'Learning outcomes are here to stay but a lot of work remains to be done'. The latest issue of the magazine includes interesting articles on the ECVET network's life and on the latest developments on ECVET.
By Tristan Reilly, ANFA / ECVET TEAM. The ECVET team’s new website and its future assessment: the floor is yours.
The ECVET Team’s new website was presented at the 2013 ECVET Forum in Prague and launched in September. The prime objective in refreshing the website was to make it more user-friendly and simpler, with the same high quality standards for information, resources and registration to ECVET events.
The main aims of the first version of the website were to create a network, a way to register for events and promote ECVET activities. To make it more user- oriented, the website is now focusing more on the use of ECVET. This will help beginners to better understand and explain the concept to their organisation, and allows people more familiar to ECVET to improve their knowledge. It also allows easier access to many more documents. The English version has been available since the launch of the website. The online French and German versions are expected soon.
The decision to connect the new website to the ECVET communities of practice website (launched at the 2013 ECVET Prague Forum) provides faster and easier access to the platform. This allows all ECVET users to exchange information on the following topics: ECVET for mobility; ECVET for lifelong learning; ECVET case studies and learning outcomes. A decision was also made to connect the ECVET Team website to the NetECVET website. This will help to ensure that the ECVET Team website becomes the starting point for an ECVET journey. See more in ECVET Magazine No 18 (March 2014)...

'Learning outcomes are here to stay but a lot of work remains to be done'. The latest issue of the magazine includes interesting articles on the ECVET network's life and on the latest developments on ECVET.
By Martine Levreux, ECVET TEAM. Customised seminar in Ljubljana.
In November 2013 a two days customised seminar in Ljubljana brought together the ECVET expert team from Slovenia and representatives from Slovenia’s Institute for Adult Education; Institute for VET; Ministry of Education, Sciences and Sport; Chamber of Industry and Commerce; Chamber of crafts and small business; and VET providers working in the field of mobility.
The seminar was designed to support the Centre of the Republic of Slovenia for Mobility and European Educational and Training Programmes (CMEPIUS) to coordinate Slovenia’s team of ECVET experts. It was an opportunity to sup - port the ECVET Slovenian experts in their work with other stakeholders who are implementing ECVET. The seminar began with an outline of how the Slovenian VET framework is integrating European tools based on the development of standards and competences. In Slovenia, there are two types of VET qualifications; one type that is acquired by following the school path (VET system) and the other type that can be acquired following the pathway that recognises non-formal learning. The National Professional Qualifications Act has connected both systems through the introduction of occupational standards which set out learning outcomes for each qualification in Slovenia. The learning outcomes approach is embedded in Slovenia’s education system and it is well accepted. As a result education programmes have moved from a content-based to an objectives-based approach...
Using ECVET for lifelong learning
The last session of the first day aimed to provide participants with more knowledge on using ECVET for horizontal and vertical mobility. ECVET can be seen as a tool that reduces barriers and provides opportunities for learners to move easily between different types of education, from one system to another, and from one qualification to another within the same sector/ system. ECVET can also be seen as a tool to facilitate individuals’ transition between different employment positions, companies, sectors and learning contexts (based on qualifications from either the formal sector or from the non-formal and informal sector). The first day focused on the strategies for ECVET implementation (fostering geographical mobility or lifelong learning) and the relevance of ECVET for end users. It also provided information on the context and challenges of ECVET in Slovenia. On the second day participants were asked to think more about the current state of play of ECVET in Slovenia and create an action plan. This included a brainstorming session which supported the ECVET experts and other stakeholders and led to a step-by-step implementation plan for Slovenia. Following these discussions, one of the key conclusions was the importance of using units of learning outcomes and ECVET to:
• upgrade occupational standards and curricula;
• recognise prior learning;
• increase geographical mobility.
The participants decided to produce a concept paper to further develop these three goals. This concept paper would then be presented to the relevant stakeholders in Slovenia. And finally the participants produced a “to do list “ in order to be clearer about who is doing what, including the development of a business and VET school network. . See more in ECVET Magazine No 18 (March 2014)...

'Learning outcomes are here to stay but a lot of work remains to be done'. The latest issue of the magazine includes interesting articles on the ECVET network's life and on the latest developments on ECVET.
Edito - Question time - By Carlo Scatoli Policy Officer at the European Commission – Adult Education and Continuing VET.
Questions. For us who deal with ECVET and other European instruments on skills, credits, quality and qualifications, this is the season when question marks bloom.
Blooming started earlier for Europass, EQF and EQAVET, early enough for first answers to find their way to the public debate: the external evaluation reports are available on the Europa website (Cf. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/more_info/evaluations/index_en.htm), as are the reports that the Commission submitted to the European Parliament and the Council (Cf. EQF http://ec.europa.eu/eqf/documentation_en.htm).
The first report on ECVET by an external evaluation team will soon be available, presenting findings, considerations, conclusions and recommendations. Five years after the adoption of its legal basis, it is the time for ECVET community to look back and reflect on itself. Is ECVET still relevant in the current policy context? Is there cooperation with other transparency tools? What is the benefit for learners and other stakeholders? Is ECVET supporting people in VET, is it helping them train abroad? Is it supporting their mobility? And many more – the terms of reference include 43 question marks.
Still, the report on ECVET that the Commission will submit in 2014 to the European legislative bodies will take advantage of further questions. This newsletter is released still within the four month span, from mid-De - cember 2013 to 15 April 2014, during which citizens and organisations are invited to participate in the open consultation on a European area of skills and qualifications (EA-SQ). I am sure many of you have contributed already and others will soon follow.
Just in case you have not yet received the invitation to participate in the open consultation on a European area of skills and qualifications, here is the link: http://ec.europa.eu/ dgs/education_culture/more_info/ consultations/skills_en.htm
The objective of the EA-SQ is to ensure that citizens who look for a job or further learning – anywhere in the European area – can trust that their skills and their qualifications will be appropriately understood, appreciated, recognised. This covers a great deal of situations – from recognition of foreign qualifications to good com - munication between jobseekers and employers. The purpose of ECVET is to allow people who develop skills in a training environment to have those skills recorded, assessed and certified as a credit that can be cumulated and transferred. This helps people by ma - king their learning opportunities more flexible, facilitating mobility across countries, transfer across sectors and institutions of education and training, compatibility with working life.
It looks very much like implementing ECVET in a satisfactory way does contribute to the objective of the EA-SQ, doesn’t it? If the knowledge, skills and competence you have developed are packed into “units of learning outcomes” – as we say in ECVET –, do they actually become easier to be understood, appreciated, recognised? What does the ECVET experience so far tell us about that? Such questions have been addressed in a special meeting of the ECVET Users’ Group on 13 March 2014. Representatives of countries and social partners have gone through the issues raised in the open consultation, focusing on what the ECVET experience could suggest. Their considerations will be gathered in a document that will be part of the response to the consultation.
The meeting on 13 March has been the first occasion to discuss such questions, others will follow: the Users Group meeting of 13-14 May will debate the final report of the external evaluation and the messages to convey to the European Parliament and the Council, which will also be tabled in the meeting of the Advisory Committee on Vocational Training of 3 June, on 17 June a dedicated conference will discuss the EA-SQ, and the ECVET Forum of 30-31 October will have its share of question marks on ECVET’s next steps, and a few steps beyond. That was a long introduction, now it is time for questions and answers. See more in ECVET Magazine No 18 (March 2014)...

Special issue dedicated to the Joint ECVET conference held on 24-25 October 2013 in Brussels. Download ECVET Magazine No 17 - February 2014.
Article by Sibilla Drews, National LLP Agency, Germany. The NetECVET workshops   
Behind the NetECVET network is a group of 14 National Agencies for the Lifelong Learning Programme (Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Turkey and the UK); coordinated by the German National Agency. The network promotes ECVET in the context of transnational mobility and supports the implementation process in the Member States through a bottom-up approach. It addresses VET practitioners and supports and guides them in the application of ECVET.
Over a period of two years, NetECVET carried out workshops across Europe to share experiences and collect good practice about how to work with ECVET in the context of learners’ mobility. This resulted in the development of the ECVET toolkit (see box). See more in ECVET Magazine No 17 - February 2014.

Special issue dedicated to the Joint ECVET conference held on 24-25 October 2013 in Brussels. Download ECVET Magazine No 17 - February 2014.
Article by Anette Curth, (ICF GHK). The activities of the national teams of ECVET experts  
25 National Agencies of the Lifelong Learning Programme 1 have established National Teams of ECVET Experts in their respective country. The purpose of these Teams is to promote and further develop the adoption, the application and the use of ECVET in their countries. In doing so, they support the relevant actors involved in Vocational Education and Training on a national level to ensure the best use of ECVET tools. Nearly 150 out of 200 appointed ECVET experts were present at the conference, using the opportunity to share experiences and expand their network...
How the ECVET experts helped to address key issues with ECVET implementation
The conference showed that there is a need to further work on the interface between policy, projects and mainstream practice - gateways between these strands should be created; and this should happen in the context of a broader national strategy. This strategy should create a link between the European transparency instruments, and should focus on the quality of VET as such. The national experts contributed significantly to paving the way towards such strategies.
• They addressed a large variety of stakeholders on policy level: European, national and regional authorities; decision makers involved in education and training; VET ex perts; school authorities; non-governmental organisations working in the field of ECVET; employers and employers’ organisations; social partners; and last but not least the business sector;
• They provided target support to practitioners to empower them in using ECVET and embedding it deeper into com mon practice;
• They were working towards greater coherence between the European transparency instruments and national frameworks: The experts were specifically asked to en sure the coherency of all European instruments for transparency of learning outcomes (such as EQF, EQAVET, ECTS, Europass), and advise on how they are interconnected. Moreover, the experts were asked to promote the development and use of ECVET as part of a broader lifelong learning approach which is an element of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
• They helped to make the solutions developed more sustainable by acting as important links between policy and practice, and helping to ‘translate’ ideas from practice to policy - and the other way around.
• They helped to dissemination of information about ECVET and experiences with it by actively supporting the national efforts in the awareness-raising activities, the creation/ publication of information material (website, leaflets, etc.);
• In short, they helped to build up practical expertise on ECVET and the rest of the instruments. The high interest in the conference and the quality of the discussions shows that the ‘community of practice’ is growing, and the understanding of ECVET and its ‘sister’ instruments is advancing. There are more and more people with well- informed opinions and a wealth and diversity of experiences with ECVET. To a significant extent, this is an achievement of the National ECVET experts’ work to date. See more in ECVET Magazine No 17 - February 2014.

Special issue dedicated to the Joint ECVET conference held on 24-25 October 2013 in Brussels. Download ECVET Magazine No 17 - February 2014.
Article by Daniela Ulicná, Anette Curth (ICF GHK) and Karin Luomi-Messerer (3s). Different applications of ECVET: Synthesis of the results of ECVET pilot projects 
One of the main goals of the conference was to present the results of the ECVET pilot projects. This was done through five workshops. The examples for credit transfer and accumulation presented in these workshops varied from using ECVET to preventing early school leaving, recognising non-formal and informal learning, to improving the quality of international mobility.
One of the main topics discussed at the conference was: National implementation requires national authorities/organisations to make a strategic decision about what they want to use ECVET for. In other words: What needs do we have, and how can ECVET contribute to solving them?
Each of the eight projects funded under the 2010 call for proposals to test ECVET was designed by their promoters to address specific issues and to respond to different needs in the national context. The projects were also designed to fit very different regulatory and institutional contexts...
Conclusions and lessons learned
The pilot projects showed that ECVET can serve a variety of purposes and respond to different needs. It can offer solutions to a range of target groups - not all of which are described above. The projects’ experiences illustrate the diversity of situations that can be at least partially improved by the use of ECVET. Depending on the starting point of the system and the issues to be tackled, ECVET principles can be used with more or less adaptations. See more in ECVET Magazine No 17 - February 2014.

Special issue dedicated to the Joint ECVET conference held on 24-25 October 2013 in Brussels. Download ECVET Magazine No 17 - February 2014.
Article by Anette Curth and Daniela Ulicná, (ICF GHK). The European Credit Point System for Vocational Education and Training - Testing and development between 2009 and 2013
Since the European Parliament and the Council adopted the Recommendation in June 2009 many activities have been launched to test and develop ECVET in practice. The Council and the European Parliament have placed a strong emphasis on the necessity to experiment and test ECVET, through, among others initiatives, the establishment of pilot projects. In 2008, the European Commission issued a call for proposals to finance international partnerships under the Lifelong Learning Programme, whose aim was to test the implementation of the ECVET process in the context of learners’ geographical mobility. As a result, eleven pilot projects were selected...
Reaching a milestone and taking stock of what was achieved
The conference marks a milestone in the journey regarding the implementation of ECVET. In 2014 – hence, five years after the adoption of the ECVET Recommendation – the Commission will report to the European Parliament and the Council on the results of the testing and assessment of actions taken at Member State level. This may result in a review and adaptation of the Technical Specifications on ECVET as described in the Annexes to the Recommendation...
Conclusions and next steps
ECVET has a contribution to make to students’ mobility as well as to lifelong learning. It can improve the quality of students’ mobility and it can support lifelong learning by supporting people in transition between jobs, countries, educational levels and professions, through validation and recognition of prior learning. See more in ECVET Magazine No 17 - February 2014.

Special issue dedicated to the Joint ECVET conference held on 24-25 October 2013 in Brussels.

Attachments

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ECVET Magazine No 17 - February 2014 (PDF  1025.89 Kb 25/04/2014).

'Learning outcomes are here to stay but a lot of work remains to be done'

Attachments

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ECVET Magazine No 18 (March 2014) (PDF  6236.17 Kb 25/04/2014).

Cedefop expert workshop - The role of credit transfer systems in opening access, admission and exemption between vocational education and training (VET) and higher education (HE)
The workshop invites 30 to 35 European experts in VET and HE to discuss how credit transfer systems open access, admission and exemption between vocational education and training (VET) and higher education (HE).

• At higher levels i.e. EQF levels 5 and 6;
• Between EQF 4 (school leaving) and higher levels;
• In relation to validation of non-formal and informal learning.

Participants will investigate to what extent it is necessary and possible to achieve compatibility, comparability and complementarity of the two credit transfer systems, and which alternatives can be foreseen.  Interaction between credit transfer systems and validation of non-formal and informal learning will also be addressed. More...