Post on 28-Dec-2015
International Conference
Productivity, Investment in Human Capitaland the Challenge of Youth Employment
VET as a policy for youth employment
Aviana BulgarelliISFOL Director General
Bergamo (Italy) 16-17 December 2010
• Skills needs forecasting for the next decade show that knowledge and skills intensive occupations will be on the rise and that the demand for those with high and medium qualification will increase at the expense of low qualified people (Cedefop)
• VET plays a key role in determining competitiveness. Europe will grow on the basis of the quality of goods and services it provides. This requires a highly skilled labour force
• Current and future jobs require medium and high skills level. The low qualified are penalised in the labour market. Low qualified youth risk to be marginalized
Positive relation between education and employment (2008)This chart shows the percentage of 25-64 year-olds in employment,
by level of educational attainment.
Data on employment by work status refer to the period 2008Q2 to 2009Q2.Source: OECD
-2.2-3.0
-1.2
-8.4
-2.2
1.7
-6.4
-3.1
1.1
-2.1
-0.6
-7.7
-10
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
Tota
l
Men
Wom
en
Yout
h (1
5-24
)
Prim
e-ag
e (2
5-54
)
Old
er w
orke
rs (5
5+)
Low
-ski
lled
Med
ium
-ski
lled
Hig
h-sk
illed
Self-
empl
oyed
Perm
anen
t wor
kers
Tem
pora
ry w
orke
rs
Gender Age Education Work status
Job losses have been concentrated among youth, the low-skilled and men
Percentage change of employment over 2008 Q4 to 2009 Q4*
Vet as a policy for youth employment (Bruges Comuniqué and trends in EU countries)
• Need for an attractive VET system at secondary and tertiary level capable to respond to the changing requirements of the labour market. Overcome the tendency of VET institutions to develop their own dynamic, independent of the world of work and unresponsive to rapid change in the needs of the economy
• Need to adapt VET content, infrastructure and methods in order to keep pace and to anticipate with shifts to new production technologies and work organization
• VET should not prepare students only for a single occupation. Most young people face a sequence of complex choices and changes over a lifetime of learning and work. Young people should be equipped with a right mix of basic and specific skills
• Need to develop innovative learning methods and flexible learning pathways including work based learning
• Work-based learning, including apprenticeship, is a way for people to develop their potential. It contributes to developing a professional identity and can boost the self-esteem also of those who might otherwise see themselves as failures. It is a learning pathway for excellence an innovation, and for inclusion.
• Workplaces provide a strong learning environment for both transversal and specific skills
• Need to create opportunities for enhanced cooperation between VET institutions and enterprises (apprenticeship and internship). Quality control should be agreed on as to avoid that workplace learning can degenerate into cheap labour
• Need to encourage VET institutions to collaborate with innovative enterprises in forming “knowledge partnerships” to develop excellence and innovation
18-24 25-29 Total 18-29
The available jobs require fewer training 24,4 27,0 25,4
The available jobs require further training 48,0 44,1 46,5
The distance from the work places 38,3 31,5 35,6
Lack of previous work experience 56,8 46,8 52,9
Age discrimination 17,3 15,5 16,6
Sex discrimination 8,2 11,8 9,6
Unsatisfactory jobs 52,1 52,5 52,3
data source Isfol PLUS 2008
Difficulties in finding a job, multiple answers,% affirmative answers
Data source Isfol PLUS 2008
Drop out reasons by age
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
18-29 30-39 40-49 50-64
job opportunity family problems
low performance in studies Not interest in the course of study
Data source Isfol PLUS 2008
Data source Isfol PLUS 2008
Secondary school options by marks at the exit of compulsory education
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Istitutiprofessionali
Liceoclassico
Liceoscientifico
Istruzioneartistica
Istituti tecnici Istitutimagistrali
medium-high marks
medium-low marks
• VET is important for youth employability, career development and economic growth but has been neglected
• It is still seen as a low status education pathway
• Need to encourage practical activities and the provision of high-quality information and guidance which unable young pupils in compulsory education, and their parents, to become acquainted with different vocational trades and career possibilities
• Need to increase public awareness of the possibilities which VET offers, organize activities aimed at promoting VET attractiveness and excellence (campaigns and skills competitions)
Post compulsory education options, by types and career, %
continue their
studies
look for a job
take over a family
business
other answers
I do not know
study and work
togetherTotal
Liceo classico 94,6 4,3 - 0,2 0,9 - 100Liceo scientifico 89,8 3,4 1,3 - 5,5 - 100Istruzione artistica 77,3 9,4 2,1 - 11,2 - 100Istituti magistrali 84,6 9 - - 6,4 - 100Istituti tecnici 50,6 39,3 2,1 - 7,9 0,1 100Istituti professionali 42,3 52,5 - - 5,2 - 100
medium-high marks 79,2 14,2 1,1 - 5,4 0,1 100medium-low marks 47,9 41,1 2,2 0,1 8,7 - 100regular studies 74,7 18,3 1,1 0 5,9 - 100failures 47,3 38,8 3,5 - 10,1 0,4 100
Types of Secondary school
Scholar Career
Data source Isfol PLUS 2008