Data and research about workplace basic skills


European Commission

 

The 2015 Eurydice report on adult education titled Adult Education and Training in Europe. Widening Access to Learning Opportunities aims to provide insight into the field of adult education and training in Europe and support decision-making at policy level. While promoting an integrated approach to lifelong learning, the report emphasises policies and measures to ensure sufficient access to learning opportunities for adults whose skills and qualifications do not fully correspond to current labour market and societal requirements. In doing so, the report takes a broad perspective, considering and exploring a range of interlinked areas.

 

The study ICT for work: Digital skills in the workplace has been conceptualised and implemented in order to examine the transformation of jobs in the digital economy in the European Union, investigating the penetration of digital technologies into workplaces, the digital skills required by employers and the digital skills currently available in workplaces. Overall, the evidence gathered corroborates existing research demonstrating that digital technologies are becoming increasingly widespread across a wide range of workplaces, also in economic sectors not traditionally related to digitisation. The study also confirms (as observed in existing research) that digitisation is resulting in an increasing demand for digital skills across different types of occupations and jobs in a range of industries, and that employers are encountered with a shortfall in the availability of appropriate digital skills. Readers can find valuable policy recommendations at the end of the study in section: 6.3 Recommendation (pp 102-105).

 

The policy handbook Work-based learning in Europe: Practices and policy pointers(link is external) is one of the European Commission contributions to strengthen work-based learning (WBL) in initial vocational education and training (IVET) and is a follow-up to the mandate of the Bruges Communiqué to develop a “vademecum/study on successful work-based learning models”. The aim of the Commission was to produce policy guidance illustrated by concrete practices from the Member States which can be used by policy-makers and practitioners to introduce or reinforce work-based learning elements in vocational education and training (VET).

 

European Commission has released its report on teacher training in 2019 with the title Teacher and Trainers Matter: How to support them in high-performing apprenticeships & work-based learning. 12 policy pointers. Prepared by the group of experts “ET 2020 Working Group on Vocational Education and Training“, the document highlights 12 policy pointers and inspirational examples to strengthen support for teachers and trainers in the vital role that they play..

 

Watch this short video presentation by the European Commission: 

Source from: European Commission's Audiovisual Service. 

 

EU Communication titled Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes promotes the need of basic skills provision for all: Efforts (...) „should be complemented with family literacy and numeracy programmes as well as high quality adult basic skills programmes, particularly through workplace learning.” (p. 4) It also proposes priorities for member states e.g. reducing the number of low skilled adults (p. 15).

 

Cedefop

Cedefop provides a range of different materials on the topic. See the following collection of open resources for a basic overview: