Europe 2020 strategy and the role of the colleges Manfred Polzin Senior Policy Advisor MBO Raad, Netherlands Association of VET colleges Amsterdam, 18 June 2010

Presentation Who are we? MBO Raad & EUproVET Europe 2020 strategy; priorities from the point of view of the European Commission and from the providers part. The role of the Associated Degree

Who we are MBO Raad (Association)represents all government funded colleges for VET and Adult Education in the Netherlands; 70 members EUproVET is a European platform for Associatons of VET colleges from memberstates or associated countries.

Why a new European Network of VET providers? To provide the EC with a representative counterpart from the side of the providers To voice the interests of (leaders of) colleges and schools directly on the European level To bridge the gap between policy preparation (EC) and policy implementation (providers)

Other objectives To promote transnational cooperation To create stronger relations to Higher Education To achieve for VET parity of esteem with other learning pathways To contribute to the realisation of the European agenda

Europe 2020 strategy Strong emphasis on Education and Training to support: Smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (Barroso) Twin challenge of meeting the skills need and reducing the impact of the crisis and facilitating recovery

Forecasts/Developments Low-carbon economy Ageing population Increasing demand of medium and high level skills (strong relation (un)employment and level of skills) Persistent groups at risk Youth employment in Europe is relatively high

Key: Role of VET 40 % of graduates should be on the tertiary level → discussion about tertiary level, are SMEs demanding for more graduates → importance AD, Raising transnational mobility inVET → sometimes this appears an aim in itself. → focus is on Europe, but the market is China, India, Brazil etc.

Ambitions Increasing attractiveness and excellence of VET through quality and efficiency → bringing ambitions in balance with the public funding and making VET an attractive sector to work in Quality Assurance in VET → yes, but less bureaucratic burdens

More ambitions Increase efficiency and labour market relevance through partnerships → shared responsibility of employers and VET institutions in regional context Inclusive VET for inclusive growth → integrated approach, not only schools Equity and active citizenship (migrants) → open market and competition as solution?

And more Increase Innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship → to be achieved in a regional context with shared responsibility International cooperation in the area of VET → it needs a more differentiated approach, since the resources are limited in VET

Associated degree Crucial in the process of increasing the skills level (hinge VET – HE) It has to achieve its own value, not the half of a bachelor Labour market relevance; probably it meets the needs in certain sectors, but not in all

AD and Lifelong learning Dual learning pathway to offer the possibility of achieving the AD as an employee Key or hinge to bring together the Bologna process and the Copenhagen process

Thank you very much