Analytics, Education and Science, EU – Baltic States, Innovations, Technology

In a discussion on “Opening up education: making the 21^st century classroom a reality”, two European Commissioners revealed main features of the program for more intensive usage of digital technology in all education spheres. “Opening up Education” is the Commission’s response to the great challenges and opportunities of the digital era in the field of education. The new project’s package is about becoming more open and flexible, so that pupils and students get the start in life they need, and adult learners get the chance to join the “digital movement”.

European education system needs to adapt to new content, new infrastructures and new methodology. School curricula still often fail to provide the tools and framework necessary to ensure that developments in digital technologies and ICT are followed-up successfully; this situation has to change, acknowledged European Commissioners: Neelie Kroes and Androulla Vassiliou. They argued that the main changing direction was not “the way we teach and learn”; most vital thing is how to acquire specific skills people need to get good jobs in the growing digital economy. According to the EU data, by 2020, about 90% of jobs will need digital skills.

Present situation

In some countries, like Greece and Croatia, fewer than half of pupils have internet at school.

In most EU countries, less than 30% of children aged 10-15 are taught by "digitally confident" teachers, with good access to ICT. Moreover, while digital technology and content has improved, and countries around the world, from the US to Asia, are starting to reap the ICT’s benefits, Europe is falling behind.

Just one example: one third of the 200 European universities surveyed by the Commission do not even know what a Massive Open Online Course is about!  

Commissioner A. Vassiliou argued that the digital revolution is having – and will continue to have – a dramatic impact on education and training. This will certainly bring challenges but it will also bring huge opportunities. Education needs to adapt to new content, new infrastructures and new methodologies.

School curricula still often fail to provide the tools and framework necessary to ensure that developments in digital technologies and ICT are followed-up successfully. The EU and the member states have to change the situation.

Most often European teachers do know the importance of the digital agenda; though they often lack the digital confidence and know-how to bring digital techniques to schools and classrooms. Often they aren't sure how they need to adapt.

Therefore, the EU’s “opening up education” project is about helping them to do that, to make that transition from gatekeepers to guides, and for education to become more accessible, so that everyone, from school to the “life’s university” is on board the “digital express”. 

Technology makes it possible to develop new solutions for better personalised learning, by allowing teachers to have a more accurate and up-to-date follow up of each learner and by promoting autonomous learning and self-evaluation, including outside the classroom.

Europe needs to reap the full potential of these opportunities, so that schools and universities can deliver higher quality education and the digital skills essential for young people's future lives and careers.

The Commissioners’ bottom line is clear simple: “the way we teach and learn has to change; teachers and trainers will need to embrace open resources and adapt traditional practices to the new online environment”.  

Reference: “Opening up Education” – Making the 21th century classroom a reality. European Commission – SPEECH/13/747; 25.09.2013. Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda and Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner responsible for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.

Facing shortage of skills

Very soon, the Commissioners acknowledged, Europe could face a shortage of skilled ICT workers, i.e. more than one million unfilled jobs in a time of high unemployment! Fixing that problem is the goal of another Commission’s program – “Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs”. Some companies have made significant pledges to match ICT skills with jobs and to develop teacher training.

The “grand coalition” is also looking at getting more youngsters to work in ICT, both boys and girls, e.g. like getting them to code in their free time, or doing practical learning, like using the Olympic Games to learn how to build a stadium or calculate running speeds.

However, no longer can ICT be seen as something for boys: “we cannot allow girls and women to fall behind; it will hurt their chances in life and it will hurt the overall economy”, the Commissioner added.

And it's not just the young who need digital skills for the future; the EU’s message is clear: the member states also need to invest in adult learners. The adults have a lot to gain from the digital revolution too – maybe even more than youngsters: at present, only 9% of adults participate in life-long learning, which is far too low. If education is to become truly life-long, the EU needs to make sure that it is easily available to everyone, wherever they live or work.

It is essential therefore that the EU supports the creation of flexible courses, with high quality distance learning options; in this direction new technology will play a crucial role.

The EU’s new package makes a difference

Commissioner Vassiliou said that it was not enough just to bring a few computers into schools. A comprehensive response is needed: the Commission is focusing on 3 drivers of change: teaching methods, digital content, and infrastructures.  

Firstly, the Commission proposes to create –together with member states- opportunities for organisations, teachers, students and pupils to be more innovative by making more use of digital technologies. The EU wants to stimulate teachers and educational institutions to test innovative digital approaches, it also wants to encourage the recognition and validation of skills acquired through digital learning.

Secondly, the Commission proposes to increase the use of Open Educational Resources, (OER) to ensure that educational materials produced with public funding are available to all.

In this regard, the Commission is launching the initial step embracing those initiatives – the Open Education Europa web portal.

Building on the success of the EU’s existing eLearning portal, “the open education web-portal” will provide an online meeting place where students, practitioners and educational institutions can access and share open educational resources. Open Educational Resources will increase the economic efficiency of education and training and lead to the development of new teaching and learning practices, which will improve the quality of education throughout Europe.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) will also contribute to increasing quality and widening access to education. Earlier this year, the Commission launched the first pan-European MOOCs portal, offering free courses in 12 different languages. This is a very positive development, argued Commissioners.

Then, technology based education will become a vital element for all teaching institutions in the future and Europe cannot miss this opportunity. In the new Commission’s Communication it is announced that the EU will support financially, through its new programmes Erasmus + and Horizon 2020, the development of OER and other digital educational materials in different languages. The EU will work to promote OER and properly manage the transition together with publishers.

“We cannot accept a situation where more than 50% of teachers do not share their materials because they are concerned about the legal implications”, the Commissioners said. 'Opening up Education' proposes to develop technical tools to clarify the situation and make it easier to re-use and share resources.

At the same time, the EU must protect the rights of authors and ensure they are properly compensated; therefore, the EU proposes to work on getting that balance right. 'Opening up Education' will therefore encourage more dialogue and coordination between ICT companies, education authorities and publishers.

Vice President N.Kroes mentioned that education was the best investment to make in young people's future. The member states can't allow the children’s future to be determined by where they are born, or condemned by underinvestment.

This is why the third dimension in the EU’s proposal is about infrastructures, which is a big challenge for the member states at a time of austerity. There are already big differences between the EU states and the EU needs to close the gap and modernise educational institutions.

Vice President N.Kroes said: “We want every school, every classroom to be connected to high speed broadband; we want the states to upgrade their ICT equipment, including joint pan-European procurement and to spread-up digital teaching materials”. The European Commission will play its part, including financially: through Erasmus+, member states will be able to seek support from EU Structural Funds.

There is a final, fourth dimension in the EU’s proposals for opening up education: the EU proposes not only making ICT changes in schools and/or putting an “ICT burden” for education ministries. That’s going to a challenge for everyone: all stakeholders need to be involved, e.g. teachers, learners, families, digital communities, industry, economic and social partners.

The EU proposes to create a platform for all these stakeholders to benchmark their schools, to tell how their schools are doing in terms of digital excellence. That is: to promote innovative pedagogical practices, support the teachers and reward those who perform well.

And the EU is calling on volunteers too: all ICT experts, those knowing how to code, can give a hand and team up with teachers to improve children’s skills. Commissioner A.Vassiliou underlined that the EU would only achieve these objectives working together: “we need coordinated action by the EU, the member states and the world of education”.

The Commission believes that the initiative will benefit education providers, teachers and students of all ages; it will enlarge people’s knowledge-base to maximise the potential of technologies in education. The EU has a duty to create a level playing field so that every pupil, every student, every teacher and every adult learner has the opportunity to reach their full potential with the support of digital technologies.

Reference: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-13-747_en.htm

Survey of adult skills

First comprehensive international Survey of Adult Skills published by the OECD and European Commission in October 2013, assesses the literacy, numeracy and problem-solving ICT skills of adults aged 16-65 in 17 EU member states – Belgium (Flanders), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Cyprus, The Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden and the UK (England/Northern Ireland), as well as states outside the EU – Australia, Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, Norway and the United States.

The findings underline the need to target investment at improving education and training to increase skills and employability in European countries.

European Commission’s survey of adult skills highlights need to improve education and training. Survey revealed that one in five adults in Europe has low literacy and numeracy skills, and even a university degree in the same subject is no guarantee of the same level of skills in different countries.  

Background

The Survey of Adult Skills directly assesses the skills of about 5 000 adults aged 16-65 in each participating country, representing the working age population. The skills tested are literacy, numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments. The survey also asks about the use of ICT at work and in everyday life, generic skills required at work, whether the skills and qualification match work requirements and questions about education, work and socio-economic background.

The survey was conducted in 2011/2012 in 23 countries, among them 17 EU Member States, representing more than 80% of the EU-28 population.

The European Commission and the OECD have recently signed a new cooperation agreement to work closer together in three areas: skills strategies, country’s analyses and international surveys.

The Commission and the OECD will launch a new Education and Skills Online Assessment tool later in autumn 2013. This will allow people to test their skills and benchmark their own abilities in an international context.

The abovementioned survey, also known as the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), was launched by Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, and Ángel Gurría, Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Survey’s outcomes

The experts said that the Survey of Adult Skills points to weaknesses in the EU education and training systems that must be addressed if the EU is to equip people with the high-level skills they need to succeed in life. The Survey says that it is not acceptable that one fifth of European population has only low levels of skills; hence the EU and member states have to invest more efficiently in better education and better training.

This view was supported by László Andor, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, who called on funding for education and employment reforms to be a priority. The Commissioner urged the member states to make better use of the European Social Fund to invest in skills and training, both for the young unemployed and for the lifelong learning of middle-aged and older workers.  

The Survey revealed the following key findings:

• 20% of the EU working age population has low literacy and numeracy skills: the figure is higher among the unemployed who are likely to be caught in a 'low-skills trap' because they do little or no adult learning;
• 25% of adults lack the digital skills needed to effectively use ICT (addressing this is one of the objectives of the Commission's new Opening up Education initiative);
• There are striking differences between countries in skills provided through formal education: recent school leavers with an upper secondary qualification in some member states have similar or better skills than higher education graduates in others;
• Lifelong learning policies must aim at sustaining skills over time given the gaps between generations revealed by the survey and the significant economic and social benefits of higher skills.

Differences between EU member states

The evidence from the data collected by the EU and OECD shows significant differences between states; some examples are given below:

= One adult in five has low literacy or numeracy skills in Ireland, France, Poland and the UK. This rises to almost one adult in three in Spain and Italy.

= More than 40% of the adult population in the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden have high problem solving skills in ICT environments, while almost one in five adults have no computer experience in Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Poland and Slovakia.

= Literacy scores from recent upper secondary school graduates in the Netherlands and Finland are close to or better than those of higher education graduates in Ireland, Spain, Italy, Cyprus and the UK (England/Northern Ireland).

= In Belgium (Flanders), Spain, France and Finland, the level of proficiency in literacy and numeracy among 25-34 year olds is significantly better than the generation aged 55-65.

Next steps

The survey findings and their implications for education and training will be discussed with the EU member states to help identify actions to remedy weaknesses. The new Erasmus+ program for education, training and youth will support projects aimed at developing and upgrading adult skills. The survey can also help EU states defining priorities to finance from the 2014-20 European Social Fund, which is a key source of investment in skills and training while providing improving access to training for vulnerable groups.

For more information see:

= MEMO/13/860 PIAAC Survey of Adult Skills – frequently asked questions;

= Survey of Adult Skills on the OECD website;

= Implications of the Survey of Adult Skills on education and training policies in Europe – European Commission analysis – Executive Summary;

= European Commission: Education and training

Survey of Adult Skills – frequently asked questions

The Commission published a list of answers to frequently asked questions about skills and qualifications needed at the”digital age”. Some of the answers are given below.

= What does the Survey of Adult Skills measure and how are the skills measured?

The Survey directly assesses the skills of about 5 000 participants at 16-65 year olds representing countries' working age population. The skills tested are literacy, numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments (e.g. solving problems in a computer environment). The survey also asks about the use of ICT at work and in everyday life, generic skills required at work, whether the skills and qualifications match the work requirements and questions about e.g. education, work and socio-economic background.

The proficiency that respondents showed in the test is measured on a scale from 0 to 500 points, which is divided into skills levels (from below 1 to 5 for literacy and numeracy; from below 1 to 3 for problem solving). On the literacy and numeracy scales, each additional year of education equals approximately an increase of 7 points, one proficiency level equates approximately to seven years of education. For more detailed information, see http://www.oecd.org/site/piaac/.

= How do the skills of citizens in EU countries compare with other world leading economies such as USA, Canada, Australia and Japan?

At global level, Japan outperforms all other countries with its high share of performers at levels 3-5 and very few low performers. Big non-European economies like Canada and the US do not score very differently from many EU countries.

= What are the most striking differences between EU countries?

Among EU countries, roughly three groups can be identified: countries with high shares of top performing adults and low levels of low performers like the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden, among which Finland comes closest to Japan; countries with varying patterns but whose results are not significantly different; and, finally, countries with few top performers and very high shares of low performers such as Spain and Italy.

For example, when comparing results in literacy across countries, young tertiary graduates in Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium (Flanders), Austria, Estonia and Germany score among the highest of any participants in the survey, with tertiary degree holders in Finland reaching the lower end of level 4. Upper secondary graduates on average perform at the lower end of level 3, scoring 20 points lower (this equaling roughly three years of education) than tertiary graduates. Here, once again, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Austria and Germany perform better.

However, it is important to consider the complex interplay of factors: success in formal education opens up opportunities for individuals to access high skill jobs, which in turn helps maintain and develop high skills levels. And there are other factors that might override the impact of education, such as work experience, long unemployment spells or non-formal learning. Nevertheless, the analysis of the younger age group provides the most interesting and surprising results, particularly concerning the performance of tertiary education graduates compared with secondary education graduates.

= Will there be new data about skills in those EU countries which did not participate in the survey?

There are two complementary rounds of the survey; currently a 2^nd round for new countries is being implemented with three more EU member states participating: Greece, Lithuania and Slovenia (data collection will start in 2014).

A 3^rd round is foreseen in 2015 and the Commission encourages the participation of the remaining EU countries in the survey. The OECD and the Commission also cooperate to ensure a continuity of the survey in order to enable monitoring progress in the future.

= How much financial support has the European Commission provided for the Survey of Adult Skills?

The Commission supported the participation of countries in the Survey by providing financial contributions from the Lifelong Learning Program (LLP). On average, the EU-17 states and Norway as an LLP country received € 75 000 per year over 3 or 4 years, which amounts to € 5 million in total. The Commission's Directorate-General for Employment has also provided € 1 million in support for the OECD secretariat. The Commission is continuing its support for the recently started second round of the Survey, under the same conditions.  

= What will the forthcoming Education and Skills Online Assessment tool be in practice?

It will be an assessment tool designed to provide individual level results on numeracy and problem solving. All results will be comparable to the measures used in the Survey on Adult Skills and can be benchmarked against the national and international results available for the participating countries.

The tool is appropriate for students or young people who are not in school, who are interested in transitioning to post-secondary education/training or into the workforce. It is also appropriate for adults of various ages who either wish to re-enter an educational or training environment or want to demonstrate their workforce readiness skills. The tool can also be used to assess the human capital of enterprises, educational institutions and other aggregate entities. A pilot version will be available by the end of 2013.

= What is the aim of the new Education and Skills Cooperation Arrangement between the Commission and the OECD?

The Commission coordinates political cooperation with and between the EU member states, supported by the relevant EU programs and funds, and is currently developing its country analysis capacity within the EU-2020 Strategy. The OECD values the Commission's expertise and capacity for analysing and assessing education systems. The OECD's work also comprises countries outside Europe which are of strategic importance for the EU as partners and peers. The aim is to align efforts in order to help both organisations to provide a better service for member countries, and enable the avoidance of duplications.

Intensified cooperation is foreseen in three key areas:

• Skills strategies, to support countries or regions to put in place, together with key stakeholders, concrete plans to improve the supply and use of skills
• Country analyses, to help countries to identify challenges and opportunities in the fields of education and training and to initiate appropriate reforms
• Assessments and surveys, to provide internationally comparable information for evidence based policy making.

Commission’s opinion

European Commissioner, Androulla Vassiliou responsible for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth in her comments on the published survey said that the Survey was published at the right moment: it acted as an incentive for policy-makers, teachers, universities, training institutions, companies and others who share the same aim of promoting high-level competences and skills.

The EU is facing a dramatic situation: a shrinking workforce due to demographic changes and a shortage of skilled labour in crucial sectors like IT and healthcare. Various Commissioners already pointed out that Europe must act urgently to address these problems in order to achieve the levels of employment, productivity, innovation, competitiveness and social inclusion needed for modern development.  

Efficiency in better education

A high level of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills are the backbone of the European knowledge economy. The member states need to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to acquire and develop these skills both in school and throughout their careers. This is one of the main objectives of the EU’s opening-up education initiative, which was launched at the end of September 2013within the Commission's broader EU-2020 Strategy for jobs and growth.

Thus, the member states have to invest more efficiently in better education and better training to deliver a better blend of skills. The EU and the states also need to cooperate better between public and private sectors, with business, academia, NGOs and regional authorities.

The Commission’s Survey presented in October 20123 is the result of excellent cooperation between the European Commission and the OECD. The Survey demonstrates how critical high-level skills are in a knowledge-driven society with the role that education and training plays in improving learning outcomes. It also underlines the need for immediate action at national and EU level to bring our skills-set up to scratch.

Survey’s positive outcomes:

= It shows, for instance, that Finland, Sweden and The Netherlands are among the world's best performing countries when it comes to adult skills. Another big plus is that, in almost all countries, the youngest age group has considerably higher skills than the overall population.   

= The Survey confirms that one in five European citizens of working age have only low reading skills and almost one in four have low numeracy skills; in Spain and Italy this is the case for almost 30% of the population.

= t shows that in too many European countries, a child's future is still pre-determined by their parents' situation. If the parents have a low level of education, their children are also likely to have low skills; and immigrants generally perform considerably worse than native-born citizens.

= The Survey reveals a high variation in skills proficiency between and within countries.

It shows, for example, that young adults with an upper secondary school qualification in Finland or The Netherlands have higher skills, in general, than those with a higher education degree in England, Spain, Italy, Ireland and Cyprus.

= A significant progress in skills among students with a bachelor's degree is seen in Sweden, Italy, Austria and Poland, compared to school leavers with an upper secondary level qualification (this is not the case in all EU countries).

There is no simple explanation for the Survey's results, and experts should not leap to simplistic conclusions, argued Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou. However, these findings may well give rise to questions about the comparability, quality and efficiency of formal education. The Commission intends to provide discussions on the survey’s findings with the member states to better understand the underlying reasons for variations in skills proficiency and what action is needed at both national and European level.

At the EU level, the new Erasmus+ program will support actions to develop and upgrade basic skills and encourage improvements in the quality of education and training systems.

The European Social Fund will continue to invest in skills and training and to focus on vulnerable groups. Besides, within a key priority will be funding for the Youth Guarantee, through the Youth Employment Initiative in the most vulnerable EU regions.

The Commission is of the opinion that providing a well-skilled workforce, the member states need to invest in skills, in improved education systems, better access to training, in particular for the low skilled and older workers, as well as lifelong learning. This is why it is essential to ensure a robust ESF allocation as part of the cohesion policy envelope of each EU member state.

Together with the OECD, the EU will carry out further analysis of the data in the Survey in order to help the member states better understand how to develop the skills of their citizens. Thus, the Commission and OECD will jointly launch a new Education and Skills Online Assessment tool at the end of 2013; this assessment will allow people to test their skills and benchmark their own abilities in an international context.

And, finally, there is a need for greater cooperation: the survey is an example of partnership that European states need in order to combine expertise, knowledge and resources for the benefit of all EU states and to improve the contribution of education to progressive socio-economic development, to increase growth and jobs.

The Commission has signed a Cooperation Agreement with the OECD which will allow the EU to work even more closely on strategies for developing skills and for collecting solid data to support policy reform in education.

Reference: SPEECH/13/790; Speech – Europe must act urgently to address skills deficit,  

by European Commissioner, Androulla Vassiliou ASSILIOU responsible for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.