Abstract
Improving the quality of Adult Learning provision is included as a key priority in European documents published since the Memorandum on Lifelong Learning in 2000. By studying the work done by the European Commission on quality in lifelong learning since 2000, an assessment is made on the development of European Commission’s thinking on, conceptualisation of and approach towards quality in Adult Learning. Given four UNESCO principles (equity, effectiveness, efficiency and relevance), it is argued that there is a shift noticeable, moving from quality primarily related to the issue of equity to quality primarily related to effectiveness and efficiency and relevance. In addition to identifying shifts, it is concluded that it is not clear whether much progress can be seen at Member States’ level, in the years since the Memorandum. The analysis of quality development in Europe is seriously hampered by the fact that until this moment no European-wide overview is available on national and regional policies in a comparative perspective.
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Notes
- 1.
It was concluded that Adult Learning staff conduct a variety of tasks and that there is a variety of educational pathways leading to the profession; there is no clear view on standard competences or skills needed to fulfil the professional tasks in non-vocational Adult Learning (NVAL), partly due the diversity of the field, and that a large group works under precarious employment conditions. Recommendations on the basis of the study included amongst others: developing (European) competence profiles for staff working in the sector, focus more on in-service training since people often start working in the sector 10–15 years after their initial educational training, pay more attention to continuous professional development (internal and external) evaluation and set up an independent body for quality standards (national and European level).
- 2.
Based on this inventory a set of key competences was identified taking into account the variety of contexts in which Adult Learning professionals work and the variety of tasks they conduct.
- 3.
The findings and recommendations of this study and the results of a number of peer learning activities and a workshop on Priority Action 3 of the Action Plan (increase the possibilities for adults to achieve a qualification at least one level higher than before (‘go one step-up’): European Commission 2007) were incorporated in a set of concrete policy and practical guidelines for organising quality Adult Learning provision facilitating basic skills development of adults (see www.kslll.net/Documents/Basic%20skills%20guidelines.pdf).
- 4.
The follow-up study on Ongoing Reforms II (Research voor Beleid 2011) subsequently reviewed reforms from the perspective of what are effective ways to mobilise adults to participate in learning. Quality of provision (in all its dimensions) was considered to be one of the six major ‘mobilisation strategies’. Research shows that not only more flexible forms of provision but also the enhanced quality of provision and staff can lead to decreased numbers of dropouts in Adult Learning (Schuller and Watson 2009).
- 5.
The study identified four subfields of quality, namely, validation of learning; accreditation and evaluation of provision; professional development of teachers and trainers; and finally, innovative pedagogy.
- 6.
See, for instance, governmental programmes in Portugal to increase participation in Adult Learning and to increase educational attainment (New Opportunity Initiative). Also, in the new Member States (Poland, Romania, Hungary), ESF is used to build better Adult Learning structures, for instance, to target disadvantaged groups (e.g. Roma).
- 7.
With regard to the latter, both the Leonardo da Vinci and the Grundtvig sub-programme contributed to developing tools and measures to improve quality. Interesting projects are, e.g. Validating Mentoring 2 (Project Number: LLP-LDV-TOI-07-BG-166007), i2i – Internship to industry (Project Number: LLP-LdV/TOI/2007/SE/1291), Assessment, Visibility and Exploitation of non/in-formally acquired competencies of EXperienced EMPLOyees in Enterprises (Project Number: LLP-LdV-TOI-2007-TR-051). Development of a validation framework for mentoring: evaluating the achievements of disabled and disadvantaged people (Project Number: BG/05/C/F/TH-83300), European Fundraising Accreditation and Training (Project Number: EUR/05/C/F/PP-84711), and Quality management of Peer Production of eLearning (Project Number: 134009-LLP-1-2007-1-FI-LEONARDO-LMP). A selection of best practices are analysed and presented (2012) in the QALL project.
- 8.
- 9.
The Education and Training 2010 work programme launched in 2001 and its follow-up, the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (“ET 2020”) adopted by the Council in May 2009 are the European strategy and co-operation in education and training. The first phase of the development of a Reference Framework focused during 2001–2003 on developing common principles and tools. This was organised in the European Forum on Quality in VET (2001–2002) and in a Technical Working Group on Quality in VET (2003–2004). A common quality assurance framework (CQAF) was presented in Maastricht in 2004. The second phase of the work focused on consolidation and further development of tools. ENQAVET was founded in October 2005 and continued to December 2009, where the activities were continued in the EQARF and in the ECVET Recommendation. Developed by Member States in cooperation with the European Commission, the Reference Framework has in 2009 been adopted by the European Parliament and the Council. It is a key element in the follow-up of the Copenhagen Declaration and the ongoing work in renewing Europe’s education and training systems. The adoption and implementation of the Framework in the participating countries is voluntary. The name EQAVET has been used since 1.1.2010.
- 10.
The EQARF builds on the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), the European Credit for VET (ECVET) system and previous European quality assurance systems (such as the Common Quality Assurance Framework – CQAF).
- 11.
ENQA, the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education; EUA, Association of European institutions of higher education; EURASHE, European Association of Institutions in Higher Education; and ESIB, European Students’ Union
- 12.
See European Ministers of Education meeting in Bergen in May 2005.
- 13.
Internal quality guidelines include (1) policy and procedures for quality assurance; (2) approval, monitoring and periodic review of programmes and awards; (3) assessment of students; (4) quality assurance of teaching staff; (5) learning resources and student support; (6) information systems; and (7) public information. The external quality assurance emphasises the importance of reporting, periodic reviewing, follow-up procedures and system-wide analyses. Furthermore, external quality assurance agencies should have an official status, have the resources necessary, should be independent and should be accountable.
- 14.
The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) aims to relate different countries’ national qualification systems to a common European reference framework. One of the main ideas behind the EQF is that individuals and employers will be able to use the EQF to better understand and compare the qualification levels of different countries and different education and training systems. This leads to increased labour mobility between countries, mobility between education systems and increased opportunities for lifelong learning (see: European Parliament and the European Council 2008).
- 15.
The European Parliament and the European Council (2008) suggests that the Member States (MS) relate their national qualification systems to the European Qualifications Framework by 2010, either by referencing, in a transparent manner, their qualification levels to the EQF levels, or, where appropriate, by developing national qualifications frameworks; by 2012, all new qualification certificates, diplomas and Europass documents contain a reference to the appropriate EQF level; the Member States designate national co-ordination points, in order to support the relationship between national qualifications systems and the European Qualifications Framework.
- 16.
These issues are addressed in an ongoing study of the European Commission on quality in Adult Learning for which the results are foreseen in the beginning of 2013 (European Commission 2011). This study should feed the work of the Thematic Working Group in Quality in Adult Learning, established in 2011, by the European Commission to work further on quality issues in Adult Learning in the context of the Open Method of Coordination.
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Buiskool, BJ., Broek, S. (2014). Quality in Adult Learning: EU Policies and Shifting Paradigms?. In: Zarifis, G., Gravani, M. (eds) Challenging the 'European Area of Lifelong Learning'. Lifelong Learning Book Series, vol 19. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7299-1_17
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