Page 10 - european-lifelong-guidance-policies-progress-report

Executive summary

tion mechanisms. These can serve as vehicles helping to inform and develop lifelong guid-
for improving coherence and avoiding over- ance policies and practices. However, there is
laps. They need to be complemented by similar still a paucity of data relating to costs and ben- Summary
mechanisms at regional and local levels. efits, broken down for analysis by specific target
• Such mechanisms take very different forms in group(s) and/or by specific types of interven-
different countries, not least in the balance they tions. Lessons need to be learned from allied
adopt between communication, co-operation sectors in developing more robust account-
and co-ordination, and between reactive, criti- ability data.
cal and proactive approaches to their role.
Section 3 reports on EU policy developments
Section 2.4 reports the work of Work Package 4 on related to lifelong guidance. It outlines the compo-
quality and evidence. Key conclusions include: nents of the Europe 2020 Strategy which are relevant
to lifelong guidance, including its headline targets
• The balance between quality assurance and evi- and flagship initiatives. Within this framework, rel-
dence should be strongly influenced by a small evant priorities include:
number of agreed quality elements, criteria and
indicators for measurement that can be tested • Reducing early school-leaving.
and applied in practice, supported by examples • Increasing learning mobility.
of possible data, in the five areas identified • Making VET more attractive.
in the Quality Assurance and Evidence-base • Modernising higher education.
(QAE) Framework developed by ELGPN: prac- • Promoting adult learning and validation of
titioner competence; citizen/user involvement; non-formal and informal learning.
service provision and improvement; cost-ben- • Combating youth unemployment.
efits to governments; and cost-benefits to indi- • Implementing flexicurity policies.
viduals. • Fighting poverty and social exclusion.
• There is an urgent imperative to improve
knowledge and understanding of effective evi- The key policy documents and actions are then out-
dence-based policies, including quality-assur- lined in detail, in relation to schools (Section 3.2),
ance systems and accountability frameworks. VET (Section 3.3), higher education (Section 3.4),
Investments made in lifelong guidance systems adult education (Section 3.5), employment (Section
and services must demonstrate more clearly the 3.6) and social inclusion (Section 3.7). Each section
added-value returns for individuals, communi- includes comments on the involvement of ELGPN
ties and societies. and possible next steps.
• The aims of quality-assurance systems and Section 4 reports on the ELGPN evaluation strat-
mechanisms are to improve efficiency in ser- egy and on the main evaluation results in relation to
vice provision, to increase institutional finan- five areas: the management of the Network; learning
cial accountability and to create transparency outcomes from the thematic activities; the relevance
from the perspective of the citizen. The latter of the ELGPN 2012 outputs; impact at national level;
is often neglected by both policy-makers and and the ELGPN as a member-state-driven Network. It
service providers. notes that, while some suggestions for improvement
• In many countries, quality-assurance frame- were offered, ELGPN members were very satisfied
works have evolved which contribute to the with the management and operation of the Network
gathering, analysis and presentation of data, and the general outcomes of its work. They also com-

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