Torinet

The ETF - European Training Foundation helps transition and developing countries to harness the potential of their human capital through the reform of education, training and labour market systems in the context of the EU's external relations policy. We are based in Turin, Italy, and are operational since 1994. ETF actually works with 29 partner countries, which can be geographically grouped in Enlargement region, Neighbourhood region and Central Asia, as every single country is severally involved in the European Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument or in the Enlargement process according to the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance.
A network of leading experts
This ETF initiative aims to contribute to increased efficiency of policy development in vocational education and training in ETF partner countries.
- What experiences and lessons learned are available and could be shared to enhance the role of evidence in policy making?
- What needs are there in countries to efficiently and effectively create and use evidence throughout the policy cycle?
- What tools, actors, networks should be developed and strengthened to build an evidence-based approach to policy making?
The ETF will facilitate networking and exchange around these questions among policy-makers, practitioners, experts and researchers to make VET an engine for human capital development.
International thematic groups, meetings, country seminars as well as materials and tools to support the exchange and creation of knowledge will be developed. Torinet has taken its first steps online to start a debate, share ideas, experiences and lessons around evidence-based policy making in VET. Torinet is a vision in itself: the vision to create a culture of evidence, participation, ownership and accountability in vocational education and training. This is just the start, we have a direction, but we don't have a planned arrival point!
ACTING ON EVIDENCE - FOSTERING INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY
Creation of evidence, use of evidence, communication of evidence, networks of information, networks of people, knowledge sharing – form the basis of sound policy making that is accompanied and fostered by creativity and innovation. Evidence by itself is not enough to make VET effective and efficient. A VET policy should be based on evidence but fostered with vision, innovation and creativity. This only allows change to happen and be meaningful. The ETF’s Torinet initiative responds to the complexity of evidence-based work. It supports leaders in vocational education and training, throughout the policy cycle and across thematic areas to deliver better policies.
Partner
All ETF partner countries will benefit from the initiative in a medium term prospective. In 2011-12 the first group of 11 countries will be involved: Croatia, Republic of Moldova, Belarus , Serbia , Egypt , Tunisia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kosovo, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan
With the first group of countries the ETF will work by:
- providing support in the areas of 1) governance, 2) evidence and 3) policy cycles,
- engaging in a policy dialogue with countries on the three pillars mentioned above in adapting them to specific needs of countries,
- supporting dialogue among leaders to foster the creation, communication, and use of evidence for policy making

Related pages: Belarus, Croatia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Serbia, Tajikistan, The Torino Process, Tunisia, Ukraine, Kosovo.

Publications: The Torino Process - Evidence based policy making for VET, Torino Process - compendium of country reports, Torino Process - Azerbaijan, Torino Process - Egypt, Torino Process - Tunisia, Torino process - Learning from evidence newsletter - May 2011, Torino Process - Lebanon, Torino Process - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Processus de Torino - Maroc (Torino Process - Morocco), Torino Process - Syria, Processus de Turin - Tunisie, Torino Process - Israel, Torino Process - Jordan, Torino Process - Georgia, Torino Process - Tajikistan, Torino Process - Moldova, Torino Process - Armenia, Torino Process - occupied Palestinian Territoy, Torino Process - Kosovo (Under UNSCR 1244).

Lifelong Learning
Put simply, lifelong learning means that people can – and should have the opportunity to – learn throughout their lives. A lot of learning takes place in a lot of different situations and much of this occurs once we have finished our formal education. Lifelong learning serves not only to make people more employable, but also to further their personal development and encourage active citizenship and social inclusion.
Lifelong learning first became a buzzword in Europe in the mid 1990s. It has been part of the EU’s policy response to a fast-changing world ever since. With such a long pedigree, you might expect that little remains to be done and that access to lifelong learning is now a well-established right for all. But nothing could be further from the truth. A recent study showed that in the highest achieving countries of the EU, only 12% of people aged 24-59 participate in at least one week of training every year. In the ETF’s partner countries where resources are scarcer and provision of post-secondary education and training tends to be less developed, the proportion of people who have access to lifelong learning is even lower.
Therefore adult learning – whether it be second chance adult education or more job-related continuing training – is a special priority. The ETF has been supporting the development of national adult education strategies in countries such as those of South Eastern Europe for some time now. Adult education also takes pride of place in the ETF’s new Mutual Learning project  focusing on the same region. Harnessing the potential of new technology to provide e-learning is another important area. E-learning is seen as an excellent tool for lifelong learning with its capacity to make learning available in an affordable way for people living in remote areas or with limited time to study. Projects such as MEDA - Education and Training for Employment have developed e-learning capacities for teacher trainers in Mediterranean countries and it is the countries themselves who are now continuing this work. Alongside numerous initiatives aimed at promoting e-learning, the ETF regularly uses e-learning as a vehicle for networking and information exchange within its own projects through the provision of virtual communities where project participants can lead their own debates.

Higher Education: Higher Education & VET Quality Assurance: strategy seminar, Paradigm change: Egyptian higher education establishment considers options for entrepreneurial learning.