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Interview with David Hoey, Chief Executive Officer of WorldSkills International by Cassandra Davis and Julie Harris, Editors, Educationtoday. “A high-performing athlete is the result of his or her training,” he explained during a break at the OECD Forum in Paris in May, focusing in on the question of how one benchmarks skills development and acquisition. “A well-trained athlete will perform well. But how do you measure ‘well’? Competitions draw out real excellence. By creating international skills competitions, deep learning can be demonstrated and witnessed. But more than that, competitions introduce fun into the process with games, introduces a healthy competitive spirit, and raises both levels and training. At WorldSkills, we’ve instituted a ranking and a scoring system, at the individual, sector and country levels.”
If we didn’t know better, we’d returned to the first Olympic games.
David Hoey, Chief Executive Officer of WorldSkills International spoke to us of the international skills extravaganza (WorldSkills Leipzig 2013) going on now, between 2-7 July. Over 200,000 people and representatives from upwards of 50 countries will be walking through the doors in Leipzig, attending the main and side events, witnessing some of the stellar skills and talents of the world’s top carpenters, graphic designers, technologists, robotic engineers, hairdressers, plumbers and more (46 skills in all). Read more...

By Marilyn Achiron Editor, Directorate for Education and Skills. Here’s a little test for you: Write a one-paragraph summary of a newspaper or web article you just read. After you’ve done that, try to explain how you did it. Did you read the text over and over to try to commit it to memory? Did you make sure the most important facts in the article were represented in your summary, in your own words? You might ask: what does it matter?
Knowing the best way to summarise information you read is key to being a proficient reader. In fact, this month’s PISA in Focus suggests that if disadvantaged students – who consistently score lower on PISA assessments than advantaged students -- used the most effective learning strategies to the same extent as students from more advantaged backgrounds do, the performance gap between the two groups would shrink considerably.
PISA 2009 asked students to describe how they summarise texts they read. Based on their responses, and on experts’ judgements of the relative effectiveness of different strategies, PISA was able to determine the extent to which students were aware of the most effective strategies for learning. Read more...

By Andreas Schleicher Deputy Director and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the OECD's Secretary-General. I was able to add half a day to visit schools in New Zealand, something I always try to do where my schedule permits. At Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi, New Zealand’s first community school offering Māori medium instruction, I was greeted by a group of ferocious warriors slowly approaching us and offering the choice between picking a fight and settling for peace. With that choice made, we were warmly welcomed with a traditional pōwhiri at the school’s marae. In Māori culture greeting others is an important opportunity for people to show respect and to set the tone for whatever comes after. That hour-long ceremony included skilled speakers crafting poetic verbal images, but most impressive was how the school’s entire student population sang with one voice, confident and incredibly dynamic and self-orchestrated, without a conductor. Principal Rawiri Wright, former leader of the tough Māori language schooling organisation and who had challenged Minister Kaye and myself at my public presentation earlier in the morning, asked me later how the range of artistic and social skills so evident among his students were featuring in New Zealand’s national standards and our comparative work at the OECD. One could argue with some of his political rhetoric, but our conversation left me thinking. And he referred me proudly to the latest results on academic performance too, which showed his students outperforming schools at the 8th decile of socio-economic advantage - despite the fact that his own school was catering for low to middle-income families located at the 4th decile. He sees these results vindicating his stance that the kind of academic performance that we value comes as a by-product of the holistic Maori medium instruction that his school offers, while he claims that attempts to add the latter as a ‘nice-to-have’ to the former were failing in New Zealand. Read more...

By Barbara Ischinger Director for Education and Skills. July brought some good news and some bad news. The good news is that vocational and technical skills are flourishing and I watched young people with those skills competing to find who’s best in the world at the WorldSkills Competition held in Leipzig, Germany, earlier in the month. Over a thousand young people, representing 65 countries and regions across the world, were demonstrating their skills in everything from welding to web design. Korea topped the medal table (including gold for confectionery/pastry making with chocolate sculptures too impressive to eat) with Switzerland in second place. The level of technical expertise on show was astounding, but what impressed me more than anything was the poise and self-confidence along with the commitment to excellence and professionalism of all the competitors. And it wasn’t just for the competitors — it was a big festival of vocational skills for the general public. Anyone could try their hand at a new skill at a workbench or computer while young people could also seek advice on their choice of job and planning their career.
Now the bad news: OECD announced last week that unemployment in OECD countries is expected to  remain high throughout 2014, with young people and the low-skilled hit hardest . Unemployment can have long-lasting repercussions on young people.  Even when they do eventually get a job, they are likely to face an ongoing penalty in the labour market, earning significantly reduced wages over the course of their lifetime. And the psychological impacts can also be long lasting, as young people become discouraged, de-motivated and worried about their prospects for attaining economic independence in the future. And yet…in many OECD countries, there are thousands of jobs that remain unfilled, often requiring technical and vocational skills or providing the opportunity to learn them. Read more...

By Andreas Schleicher Deputy Director and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the OECD's Secretary-General. Big data is the foundation on which education can reinvent its business model and build the coalition of governments, businesses, and social entrepreneurs that can bring together the evidence, innovation and resources to make lifelong learning a reality for all. So the next educational superpower might be the one that can combine the hierarchy of institutions with the power of collaborative information flows and social networks. More than anything else, this will hinge on getting people to generate innovative applications on top of big data. It’s about the co-creation of governance, about delivering more progressive and better policies than the industrial work organisation and the bureaucratic and litigation-oriented tools and strategies that we are used to in education. Read more...

Ben Lyons Co-Director of Intern Aware, a British-based campaigning organization that promotes the rights and interests of young people entering the professional world, answers questions posed by Cassandra Davis educationtoday’s editor during his visit to the OECD 2013 Forum.
educationtoday: What kinds of skills do today’s graduates need to succeed in the labour market? Should students acquire skills to meet labour-market demands or to fulfill their own aspirations?
As well as theoretical knowledge, most employers require the strong soft skills such as commercial awareness, communication, teamwork, problem-solving and organisation that can be gained through work-related learning. The crisis has exposed the fact that students are worse off in countries where education is overly academic and institutions are failing to equip students with the skills they need for the labour market. With a greater focus on the hard and soft skills developed through individually tailored apprenticeships and internships, meeting labour market demands and fulfilling a young person’s aspirations need not be mutually exclusive.
educationtoday: Do you see greater opportunities for interns who have advanced technology-based skills?
It is evident today that in every sector a good knowledge of technology is needed and young people who don’t have these skills are going lose out. Skills are often referred to as being “generic”; however, there is a need for specialisation across all sectors, from arts to accountancy.
educationtoday: What is your take on the MOOC revolution? Do you think online virtual training could eventually reduce internships?
I’m skeptical of the MOOC revolution in relation to internships. Whilst some work can be done virtually, many of the soft skills from an internship – whether it’s meeting new people who might help with future job opportunities, or learning office conduct – are not going to be developed  if the intern is working hundreds of miles away. Embedding interns into a team is also beneficial for both parties, potentially bringing new ideas to the group, and helping employers judge if the intern would make a good “fit” with the organisation’s work culture. Read more...

INFORM - Issue 13 - National qualifications frameworks: contributing to better qualifications
By Michael Graham. WHAT ARE NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORKS?
National qualifications frameworks or NQFs classify qualifications according to a hierarchy of levels in a grid structure. Each level is defined by a set of descriptors indicating the learning outcomes relevant to qualifications at that level, which vary in number according to national needs. Currently NQFs have 5, 7, 8, 10 and 12 levels. Qualifications in an NQF can be compared by individuals, employers and institutions. When different countries’ NQFs are linked internationally, qualifications can be compared, which in turn supports mobility. But the implications of establishing and using an NQF go well beyond simply classifying and comparing qualifications.
Countries develop NQFs for many reasons. While many EU Member States use NQFs to coordinate their existing qualifications systems more efficiently, ETF partner countries use them to support wider national education and training reforms. These include bringing education and training closer to the labour market, developing relevant qualifications, creating progression routes linking vocational education and training (VET) with higher education, and working towards a greater recognition of qualifications within the country and abroad.
NQFs are not new, but the recent surge in the number of countries developing them is remarkable for its speed and geographical coverage. Before 2000, only a handful of countries had NQFs. Now 142 countries worldwide have embarked on developing NQFs, including 27 of the ETF’s 31 partner countries. NQFs are part of a wider search for international solutions in education and training. They are also an attempt to support mobility at a time when economies are increasingly integrated and interdependent, where technical specifications of products or services are becoming more unified and where labour migrates across borders. Download INFORM - Issue 13 - National qualifications frameworks: contributing to better qualifications.

ETF key indicators 2012: Overview and analysis
INTRODUCTION
The European Training Foundation (ETF) supports the vision to make vocational education and training (VET) a driver for lifelong learning and sustainable development, with a special focus on competitiveness and social cohesion. Developing appropriate policies and measuring the effect of these policies requires solid evidence that covers VET and its links with the labour market, economic development, social cohesion, entrepreneurship and innovation. Evidence-based policy making has acquired considerable interest in recent years. This has paved the way for a renewed emphasis on quantitative indicators that can assist policy makers in formulating, monitoring and evaluating policies and performance. In 2010 the ETF launched a series of reviews of VET systems in all of its partner countries known as the Torino Process.
These assessments were informed by quantitative data based on a collection of relevant VET policy and system indicators. This exercise was repeated in 2012, with the quantitative data collection supported by three statistical workshops that were organised with representatives of national statistical offices and relevant ministries in March 2012. This paper is the result of the 2012 Torino Process data collection. It is intended to be a ready source of information on the state of play of VET policies and systems in ETF partner countries for national policy makers and the international community. Selected quantitative indicators are presented and analysed. Data for the EU Member States have been added to inspire policy learning and dialogue both between the EU and partner countries, and among the partner countries themselves.
A secondary aim of the paper is to raise awareness among policy makers in the partner countries of the importance of indicators in driving the policy cycle, and of the availability and sources of selected VET policy and system indicators in their countries and regions. This paper is divided into three main chapters. The first describes the data collection process of the Torino Process 2012. In the second chapter, the regional tables with selected quantitative indicators are presented and analysed. The third chapter is an introduction to international developments in VET policy and system indicators. A final chapter draws conclusions and offers suggestions for future steps. The paper can be read on its own or as a complement to the ETF’s Torino Process reports and country studies, and the ETF’s labour market reviews. All of these are available from the ETF website1. The Torino Process reports provide a more comprehensive evaluation of VET systems and trends in the labour market and in education. Download ETF key indicators 2012: Overview and analysis.

Torino Process 2012 - A Croos-Country Report Moving Skills Forward: From Common Challenges to Country-Specific Solutions.
Preface
The Torino Process is a participatory process leading to an evidence-based analysis of vocational education and training (VET) policies in a given country. It is carried out in order to build consensus on the possible ways forward for VET policy and system development, considering the contributions of VET to enhanced competitiveness, and sustainable and inclusive growth. This includes determining the state of the art and vision for VET in each country and an assessment of the progress that countries are making to achieve the desired results. More specifically, the Torino Process is a vehicle for:
- developing a common understanding of a medium/long-term vision, priorities and strategy for VET development, exploring possible options for implementing this vision and/or making further progress;
- designing and evaluating home-grown and affordable VET policies, based on evidence or knowledge and collaboration;
- updating the analyses and achievements at regular intervals;
- providing opportunities for capacity development and policy learning within and among partner countries and with the European Union (EU);
- empowering countries to better coordinate the contributions of donors to achieving agreed national priorities.
The European Training Foundation (ETF) launched the Torino Process in 2010 and the first round was concluded in May 2011 at an international conference entitled ‘The Torino Process – Learning from Evidence’. Among the outcomes of the conference was the establishment of the Torino Process as a biennial policy learning exercise founded on country ownership, participation, and a holistic, evidence-based policy analysis. The second round was launched in 2012. The Torino Process overall is open to all ETF partner countries. This report draws on the lessons learned by the ETF. Its overall objective is to present the progress that has been made in VET policy and system development, and identify constraints and future priorities for the further modernisation of VET policies and systems in ETF partner countries. It is addressed to policy makers and practitioners in the partner countries, but also to officials, researchers, experts and the donor community who are interested in learning more about the partner countries in the field of VET or related policy fields. This report was prepared by ManfredWallenborn, ETF expert, who analysed the information in the regional reports for the preparation of this document. Valuable support was provided by Doriana Monteleone, ETF statistical officer.
This report and the Torino Process are the result of a team effort. The ETF would like to take this opportunity to thank all the counterparts from the partner countries who contributed to the national reporting process in 2012, as well as the ETF country teams which facilitated the process in the countries. The ETF is also grateful to the statistical team and the internal peer reviewers who provided valuable input, comments and suggestions on the final draft of the document. Download Torino Process 2012 - A Croos-Country Report Moving Skills Forward: From Common Challenges to Country-Specific Solutions.
The other Reports.
Torino Process 2012: Central Asia; Eastern Europe; Southern and Eastern Mediterranean; Western Balkans and Turkey; Uzbekistan; former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Kyrgyzstan; Azerbaijan; Armenia; Montenegro - Executive Summary; Kosovo - Executive Summary; Ukraine; Tunisie; Tajikistan; Serbia; Russia; Palestine; Moscow (Russia); Maroc; Montenegro; Moldova; Lebanon; Kosovo; Kazakhstan; Jordan; Israel; Georgia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Belarus; Albania.

Torino Process 2012 - A Croos-Country Report Moving Skills Forward: From Common Challenges to Country-Specific Solutions.
Executive Summary
This report covers the Western Balkans and Turkey, the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The objective is to present the progress that has been made in vocational education and training (VET) policy and system development, highlight remaining obstacles in relation to the performance of VET systems, and deduce recommendations for future ETF priorities in the partner countries. In addition, the report presents the ETF’s opinion on how partner country VET systems could be further developed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of VET policies and systems from a lifelong learning perspective.
The report presents the lessons learnt by the ETF regarding the process of reform and modernisation of VET policies and systems thanks to the high level of commitment and substantial efforts made by the partner countries during the 2012 round of the Torino Process.
This report is addressed to policy makers and practitioners of VET systems in the partner countries, but also to officials, researchers, experts and the donor community who are interested in learning more about the partner countries in the field of VET or related policy fields.
There are positive key trends and areas of progress as well as remaining issues for the further development of VET within the four regions with which the ETF cooperates. The countries are inspired by the international debate among experts on VET: VET matters in both an educational and an economic context, being an instrument for short- and long-term employability. The countries are aware of the important contributions of VET to social inclusion and to socio-economic progress in terms of growth and competitiveness. Moreover, they know from their own experience of reforming other educational sub-systems that VET reforms must be in line with the national context, that they take time, and that there is a need for persistent efforts in a number of different areas of VET systems in order to convert VET into a valid instrument for skills development.
The countries and regions analysed in the Torino Process 2012 round vary greatly. However, there are many common issues on which substantial progress has been made since the Torino Process 2010 round, such as the further development of national VET strategies that are coherent with other sector policies, the adoption and implementation of new laws and instruments, such as qualification frameworks (including new professional standards and curricula), decentralisation, greater involvement on the part of the business sector, and the beginning of rationalisation of the VET school networks. This progress is consistent with the seven priorities for further action formulated by the participants in the 2011 Torino Process Conference.
Policy makers in the partner countries are aware that VET reforms must be designed in line with the specific socio-economic and cultural contexts of the countries concerned, and that VET reforms must be linked to capacity building for implementation. However, the main conclusions of the 2012 Torino Process round highlighted five key areas for further action, which are common to all partner countries, if VET is to contribute in an effective manner to economic development, the employability of individuals and their social integration:
- creating shared, long-term visions for the development of skills from a lifelong learning perspective which effectively integrate education, training and employment with economic and social development;
- enhancing the labour market relevance of VET through a closer integration of learning and work, in learning environments that either are already available or could be created in schools, post-secondary institutions and the workplace;
- reinforcing awareness of the contribution of VET to social cohesion, through greater attention to the needs of vulnerable groups, both in initial VET (IVET) and by enhancing access to adult education and training opportunities;
- improving the quality of IVET and continuing VET (CVET), supported by improvements to elements of VET systems, in particular teacher training, teaching methodologies, qualification frameworks and the innovation of educational infrastructure/rationalisation of school networks;
- strengthening the effectiveness of public policy by sharing responsibility for VET governance and delivery between the state, the business sector and other social actors.
This represents an integrated, innovative agenda for sustainable reform in effective and efficient VET policies and systems. In this context, the term ‘integrated’ comprises a joining up of policy measures bridging VET and national and local development; it embeds VET in lifelong learning; and actively involves key stakeholders in shared multilevel governance. ‘Innovative’ brings the sense that VET policy is at the state of art – anticipating, rather than reacting to change. It suggests a VET system with the capacity to adapt and which provides the learner with the creative competences that are fundamental for long-term employability. ‘Sustainable’ brings into the concept both the dimension of green skills serving green economies and communities, and the need for long-term incremental effort to connect vision with implementation.
While ‘effectiveness’ and ‘efficiency’ remain key principles for modern, accountable public policy. According to the five building blocks of the analytical framework for the 2012 Torino Process (vision, external efficiency and demographic trends/labour market needs, external efficiency and social demand/inclusion, quality/labour market relevance and governance) the main findings from the 2012 Torino Process can be summarised as follows. The country reports show that all countries are aware that visions and VET system reforms could make a considerable contribution to societal objectives such as increased competitiveness and employability, and inclusive growth if VET reform is part of integrated and holistic country policies. Hence, the countries have developed or are currently developing strategies for VET reform. In theWestern Balkans and Turkey these strategies are closely linked to EU standards and good practice, because the region comprises five candidate countries for EU accession.
The Southern and Eastern Mediterranean shows a more disparate picture in terms of the countries’ visions for the design and performance of VET systems. As a result of demographic pressure in many countries, the most important issue is employability for young graduates. However, political instability has generated short-term priorities other than VET reforms.
The need for new visions and reforms in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are currently being discussed intensively. In the early years of transition most of the countries dedicated more of their attention to general education and higher education. Meanwhile, the countries are convinced that a well-performing VET system strongly reinforces their position in a globalised economy and also supports regional mobility. Hence, visions and strategies have been formulated more coherently with other sector strategies, and many countries in Eastern Europe aim at placing more emphasis on the design of lifelong learning strategies, as a result of their ageing societies.
VET reforms that aim at greater efficiency, economic growth and competitiveness are underpinned and justified by socio-economic developments in the regions, such as the increasing numbers of young people looking for work opportunities in precarious labour markets in many of the countries.Whereas in the EU the proportion of the total population aged 15-24 is 11.7%, it ranges from 11.7% to 19.3% in theWestern Balkans and Turkey, from 14.7% to 21.4% in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, from 14.0% to 20.8% in Eastern Europe, and from 18.7% to 23.5% in Central Asia.
Demographic development is one driver of high unemployment rates. In the most recent years for which data are available, the average unemployment rate in the EU was 9.7%, while the corresponding figures were between 9.0% and 44.9% in theWestern Balkans and Turkey, between 5.4% and 18.7% in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (however, with extremely high youth unemployment rates in Egypt 30%, Jordan 30%, Palestine 36%, Syria 32% and Tunisia 42% in 2011), between 5.5% and 19.3% in Eastern Europe and between 5.4% and 11.6% in Central Asia.
In many countries the outcomes of different education levels are not always appropriate either for current demands or for the challenges of the future, including the successful social inclusion of all learners, which is more related to the labour market relevance rather than to the level of educational offers. The countries of the former Soviet Union are still characterised by a significant amount of formal education but not always with sound levels of employability for the learners. In the EU the proportion of the total population aged 15+ that has completed at least upper secondary education amounts to 67.5%; the same proportion is between 69.2% and 93.9% in the Eastern European countries and between 71.2% and 90.2% in the countries of Central Asia. However, in the countries of theWestern Balkan and Turkey region the proportion is lower, at between 28.8% and 70.1% and in Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries between 17.0% and 74.7%.
The situation in the Western Balkan and Turkey, and Southern and Eastern Mediterranean regions is linked in part to low levels of educational expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), exacerbating the problems faced by those from vulnerable groups and ethnic minorities. In the EU the percentage of GDP is 5.4%, but between 3.5% and 4.3% in the Western Balkans and Turkey and between 1.8% and 5.8% in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean. The picture is more positive in Eastern Europe, where the percentages range from 3.2% to 9.1%, and in Central Asia, with percentages between 3.1% and 8.3%.
The quality and labour market relevance of VET programmes are key challenges for innovation and reform in all VET systems. This includes the acquisition of key competences as sound foundation skills and tools for adaption to future challenges – suitable for both short-term employment and longer-term employability. In this respect, the country reports describe policy improvements in particular in the field of entrepreneurial learning. This is seen by policy makers as having a high potential to generate a more dynamic culture among young people, business and communities and a fertile environment for job creation. The remaining problems are twofold: the need for improved employability and hence, inclusion, for learners is still a key priority, as is the need for increased competitiveness and sustainable growth. A great deal remains to be done through more effective practice-oriented modes of learning that are relevant to the labour market, and supported by better educational infrastructures in schools and enterprises, increased vocational guidance, improved training for teachers in new methodologies, updated textbooks and curricula, and more effective management on the part of school directors under the guidance of school boards with local community representation.
Such innovations in the elements of VET systems must be supported by new governance modes that involve all relevant social actors at different functional levels in future VET policy outlines. Ministries of education are also on their own transition pathway from bureaucratic administrators to intelligent moderators of social processes leading to improved VET system performance that is relevant to the labour market. A certain diversification of VET provision supports such trends: private training providers and enterprises that are working at the forefront of technology or dealing with international standards increasingly perceive VET to be an appropriate tool for business development through the updating of human capital. Traditional, publicly driven vocational schools are to some extent losing their prevailing position in human capital development in certain economic sectors, while private providers are gaining ground. Moreover, public schools have also started to cooperate with the business sector in order to better cover new learning outcomes and foster more work-based learning for increased employability.
Such processes imply the involvement of the social partners in VET policy development and implementation, and the support of additional modes of learning at the workplace in professions. These measures require capital-intensive learning environments, and are not generally available in vocational schools. A number of effective arrangements are already in place. However, the countries concerned still face challenges in installing new modes of governance according to their specific contexts.
The influence of EU policy is strongly felt across the partner countries in all education and training sub-systems. While theWestern Balkans and Turkey, and in particular the candidate countries, are engaged in Enhanced EU Cooperation in VET, in other regions the European influence on VET refers to national qualifications framework (NQF) development, quality-assurance procedures and European models of VET governance.