VCC IS INCLUDED IN THE EU INITIATIVE NEW SKILLS FOR NEW JOBS
The European Commission attempts at adapting education better to the existing needs of the labour market. One of the initiatives contributing to implementation of this aim is the “New skills for New Jobs” initiative.
- improved forecasting of future needs within the qualifications area,
- improved adaptation of qualifications to current labour market needs,
- taking labour market needs into consideration during education stage.
Education must be available to all European citizens throughout their entire professional career. This fact conditions not only self-realisation and active participation in society, but also functioning on a changing labour market. It is necessary not only to update the already acquired competences but also to gain new knowledge and develop new skills in any stage of professional activity. In order to put this principle into practice, the EU has developed Common European Framework of Reference in which it determines eight key competences for lifelong learning.
- communicating in native language,
- communicating in foreign languages,
- mathematical as well as fundamental scientific and material competences,
- IT competences,
- learning skills,
- social and civic competences,
- initiative and entrepreneurship,
- cultural expression and awareness.
In this scope VCC has been constructed in accordance with European Union directives. The abovementioned competences have been included in VCC certification model, especially within professional foreign language as well as IT and social competences.
VCC Foundation is constantly monitoring and researching the labour and education markets by using analyses of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP), researches conducted within the “Monitoring the labour market in Europe” project, EU studies and bulletines, as well as by cooperating with Partners and Careers Experts in Poland and abroad. This allows VCC Foundation to present education offer responding to current problems faced by the European citizens. Due to analytical approach to the issue, VCC Foundation successfully predicts which skills are and will be in demand in future. Consequently, vocational education is developed in a completely new form. This provides employees with opportunities to acquire new skills that are currently in demand.
VCC CONFIRMS THE ALREADY ACQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS IN NON-FORMAL AND INFORMAL SYSTEMS AND CORRESPONDS WITH ASSUMPTIONS OF EUROPE 2020 STRATEGY.
Europe 2020 – Europe’s growth strategy is a new long-term programme of development of the European Union for the years 2010-2020. It replaced Lisbon Strategy implemented in the years 2000-2010. A model of the European social market economy presented in Europe 2020 Strategy is to be based, to a greater extent than to date, on three priorities that depend on and supplement each other:
- intelligent growth resulting in development of knowledge-based economy and innovations,
- balanced growth, i.e. transformation into low-emission economy using resources more efficiently,
- social inclusion-friendly growth as a supporting economy with a high employment level and providing citizens with social, territorial, and economical integrity.
Five measurable development aims have been defined as a consequence of the abovementioned priorities. These goals ought to be reached on the European level until the year 2020:
- unemployment rate amounting to 75%,
- improving conditions for undertaking and participating in research and development activities,
- reducing emission of green house gases by 20%,
- increasing level of education,
- supporting social inclusion.
Programme for new skills and employment initiative must be especially emphasized within labour market and education sector. This undertaking results in modernizing labour markets, improving citizens’ position by developing their qualifications for their entire life, increasing the rate of professional activity, and matching supply with demand on the labour market in a better way. Hence, it is necessary to provide candidates with qualifications meeting employers’ needs. Moreover, such applicants are required to present a high level of professional activity since eagerness to learn for the entire life (lifelong learning idea) will condition persistence on the labour market. It is also important that lifelong learning may take place in various ways: formal, non-formal, and informal. In case of the formal system, qualifications are certified institutionally. This obviously guarantees their acknowledgeability. It is, however, difficult to certify learning effects achieved in informal and non-formal way, whereas the latter method is an indispensable element of lifelong learning.
This problem may be solved by VCC, a unified system verifying knowledge and skills acquired aside from the formal education system. The main assumption of the VCC certification system is to provide employers with reliable and comprehensive information on employees’/potential employees’ qualifications. This is possible due to dependability, reliability and objectivity of examinations set by independent entities, i.e. Examination Partners. Being successful in examinations is confirmed by a certificate with a supplement including information on what learning outcomes have been achieved by the examined person. These particulars also include a percentage ratio of outcomes achieved within specific areas.