VET FOR SOCIAL INCLUSION IN THE
WESTERN BALKANS AND TURKEY: TOWARDS
REGIONAL ACTIONS
CONSULTATION WORKSHOP
ETF – European Training Foundation, Turin,
12-13 December 2011
Lida Kita, ETF
A quick overview …
(1) Introduction to the ETF
(2) Context of ETF partner countries
(3) The ETF 2010-2011 Policy Reviews
(4) Objectives of the meeting
Introduction
What is the ETF ? (European Training Foundation) ?

Agency of the European Union (EU)
+ Centre of Expertise in Human Capital Development
 Assisting neighbouring countries to the EU in reforming
education and training systems through
- supporting the EU external policy and aid programmes
- policy advice/learning and capacity building to the countries
- information and analysis
 Three overarching themes (VET in a LLL perspective; Labour Market and
Employability; Enterprise skills / Education and Business cooperation)
Context
of ETF partner countries
Potential candidate
countries:
Albania, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Kosovo
(UNSCR 1244/1999),
European Neighbourhood and
Partnership Instrument countries
ENP South:
Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon,
Morocco, occupied Palestinian
Territory, Syria, Tunisia and Israel
ENP East:
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,
Georgia, Republic of Moldova,
Ukraine and Russia
Candidate countries:
Croatia, former
Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia, Iceland,
Montenegro, Serbia,
Turkey
Other countries from
Central Asia:
Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan
ETF 2010-2011 Policy
Reviews
Western Balkans and Turkey
Policy Reviews
ETF review of progress in VET in PCs:
• … ETF project (2008-2011) on mapping
inclusive education approaches in WBT –
VET for social inclusion and social
cohesion- how much we know/do not
know…;
• … ETF 2010-2011 Policy Reviews: ETF
Torino Process and HRD Reviews for DG
Employment: Albania, Serbia and
Montenegro(2010) and ongoing HRD
reviews for DG Employment in Croatia,
fYRoM, Turkey(2011);
• Upcoming Torino Process Reviews 2012.
ETF 2010-2011 Policy
Reviews and SI
issues
Torino Process reviews : Chapter on
the role of VET for promoting equity
and addressing social demands for
education and training
• HRD reviews for DG Employment:
Chapter on social inclusion with subchapters on social inclusion in
education and in employment
•
Western Balkans and Turkey
Diversity but also large
communalities between countries
Main findings
•SI in education: reducing
educational disadvantage and
educational inequalities
•Targeting the most
disadvantaged groups (SEN
students, Roma, IDPs and
returnees)
•High school drop-out rates,
critical transition from primary to
secondary education
•Ethnicity strongly affects
educational choices
•Gender issues in education
participation for some countries
(XK, TR) and groups (Roma)
•Underused potential of VET for
SI promotion
Policy Challenges
•Strong inertia from the past: homogenous vs.
diverse classrooms and schools
•Teachers and mainstream schools are not
well prepared to address differences in
students
•Lack of sufficient understanding, awareness
and support in society at large about inclusion
in education
•Lack of solid and reliable evidence (data) to
inform the policy making cycle
•Fragmentation of the policy response to be
replaced by holistic, integrated approach
Western Balkans and Turkey
Great diversity but also large
communalities between countries
What we know in the countries?
•The concepts of social inclusion, social
cohesion and equity are relatively new on the
policy agenda and research discourse;
•The role of the VET sector as contributor to
employment, equity, cohesion and active
citizenship has not been systematically
considered in the design of the undergoing
VET reforms;
•Some measures but mainly isolated, donorled projects, and only partial sustainability
• VET system capacity alone if not couples
with solid evidence and analysis will not be
able to feed into the policy cycle
Looking forward….
•ETF plans to launch a new
regional intervention in
Enlargement countries to deal
with the interlinkages between
VET and social inclusion in the
Western Balkans and
Turkey(2012-2013)
•International discourse and ETF
work in the countries argue that
VET has a potential for making
multi-dimensional contributions,
such as: skills for employment,
socialisation, civic dimension,
social mobility, and equity
dimension.
Objectives of the meeting
Objectives of
the meeting
 MUTUAL LEARNING (different context and
perspectives – EU and Western Balkans and Turkey;
learning from country context and developments: what
has worked but also from failures)
 IMPROVING THE INSTITUTIONAL
KNOWLEDGE BASE IN ETF (in the emerging /
(re)discovered field of VET for combating social
exclusion; enhanced analytical frameworks for the
policy reviews)
 SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN
ETF REGIONAL PROJECT INCLUDING
METHODOLOGY AND TOOL (priorities, objectives
and modalities of action of an ETF intervention
focussing on the links between vocational education
and training (VET) and social inclusion for young people
& adults in the Western Balkans and Turkey).
 Identification of problem (research)
 Needs assessment
 Looking at possible solutions based on the system of country (laws, policies,
institutions etc)
 Mobilising resources and people (social planning)
 Advocacy and awareness-raising actions
 Gradual building of partnership with relevant stakeholders
 Empowerment of disadvantaged /marginalised groups
 Setting up feed-back mechanisms
 Use of results and dissemination to stakeholders and implementation local
level
Objectives
of the meeting
Key Questions …

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How should VET ensure the inclusion of groups at risk
without having the image as a learning pathway for lowachievers?
Why specific sub-groups of young people systematically
miss out on VET (….economically, socially and
politically marginalised groups: disabled, women, ethnic
groups, those from single-parent families, those living in
rural areas and those from families with a history of
parental illiteracy and unemployment)?
What are the structural barriers that also stand in their
way
How can excellence and quality on the one hand be
combined with including the low-skilled, migrants, early
school leavers and other groups at risk?
How should gender inequalities in terms of sectoral and
occupational imbalances be addressed in VET
systems?
What role can VET play in promoting active citizenship?
Objectives
of the meeting
Key Questions …
 How could VET be made attractive and
available to vulnerable groups?
 How could VET ensure the inclusion of
vulnerable groups without having the
image of a
learning pathway for low-achievers?
 How could VET deal with gender
stereotypes and imbalances in terms of
occupational choices and participation in
education?
 What role can local self-governments play
in finding solutions to these issues?
Welcome at the ETF
and in the city of Turin (Italy) !
ENJOY the meeting
and your stay !