 3 years duration, both provide eligibility for higher education

• VET is attractive: 43% in ISCED 3 vocational

programmes (71.5% for ISCED 3/4); 90% report VET has positive image

• Economic situation mainly positive: rapid growth from

2000-2007 and remains healthy relative to EU

• Recession has not affected funding of VET
• Youth employment declining, but at 39% is above EU

average

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Brief description of initiative

• Taitaja-Mästare: annual competition for VET students and

apprentices under age of 20

– Competition in 40 skill areas, over 3 days – Set tasks capture skills at work and test essential skills and competences – Judged according to standards set by national qualifications requirements, developed in partnership with social partners – Help identify vocational talent to represent Finland at international competitions – Largest yearly education event in Finland

• Taitaja-Mästare9: for comprehensive school students ages

14-15; manual dexterity tasks (craftsmanship)

• Taitaja-Mästare Plus: for students with special needs

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Brief description of initiative (2)

• Skills Finland, not-for-profit organisation, promotes

quality and attractiveness of skills, VET, entrepreneurship

– Organises competitions, training and coaching of young people, competition experts and trainers

• Excellence in Training System

– Focus on skill and motivation development for competitors and trainers – Continuously developed in cooperation with VET providers, social partners, research centers

• Emphasis on competitions as opportunity for learning

and improving VET in Finland

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How does initiative support attractiveness?

• Competitors: personal development (self-esteem, motivation); raises

skills, competence, preparation for working life; contributes to degree studies

• Employers: raises awareness of VET quality; opportunity to identify talent

and compare own training with national/international benchmarks; enhances reputation as responsible employer

• Teachers and trainers: develops individually- and occupationally-oriented

instructional methods; creates connections between school and work

• VET providers: join network of professionals to exchange good practices,

information; develop internal operations, internationalisation, business partnerships

• Society: raises awareness; showcases excellence in variety of vocational
• ccupations; signals quality of IVET

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Why skills competitions ‘work’

• Integrated with national policy objectives and strategies

for improving attractiveness and quality of VET

– Considered in relation to EU-policy initiatives – Skills Finland as designated organisation, with wide reach

• State funding and support, with financial contribution

from key stakeholders (VET providers, employers, sector

• rganisations, municipalities)
• Incorporates research and development for improvement

– Concrete results from international competition – Process to identify lessons learned and modify practice – Independent research on modeling characteristics of vocational excellence

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Case study #2: Information Campaigns in the Czech Republic: Context

• Upper secondary system has two main pathways: 2-3

years for vocational certificate; 4-year maturita qualification, prerequisite for higher education

• Attractiveness: 71.5% of upper secondary at ISCED 3/4;

71% report that VET has positive image

• Economic picture mainly positive: rapid growth from

2000-2007; real growth since then

• Youth unemployment increasing, but at 24% is below

EU average

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Brief description of initiative

• Řemesio Žije! (Craft is alive!) is a City of Prague

campaign to raise awareness of craft occupations, with two goals:

– Students see craft disciplines as training and career path – Enterprises become involved in educational programmes

• Main activities:

– Website with range of information targeted at different groups by age and role (includes on-line chat, news feed, social media, videos of artisans) – TOP camps: regular, 2-3 day events in selected fields; high performing students spend time in work setting – Skills competitions: young people compete against professionals

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Brief description of initiative (2)

• Active marketing of campaign events in local media

(print, TV, radio)

• Regional focus reflects devolution of education

responsibility since 2004

– Enables adaptation of campaign to regional labour market

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How does initiative support attractiveness?

• Elements designed to tailor information to specific

groups

– Website and social media especially appeal to young people – Narratives by participating students, videos of artisans strengthen credibility of message – Employers, parents more likely to seek local media outlets (TV, radio, print)

• Competitions promote apprenticeship approach,

highlight skills of young people, and engage employers

• Evidence of high awareness among parents of primary

pupils

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Why does initiative work?

• Region-based initiative aligns with wider trend toward

localisation in the Czech Republic

• Employs targeted communication strategies that are

known to be effective

• Addresses some structural weaknesses of

apprenticeship system (e.g. employer perception that VET students unprepared for work)

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• 5. CONCLUSIONS MOVING

FORWARD

Cathy Stasz

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Conclusions moving forward

• Context still matters: A wide range of factors can affect

attractiveness, and comparison to other educational pathways is crucial for understanding attractiveness

• Attractiveness is susceptible to the ebb and flow of

change within countries, so IVET systems need to be flexible

– Countries will respond to change at their own rates and in relation to national needs

• There are no clear ‘winners’

– No country exhibits all the characteristics to support a ‘good’ system (produces many graduates who will enjoy relatively high wages and employment prospects in the labour market)

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Conclusions moving forward (2)

• Some system characteristics may be beneficial, and

have been identified in prior research (e.g. strong social partnerships, coordinated strategic planning)

• Better data is needed to understand attractiveness

more fully

– European-level data on destinations of IVET graduates – More impact studies on measures to increase attractiveness – More systematic data from students – Suggested improvements to Eurobarometer questions (comparison of IVET to other pathways, reasoning behind perceptions of IVET)

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Conclusions moving forward (3)

• Lack of data makes it difficult to communicate

important outcomes of IVET

• Lessons from behaviour change literature may inform

policy to increase attractiveness, for example:

– Family is important messenger, so campaigns should consider parents – Defaults often favour general upper secondary education over IVET – Information specific to local context may be more salient – Personal interest in the subject regularly emerges as a crucial factor in decision making, showing impact of affect – Engaging employers in small ways may lead to larger commitments

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Implications for conceptual framework

• Attractiveness of IVET: three possible measures identified.

– Not correlated - represent different types of attractiveness – Comparable measures across countries

• Information on communication of IVET outcomes is limited

– Some lessons from case studies and behaviour change literature

• Limited data on outcomes from IVET

– Difficult to compare ‘quality’ of IVET to attractiveness – Indicators which we are available not correlated with attractiveness.

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Implications for conceptual framework (2)

• Exogenous supply drivers of attractiveness

– Factors listed in the framework do influence attractiveness – Important in developing a full understanding of attractiveness – Comparison to other educational pathways significant

• Exogenous demand drivers of attractiveness and outcomes

– Spend on vocational education and availability of employment in specific job categories – Relationships complex, but important to understand

• Endogenous drivers are complex but have been explored in the

literature

• Wide variety of policy levers employed, most common described in

framework

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Implications for conceptual framework (3)

• Evidence from the study does not contradict this framework

– Supports the need to consider attractiveness as separate from

• utcomes

– Strongly supports the need to consider wider exogenous drivers

• f attractiveness, both on the supply and demand side.

– To fully understand all the relationships illustrated more data are needed

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