At a conference on adult learning, organised by the European Commission in Vilnius (9 and 10 December), Cedefop Director James Calleja took part in a panel discussion debating what skills and means should be used to equip adults for the 21st century.

‘We need to remind ourselves that key competences are the main indicator of what skills people need to enter and sustain their position in the labour market,’ said Mr Calleja.

These include 'traditional' competences like mother tongue, foreign languages, basic competences in maths and science, and digital competence, but also more 'transversal' ones such as learning to learn, social and civic competence, initiative taking and entrepreneurship, and cultural awareness and expression. More...

Experts from the EU and UNESCO Member States from the Pan-European region took part in a conference in Vilnius, Lithuania to assess implementation of the Renewed European Agenda for Adult Learning and the Belém Framework for Action, in light of recently published findings of the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC).
The Conference, entitled Equipping adults for the 21st Century: Joining Forces for Action on Skills and Competences, was organized by the Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission (DG EAC) and the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), within the context of the Lithuanian Presidency of the European Union. 
More than two hundred participants, including National Coordinators for Adult Learning, members of the EU’s Thematic Working Groups on quality and financing adult learning, and representatives of regional and multilateral organizations, met to discuss policies that can increase access to and participation in adult education, while also improving quality and efficiency. The economic crisis, rapid changes in technology and industry, and demographic changes in Europe have highlighted the key role of adult and lifelong learning in promoting competitiveness, employability, equity, social inclusion, and active citizenship. The Conference has produced action points on how to ensure that all adults have access to relevant and high-quality learning opportunities to develop appropriate skills and competences throughout their lives.

Literacy levels vary across countries and between vocational education and training (VET) and general education graduates at upper-secondary levels, according to first findings from the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) published in October. The findings also show that, unsurprisingly, the young are more literate, but that proficiency in literacy peaks at around 30 years of age.
Literacy skills of VET graduates differ significantly across countries
Across all the 24 countries (and sub-national regions) participating in the survey the mean literacy score  for young adults aged 16-29 whose highest level is vocationally oriented upper-secondary education is 273 out of a possible 500 (see Table). In some European countries such as Finland, or the Netherlands literacy scores are significantly above the OECD mean for this group, while in Spain, Poland are Ireland they are below (see Figure). These differences matter. In Finland, for instance, literacy skills of young graduates from general upper secondary programmes are as good as those of university graduates in Italy. More...

Countries, employers and individuals need a clear idea of how labour markets and economies are changing and how people are meeting the demand for skills in the 21st century. People with low skills face a greater risk of economic disadvantage. They are more likely to be unemployed and suffer from poor health.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) survey of adult skills (PIAAC) aims to provide some insights into how skills are being developed and used in 24 countries. The first findings of the survey were published in October 2013. They show that the young are more literate, but proficiency in literacy peaks at around 30 years of age. More...

Authors: Isobel Falconer, Lou McGill, Allison Littlejohn, Eleni Boursinou
Editors: Christine Redecker, Jonatan Castaño Muñoz, Yves Punie
EUR Number: 26258 EN
Publication date: 11/2013
Abstract
This report synthesizes the findings of the "OER4Adults study", a study conducted in 2012-13 by a team from the Caledonian Academy, Glasgow Caledonian University, under a contract with the European Commission Joint Research Centre IPTS, and in collaboration with DG Education and Culture. The project aimed to provide an overview of Open Educational Practices in adult learning in Europe, identifying enablers and barriers to successful implementation of practices with OER. The report identifies over 150 Open Educational Resources (OER) initiatives, and develops a typology that classifies them primarily by their main activity type. A survey based on the typology drew 36 responses from initiative leaders, and these are analysed against a context of developments in adult learning to arrive at an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing OER in adult learning in Europe. The analysis reveals six tensions that drive developing Open Educational Practices in adult learning; open versus free; traditional versus new approaches; altruism versus marketisation; community versus openness; mass participation versus quality; addon versus embedded funding. The report recommends: 1. Recognising that ‘learning’ takes place everywhere; 2. Extending the range of people and organisations that produce and use resources; 3. Thinking about OER more broadly than as content; 4. Promoting awareness of open licensing and its implications; 5. Improving the usability of OER; and 6. Planning for sustained change.
Download a copy.

Particular focus is on the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and United Kingdom as well as Norway and Switzerland as EEA countries and - in order to compare Europe’s adult learning policies with those of major competitors – the four non-European countries Australia, Canada, Korea and the USA.

Cedefop has contributed to the part of cost-sharing mechanisms, benefits of VET, work-based learning, older workers, guidance, skills demand and supply and VET policy analysis.

Links

• Study on financing the adult learning sector - Final report
• Executive summary

Aujourd'hui en Europe, 73 millions d'adultes sont peu qualifiés. Parmi eux, nombreux sont ceux qui ont des difficultés avec la lecture et l'écriture.
Le Conseil de l'Union européenne a adopté le 28 novembre 2011 une résolution pour un « agenda européen renouvelé dans le domaine de l'éducation et de la formation des adultes ».
La crise a mis en évidence le rôle essentiel de l'éducation et de la formation des adultes pour s'adapter aux évolutions du marché du travail et de la société, en particulier pour les travailleurs peu qualifiés ou âgés.
D'une durée de 2 ans, l'agenda vise à donner à chaque adulte la possibilité de développer et d'améliorer des aptitudes et compétences tout au long de sa vie.
En France, l'Agence 2e2f a été nommée coordinatrice nationale de cet agenda. En concertation avec un comité composé de 7 Ministères et 11 grands acteurs nationaux et régionaux, elle est chargée de développer un programme d'actions en vue d'étudier l'accès à la formation et à l'emploi des adultes peu qualifiés.
Quatre groupes de travail fonctionnent actuellement sur des thématiques prioritaires :

• étude des conditions d'une formation en alternance réussie ;
• accompagnement vers la formation des publics les plus éloignés de l'emploi ;
• professionnalisation des acteurs de l'orientation et de l'accompagnement des publics adultes peu qualifiés ;
• évaluation des compétences transversales.

Le fruit de ces recherches va être présenté lors des Assises nationales et européennes de lutte contre l'illettrisme et fera l'objet d'expérimentations sur le terrain. 
Plus d'information sur l'agenda européen : http://www.2e2f.fr/agenda-europeen-adultes.php