Formation Continue du Supérieur

At the IREG Forum on University Rankings attended by over 130 participants from 32 countries, the results of the first ranking audits were announced. IREG Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence decided to grant the rights to use the “IREG Approved” label to a national ranking: Perspektywy University Ranking Poland), produced by Perspektywy Education Founadation, and to international and regional rankings QS World University Ranking, produced by QS Intelligence Unit.
Decision on Perspektywy University Ranking (Poland).
Decision on QS World University Ranking .

University Recognition of Prior Learning Centres: Making Lifelong Learning a Reality. Kraków, Poland, 26-27 September 2013.
Venue: Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Management and Social Communication.
Organizers: Jagiellonian University and Foundation for the Development of the Education System with support of the partners of „University Recognition of Prior Learning Centres - Bridging Higher Education with Vocational Education and Training” project.
Before our very eyes, the knowledge society is evolving in the direction of the learning society. It is no longer enough to adapt curricula to the needs of the current economic and social environment – a mere adjustment of didactic forms simply will not prove sufficient. What has become unequivocally essential is an elaboration of tools for an effective support of the growth of the individual by means of paving flexible paths for their personal development.
Recognition of prior learning is gaining more importance in the tertiary education system Thanks to RPL, the number of adults returning to formal higher education system may significantly increase. With the recognition and certification of learning outcomes acquired in informal and nonformal ways, they can feel motivated to start learning within the tertiary education framework. Thus, owing to recognition of prior learning, the concept of lifelong learning ceases to be a mere fair idea and becomes an effective tool for the development of a learning society.
The aim of the conference is to promote the idea of Lifelong Learning (LLL) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in higher education among Polish and European stakeholders. The conference is a part of the European project financed by the Leonardo da Vinci Transfer of Innovation program: „University Recognition of Prior Learning Centres - Bridging Higher Education with Vocational Education and Training”.
For more information click here.

Income inequality increased by more in the first three years of the crisis to the end of 2010 than it had in the previous twelve years, before factoring in the effect of taxes and transfers on income, according to new OECD report and data.
The analysis says that the welfare state has cushioned the blow for many but warns that further social spending cuts in OECD countries risk causing greater inequality and poverty in the years ahead.
After taxes and transfers, the richest 10 per cent of the population in OECD countries earned 9.5 times the income of the poorest 10 per cent in 2010, up from 9 times in 2007. The gap is largest in Chile, Mexico, Turkey, the United States and Israel, and lowest in Iceland, Slovenia, Norway and Denmark.
“These worrying findings underline the need to protect the most vulnerable in society, especially as governments pursue the necessary task of bringing public spending under control,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría.
“Policies to boost jobs and growth must be designed to ensure fairness, efficiency and inclusiveness. Among these policies, reforming tax systems is essential to ensure that everyone pays their fair share and also benefits and receives the support they need.”
Poorer households tended to lose more or gain less than richer households between 2007 and 2010. The top 10 per cent of the population did better than the poorest 10 per cent in 21 of the 33 countries where data are available.
Using pre-crisis income levels as a benchmark, the number of people living in poverty rose during the crisis in most countries. Taxes and benefits helped mitigate the overall increases, but the impact varied. Between 2007 and 2010, average relative income poverty in OECD countries rose from 13 to 14% among children and from 12 to 14% among youth, but fell from 15 to 12% among the elderly. Until 2010, in many countries, pensioners were largely protected while working households took the hit.
Child poverty has risen in 16 OECD countries since 2007, with increases exceeding 2 points in Turkey, Spain, Belgium, Slovenia and Hungary. This confirms a previously identified trend of young people and children replacing the elderly as the group most at risk of income poverty across the OECD.
Inequality will be one of the key issues discussed at this year’s OECD Forum, “Jobs, equality and trust”, from 28-29 May in Paris. More detail are available at www.oecd.org/forum.

By Olena Bekh. INFORM - Issue 14 - Training for women entrepreneurs: an imperative for growth and jobs.
The impact of business women on society extends far beyond their contribution to global GDP. Women are an indispensable part of the labour force but this is not visible in employment statistics and even less so in entrepreneurship statistics. Official GDP figures do not reflect the hours of unpaid female labour devoted to family care and women get paid less than their male colleagues and generally hold fewer top positions in company management and government. According to IFC and World Bank enterprise surveys, in recent years only 18.3% of companies worldwide had a female top manager while only just over one-third (35%) was (co-)owned by a woman.
Trends in some ETF partner regions correspond to the world average: in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, 36.6% of business owners are women, and they occupy 18.8% of top management positions in companies. But in the Enlargement region these figures are 27.5% and 14.2% respectively, and at just 17.2% and 13.6%, they are even lower in the Middle East and North Africa. Top performing countries are those that developed a strong culture of gender equity which benefitted from state support. Unfortunately, centrally collected and updated statistics on women’s participation in business are lacking in many countries so analysis is largely based on independent surveys.
At the same time, research shows that women represent the fastest growing share of the population with higher education degrees. Today, 56% of graduates at master’s level are women. Analysis conducted by The Economist suggests that since 1970, women have filled twice as many newly created jobs as men. But most of these are in wage employment and in most of the world’s economies the number of women entrepreneurs is less than half that of men. A 2004 report by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor concluded that in every country it studied, men were more active in entrepreneurship than women. It said that the largest gap occurs in middle-income nations where men are 75% more likely than women to be active entrepreneurs, compared to 33% in high-income countries and 41% in low-income countries.
The World Economic Forum’s leaders called for investment in “the most important determinant of a country’s competitiveness: its human talent – the skills, education and productivity of its workforce”. The participation of women in business transforms the quality and structure of the workforce and society as a whole. It boosts female career development, self-realisation and job creation. It benefits their households and communities by affecting the mindset of future generations who may come to consider self-employment as a natural career option...
To strengthen the entrepreneurial competences and business potential of women, the following areas of policy support should be strongly considered.
ACCESS TO EDUCATION AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Entrepreneurial learning should be given an early start to develop entrepreneurship skills in boys and girls according to their own needs and interests. It should be accessible to all and embedded in a culture of lifelong learning. Entrepreneurship should become a key competence in curricula. Special attention should be paid to developing leadership skills in girls from the early phases of education and to broadening their exposure to technology-related issues. Learning has to provide common and equal opportunities, regardless of gender, to engage in any type of employment, to succeed in any sector of the economy and to run a business. Measures should be taken to overcome prejudiced and discriminative attitudes towards women in business or in leadership positions: dedicated policies and education programmes must focus on developing self-efficacy among women entrepreneurs and promote their role in top management and company boards. Adult education and training also needs to be employed to promote the entrepreneurial potential of women and to encourage their own business development.
ROLE MODELS AND STORY-TELLING
Education and training are dominated by male role models. Female role models need to be introduced. Story-telling, as applied by the network of EU Women’s Entrepreneurship Ambassadors is an excellent example of a new form of informal learning. Early exposure of learners to entrepreneurial success stories featuring both men and women is critical. Thus, women entrepreneurs should be encouraged to engage with local communities and schools to establish active links and cooperation. A more generally positive attitude towards women’s entrepreneurship can be nurtured with media involvement and by developing promotional campaigns.
MENTORING, COACHING AND NETWORK SUPPORT
Mentoring and coaching are valued highly by many women entrepreneurs due to their positive effects on business start-up survival and the way they can build confidence among women entrepreneurs. They should be developed together with peer learning networks. Broader business advisory structures for women engaged in various stages of entrepreneurial activity should also be considered. Access to networks is important for informal learning, for the exchange of good practice, for building confidence and for resolving real-life business problems in a ‘safe’ peer format. While women possess no fewer networking skills than men, many need to learn to utilise these skills for the promotion, sustenance and expansion of their business in the global market, as well as for lobbying their business interests.
WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS
Training for entrepreneurial women should be built on a thorough analysis of their training needs, both before, during and after they move into business. Training needs analysis for women’s entrepreneurship is now a focal point in policy research. New analytical instruments are being piloted by ETF partner organisations.
Finally, access to networks, training and finance require policy coordination so as to increase the sustainability of individual programmes and measures. Download INFORM - Issue 14 - Training for women entrepreneurs: an imperative for growth and jobs.

The conference ‘Torino Process: Moving Skills Forward’ has concluded with a declaration. The document, agreed among the participants of the conference and based on the findings of the second round of the Torino Process, spells out the main policy priorities in the vocational education and training for 25 ETF partner countries east and south of the European Union. Read the Torino Process Conference declaration - 2013.
Torino Process Conference declaration - 2013
The Torino Process conference, ‘Moving Skills Forward’, hosted by the European Training Foundation (ETF) in Turin on 8-9 May 2013 has brought together representatives of the ETF partner countries, European Union Member States and international organisations to discuss how to move skills forward.
Inspired by the findings of the Torino Process 2012 involving 25 countries, and informed by the experiences of the ETF partner countries, international best practice, and the EU 2020 Strategy, EU external relations policies and Copenhagen Process on enhanced cooperation in vocational education and training (VET), we have focused on present and future demand for skills as well as the processes needed to achieve progress. The goal is innovative, inclusive, resilient lifelong learning systems that support sustainable growth. The conference has been a valuable opportunity for policy leaders, practitioners, experts, the business community and civil society to share knowledge and experience, and to build a network of expertise which can move skills forward.
It has also been an important forum for ETF partner countries to share achievements and to learn about policy progress in other countries. We acknowledge the important progress we have made in developing and implementing VET policies since 2010. Policy makers increasingly recognise that VET is essential to meet the needs and aspirations of young people and adults for jobs, growth and social inclusion. The Torino Process has had an impact in our countries and we welcome its further development in 2014, which will see a stronger focus on country-led analysis and wider participation of stakeholders, including regional and local authorities, the business sector and civil society. We also welcome the opportunity in 2014 to focus on the impact of policies, their relevance, sustainability, cost-effectiveness and contribution to innovation on the basis of evidence in a policy cycle perspective. We acknowledge the validity of the Torino Process principles: their holistic approach to education and training; their emphasis on national ownership and leadership; the active participation of social, political and economic stakeholders; and the focus on evidence to guide policy analysis and decision-making. We support the aim of the Torino Process, namely to increase the evidence base for policy development. The conference showed more countries taking the lead in analysing VET policies in the light of their contexts, visions and labour market needs.
The conference confirms the main policy priorities facing partner countries:
■ A shared, long-term vision focused on the development and use of relevant skills for better quality jobs for young people and adults in partnership with VET providers and business.
■ The role of innovation and forward-looking policy-making to enable education and training to respond to current and future needs and equip citizens with better skills for employability, entrepreneurship and successful transition from education and training to work.
■ The closer integration of learning and work by actively engaging businesses both large and small at national, local and sectoral levels, and diversifying VET provision also through post-secondary institutions and work-based learning.
■ Making social inclusion a key transversal principal in VET policy and practice.
■ Improving the attractiveness of initial and continuing VET through frameworks for quality assurance; national qualifications systems and pathways for progression and participation that lead to valued employment.
■ Enhancing the quality of VET by developing the competences of teachers and trainers to support better learning outcomes.
■ Effective sharing of responsibilities in the governance of education and training systems, including sound policy coordination across government and between national and local levels, including business and civil society.
Meeting the challenge of these priorities requires leadership which ensures that policy formulation and implementation is monitored and evaluated to benchmark progress. In this respect, the conference supports the further development of the Torino Process analytical framework towards stronger analyses of the outcomes, cost-effectiveness, sustainability and innovative capacity of public policies. The conference also confirms the need for policy making bodies to engage in a joint policy learning cycle, to assess the impact of policies, learn from experience and move forward to deliver relevant skills. The conference outlines the following areas for joint action to move skills forward:
1. Identify areas for policy support in each country using evidence, analysis, scenarios and foresight, and prioritise them for follow up and implementation through strategies and short-term deliverables that are realistic in the national context;
2. Monitor progress on the basis of indicators measuring results using the 2012 Torino Process as a national baseline: in addition, for interested countries, developments can be monitored against relevant EU, ETF and international benchmarks for education and training;
3. Increase the use of evidence in policy making, assessing what works, and disseminating good practice achieved bearing in mind national contexts;
4. Broaden participation in policy analysis and policy making to actively include all relevant stakeholder groups, including young people, making use of social media to increase public policy transparency and participatory processes;
5. Develop methodological tools to support policy development in the partner countries according to the priority areas identified
6. Ensure education and training are labour-market oriented and serve entrepreneurial and local communities with the active involvement of business at all levels.
We welcome the ETF’s support and cooperation in policy analysis and policy learning. We call upon the EU and the international community to work together in the on-going effort to move skills forward. We thank the EU and the ETF for this rich learning opportunity and look forward to the next round of the Torino Process in 2014. Read the Torino Process Conference declaration - 2013.

The Canada-Africa Research Exchange Grants program is part of a two-year pilot program funded by the International Development Research Centre.
IDRC aims to fund seven to eight grants worth a maximum of $40,000 each to support short-term exchanges between Canadian and African universities and research institutes that address IDRC research themes. As well as joint research activities, the program will also provide some support to activities aimed at improving student training at the graduate level.
APPLY HERE – Deadline for submissions: Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Read more...

With the assistance of an expert Advisory Committee and support from our sponsoring partners, British Council, the European Commission, NAFSA and EAIE, the IAU has now launched the survey which will collect institutional data on the state of higher education internationalization worldwide. 9,000 universities and other higher education institutions have been sent an electronic invitation to take part in the survey by completing an online questionnaire. The initial deadline for completing the questionnaire is June 30 and each institution can chose to complete the survey in English, French of Spanish. All respondents who complete the questionnaire fully will receive a copy of the Executive Summary of the 4th Global Survey Report which will be prepared by IAU in 2014.
The invitations have been sent to the Heads of HEIs and/or to the individuals responsible for International Relations/Office. IAU aims to double its sample size in this 4rth edition of the Survey and so, everyone’s help is needed. Please ensure that your institution is completing the questionnaire and if you have doubts or wish to receive more information, please contact the IAU at: iau@iau-aiu.net.
More information on the 3rd Global Survey Report published by IAU in 2010 is available here.

Some of England’s leading universities will benefit from a £50 million investment in cutting-edge research and innovation projects to drive growth, Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts has announced.
Sixteen schemes at institutions across the country have been allocated a share of the money from HEFCE’s Catalyst Fund, to work with businesses and support the UK’s economic recovery.
Between them the projects are expected to contribute to the creation of more than 500 new companies, 1,200 products and 3,000 jobs, and help contribute to more than £3 billion to the UK’s economy. Read more...

Synergies for Better Learning An International Perspective on Evaluation and Assessment. Editeur:  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Ce rapport met l’accent sur les écarts importants entre les pays de l’OCDE sur la manière dont sont évaluées les performances des élèves, des enseignants, des directeurs d’établissement et des écoles.Dans ce cadre, le rapport de l’OCDE formule des orientations sur la façon d’utiliser l’évaluation et les informations qui en émanent afin d’aider au mieux élèves, enseignants et directeurs d’établissement.
Dans l’enseignement primaire, par exemple, les élèves ne sont pas notés au Danemark, en Islande, en Nouvelle-Zélande, en Norvège et en Suède, alors qu’en Hongrie, en Italie, au Mexique, aux Pays-Bas, en Pologne et en République slovaque, les évaluations officielles reposent essentiellement sur des notes chiffrées.
En Australie, au Chili, en Corée, au Portugal et au Royaume-Uni, les enseignants sont soumis à une procédure formelle d’évaluation dans le cadre de la gestion de leurs performances, alors qu’au Danemark, en Finlande, en Islande, en Norvège et en Suède, les informations sur les performances des enseignants sont fournies de manière plus informelle dans les établissements.
Lors du lancement du rapport qui a eu lieu à Oslo, en Norvège, le Conseiller spécial du Secrétaire général de l’OCDE chargé de la politique de l’éducation et Directeur adjoint de l’éducation et des compétences, M. Andreas Schleicher, a déclaré: « À une époque où les établissements scolaires se voient confier des responsabilités supplémentaires de direction et doivent accueillir une population d’élèves de plus en plus diverse, ils doivent impérativement mettre en place des systèmes efficaces d’évaluation, afin d’aider les élèves à améliorer leur apprentissage, de permettre aux enseignants d’accroître leur efficacité et de rehausser leurs performances globales ».
Le rapport, qui représente l’une des études internationales les plus importantes jamais menées sur l’évaluation de l’enseignement, contient les recommandations suivantes:
* Adopter une approche globale: tous les éléments de l’évaluation – évaluation des élèves, des enseignants, des établissements, des chefs d’établissement et du système éducatif – doivent former un tout cohérent. Cette cohérence sera source de synergies et permettra d’éviter les recoupements et les objectifs antagonistes.
* Aligner l’évaluation sur les objectifs de l’enseignement: l’évaluation doit être alignée sur les principes qui sous-tendent la stratégie globale en matière d’éducation.
* Accorder la priorité à l’amélioration des pratiques dans les salles de classe: afin de permettre au mieux à l’évaluation d’améliorer ce qui est au cœur de l’éducation – l’apprentissage des élèves – les responsables des politiques doivent promouvoir une utilisation régulière des résultats à des fins d’amélioration sur le terrain.
* Concevoir avec attention l’utilisation des résultats d’évaluations dont les enjeux sont importants pour les acteurs éducatifs. En effet, l’utilisation des résultats des évaluations doit éviter des distorsions dans le processus d’enseignement tels que l’enseignement en fonction des tests ou le rétrécissement du champ d’enseignement.
* Dégager un consensus: veiller à ce que l’ensemble des acteurs soient associés dès le départ au processus et en comprennent l’utilité.
* Placer les élèves au centre de toute stratégie: les élèves doivent être de véritables acteurs de leur apprentissage et avoir les moyens d’évaluer eux-mêmes leurs progrès. Le développement d’une réflexion critique et de compétences sociales doit lui aussi faire l’objet d’un suivi.
Lire le résumé du rapport. (pdf, 672 pages). Télécharger le document: http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/.