Educational Testing Service (ETS), an American non-profit organisation, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) hosted the PIAAC Invitational Research Conference on 13–15 November 2013 in Washington DC. Some 260 researchers, experts and policymakers from 33 countries participated, including UIL Director Arne Carlsen. 
The first round of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) was conducted by the OECD in 2011–2012 and involved more than 160,000 adults aged between 16–65 in 22 OECD countries and two OECD partner countries. Nine other countries have decided to participate in the second round of the study, the results of which will be published in 2016. More...

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

However, these developments also raise important issues at both national and European level, such as quality assurance, recognition and accreditation, the promotion of innovative teaching and learning alongside more traditional forms, infrastructure and technical requirements. At a broader level, the EU is in danger of lagging behind other regions of the world in this field. Already much of the supply of digital content comes from outside Europe.

Links

• Open Educational Resources and digital learning

Links

• EP Library Briefing
• European Parliament Report on Erasmus +
• Erasmus +

Vocational education in a lifelong perspective and the VET systems in Germany and Austria were the themes of two interventions made by Cedefop Deputy Director Christian Lettmayr at the Global HR Forum 2013 in Seoul, South Korea (5-7 November). 
Mr Lettmayr said that there is ‘a sense of failing education systems and increasing mismatch between qualification levels and skills required’ with a new European Union (EU) report indicating that 76% of recent graduates with at least upper-secondary education now find employment compared to 82% in 2008. And one in five of the EU working population with tertiary qualifications are in jobs that usually require lower qualifications. More...

A new web portal to learn French online 
Parlons français, c’est facile ! is a new portal which raises awareness of the French language and culture. This project is coordinated by the Centre international d'études pédagogiques (CIEP). 
Thanks to the funding from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the site was officially launched on 18th July 2013 by the Minister Delegate for la Francophonie (French-speaking countries worldwide), Yamina Benguigui, during the workshops organised by the French Institute. 
This site is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish and offers 40 workshops and many interactive exercises online. 
For more information you can contact Anna Vetter, leader of the project in the French department of CIEP, at: Vetter@ciep.

Summary 
As part of the Government’s National Scholarship Programme, HEFCE  commissioned CFE consultants and the Widening Participation Centre at Edge Hill University to carry out a formative evaluation of the scheme. 
This report summarises the outcomes of evaluation activity undertaken in 2012-13, the first year of the programme’s operation. It contains the results of survey and focus group work with participating institutions and recipients as well as summarising the programme’s emerging themes. 
The role of this formative evaluation is to help policy-makers, HEFCE and participating institutions develop a fuller understanding of what works best and why in relation to the design and delivery of the NSP. The evaluation will also offer cumulative insights into the impact and influence that the NSP has on student decision-making, participation and retention amongst under-represented groups.  The findings may offer insights which have resonance for other schemes of student support.
The first year report was published in May 2012. 
Download the Formative evaluation of the NSP: Year 2 as PDF (1,422 KB).