What do we know? Measuring knowledge, skills and competences in the labour market

Cedefop — European Centre For The Development Of Vocational Training

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Vocational training

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• Assessment
• Diploma
• Recruitment

Informations

• Publié par: CEDEFOP-EUROPEAN-CENTRE-FOR-THE-DEVELOPMENT-OF-VOCATIONAL-TRAINING
• Nombre de lectures: 24
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 7 Mo

Extrait

No . 12 September - December 1997AII ISSN OSTB-SOSS CEDEFOP
What do we know?
Measuring knowledge,
skills and competences
in the labour market EUROPEAN JOURNAL VOCATIONAL «IN G NO. 12
CEDEFOP
Editor: Steve Bainbridge
European Centre
for the Development
of Vocational Training
Editorial committee:
Marinon Antipa 12
GR - 57001 Thessalonica
Chairman:
(Th ermi)
Jean François Germe Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM),
France Tel: 30-31+490 111
Fax: 102
Matéo Alaluf Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium E-mail:
Tina Bertzeletou CEDEFOP [e-mail]
Keith Drake Manchester University, Great Britain Internet:
Gunnar Eliasson The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden
http:/'/www. cedefop.gr
Alain d'Iribarne Laboratoire d'Economie et de Sociologie du Travail
(LEST-CNRS), France
Arndt Sorge Humboldt-Universität Berlin, Germany
Reinhard Zedier Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln, Germany
Jordi Planas CEDEFOP
Manfred Tessaring P
Sergio Bruno Università di Roma, Italy
Published under the responsibility of: The contributions were received on
Johan van Rens, Director or before 03.02.1998
Stavros Stavrou, Deputy Director
CEDEFOP assists the European Reproduction is authorized, except for Commission in encouraging, at
Technical production, coordination: commercial purposes, provided that the Community level, the promotion
and development of vocational source is indicated Bernd Möhlmann
education and training, through
exchanges ofinformation and the
comparison of experience on is­ Responsible for translation: Catalogue number: HX-AA-97-003-EN-C
sues of common interest to the David Crabbe
Member States.
Printed in
Layout: Werbeagentur Zühlke Scholz & the Federal Republic of Germany, 1998 CEDEFOP is a link between re­
search, policy and practice by Partner GmbH, Berlin
helping policy-makers and practi­
This publication appears three times a tioners, at all levels in the Euro­
pean Union, to have a clearer un­ Technical production on DTP: year in Spanish, German, English and
derstanding of developments in Axel Hunstock, Berlin French
vocational education and training
and so help them draw conclu­
sions for future action. It stimu­
lates scientists and researchers to
identify trends and future ques­
tions.
The opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the
CEDEFOP's Management Board position of CEDEFOP. The European Vocational Training Journal gives
has agreed a set of medium-term
protagonists the opportunity to present analyses and various, at times, priorities for the period 1997-
contradictory points of view. The Journal wishes to contribute to critical 2000. They outline three themes
that provide the focus of debate on the future of vocational training at a European level.
CEDEFOP's activities:
ü promoting competences and
lifelong learning;
J monitoring developments in
vocational education and training
in the Member States; and
ü serving European mobility and Interested in writing an article ... see page 106 exchanges.
CEDEFOP * *
* * VOCATIONAL ÏRAINING NR. 12 EUROPEAN JOURNAL *
** *
Information for
information's sake ?
If you don't know this is the information the information available does not always
age. 24 hours a day information is sought, tell us what we need to know. In this
discovered, gathered, processed, used or sense the demand for information is ris­
misused, shared or hidden. ing faster than its supply, arguably mak­
ing us more ignorant and increasing the
This issue of the Journal looks at the is­ potential for making mistakes.
sue of the information needs principally
of employers, but also of individuals. It But has what people really need to know
also looks at how the vocational educa­ changed, or is it a case of demanding
tion and training system provides the sig­ more information because it is available?
nals to meet those information needs in Is there a difference between what we
the labour market. need to know and what we want to
know? Do we simply want more informa­
tion for information's sake? Information has always been valuable.
Arguably, the difference is that today the
stakes for society at large are higher. The Arguably, employers need, and have al­
right, or wrong, information today can ways needed, to know if someone is the
have repercussions across the globe - and, best person for the job. There are always
what is more, in an instant. implied conditions to this, such as the
reliability, potential, loyalty, and trustwor­
thiness of the individual. In times past, Access to information is greater than ever.
particularly when labour was scarce, a Barriers to its exchange have broken
brief interview, or a recommendation from down. Furthermore, the increased access
a reliable source was often enough. For to information creates the need for new
some jobs, particularly, skilled, clerical skills. Firstly, 'demand competence', the
and managerial, qualifications were im­ability to sift through the mass of infor­
portant, but their lack not necessarily a mation to find what we want to know.
bar to employment. Secondly, 'receiver competence', the abil­
ity to handle the information that we re­
ceive, interpreting it into something un­ But higher levels of educational attainment,
derstandable, relevant and useful. changes in work organisation, demands for
higher quality, globalisation, and techno­
Vocational education and training systems logical advance have changed job content.
are part of the information business. Their Employers are more demanding and want
role is to impart and share information, to know more about potential employees.
to help to transform and translate it into As Shackleton points out in his article,
knowledge skills and competences of employers have changed their recruitment
value to the enterprise and the individual. methods because they are seeking differ­
The qualifications system is about pro­ ent types of skills and competences from
viding information in an easily under­ those sought in the past. Now they want
standable form about an individual's skills more information on personal characteris­
and competences tics, which are not easily assessed, to
choose the right person for the job. For­
mal academic qualifications are a guide and Firms need information to manage effi­
essential for labour market entrants, but ciently the skills and competences of their
they are by no means sufficient workforce. For individuals a lack of evi­
dence of their abilities, for example a lack
of qualifications can mean the difference The article, by Eliasson and Vikersjö
between having a job or not. shows how one multinational, Electrolux,
based in Sweden, has developed the use
Given the high stakes people, understand­ of its own internal labour market to pro­
ably, want more information. However, vide career opportunities for its employ-
CEDEFOP * VOCATIONAL TRAINING NR. IS EUROPEANJOURNRL *
** *
ees and for talent sourcing. By making points to the introduction of certificates
job openings visible throughout the or­ of proficiency which are designed to act
ganisation and the definition of more dis­ in the continuing vocational training sys­
tinct and varied career paths the firm aims tem as the counterpart of initial training
to generate the skills and the information qualifications. Interestingly, he points oui
about its employees to optimise the in­ that an undeclared aim of this reform was
ternal allocation of competence. This is to provide several million workers with
further evidence that employers are de­ some evidence of skills.
veloping sophisticated systems to find the
best person for the job. Consequently, for those without qualili
cations employment prospects are poor.
The role of formal qualifications and cer­ However, evidence suggests that employ­
tificates in informing employers about the ers do not regard qualifications as pro­
competences and capacities of individuals viding information on what people can
is examined in this issue. Qualifications are do, but rather an indication as to what
important and better qualified people have they are capable of doing.
better employment prospects. Eliasson and
Vikersjö point out that despite the opera­ Merle's article looks at the need for a
tion of an internal labour market in closer link between work experience and
Electrolux, recruitment to their manage­ qualifications. Some of his ideas are re­
ment programme is effectively limited to flected in the methods to assess non-for­
graduates, as people below that level are mal learning considered in Bjornavold's
not believed to have the required poten­ first article. He gives a number of rea­
tial. This use by employers of qualifica­ sons for the growing interest in validat­
tion levels as a filter in their recruitment ing and accrediting non-formal learning.
practices is pointed t