Under the patronage of UNESCO, the 19^th European Symposium on Languages for Special Purposes (LSP2013) will be held at the Centre for Translation Studies of the University of Vienna, from 8th to 10th of July 2013.
The three-day international event will focus on Languages for Special Purposes in a Multilingual, Transcultural world and will feature three keynote presentations.
The Symposium will offer parallel tracks on domain-specific languages, professional communication, theoretical and methodological issues of research and training, terminologies, specialized translation and socio-cultural issues of LSPs. The Symposium will also include a Forum for Early-Stage Researchers, allowing graduate students, post-docs and junior researchers to discuss their research and methodology with distinguished senior researchers.
For more information or to register (deadline: 30th June 2013) for the Symposium, please visit the website.

Cafébabel is a public forum which firmly gives the floor to actors in the civil society and the ‘eurogeneration’ – a term coined to recognise the first generation of mobile, internet-savvy European citizens. Above all, cafébabel is an innovator in the field of participatory journalism, and in encouraging contributors to express themselves in their native tongue.
cafébabelwas founded in 2001 by Erasmus exchange programme students. The idea was to cross linguistic and national borders in Europe by using the rising star of the internet as a vector of that expression.
Based on the principle of participatory journalism, today the network comprises over 16, 000 registered members. Up to1, 500 contributors and 20 ‘local offices’ write about Europe as they see it – be it through the prisms of society, culture, lifestyle or politics. cafébabel gives young journalists and citizen journalists the floor to express themselves.
It’s a testament to the work of its volunteer contributors that cafébabelis simultaneously translated into six languages – French, English, German, Italian, Spanish and Polish. Read more...

Greek is one of the less widely taught languages in Europe. However, many European languages include words of Greek origin, resulting in many Europeans (but also people from all around the world) wanting to learn Greek, to better understand and appreciate their own languages as well as learning one of the most ancient. Some of these learners reach advanced level in Greek and so the GLOSSA project was developed to support these language learners who wish to continue learning Greek and do not have either suitable learning materials and resources or the chance to visit Greece.
GLOSSA is unique in that it has developed an online multimedia course for levels C1 and C2, as well as two educational methodologies, one for the development of e-learning content for languages at an advanced level, and one for self-learning using an on-line environment. In addition a common European professional profile for language teachers has also been created, which is transferable to other languages, plus an accreditation tool has been adapted in order to promote the certification and validation of language teaching skills in non-formal and informal environments. Two books are available and published in both hard copy and electronic form.
The course, which has been developed with the support of the Lifelong Learning Programme (Key Activity 2: Languages), has attracted participants from 29 different countries from all over the world. The partners, all experienced in teaching languages, have enjoyed working together and have already developed a new idea for the continuation of the project.
The GLOSSA online advanced level Greek language courses are offered twice a year (the next courses will start in September 2013) and registrations are open for everyone who has a B2 level knowledge of the Greek language. The courses are offered at a low cost and include synchronous and asynchronous learning practice.
For more information about GLOSSA, you can visit the website or send an e-mail to: euprograms@action.gr

On 24th September 2013, the international conference on “Motivation in language education” will be held at the University of Warsaw.
It is organized by the Polish LLP NA Foundation for the Development of the Education System, Representation of the European Commission, EUNIC, Ministry of National Education, University of Warsaw in cooperation with European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) as a part of a series of events organized in Warsaw in order to celebrate the European Day of Languages.
The conference is addressed to experts responsible for shaping language policy, neurolinguists, representatives of education institutions, researchers, teachers, social partners. The conference will provide them with the possibility to discuss the following issues:

This article presents statistics on tertiary education in the European Union (EU). Tertiary education – provided by universities and other higher education institutions – is the level of education following secondary schooling. Higher education plays an essential role in society, creating new knowledge, transferring knowledge to students and fostering innovation; some European universities are among the most prestigious in the world.
Since the introduction of the Bologna process (see the article on education and training introduced) a major expansion in higher education systems has taken place, accompanied by significant reforms in degree structures and quality assurance systems. However, the financial and economic crisis has affected higher education in different ways, with some countries investing more and others making radical cutbacks in their education spending.
Main statistical findings
The EU-27 had around 4 000 higher education (undergraduate and postgraduate) institutions, with almost 20 million students in 2010 (see Table 1). Four Member States reported more than 2 million tertiary students in 2010, namely Germany (note the data for this country excludes students enrolled at ISCED level 6), the United Kingdom, France and Poland; tertiary student numbers in Italy and Spain were just below this level and together these six countries accounted for two thirds of all EU-27 students in tertiary education. Romania was the only other Member State to record at least one million tertiary students in 2010.
Across the EU-27, just over one third (34.0 %) of the students in tertiary education were studying social sciences, business or law, with more female (3.9 million) than male (2.8 million) students in this field of education, as shown in Figure 1. The second largest number of students by field of education was in engineering, manufacturing and construction-related studies which accounted for 13.6 % of all students in tertiary education; three quarters of the students in this field were male.
The median age of students in tertiary education can be influenced by a number of factors: whether students postpone starting tertiary education either by choice (for example, by taking a break or a gap year between secondary and tertiary education) or obligation (for example, for military service); the length of the tertiary education courses studied; or the extent to which mature students return to tertiary education later in life. In 2010, the median age of students in tertiary education ranged from 20.3 in Ireland to 22.5 in Spain, with the Nordic countries of Sweden, Denmark and Finland, as well as Austria, Luxembourg, Greece and Germany above this range (see Figure 2); note that the German figure was above the EU-27 average of 22.1 years, even though the data exclude those students enrolled at ISCED level 6.
The strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training that was adopted in May 2009 set a number of benchmarks, including one for tertiary education, namely that by 2020 the proportion of 30- to 34-year-olds with tertiary educational attainment should be at least 40 %. Just over one third (34.6 %) of the population aged 30 to 34 in the EU-27 had a tertiary education in 2011, rising to almost four out of ten (38.5 %) among women, and falling to just over three out of ten (30.8 %) among men (see Figure 3). In Ireland, Luxembourg, Sweden and the United Kingdom, the proportion of 30- to 34-year-old men and women with tertiary educational attainment was already 40 % or more in 2011; this was also the case in Norway and Switzerland. In contrast, less than 20 % of men in this age range had a tertiary education in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Italy, as was also the case in Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey (where the proportion of women having a tertiary educational attainment was also below 20 %).
Almost 4.5 million students graduated from tertiary education establishments in the EU-27 in 2010. An analysis of the number of graduates by field of education shows that 35.7 % had studied social sciences, business and law; this share was higher than the equivalent share (34.0 %) of tertiary education students still in the process of studying within this field, suggesting that less students had started this type of study in recent years, or that drop-out rates were higher in other fields. A similar situation was observed for health and welfare, which made up 15.1 % of graduates from 13.6 % of the tertiary student population, as well as the smaller field of services studies. The reverse situation was observed for the other fields of education shown in Figures 1 and 4, most notably for engineering, manufacturing and construction-related studies.
Within the EU-27, female graduates outnumbered male graduates by a ratio of approximately three to two; this ratio reached three to one for health and welfare fields of education (see Figure 4). Male graduates outnumbered female graduates slightly in agriculture and veterinary fields, more so in science, mathematics and computing fields, and by close to three to one in engineering, manufacturing and construction-related fields. Read more...

By Loukas Zahilas- Senior Expert Area Enhanced Cooperation in VET and LLL. The issue of modularisation and/or unitisation in VET has been the subject of debate at European level for more than 20 years. It has been taken forward in most European countries as an answer to the needs for greater fl exibility and responsiveness of VET to changes in the labour market and in individual learning paths.
The unitisation of qualifications has gained momentum with the development of credit arrangements based on learning outcomes and progress in the fi eld of recognition and validation of non-formal and informal learning. A focus on the transfer and accumulation of learning outcomes and the European Credit system for VET (ECVET) has renewed the interest for unitisation of qualifi cations in policy and practice. Alongside this increase in interest, possible drivers for modularisation of VET programmes and the unitisation of qualifi cations are the development of validation mechanisms, the need for increased access, progression and quality of mobility in education and training and the modernisation of training systems and offer that is made to learners.
To look at these challenges, Cedefop completed a study on “Unitisation and modularisation for flexibility and mobility in VET”. The study analysed the existing patterns of modularisation and unitisation in 15 EU countries(2), considered how unitised and modularised programmes and qualifi cations have an impact on the wider VET systems, and analysed how programmes are validated in each country with a specifi c focus on the links to ECVET.
The analysis included characterising national processes of unitisation and modularisation along different dimensions (for instance stakeholders’ perspectives, the role of legislation and regulation, input and outcomes based approaches to education and training) and the mapping of the different solutions adopted in response to the challenges. The analysis also focused on the interrelation between unitisation and modularisation processes and the implementation of credit arrangements at Member State and European level.
On the basis of the initial fi ndings of the study, three of the 15 countries (Germany, the Netherlands and Scotland) were selected for an in depth analysis of the structures of programmes and qualifi cations in six occupational areas representing a range of crafts, industries and trades (automotive, butchery, financial services, hairdressing, retail warehousing and logistics).
One of the difficulties in understanding unitisation and modularisation developments relates to terminology. For the purpose of the study, Cedefop definitions of modularisation and unitisation were used. Modules are components of education and training programmes and units are a set of learning outcomes which constitute a coherent part of a qualifi cation. In relation to ECVET, these units can be assessed and validated. However, evidence from the study showed that in some cases modularisation and unitisation are used as synonymous.
The research methodology included both secondary and primary data collection. The fi ndings indicate that there is currently widespread use of modularisation and unitisation within VET qualifi cations in Europe - and we can describe this trend as a ‘quiet revolution’. This gradual introduction of modular and unitised structures is, by and large, responsive to the perceived needs or demands of employers and stakeholders. The rationale for introducing modularisation and/or unitisation is that it allows easier updating of qualifi cations to incorporate, for instance, new technologies or ways of working by replacing or updating individual modules when they are needed.
Student choice and individualisation are also factors in the move to modularisation and unitisation; however, none of the countries offer students an entirely free choice. Flexibility with respect to learners can be seen in terms of programme duration and multiple entry points. In some countries, devolved structures of governance and ‘bottomup’ approaches to decision-making allow enormous scope for providers to plan and implement modular structures of learning. However, ‘top-down’ approaches to decision making are more prevalent in the 15 countries. The overwhelming majority of countries in the study have a legal framework that underpins the use of modular and unitbased qualifications. In a small number of cases there exist ‘enabling’ frameworks that support the development of unitised structures, but leave individual institutions to decide how this will be implemented.
The modularisation structures adopted in the 15 countries vary and typically respond to local needs. The four main types of modular forms are:
• mandatory structures (components of qualifications that are required to be completed by learners);
• core and elective structures (programmes structured to combine general compulsory core modules and free choice modules);
• specialisation structures (modular programmes which include additional specialised elements);
• introductory modules (designed to give learners an experience of a range of linked occupational training areas, providing a progression route to college or to higher vocational schools).
There are different forms of modularisation and unitisation that can be seen as representing a range of dimensions across a spectrum. There are ‘radical’ forms of modularisation at one end of the spectrum and the Berufskonzept or traditional ‘holistic’ training, such as apprenticeships and some school based approaches at the other end. In the ‘radical’ form the system takes a studentcentred approach and offers fl exibility in terms of time and content. The units are delivered potentially by different providers, can be assessed independently within qualifi cations and often form clusters to give awards at Certifi cate and Diploma level. At the opposite end of the spectrum in the holistic approach individual units are validated only as part of the full award and form an integral part of it. The majority of the approaches used by the 15 countries are towards the middle of the spectrum and can be said to represent a combination of both models.
Few examples of the use of ECVET were found in the cases studies. In the occupations examined ECVET is just one of a number of ‘tools’ to encourage mobility and it is relatively new. However, there is some evidence that the infrastructure to support the implementation of ECVET is beginning to emerge. From the case studies, we found little widespread use of credit transfer arrangements between modular and unitised qualifi cations, despite the extensive use of modular structures across the 15 countries. In some countries this can be explained by a lack of systems which attach credit value to individual modules and units. However, in those countries with a credit-based modular and unit system in place, funding acted as a barrier to transfer.
The study also shows that modularisation provides flexibility for employers to train their workforce in skills which suit their needs, but training is still embedded in an overall framework or programme. Modularisation also allows qualifi cation designers to respond more quickly to changes in the world of work (for example in terms of technological developments). At the same time, in some cases, modularisation also allows learners the fl exibility to select courses and competences which most suit their needs. There is the possibility to organise courses to meet the needs of different learning groups (for example by duration), and more options for collaboration between training providers in terms of delivering combined programs. The step-by-step certifi cation provided by some forms of modularisation also has the potential to reduce the number of ‘drop outs’ due to regular assessment which can be formal or informal.
However, despite the fact that these potential benefi ts were outlined by research participants and the literature, little empirical evidence was found which evaluates or measures the actual impact of modularisation and unitisation. This weakness associated with modularisation is linked to the fear that learners will leave the system with only partial qualifi cations (which are not necessarily needed or recognised by the labour market). There are also concerns that fl exible structures lack transparency and can be diffi cult to understand by all those who are involved. See ECVET MAGAZINE - Issue 15 (2013).

By Tatiana Soler - VET trainer and mobility project manager at the Joan Brossa VET School in Barcelona, Segundo González - Technical advisor at the Unit for Projects and Programmes for the promotion of VET – Ministry of Education – Government of Catalonia. andAmong the myriad of European projects, some stand out as being especially successful in attaining the much looked for sustainability. This is the case of COMINTER and RECOMFOR which were at the heart of the NETINVET network of VET providers in the fi elds of international trade and transport and logistics. Both the regional Ministry of Education of the Government of Catalonia and the French Ministry of Education had been partners in the RECOMFOR project that, among other things, compared the curricula in both countries in the international trade sector. The Institut Joan Brossa, a public VET school from Barcelona, and the Lycée Ozenne from Toulouse were involved in the technical parts of the project.
Perhaps it was not too surprisingly that in this fi eld of study both systems were highly compatible and shared almost identical units related to some of the professional competences. This realisation, as part of the project, led to the development of exchange opportunities for learners as part of a recognised classroom-based mobility initiative. Several of the essential building blocks for mobility were already in place such as the necessary mutual trust between the competent institutions, the deep knowledge of the other partner organisation as a result of their close collaboration on the project, and agreement on the methodology to be used for the exchange - ECVET - which had been at the centre of the project.
Alongside establishing the learner exchange, the partnership had been trying to fi nd ways to ensure the sustainability of the activities – their solution was the creation of a network which would lead to several benefi ts for its members. Each partner would benefi t from an easier way to fi nd reliable organisation willing to be involved in mobility, a quality approach, common units which could be used for mobility, a the common use of the ECVET tools.
NETINVET began in 2010 and two of its members (the Institut Joan Brossa and the Lycée Ozenne) were determined to capitalise on the existing progress and take the relationship to the next level i.e. the exchange of international trade students for extended periods of time (three months) through a classroombased recognised mobility project. This would also signifi cantly improve the students’ language skills. Even though each partner had the advantage of involvement in the previous work and was very experienced in organising mobility project, a lot remained to be done. Two trainers from the partner organisations, Tatiana Soler and Nathalie Brahimi, became very involved in all aspects of the work such as comparing training methods, planning schedules, working on the assessment procedures, getting all the logistics ready and securing funds for the activity. But when they were asked about their experiences, they highlight different things such as the need for an ECVET-friendly framework.
NETINVET avoided the need of a Memorandum of Understanding by each member of the network signing the membership agreement. This agreement was also validated by the competent bodies involved in the RECOMFOR project. And although it is the training providers who are members of the network, the competent bodies are kept informed of the activities and of the quality standards that are being applied. The network was also able to use an existing learning agreement and transcript of record - each of these was fundamental to the validation and recognition of the learners’ experiences. However documentation is of little use by itself. Our trainers identifi ed five secrets which lead to a successful mobility experience - the fi rst and most important of which would be the need to develop a strong mutual trust between the partners.
The work of Ms Brahimi and Ms Soler was remarkable, but as they themselves stress no battle is won by a one-man army. Their second secret of success is the need to develop teamwork in their respective schools – there is a need to gain support from other colleagues at all levels in each organisation.
Their third secret is the commitment of colleagues and the management team in each school. This is needed at many levels as many changes could be needed e.g. rearranging the timetable, or follow-up activities so that students who are abroad can keep up with the development of their course at home, or the creation of additional exercises which relate to the units that are not offered at the host school. One example of this commitment can be seen by the change to the teaching language: Spanish was used in Barcelona while the French trainees were there (usually Catalan is the teaching language) and French was used in Toulouse.
The fourth secret is all about constant communication at all levels – between project coordinators and between coordinators and students. In addition establishing a student-to-student tutoring system helps young learners to adapt and feel integrated into their new environment. And last but not least, the fi fth secret is the importance of selecting the right participants. Unmotivated students will not be able to take advantage of the opportunity compared with those who have a good predisposition from the start. See ECVET MAGAZINE - Issue 15 (2013).

The latest issue of the ECVET magazine is available for download.
In this issue:

Attachment: ECVET Magazine No 15 - 2013

In the EU27, two thirds (66%) of all enterprises with ten or more employees provided vocational training to their staff in 2010, compared with 60% in 2005. The highest proportions of enterprises providing training were observed in Austria and Sweden (both 87%) the United Kingdom (80%), the Netherlands (79%), Belgium (78%) and France (76%), and the lowest in Poland (23%), Romania (24%), Bulgaria (31%), Latvia (40%) and Hungary (49%).
These data, published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, come from the Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS), which is carried out every five years. This News Release presents data from the fourth and latest survey, referring to the year 2010, which covered the 27 Member States and Croatia.

Links

• Two thirds of enterprises in the EU27 provided vocational training in 2010