Contents

1. Contents • VET: Challenges • VET reforms – European level • VET reforms – Portugal • National Qualifications System • Challenges in VET ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

2. VET : Challenges • Demographic trends: ageing population • Qualifications structure • Sectoral and occupational change • VET demand • New paradigms within educational theories • VET reforms ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

3. VET reforms – European level • EQF • ECVET • ECTS • CQAF Comparability Transferability Mobility Based on Mutual trust • effective contribution to competitiveness • innovation and social inclusion • raising education levels • fostering lifelong learning for all and producing new competences ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

4. National Qualifications System Resolution of the Council of Ministers no.173/2007 from 7th November VET reforms – Portugal • Agreement for the reform of vocational training (March, 2007) • New Opportunities Initiative • - September 2005 ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

5. National Qualifications System (2007) Objectives • Promote the generalisation of the secondary level as the population minimum qualification • To ensure double certification in all occupational offers • To raise the education and vocational training levels of active workers • To guarantee a training offer tailored to the needs of the companies and the labour market • To reinforce the role of the recognition, validation and certification of competences • ……. ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

6. PortugalNational Qualifications System (2007) Actors Tools Financial Support • National Qualifications • Framework • National Qualifications • Catalogue • Individual Competences • Notebook • National Qualification • Agency • National Vocational • Training Board • Sector Advice for • Qualification QREN 2007 2013 Schools New Opportunities Centres Training Centres Others entities of training Enterprises …. • Reform of entities’ Accreditation System • Rationale and capacity the network of trainers‘ • Improve trainers’ qualification Quality Assurance ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

7. Tools - NQF • National Qualifications Framework • It aims to promote comparability with the European level and future coherence and rationality within national context. • Significant progress should be made in the NQF - PT: • By a clearer disassociation between “qualification” and “formal acquisition” or “scholar pathway”. • By a clearer distinction within “level 4” (“dual qualifications at upper-secondary level”) given the critical need to improve the attractiveness of long VET courses. • By a more integrated vertical system, particularly with higher education qualifications. ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

8. Tools - NQC • National Qualifications Catalogue Features • Dynamic instrument • For the strategic management of national non-higher qualifications • For the regulation of double certification training • For the promotion of the effectiveness of public financing ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

9. Tools - NQC • Objectives • Promote the production of critical skills for the competitiveness and modernisation of the economy and organisations (qualifications level II, III, IV) • Facilitate the construction of learning paths that ensure both school and career progression • Enable the recognition of learning independently of the learning paths • Contribute towards the development of a legible and flexible qualifications framework that favours the comparability of qualifications on both: national and international level. ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

10. Tools - NQC • The NQC defines for each qualification Professional Profile Set of activities associated to qualification as well as to knowledge savoir-faire and savoire-être necessary to carry out the activities Double Certification Training Standards Basic training component (school) and technological training component (professional), organised into modules ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

11. Tools – Individual Competences Notebook • an instrument to register all competencies acquired or developed over life, namely those that are covered by the RVCC process • All successfully completed training actions ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

12. Main Actors and roles - NQC National Vocational Board Approval of the NQC • Key Role • Elaboration • and update • of NQC • Management • The network of • New Opportunities • Centres • ….. Drawing up, revision and permanent updating of the NQC National Qualification Agency (ANQ) Sectoral Advice Qualification Identification of needs to update the NQC (S and Q) ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

13. Portugal – Challenges in VET • Fostering and targeting demand, mainly low-skilled young people and adults. We have a “potential market” of 3.5 million people in urgent need of qualification! • “Recognition of prior learning” should become the VET mainstream for the next years - a winning Portuguese battle! ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

14. Initiative New Opportunities • Main target groups: • Young (namely without compulsory education) • Adults ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

15. Initiative New Opportunities Main Results ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

16. Initiative New Opportunities Main Results • About 500 protocols involving basic and secondary schools or public network schools’ group headquarters, SPE training centres, and enterprises which, through protocols, declared their will in support the recognition and development of their less educated workers’ skills, covering more than 100.000 actives employed • Integrated management of education and training establishments network, through cooperation protocols. • Strong publicity campaigns in the media • Availability of double certification courses in after working hours • Enlargement of the processes of Recognition Validation Certification of Competences Certificate to the secondary level • Continuous and regular training for all New Opportunities Centre technicians‘ • External and independent assessment of the system (in development) ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

17. Portugal – Future challenges in VET • Preparing VET provision for KbE and the “service economy” – coping with changes and anticipating future skill needs: • Integrate specialised and general skills and knowledge as well as provide new competencies. • New and convergent knowledge fields and technologies, emerging KIBS but also “curing, caring and leisure services” – growing knowledge intensive personal services - and finally “recovered and innovative” traditional activities. • Preparing for LLL, employability and mobility. ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

18. Portugal – Future challenges in VET • Encourage “learning networks” linking innovation and competence-building at sectoral and regional level. A new balance is needed between centralised policy-measures and decentralised responsibilities in education and training. • Make education and training investments worthwhile! Ensure and account for returns and benefits for individuals, enterprises, the economy and society as a whole. ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares

19. Thank you! Candida.Soares@gep.mtss.gov.pt ETF – 21November 2007 M. Cândida Soares