9 avril 2011

CEDEFOP EXPERT WORKSHOP “MAINSTREAMING ECVET TO PRACTITIONERS”, Thessaloniki, Greece, 30-31 May 2011.
Background to the workshop
The European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) is aiming at enabling learning mobility for young and adult learners, as well as supporting lifelong learning and recognition of prior learning in Europe. It builds upon further European tools and principles such as the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training (EQAVET), or the European principles for validation of learning outcomes. Core elements to those tools are the learning outcomes approach and a strong role given to qualifications as ultimate goal for individual learners.
In a large majority of countries, ECVET is meanwhile taken forward. Preparing for ECVET implementation encompasses activities ranging from legal and regulatory updates to broad range test initiatives. The implementation of ECVET is not occurring on its own but is strongly related to policies on enhancing international learning mobility, to VET reforms at national, regional or local levels towards more permeability within and between systems and to the development of qualifications frameworks. ECVET is expected to be gradually implemented by learning from projects, experimentations and tests. The transfer of good practices and knowledge of difficulties from tests and pilots to policy-making is part of the European framework for ECVET and stated as such in the European ECVET Recommendation.
The European database on the ECVET projects reveals that 23% of the 110 registered projects deal with integrating ECVET in education and training, and that 32% are coordinated by VET providers. ECVET is being developed for qualifications located at EQF levels 3 to 6 in different fields of activities covering for instance construction and building, health care or transport and logistics. Further characteristics of ECVET testing are the involvement of a large range of stakeholders and the regional dimension as support for mobility. This, of course, implies dedicated human and financial resources.
On that basis organising a Cedefop workshop to ECVET and practitioners might not be astonishing. The institutional environment in which ECVET operates is undergoing changes which lead to new definitions of responsibilities, of autonomy in decision making and practices, and decentralisation/regionalisation and mergers. In some countries, institutional autonomy also involves funding (Bulgaria, Germany, Austria) where VET providers can increasingly take independent budgetary decisions. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovakia have merged state-owned VET schools to optimise financial and human resources as well as increasing quality of, and accessibility to, VET (Cedefop 2010). The first ECVET surveys (ECVET Connexion, ECVET Reflector) underlined the importance of providers for ECVET implementation and their need for autonomy to experiment and develop ECVET. This autonomy while embedded into national laws and regulations and observing standards and quality assurance requirements would enable providers in taking responsibility for the training process (including design of learning process, assessment procedures, awarding qualifications, participating to the definition of standards) as well as for entering into partnerships for mobility.
Currently the tests and experimentations are focusing on the technical features of ECVET (writing the learning outcomes, defining the learning units, ascribing ECVET points, developing partnerships in using Memorandum of Understanding and Learning Agreements). First lessons from European ECVET pilot projects confirm the essential role of VET providers (as mentioned for instance in the preliminary final reports of the M.O.T.O or OPIR projects). More generally, (too) little attention has been paid until now to providers and their administrative or teaching/training staff at European policy level.
Download in the following language(s) EN Information note. See also: Labels "ECTS et Supplément au diplôme", Testing a joint ECVET-ECTS Implementation: Be-TWIN project, Workshop ECVET.

Bridging cultures, promoting diversity: higher education in search of an equilibrium, EAIR 33rd Annual Forum 2011, Warsaw, Poland, 28-31 August 2011.
The 2011 EAIR Forum will discuss new trends and challenges faced by higher education in a changing, dynamic, multi-cultural environment undergoing simultaneous processes of globalisation, internationalisation and diversification. This "equilibrium" theme together with suitably designed tracks promises high-level academic discussion by HE prominent specialists and with internationally renowned keynote speakers.
Poland, where more than fifty percent of young people are studying and where the HE system has been undergoing continuous reforms for the last twenty years, is an appropriate place for such a discussion. It's not by chance that the Forum theme was chosen: Bridging cultures, promoting diversity: higher education in search of an equilibrium.
We might doubt whether we will ever find this equilibrium; but we are sure that with the help of many Forum participants from all over the world we will build many bridges, learn about many cultures, improve our respect for diversity and return home with the feeling: "another EAIR Forum where we met interesting people in the domains of research, policy and practice - it has been value for money".

The EAN 20th Anniversary Conference, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands, “Student Diversity in Higher Education: Conflicting Realities” (Tensions affecting policy and action to widen access and participation), Mon 20th - Wed 22nd June 2011
The European Access Network (EAN) celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with a conference on student diversity in higher education and the tensions affecting policy and action to widen access and participation for disadvantaged and underrepresented groups. In the current political and economic climate, what’s the future for them, and for the institutions committed to access, equity, diversity and inclusion?
Conference Theme & Objectives
For higher education institutions the pathway toward greater student diversity can be hazardous and difficult.  Those seeking and driving change in institutional policies and practices face pressures from both within and outside the institution that can hinder or stifle progress. Even in the best of times, fulfilling expectations can be difficult. Where achieving greater student diversity is seen as difficult and costly, or of lesser importance than other institutional goals, progress will falter.  Both within and outside institutions, there remains an unresolved tension between issues of diversity and quality, and there are also funding tensions, especially when finances are tight.
What can be done to ease such tensions and ensure that progress continues toward the achievement of diversity goals?
For higher education institutions the pathway toward greater student diversity can be hazardous and difficult. Those seeking and driving change in institutional policies and practices face pressures from both within and outside the institution that can hinder or stifle progress. Within institutions for instances, progress can be slowed by resistance to change among students and staff, by a need to reconcile competing needs and views and to align diversity efforts with other institutional goals and policies. Competition for funds among the institution’s varying priorities may sap energy as well as restrict budgets.
From outside the institution many of the pressures that can impede progress arise from the views and expectations of governments and communities about the roles and functions of higher education institutions – especially when institutions rely substantially on public funding. In the context of the global financial crisis institutions face even greater scrutiny to operate efficiently and deliver even more ‘value-for-money’...
Even in the best of times, fulfilling all of these expectations can be difficult. Where achieving greater student diversity is seen as difficult and costly, or of lesser importance than other institutional goals, progress will falter. Both within and outside institutions there remains an unresolved tension between issues of diversity and quality. Some argue that diversity dilutes academic quality and threatens the reputation of the institution, while others believe such fears are unfounded and point to the evidence that diversity enhances social and economic wellbeing. There are also funding tensions – with some arguing that attention to diversity is costly and consumes resources that would better be devoted to improving facilities, services and research – especially when finances are tight.

Conference of Rectors, Vice Chancellors and Presidents of African Universities (COREVIP) from May 30 to June 3, 2011 in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
The Conference of Rectors, Vice-Chancellors and Presidents of African Universities (COREVIP) is an assembly of the chief executive officers of member institutions or their representatives.
The Conference is held every two years with the purpose of examining collectively themes identified as common concerns and priorities for the development of higher education in member institutions in particular and Africa in general; making recommendations primarily to members, as well as to the Governing Board, and to the Secretariat; and acting as a mid-term forum for taking stock of the implementation of the decisions of the General Conference and recommending corrective action.
THEME FOR COREVIP 2011
The theme for the Conference is: Strengthening the Space of Higher Education in Africa.
There will be invited papers and presentations by distinguished scholars and practitioners in plenary sessions as well as group sessions for more intensive work dealing with the main theme and the sub-themes below:
Creating an African Higher Education Space
With focus on the Arusha Convention; Establishment of AfriQAN; LMD Reform in Francophone Higher Education Institutions; Establishment of a Credit Transfer System.
The Role of ICT
With focus on the creation of Research and Education Networks nationally and regionally: Promoting the use of ICT in African higher education institutions.
Regional Centres of Excellence
With focus on the AUC’s Pan African University; Pan African Institute of Governance in Higher Education; Examples of other Centres of Excellence (AIMS in South Africa; IIEE in Burkina Faso; ICIPE in Kenya)
Promoting Open and Distance Learning
With focus on Open Educational Resources; Creation of Open Universities; Use of ODL in traditional universities
The Conference will provide an excellent opportunity for leaders of African higher education institutions to exchange experiences and draw on the lessons from institutions on issues relating to the theme of the conference. There will also be an opportunity to hear from both regional and international organisations involved in higher education initiatives.
In addition to the executive heads and other senior members of African universities, participants will include Ministers of Higher Education, other policy makers, representatives of international and regional organizations and development partners.  Please find attached to this invitation a Registration Form.

The UNESCO Global Forum “Rankings and Accountability in Higher Education: Uses and Misuses” (16 -17 May 2011 at UNESCO Headquarters Room II, Paris) will address University rankings in light of their impact on policy and decision-making at institutional, national and regional levels. Organized in cooperation with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank. More information.
University rankings attract huge public interest. They make the headlines every year and are closely scrutinized by students, institutional leaders, policy-makers and employers. Whether respected or condemned, rankings occupy an undeniable role in the perception of higher education institutions globally. How can we explain the widespread importance and influence of rankings? Why are the criteria and methodology used in rankings often controversial?
The UNESCO Global Forum “Rankings and Accountability in Higher Education: Uses and Misuses” (16 -17 May 2011 at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris) will address University rankings in light of their impact on policy and decision-making at institutional, national and regional levels. Organized in cooperation with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank, the Forum will contribute to the on-going debate by providing a unique opportunity for representatives of the most widely observed and influential University rankings to engage in an exciting and vibrant exchange with policy-makers and key higher education stakeholders on the merits and shortcomings of rankings and the uses made of them.
University rankings will also be discussed in the context of accountability tools intended to sustain and enhance the quality of higher education. Participants will examine accountability tools that draw on a variety of criteria and expertise such as quality assurance frameworks; benchmarking; assessment of learning outcomes; accreditation, licensing and evaluation.
The Global Forum will convene representatives of the Academic Ranking of World Universities (more commonly known as the "Shanghai Jiao Tong World Rankings"), the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and regional and national ranking initiatives such as US News and World Report in the USA and U-Multirank in Europe as well as high-level policy-makers, academics, representatives of the media, students and employers.
Participation in the Global Forum is by invitation only. A publication based on the presentations and discussions will be widely disseminated following the event.

1st QS-MAPLE conference programme and network with international higher education leaders, 1-2 May 2011 • Sunday-Monday, Dubai Knowledge Village, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The conference theme is “Globalising Higher Education in the Middle East and Africa”.
In line with our mission to promote international partnership, QS Asia is convening the 1st QS-MAPLE with the Dubai International Academic City as our organising partner.
This annual conference offers delegates an excellent opportunity to learn and exchange best practices, network and explore global partnership and collaboration. It will also provide strategic insights into key issues in Middle East and African higher education, including:
* Creating world-class universities in the Middle East and Africa
* Balancing public needs and market demands
* Forecasting trends in regional student mobility
* Changes in university governance
* Funding of international education
* Campus internationalisation
* Management of quality assurance
* Regional perspectives to teaching and learning
* Cross-border/transnational education and international partnership
* Branding, marketing and recruitment
* Research, development and collaboration
Dedicated Conference Sessions & Activities
The event comprises these key components (click on each for more information):
• Parallel sessions - featuring general and specific aspects of international higher education
• Plenary sessions - with keynote addresses by leading authorities on higher education
• Exhibition - showcase of leading universities and other higher education institutions from around the world
• Networking buffet dinner - comprising buffet dinner, lunches and morning/afternoon breaks
The exciting parallel sessions seek to engage participants with these five tracks:
• Track 1: Managing Quality Assurance
• Track 2: Teaching and Learning: Regional Perspectives
• Track 3: Internationalising the Student Experience
• Track 4: Cross-border/Transnational Education & International Partnerships
• Track 5: Branding, Marketing & Recruitment
For more information on 1st QS-MAPLE, please visit our website at www.qsmaple.org. Please click here to download the Registration Form or click here to register online.

Higher Education Partnerships and Collaboration
IAU is a membership organization, and, as such, developing partnerships with and amongst its members is one of the core aims of the Association and a central function of its work. IAU strives to bring its members together – acting as a platform for sharing of information, action on common goals, and the development of partnerships.
Working in partnerships, and focusing on networking opportunities has become a central feature and indeed an essential dimension of higher education today, and IAU proudly both pursues its goals in partnership with institutions and organizations around the world, and develops initiatives to bring its Members and others together.
IAU has long standing partnerships with many organizations, a list of which is too long to detail here, and always works with institutions, associations and other partners when undertaking its annual International Conferences, its bi-annual Global Meeting of Associations, some of the expert seminars it conveys, as just one set of examples. These conferences help build partnerships amongst attendees. IAU also developed a new and long standing projects and initiatives which aim to build partnerships. For example, the Leadership Development for Higher Education Reform (LEADHER) programme provides grants to bring together IAU Member institutions, for knowledge sharing, mutual learning and partnership development. As well, projects like the newly launched Internationalization Strategies Advisory Service (ISAS) lead to mutual, beneficial, detailed and long standing partnerships between IAU and the universities using this new service.
To try and build mutually beneficial partnerships with higher education stakeholders across the world, IAU staff and Administrative Board Members, represent the Association at a large number of international conferences and meetings every year, and several senior members of staff are part of Advisory Boards and other such bodies, for specific projects and/or initiatives.
Finally, IAU has recently revisited the IAU Associate membership category and opened it up to well known and respected leaders and experts in higher education who share some of IAU’s goals and values, and wishing to enhance their personal collaboration with the Association. Connected to the information dissemination programme, Associates attend conferences and participate in IAU projects. IAU trusts this will be of benefit to the overall network. IAU will continue to build projects and initiatives to further partnership building amongst its members, both now and into the future.
This In Focus section focuses specifically on University partnerships and specific aspects of this broader issue have been addressed by authors from around the world, and working at IAU Member Institutions and partners. Topics include:
- University networks/associations: strategic alliances?
- International partnership/cooperation models
- Research Partnerships
- Partnerships for development
- Institution/ industry partnerships
- Joint programmes and dual/double degrees
- Multi Stakeholder partnerships
IAU maintains strong relations with the Education Sector at UNESCO and interviewed Mr. Q.Tang, ADG, Education on the Sector’s dynamics.

The outcomes of the IAU pilot project on Access and Success in Higher Education for Students from Under-Represented Groups are now available online. They include a comparative review of access and success programs in several pilot universities and the report of the workshop held at the University of Arizona, USA, in November 2010 in collaboration with the University, the World Bank and Lumina Foundation. Contact: Elodie Boisfer.
Access and Success in Higher Education
In responding to the multiple imperatives that drive our global knowledge-based economy and society, national governments recognize the need for high quality higher education for all.  Preparing its citizens for the 21st century by sustaining or developing a globally competitive research/innovation base and raising employability skills are goals pursued by most, despite different national contexts.  Gaining access to learning, and successful participation in higher education is becoming essential for all. 
As a result, most countries, even if their capacities to fulfil them differ widely, have set goals to increase the share of the population with higher education and/or broaden access to higher education for individuals that are under-represented because of socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, [dis]ability or location.
Against this backdrop, and noting a renewed sense of urgency, IAU adopted Access and Success in Higher Education as one if its priority themes during the 69th IAU Administrative Board Meeting (Alexandria, Egypt, November 12-15, 2005).  It mandated an international Task Force of experts, chaired by Professor Jose Ferreira Gomes, (University of Porto), to further the work on this topic.
This was not the first time that IAU has focused on issues related to the topic of Access to Higher Education.  The Section on IAU Activities retraces some of the past work of the Association.
Among other principles, IAU believes that:
    * Equitable access to quality learning contributes significantly to the development of national human resources, promotes social justice and cohesion, enhances personal development, employability and, in general, facilitates sustainable development; 
    * As a global association of universities and other higher education institutions, it needs to express its commitment to promoting the twin goals of equitable access to, and successful participation in, higher education for all members of society;
    * Broadening access is compatible with academic excellence;
    * Further work calling for equitable access is essential and reinforces the Association’s commitment, adding value to a global dialogue, moving the agenda towards action and building awareness of this important issue in all parts of the world.
Equitable Access and Success in Higher Education, Workshop Co‐organized by IAU, The University of Arizona and The World Bank with funding support from Lumina Foundation
Ten Higher Education Institutions from Asia and the Americas agreed to take part in the IAU pilot project on Equitable Access and Success in Quality Higher Education designed to learn more and share lessons about institutional approaches to improve both entry and progression of students from under‐represented groups. (List of participants is in annex).
In the initial phase of the pilot project, working in collaboration with Members of its international Access Task Force, the IAU designed a Self‐Assessment Instrument to enable institutions to systematically examine their policies and programs for improving access and success for learners from usually marginalized groups. Taking the form of a questionnaire, this instrument is also designed to help universities collect information and analyze their practices in this area. The ten institutions invited to join the pilot project are from ten different countries in the Americas and Asia and are quite diverse in profile. All were asked to administer the self‐assessment questionnaire and report their findings to IAU.
On November 18‐19, the IAU and The University of Arizona (UA) co‐organized, in collaboration with The World Bank, a two‐day workshop in Tucson (Arizona, USA) bringing together representatives of the pilot universities, members of the IAU Task Force and other experts. The goals of the workshop were (i) to analyze the self‐assessment results, (ii) share good institutional practices to improve equity in access and success, (iii) review the Institutional Self‐Assessment Instrument and (iv), to evaluate the potential for generalizing its use in other institutions. It was also expected that the workshop participants would advise IAU on other initiatives the Association could develop to pursue relevant work in the area of equitable access and success in higher education.

Extraits de l’Accord national interprofessionnel du 7 avril 2011  sur l’accompagnement des jeunes demandeurs d’emploi  dans leur accès à l’emploi
« Article 1 – Les « décrocheurs »
Cet accompagnement devra bénéficier à au moins 20000 jeunes en 2011. Les organisations signataires du présent accord demandent aux Missions Locales de prendre en charge la mise en œuvre de cet accompagnement qui répond à leur mission, en liaison avec  Pôle Emploi
Article 2 – Les jeunes ayant intégré un cursus dans l’enseignement supérieur et  rencontrant des difficultés à s’insérer professionnellement
25000 jeunes feront l’objet d’un accompagnement en 2011 et 25000 en 2012. A titre exceptionnel, et sans préjuger du résultat des négociations en cours entre les partenaires sociaux sur le rôle et les missions de l’APEC, l’accompagnement est assuré par l’APEC.
Article 3 – Les jeunes ayant un diplôme et/ou une qualification reconnue et rencontrant des difficultés récurrentes pour accéder à un emploi durable
Cet accompagnement devra bénéficier à au moins 20000 jeunes en 2011. Les organisations signataires du présent accord demandent à Pôle Emploi, qui pourra notamment en déléguer une partie à des opérateurs privés de placement, de prendre en charge  la mise en œuvre de cet accompagnement.   
Par deux arrêtés du 1er avril 2011, les deux accords nationaux interprofessionnels (ANI) du 3 mars 2011 relatifs à la sécurisation de la convention d'assurance chômage et à la convention de reclassement personnalisé (CRP) sont agréés.
Le premier accord national interprofessionnel du 3 mars proroge la convention d'assurance chômage du 19 février 2009, qui devait arriver à échéance le 31 mars 2011. Celle-ci s'appliquera donc jusqu'à l'entrée en vigueur de la nouvelle convention issue de l'accord relatif à l'indemnisation du chômage du 25 mars 2011 et au plus tard jusqu'au 31 mai.
Le second accord du 3 mars proroge quant à lui la durée de validité de la convention du 20 février 2010 relative à la CRP, qui prenait fin le 31 mars 2011, jusqu'à l'entrée en vigueur des textes destinés à la remplacer, et au plus tard jusqu'au 31 mai.
A noter que l'évolution du dispositif de la CRP et son rapprochement avec le CTP (contrat de transition professionnelle) font actuellement l'objet de travaux entre les partenaires sociaux et le gouvernement. Consulter les deux arrêtés : Télécharger le document et Télécharger le second document.