1. The social mobility pathways in Danish education system 1

2. Education on the top of the policy agenda  OECD ( Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) has moved educational policies to the top of its agenda  Education is increasingly percieved as a key to full employment in the knowledge economy  It has now become evident, that other factors than a low educational background account for the social inequality of educational success:  lack of support  lack of apropriate educational concepts and structures 2

3. Qualifications frameworks On the basis of learning outcomes, the levels of Danish higher education qualifications have been defined in two national qualifications frameworks:  Danish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education, which is linked to the Framework of Qualifications for the European Higher Education Area (the Bologna Framework)  Danish Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning, which is linked to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). Higher education is situated at levels 5 to 8. 3

4. Danish goals for the higher education  At least 50 per cent of a youth cohort are to have a higher education in 2015.  The quality of short cycle and medium cycle higher education programmes and university education programmes must match the best in the world.  The content of all higher education programmes must match the needs of society.  All young people are to obtain an education with a global perspective.  Young people are to be encouraged to begin higher education programmes earlier, and the education programmes are to be organised so as to minimise delay. 4

5. Support, concepts and structures: Guidance and counselling  Educational and vocational guidance is given a high priority in Denmark  The overall structure and seven national targets in the field of guidance are defined in the Act on Guidance in Relation to Choice of Education, Training and Career, which was adopted by the Danish Parliament in April 2003. The Act of 2003 has been amended in 2006, 2007 and in 2010.  The Act on guidance is primarily targeted at young people until the age of 25. 5

6. Towards a world-class educational system  The guidance is also to contribute to strengthened bridging between the levels  For the groups that have the greatest barriers to participation, the outreach guidance and counselling effort is to be increased  implementation of legislation on increased recognition of prior learning in adult education 6

7. Three different types of guidance centres  Youth guidance centres with the responsibility for guidance regarding the transition from lower secondary school to youth education  Regional guidance centres with the responsibility for guidance regarding to the transition from youth education to higher education (From 2011 within the purview of The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education) Read more about Regional Guicance Centres here: http://fivu.dk/en/publications/2012/files- 2012/guidance_in_education_2012.pdf http://fivu.dk/en/publications/2012/files- 2012/guidance_in_education_2012.pdf  eGuidance for everyone looking for information about education and employment. 7

8. Guidance practitioners  Five university colleges in Denmark offer a one- year modular common training programme at diploma level for guidance practitioners across sectors  Danish University of Education offers a one-year Master of Education programme in guidance counselling  It is a requirement that guidance practitioners, working in the education system, complete the diploma programme or, alternatively, that through assessment and recognition of prior learning they have proved possession of the required qualifications. 8

9. The taximeter system  The self-governing educational institutions have two sources of financing their educational programmes:  state grants  their own income from income-generating activities The national financial management must both meet the demand for the efficient distribution of funds and support the educational political objectives regarding, among other things, the geographical availability of educational programmes and the development of special areas of initiative, which requires a variety of management tools. 9

10. Intention  Orientation towards results: the size of the grant is linked with the direct results of the institution, measured in terms of the annual number of fulltime students  to ensure that funds are efficiently transferred from educational programmes with decreasing amounts of activity to programmes that are experiencing growth  The money follows the user  Limited opportunity for pressure from interested parties (institutions, organisations, local/regional forces)  Transparency across educational programmes and educational fields. 10

11. Aim and tasks of the university colleges The main aim of the university colleges is to offer and develop higher education with a strong relation to practice. University college educations should meet both different students’ interests in a variety of subjects and the need for a qualified workforce in both the private and the public sector. University colleges are expected to contribute to national and regional growth, and the development of sectors and professions 11

12. UC are situated strategically The university colleges together with the academies of professional higher education are to ensure broad educational environments in all geographical regions of Denmark and thereby helping to fulfill the political objective of providing at least 60 per cent of all young people with a higher education. 12

13. UC are both profession-based and development-based University colleges must ensure that the education programmes’ knowledge base is profession-based as well as development- based. University colleges also function as regional knowledge institutions in close dialogue with regional stakeholders. These stakeholders could be companies or regional growth forums. Furthermore, the university colleges must work with the universities and other research institutions. 13

14. Objectives for lifelong learning  A coherent education system from pre-school to higher education must provide the opportunity for everyone to acquire excellent basic skills, a qualifying education and a solid foundation for lifelong learning. There must be equal opportunities and room for all. 14

15. Lifelong learning  The education programmes must be world-class. The education system is to foster talent and be more accommodating to weak learners. Quality is given pride of place, and education must match the needs of the labour market and the society 15

16. Adult education  There must be relevant, high quality adult education and continuing training for everyone in the labour market which matches the needs and puts particular emphasis on the need for lifelong skills upgrading for those with the lowest level of education.  There is a shared responsibility to ensure that everyone in the labour market is engaged in lifelong learning. 16

17. Systematic competence development in the workplace  Increased public and private investment in continuing training and competence development for employees is to contribute to improving the skills of individuals and strengthening the development of the enterprises. 17

18. An individual approach  Opportunities for guidance and counselling must be improved and help ensure the best possible conditions for pupils, students and adults to choose education programmes and to participate in lifelong learning.  All forms of education and learning should be based on and build on the knowledge, skills and competences of individuals  new and improved opportunities are to be created promoting visibility and recognition of an individual's prior learning. 18

19. Focus on public ressources and global perspective  Coherent education paths and transparency in the education system are to contribute to targeted education and lifelong skills upgrading and facilitate the best possible use of public resources.  A global perspective must be included in all education programmes contributing to strengthening internationalisation and cooperation with the world around us. 19

20. Cohesion and transparency in the education system The Government aims at  better transition between all levels in the education system and opportunities to transfer credit, and for the education system to be transparent and accessible to all  better bridging between the primary and lower secondary school and youth education programmes,  better opportunities for credit transfer in the education system  increased recognition of prior learning in adult and continuing training  development of a national qualifications framework for lifelong learning 20

21. Interaction with stakeholders  Stronger higher education environments are to be created  in order to  contribute to higher quality in education and knowledge development  a better framework and better conditions are to be developed for interaction between educational institutions and enterprises and other relevant players. 21

22. Partnerships in education and training  The Government and members of the Globalisation Council have entered into a framework agreement on binding partnerships that can help convert the strategy into concrete action.  Partnerships in the area of education and competence development can help strengthen the quality of and demand for education and adult education and continuing training and can help strengthen regional efforts to promote growth and business development 22

23. Coresponsibility in all parts of the society  Realisation of the extensive reforms is predicated on all relevant players accepting co-responsibility and making an active contribution. It is the aim of the Government to strengthen dialogue and partnerships between all players. This is decisive for realising Denmark’s strategy for education and lifelong skills upgrading. 23

24. Mobility paths  There must be cohesion between the various education pathways and levels such that the individual can obtain qualifications and competences  The content of all higher education programmes must match the needs of society  All young people are to obtain an education with a global perspective  Young people are to be encouraged to begin higher education programmes earlier, and the education programmes are to be organised so as to minimise delay 24

25. Adapting to labourmarket and the society  The constant changes in the labour market and in society continuously make new demands on the skills and adaptability of individuals. Participation in adult education and continuing training helps individuals participate actively in the labour market throughout their lives. The competitiveness of Danish enterprises and the quality of services is largely dependent on investment in continuing training and competence development. 25

26. Development of human ressources  Those with the lowest level of formal education and training, who have the greatest need for and barriers to education, must be motivated  Everyone should engage in lifelong learning  Adult education and continuing training efforts must be effective and flexible  They must support good job opportunities  They must reflect changes in the qualification requirements 26

27. If you’re fond of statictic…  Education and Training in Denmark” is an outline of the Danish education system and gives a quantitative description of trends and developments in various fields of education  http://eng.uvm.dk/~/media/UVM/Filer/English/PD F/120312%20Education%20and%20training%20in% 20DK.pdf 27

28. The Professional Bachelor’s degree  is awarded after 3 to 4 1/2 years of study (180-270 ECTS points) at the level corresponding to that of university Bachelor’s programmes.  The medium-cycle programmes usually prepare students for a specific profession. Examples are:  Teacher training programmes, programmes in social work, journalism, nursing, engineering etc.  And gives the title professionsbachelor  The Profession Bachelor degrees are awarded on completion of programmes that meet a number of criteria, such as research and development. 28

29. From BA to MA  These programmes provide students with theoretical knowledge as well as knowledge of application of theory to professions and industry.  All programmes include compulsory periods of practical training/in-service training and require the submission of a project/project paper.  Most programmes give access to further studies in the same field, i.e. a Master programme or, on certain conditions, a specific Master programme 29

30. BA in Social Work – MA in Social Sciences  Diploma programmes, comparable to the level of medium-cycle higher education, for instance The Social Diploma Programme with optional modules, Diploma Programme in pedagogy,  Master programmes (e.g. MBA) comparable to a long-cycle higher education level, for instance Master in Social Sciences or Master in Social Law  MA in Social Sciences includes different education possibilities as for instance leadership, corporate communication, economy, law, psychology, sociology, organization theory 30

31. From BA to MA  Most programmes consist of 2 years of part-time study, equivalent to 1 year of full-time study (60 ECTS points)  Admission requirements are: Relevant educational qualification and at least 2 years of work experience within a relevant profession  The Master education:  The applicant must have completed a relevant medium-cycle higher education programme, a Bachelor programme or a diploma programme completed as a regulated course.  It furthermore applies to all three levels in the further education system for adults that the applicant must have a minimum of two years of relevant occupational experience upon completion of the qualifying education. 31

32. Geographical Accessibility  The Minister of Education is obliged to secure that every person above the age of 18 is able to receive adult education within a reasonable distance  Open education is open to everybody, i.e. employed people who educate themselves in their leisure time or during working hours, employed people on educational leave, unemployed people etc. and is characterised by the same admission requirements as the equivalent full-time study programmes 32

33. Teachers and Education Staff - Tertiary Education  Vacancies are advertised. All conditions must appear from the advertisement, which is anounced internally at the institution and externally in relevant newspapers and professional jour-nals  At the academic higher education institutions, appointments are made on the basis of an expert assessment made by an assessment committee. In case of appointments for professorships, the assessment is made by other professors, and in this context the assessment committee must be made up of both internal and external professors. 33

34. A growing demand for highly skilled labour  A necessity of an active educational policy, that enlarges a number of persons with high qualty education, basic training and continuous training  The member countries’ demographic development and euctional structures have a heavy impact on the future of Europe  The connection between demographic changes and demands on jobs in tomorrow’s labourmarket 34

35. Tendences  More years in education  The opening of the upper secondary educational institutions for larger parts of the population  The change of the elite universities into mass universities 35

36. The aim of the EU guidelines is:  To motivate the EU member states to enlarge and to optimize their investments in human capital and to modernize their general and vocational educational systems in response to the demand of a knowledge based economy and a mounting socioeconomic and demographic challenges 36

37. Equal opportunity is a major topic on the EU agenda  Freedom to decide, how to reach the targets  Equal opportunity is to be measured by participation rates of the total population  The higher the participation rates are, the, the higher degree of equal opportunity is assumed to be 37

38. Which goals are the driving forces of Bologna? academic quality attractivenesemployability 38

39. Bologna goals  enhancement of academic quality – reforms go beyond just a formally changed degree system  preparing graduates for the European labour market – 91% of heads of HEIs regard employability as important of very important when redesigning curricula (70% of HEIs track employment of some or all graduates)  how to make sustainable employability and academic quality compatible values is the core challenge of curricular reform  competitiveness/ attractiveness of national (not European) system of HE 39

40. Challenges  obstacles to mobility have not been addressed sufficiently  how to address the imbalances  need for comparative data to monitor progress!  existing mobility figures only include exchange schemes  national data not aggregated at European level  many countries in Europe have insufficient data even at national level 40

41. The Social Dimension  counterbalance to the pure competitiveness agenda  consensus: Higher Education is a public good and a public responsibility (continuing role for state support)  needs for enhanced support structures for students (and academics) : social conditions of studies and mobility, incl. tuition fees, portable grants but also transferable pension rights for mobile academics  the issue of addressing solidarity not only within but also between countries 41

42. Bachelor/Master at European HEIs  Does your institution have a degree structure based on two main cycles (Bachelor, Master) as envisaged by the Bologna Declaration, in most academic fields?  Students mostly welcome the introduction of two- tier degrees in the EHEA  because  They will allow more individual learning paths  They will facilitate student mobility  They will increase the employability of graduates 42

43. Critique  Bachelor/Master programmes are shorter than long one-tier programmes and will therefore make student mobility more difficult  They are mainly an attempt by governments to save money by shortening study duration  Too much importance is attached to the “production” of employable graduates, at the expense of the traditional advantages of academic education 43

44. Behind the reforms  In countries where degrees at Bachelor level have not existed before, the tendency is to see them rather as stepping stones, not as valid terminal degrees  More than 90% of HEIs see „employability“ as an important or very important criterion in curricular development … BUT  A regular and close involvement of professional associations and employers in curricular development is still the exception 44

45. Qualifications Frameworks  Some countries already have or are working on national qualifications frameworks  QF provide transparency, not by defining core curricula but general descriptors for qualifications, linked to levels  More governments should encourage the elaboration of QF  “These should be in tune with an „acceptable, nonintrusive, over-arching European qualifications framwork to accomodate the huge diversity of European educational awards“ (S. Adams ) 45

46. ECTS as a transparency tool  ECTS is clearly emerging as the European credit system. In many countries it has become a legal requirement, other countries with national credits systems are ensuring their compatibility with ECTS.  Two thirds of HEIs today use ECTS for credit transfer,15% use a different system. As for credit accumulation, almost three quarters of HEIs declare that they have already introduced it  While HEIs are rather optimistic with regard to the smoothness of recognition procedures of study abroad periods, students' experiences contradict this  In many HEIs the use of ECTS is still not integrated into institution-wide policies or guidelines and its principles and tools are often insufficiently understood 46

47. What are the benefits of ECTS  More flexible learning paths  Greater coherence between study programmes in the same institution  Less overloaded curricula and examinations  Shorter study duration because of more distributed assessments 47

48. Lifelong learning Distance Part time E-learning Fokus on up- dating of professional skills Diversity of backgrounds Paths to achieve competence s Foster ”learning to learn”skills capacity to inovate entrepreneurial spirit Skills agenda Flexible acces Flexible provision Fleksibel learning 48

49. Lifelong learning  Emphasis on flexibility  Attention to learners needs  Competence based learning  Competence based assessment  Regional development with attention to stakeholders needs 49

50. The Bologna Process  is more worthwhile as a trigger for reforms if dealt with holistically  should be dealt with systemically  will only lead to success if addressed in its ambivalent dimensions (competitiveness and social agenda)  should include the essential actors: the academics who are responsible for teaching and researching ! 50

51. DK – increase in the level of edukation  In 2011, 69 per cent of the 30-69-year- olds had completed education providing them with professional qualifications, defined as vocational or higher education aimed at specific types of jobs  In all OECD countries, an average of 28 per cent of the 25-64-year-olds had completed a higher education in 2009. At 34 per cent, Denmark was among those OECD countries with a high percentage. 51

52. Regional differences  Regional differences are evident with regard to educational patterns within the Danish population in 2011.  There is, however, a trend for the highest proportion completing education courses providing them with professional qualifications to be found around the large cities, with correspondingly lower proportions being evident in the provinces. 52

53. References Eurybase The Information Database on Education Systems in Europe: The Education System in Denmark 2006/07 http://eng.uvm.dk/~/media/UVM/Filer/English/PDF/0 81110_the_danish_education_system.ashx Danish Ministry of Education http://eng.uvm.dk/Education 53