1. Lifelong Learning Workshop
Sponsored by the World Bank and the Slovak Governance Institute
9 December 2003, Bratislava
Lifelong Learning – What Lessons from Experience in the OECD?
Gregory Wurzburg Education Directorate
OECD Paris

2. Main points Why does lifelong learning matter?
How are other countries doing with respect to implementation of lifelong learning ?
A strategy for leap-frogging

3. Added perspective of international comparisons
Evaluating progress vs.adequacy
A different view of trade-offs
Less pain, more gain: ideas for improving the learning curve for public policy making

4. Why does lifelong learning matter?
Because human capital matters for the economic and social fate of individual, enterprises, and countries
Because skill requirements in everyday life are changing more quickly
Because ageing societies depend more on older workers as a source of new skills and know-how
Let’s start with consequences for growth

5. Change in growth 1970s-80s
Change in growth 1980s-90s
Observed
change in
output per
capita
(per cent)
Investment
share
Human
capital
Population
growth
Variability
of inflation
"Size" of
government
Trade
exposure
Notes: This shows the estimated effect of changes in the selected explanatory variables to changes in output per capital growth rates.
Source: Bassanini et al, 2001.
-1.0
-0.5
0.0
0.5
1.0
West Germany
-0.19
United States
0.01
United Kingdom
-0.58
Switzerland
-0.64
Sweden
0.46
Spain
-0.15
Portugal
0.61
Norway
-0.26
New Zealand
0.97
Netherlands
Japan
-0.06
Italy
1.21
Ireland
Greece
0.04
France
-0.90
Finland
0.34
Denmark
-0.60
Canada
0.37
Belgium
-0.23
Austria
0.80
Australia
Estimated effect of changes in explanatory variables on changes in output per capita growth rates over the 1980s – 1990s
(figures for 1970s – 1980s, and for 1980s – 1990s)
Source: Bassanini, A. and Stefano Scarpetta (2001), “The driving forces of economic growth: panel data evidence for the OECD countries”, in OECD Economic Studies, Outlook No. 68 – December, No. 33, 2001/2.

6. Unemployment by education level 25-64 year olds data for 2001
Source: OECD – EAG 2003

7. Relative Earnings by Education Upper secondary = 100 OECD country average Data for 2001
Source: OECD EAG 2003

8. There’s a political mandate for it
OECD Education Ministers established a mandate in 1996
First endorsed by finance ministers, labour ministers in 1997
OECD Education Ministers met in 2001 to review progress and advance the agenda

9. How well are countries implementing lifelong learning?
OECD Secretariat took stock of recent experience Education Policy Analysis 2001
Difficult because LLL is elastic concept
Focused on preparation of individuals for learning
With some attention to working-age adults

10. Participation in pre-primary education for children aged 3, 1998
net rate (%) 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
100
France
Belgium (Fl.)
Italy
Iceland
New Zealand
Spain
Denmark
Hungary
Norway
Germany
Sweden
Japan
Portugal
United Kingdom
Czech Republic
United States
Austria
Finland
Australia
Poland
Mexico
Korea
Switzerland
Ireland
Turkey
Unweighted average
Source: OECD, Education at a glance 2000, Paris.
G.Wurzburg, OECD - .

11. Slovakia - 94 % of age 25-34; 66% age 55-64 (2001)
Progress towards completing upper secondary 1998
% upper secondary education
100 90
Turkey
Mexico
Portugal
Iceland
Spain
Italy
Poland
United Kingdom
Australia
Greece
Ireland
Netherlands
Belgium
Hungary
France
New Zealand
Austria
Finland
Canada
Denmark
Sweden
United States
Switzerland
Norway
Czech Republic
Korea
25-29 year-olds
Unweighted average for year-olds 80
50-54 year-olds
Unweighted average for year-olds 70 60 50 40 30 20 10
Source: OECD Labour Force Survey Database 2000.
G.Wurzburg, OECD -

12. Literacy levels and underachievement rates of persons aged completing upper secondary education,
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310
320
330
Finland
Denmark
Sweden
Netherlands
Germany
Czech Republic
Norway
Canada
Belgium (Fl.)
Switzerland
Australia
Portugal
United Kingdom
New Zealand
Ireland
Hungary
United States
Poland
Mean literacy score on
document scale
Mean literacy score 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Underachievement rate
Source: OECD and Statistics Canada, International Adult Literacy Survey, 2000.
G.Wurzburg, OECD -

13. Slovakia - 11% age 25-34; 9 % age 55-64 (2001)
Progress towards increasing tertiary qualifications, 1998 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 %
Source: OECD Labour Force Survey Database 2000.
Turkey
Portugal
Italy
Czech Republic
Poland
Austria
Hungary
Mexico
Greece
United Kingdom
France
Netherlands
Ireland
Switzerland
Australia
New Zealand
Denmark
Spain
Norway
Iceland
Sweden
Belgium
Korea
Finland
United States
Canada
30-34 year-olds
Unweighted average for year-olds
50-54 year-olds
Unweighted average for year-olds
G.Wurzburg, OECD -

14. Adult share of total enrolments in formal education, by level of education, 19985 10 15 20 25
Source: OECD Education Database.
% of enrollees aged 35 and over
Tertiary
Secondary
Australia
United Kingdom
Sweden
New Zealand
Belgium (Fl. Com.)
Finland
United States
Canada
Norway
Iceland
Denmark
Netherlands
Portugal
Austria
Spain
Germany
Korea
Turkey
Italy
Switzerland
Mexico
Japan
All levels
G.Wurzburg, OECD -

15. Adult participation in continuing education and training, 1994-9850
100
150
200
250
300
350 10 20 30 40 60
Participation rate
Hours/participant
Adult participation in continuing education and training,
Source: OECD and Statistics Canada, Literacy in the Information Age, 2000, Paris.
NOR
HUN
FIN
DEN
CZE
UKM
NZL
BEL(Fl)
AUS
USA
CHE
POL
NLD
IRL
CAN
G.Wurzburg, OECD -

16. Learning by older adults after formal education, 1994-98
Percent of year-olds with only upper secondary performing at literacy level 3 or above (document scale)
Poland
Hungary
Portugal
Switzerland
Australia
United States
Denmark
Germany
Ireland
Belgium (Fl.)
Canada
Norway
Finland
Netherlands
Czech Republic
New Zealand
Sweden
United Kingdom 5 10 15 20 25 %
Source: OECD and Statistics Canada, International Adult Literacy Survey.
G.Wurzburg, OECD -

17. Financing and cost indicators showed…
For period covered by EPA 2001 analysis
Unit cost declining in tertiary education
Private share in finance increasing faster than public share
Public share shifting from institutions, towards learners
For period 1995 to 2000
total outlays for tertiary declined in 13 of 22 countries

18. Secretariat calculations using published data1 2 3 4 5
Composite score
Composite measure of coverage and quality of lifelong learning
Poland
Hungary
Portugal
Ireland
Switzerland
Australia
United States
United Kingdom
Germany
Netherlands
Canada
Czech Republic
New Zealand
Denmark
Norway
Finland
Sweden
Secretariat calculations using published data
G.Wurzburg, OECD -

19. Secretariat calculations using published data
Lifelong learning value for money
Public expenditure
as a % of GDP 8 7
SWE
POL
HUN
POR
IRE
CHE
AUS
USA
UKM
DEU
NLD
CAN
CZE
NZL
DEN
NOR
FIN 6
y = 0,4078x + 4,147 R 2
= 0,2182 5 4 3 2 1
0,0
0,5
1,0
1,5
2,0
2,5
3,0
3,5
4,0
4,5
5,0
Composite index on LLL
Secretariat calculations using published data
Source: OECD Education Database.
G.Wurzburg, OECD -

20. Comparative analysis emphasised the formal part of the LLL spectrum
Most easily observed
Comparable data readily available
Formal sector has powerful influence over down-stream learning
But as goes the formal sector, so goes LLL

21. How best to foster a systemic approach to lifelong learning?
That depends on…
what features define lifelong learning
how they relate to pre-existing policy and institutional arrangements

22. What are the key features (and are they compatible with the formal system)?
(Sound foundation – initial education)
Focus on individual learner
With good knowledge of learning opportunities -functional learning markets
Able to connect learning that occurs in different ways in different places
With the financial means to exercise choice

23. National authorities are in the best position to evaluate
Whether these features are compatible with initial education and training
How best to enable lifelong learning
But the criteria for judging effectiveness will be to a large extent externally imposed: where you stand internationally
A word about tertiary education

24. Thank you for your attention!