Formation Continue du Supérieur

1. This letter sets out the allocation of capital funding for learning and teaching infrastructure in those further education colleges (FECs) funded directly by HEFCE, for the financial year 2014-15. No action is required in response.
2. A total of £7.74 million is available to fund activity undertaken from April 2014 until March 2015. These funds will be paid automatically in three instalments, in August 2014, November 2014 and February 2015.
Purpose of the funds
3. These allocations of capital funding are to enhance the learning experience of higher education (HE) students at FECs, by helping raise the quality of their HE learning and teaching facilities. We expect colleges to use the funds in ways that will most effectively support their strategy for HE. More...

 Minister of Education and Employment Evarist Bartolo and Cedefop Director James Calleja launched the thematic country review on apprenticeships for Malta at the Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry in Valetta on 30 May.
In his speech, Minister Bartolo referred to apprenticeships as an excellent link between the world of education and the world of employment. He said that apprenticeships are learning processes ideal for learners who wish to embark on various levels of qualifications even as low as level one so that they serve as an incentive for further qualifications.
The Minister stressed that apprenticeships should be the product of solid partnerships between vocational education and training (VET) institutions, industry and employee representatives as well as civil society. Minister Bartolo believes that, because of the size of industries in Malta, rotating apprenticeships could be more attractive to young learners. More...

 At the invitation of the Minister of Education and Science Prof. Dr Dainius Pavalkis, Cedefop will be conducting an in-depth review of the apprenticeship schemes in Lithuania between now and the second quarter of 2015.
The review aims at providing the Lithuanian government with a roadmap of quality apprenticeships, which can be implemented in the coming years to combat youth unemployment, attract more young and old learners to vocational training and work-based learning and increase skills and competences for employability. More...

Guiding principles on professional development of trainers in VET are a contribution of the European Commission, Cedefop and the respective thematic working group to the objective set in the Bruges communiqué (Council of the European Union; European Commission, 2010) of collecting good practice and developing guiding principles on the changing roles, competences and professional development of VET teachers and trainers. More...

 Early findings of a Europe-wide Cedefop study of the effect of vocational education and training (VET) on the dropout rate reveal that this effect is largely positive.
In countries where vocational pathways account for a large share of education and training, rates of early school leaving are below the EU target for 2020 (10%). Conversely, in countries where VET lags behind, the dropout rate is higher than 10%; in some cases, significantly so.
The study also addresses the lack of commonly accepted definition of early leavers from vocational education and training. Data at EU level and in many countries do not accurately track young people as they leave and re-enter learning environments and/or the labour market.The study has found that over 97% of early leavers are dropouts, with the remainder being young people who never start post-compulsory education and training.
It also found that 1 in 5 dropouts eventually achieve upper secondary qualifications, with 77% doing so within three years. The findings were discussed last week at an expert workshop organised by Cedefop in Thessaloniki. More...

Cedefop has launched a database, which provides information on design and performance of cost-sharing schemes implemented in EU countries to increase participation and private investment in adult learning.
The database covers the following types of instruments: training funds, tax incentives, grants, vouchers/individual learning accounts, loans, training leave and payback clauses. Project on financing VET. More...

A new Cedefop project, which will look into the apprenticeship systems of Lithuania and Malta, has been launched. The project, to be completed in 2015, is in support of the European alliance for apprenticeships and will involve government ministries, vocational education and training (VET) institutions, social partners and other stakeholders in both countries.
In Lithuania, Cedefop will be conducting an in-depth review of the apprenticeship schemes at the invitation of the Minister of Education and Science Prof. Dr Dainius Pavalkis. The review aims at providing the Lithuanian government with a proposed roadmap of quality apprenticeships to combat youth unemployment, attract more young and old learners to vocational training and work-based learning, and increase skills and competences for employability. More...

Qualifications that correspond to level 5 of the European qualifications framework (EQF) appeal to learners as they open up prospects on several fronts - immediate employment, career advancement, and further learning.
At the same time, their focus on advanced technical and managerial skills makes them valuable to employers. These qualifications are typically associated with short-cycle higher education programmes. Yet about 50% of qualifications at EQF level 5 are found elsewhere: in initial and continuing vocational education and training, in general education, or even entirely outside the formal education and training system. The close examination provided in Cedefop’s recent publication Qualifications at level 5: progressing in a career or to higher education indicates the true weight of these qualifications in the labour market. It also demonstrates how policy-makers can use the EQF to improve education and training subsystems, and strengthens links between them. In particular, it can help policy-makers determine whether their own qualifications landscape lacks options which combine labour-market and higher education appeal. They can thus use level 5 as a platform for developing new qualifications, as is already happening in several European countries.
More in the Cedefop briefing note The hidden potential of level 5 qualifications. More...