1 “Policy learning for Youth Skills development” Sören Nielsen (ex ETF) GMR conference, Copenhagen 27. November 2012

2 WHAT IS THE ETF? Agency of the European Union Vision To make vocational education and training in the partner countries a driver for lifelong learning and sustainable development, with a special focus on competitiveness and social cohesion ETF has both an analytical and developmental role and works within the EU policy framework

European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument countries ENP South: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Tunisia and Israel ENP East: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Russia Potential candidate countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo (UNSCR 1244/1999), Candidate countries: Croatia, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey Other countries from Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

4 THE TORINO PROCESS The Torino Process is a participatory process leading to an evidence-based analysis of VET policies in a given country.

5 FOUR PRINCIPLES  ownership of both process and results by partner country stakeholders  broad participation in the process as basis for reflections and consensus-building/ policy learning  holistic approach, using a broad concept of VET for both young people & adults and using a system approach with links to economic & social demands  evidence or knowledge-based assessment

DEMAND SUPPLY economic demand companies employment jobs social demand individual learners disadvantaged groups impact / monitoring assessment & certification teachers’/ instructors’ training training sites / school workshops & enterprises learning materials training providers competence- based standard / qualifications classification of occupations curricula THE VET DELIVERY CYCLE sector skill needs analysis EQF Action-oriented learning Section B Section D Section C

7 Policy learning approach - WHY Policy learning approach instead of Policy taking or Policy copying or ‘quick fix’ approach

8 WHY Policy learning? ETF approach since 2003 Helping countries to help themselves Working method: Facilitation of policy advice by using lessons from new learning paradigm

9 Policy learning - WHY? Policy ‘logic ’ - sustainability against Project ‘logic’ - short-term - run by foreign experts - fixed output demands - pilot type of activities

10 Policy learning – WHAT? Systemic reforms of VET only successful if policy development and implementation are firmly based on: broad OWNERSHIP fit into context/EMBEDDEDNESS ensuring SUSTAINABILITY

11 From ‘best practice’ to ‘next practice’ Effective policy learning should aim for a deeper understanding of policy problems and processes than is provided by simple research for and implementation of ‘best practice’ Policy learning includes: Ability to learn from past experience Ability to learn appropriately from other countries Ability to learn from local innovation

12 The three Dos and the two Don’ts Three Dos: Starting from Present Institutions Seeing the World through the Eyes of the Client Respect Autonomy of the Doers Two Don’ts: Don’t Override Self-Help Capacity with Social Engineering Don’t Undercut Self-Help Capacity with Benevolent Aid David Ellermann (2005) «Helping People Help Themselves. From the World Bank to an Alternative Philosophy of Development Assistance

13 Lessons learned so far Facilitation of policy learning must train local diagnostic skills Avoid the risk of massive ‘policy epidemics’ Train the capacity to analyse realities on the ground Ensure fit into contexts

14 Lessons learned so far Shift to a broader paradigm: Catalyzing domestic collective stakeholder capacity for sustainable institutional change Capacity develop is fundamentally a country-owned process of change Imperative to shift to country-led participatory diagnostics with local stakeholders – they know their problems and understand best their political economy constraints

15 South-South exchange and Innovation Platforms? Connect practitioners to other practitioners who have addressed similar development problems? Learning from peers rather than ETF staff or recycled expatriate technical assistance? See our role as connectors to the best sources of knowledge, finance, donor partners and agents of change – as facilitators, brokers of knowledge and learning process organisers? (the good teacher!)

16 Conclusion We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. T.S. Elliot, “Little Gidding, V.”