Formation Continue du Supérieur

HEFCE has published a survey inviting views on an internationalised system of research assessment.
This survey forms part of a project exploring the benefits and challenges of expanding the UK’s research assessment system, the Research Excellence Framework (REF), on an international basis. At the broadest level, this means an extension of the assessment to incorporate submissions from universities overseas.
Responses are invited from any organisation or individual with an interest in higher education research or its assessment. The survey will be open until Wednesday 12 November 2014.
Complete the survey. More...

Returns should be uploaded to the HEFCE extranet by noon on Thursday 13 November 2014
This document asks further education colleges to complete the annual survey of students on recognised higher education courses. The data will: enable us to review teaching funding and monitor recruitment against the student number control for 2014‑15; give an early indication of the number of students on recognised higher education courses at further education colleges in 2014‑15; and, with data supplied to the Skills Funding Agency, inform our allocation of teaching funds for 2015-16.
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Returns should be uploaded to the HEFCE extranet by noon on Tuesday 9 December 2014
This document asks higher education institutions to complete the annual survey of students on recognised higher education courses. The data will: enable us to review teaching funding and monitor recruitment against the student number control for 2014‑15; give an early indication of the number of higher education students studying in the academic year 2014-15; and, with data supplied to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, inform our allocation of teaching funds for 2015-16.
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The higher education (HE) funding bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland [Note 1] are to seek views on future approaches to the assessment of quality in higher education [Note 2]. Based on the feedback we receive, we will then invite tenders under a joint procurement exercise. This will ensure transparency and demonstrate value for money.
UK higher education is undergoing rapid change. Our future quality assessment arrangements must continue to be internationally respected, to have the confidence of students, and to support a world-class HE sector. 

Notes
1. The funding bodies are, respectively, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL), and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW). Quality assessment in the UK is currently conducted by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) under contract to the UK funding bodies.
2.  HEFCE, HEFCW and DELNI are legally responsible for securing that provision is made for assessing the quality of education provided in institutions for whose activities they provide, or are considering providing, financial support.
3. See frequently asked questions about this announcement. More...

Cedefop’s web portal is undertaking a major makeover. In the first week of November, the new web portal will go live with a fresher look and feel, also providing several new features.
It will showcase Cedefop’s content in a more dynamic fashion, adopting a modular approach on the way information is organised. Users will be able to access the vast amount of content the agency produces from various entry points such as themes, publications and resources, events and projects, news and press and country specific data.
The new web portal will introduce more visuals, such as infographics, and more multimedia elements, such as videos and podcasts. Users will be invited to interact by posting comments on various services or products or by participating in discussion lists allowing them to gain direct access to Cedefop’s expertise.
Our aim is to create a lasting relationship with users, also initiating a lively interaction in our domain of expertise at European level.
Come back soon to check out our new web portal! More...

Currently over 5 million young people (aged 15‐24) in the EU‐28 are unemployed. This represents more than one in five young Europeans; and more than one in two in Greece and Spain, where youth unemployment rates are particularly high.

Links

• Read the whole briefing. More...

In June 2014, the French Ministry of Education published a joint report assessing the policy for combating early school-leaving. This study was the outcome of all stakeholders (Ministries of Education, Employment, city, regional and local authorities, voluntary organisations and users) involved in preventing 150 000 students dropping out of education each year without qualifications.

Links

• ReferNet France
• Loi du 5 mars 2014 relative à la formation professionnelle, à l'emploi et à la démocratie sociale. (in French) [Act of 5 March 2014 on vocational training, employment and social democracy.]
• Atlas académique des risques sociaux d'échec scolaire : l'exemple du décrochage. (in French). [Academic atlas about social risk of academic failure: example of educational dropouts].
• Evaluation partenariale de la politique de lutte contre le décrochage scolaire (in French) [Joint report assessing policy for combating early school-leaving]. More...

ReferNet, Cedefop's European network provides regularly national updates on vocational education and training.Please have a look at the latest news from the member states: 

Austria - individual learning support
by ReferNet Austria
Belgium - a training centre for trainers in French-speaking Belgium
by ReferNet Belgium
Bulgaria - incentives for employers to provide jobs and apprenticeships to young unemployed are included in the new Employment Promotion Law
by ReferNet Bulgaria
Bulgaria - revision of national youth strategy
by ReferNet Bulgaria
Croatia - drafting a strategy for education, science and technology
by Refernet Croatia
Czech Republic - tax benefits for companies in return for VET support
by ReferNet Czech Republic
Estonia - reform of curricula in vocational education and training
by ReferNet Estonia
Finland - restructuring upper secondary education
by ReferNet Finland
Finland - facts about international mobility of Finnish training personnel
by ReferNet Finland
France - assessing policies for combating early school-leaving
by ReferNet France. More...

Adults with upper-secondary VET qualifications generally have lower levels of literacy and numeracy proficiency than people with general upper-secondary education, according to the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). This is not surprising.
For more information on the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), please consult http://skills.oecd.org and http://www.oecd.org/site/piaac. More...

Literacy skills of adults aged 25-64 with general education tend to be higher than for those with vocational qualifications across all European countries covered by the OECD’s Survey of Adult Skills.
The latest data can be found in to the OECD’s Education at a Glance 2014 to which Cedefop has contributed for the first time, at
Indicator A1.8 - Skill proficiency by programme orientation
Indicator A5.8 - Skill proficiency by labour market status and programme orientation. More...