Adult learning in Norway an overview October 2010

Transcription

1 Adult learning in Norway an overview October 2010 Principles, regulations and structures Through the educational reforms enacted in the 1990s a new focus was placed on lifelong learning, which was turned into a key principle of Norwegian education policies. Acknowledgement of the fact that learning is obtained in various arenas and contexts throughout life, in a lifelong and life-wide perspective, has resulted in an expanded vision of learning, including a wider spectrum of options and opportunities for each individual to realize personal desires and needs. White Paper No. 42 ( ) to the Storting, The Competence Reform, constitutes the basis for the Norwegian 1999 Competence Reform. The reform applies to the labour sphere, as well as the educational system, and comprises all adults in the labour market as well as outside it. At the basis of the reform lies the idea that a well-educated population constitutes the nation s most important resource when it comes to maintaining existing workplaces and creating new ones, enhancing quality of life and preventing the emergence of new class distinctions. The Competence Reform entitled all adults to education up to the upper secondary level (basic education and training). The system for documentation and validation of prior learning is a further result of the reform. The reform also improved the existing schemes for educational grants and loans, established an entitlement to educational leave and allowed for tax exemptions for training funded by employers. References to adult learning can also be found in several subsequent White Papers to the Storting, for example White Paper No. 44 ( ) to the Storting, Education strategy. The Ministry of Education and Research is responsible for all Norwegian educational policies. The various educational fields are regulated by separate legislative acts for basic education (up to the upper secondary level), tertiary vocational training and higher education respectively. The rights of adults are integrated in the various acts that apply to education. Other applicable legislation includes the act on adult education, which applies to the adult education associations and web-based training programmes, as well as legislation pertaining to the folk high schools and other private schools. Norwegian language training for immigrants and refugees is ensured by the Introduction Act, which is administered by the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion. The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training is responsible for all formal basic schooling, for young people as well as adults. The county councils are charged with the provision of upper secondary education, while the municipalities have a similar responsibility for primary and lower

2 secondary schools. Municipalities must also provide Norwegian language and social science training for adult immigrants. Vox is a national agency for competence policy, with a special focus on adult learning. Vox is an agency under the Ministry of Education and Research, and its main goal is to contribute to enhanced participation on the labour market and in society in general. Brief historical retrospect The history of the Norwegian adult education associations goes back to popular movements at the end of the 19th century. The concept of adult education came into use in the 1950s, for example in public documents and by the labour movement. Adult education should include all arenas, levels and forms of education used by adults. The Norwegian Adult Education Act came into force as early as The act comprised all forms of adult education, formal as well as informal. Major changes have taken place in the field of education and training since the act came into force 30-odd years ago. Currently adult education is also regulated by other legislation, such as the Education Act. Formal adult education Formal education refers to training that results in a defined and approved skill level (a formal competence that entitles the student to a diploma, professional certificate or another public document), obtained through public or private institutions According to the Education Act, adults have an individual entitlement to education up to the upper secondary level. Primary and lower secondary education (2002) is provided on the basis of need, while the entitlement to upper secondary education and training (2002) is linked to previously completed levels of education. The education and training follows the national curriculum for basic education that was introduced in the autumn of 2006, Knowledge Promotion. The training structure in the Knowledge Promotion reform comprises three programmes for general studies and nine vocational training programmes. This entitlement to upper secondary education and training for adults comprises general studies as well as vocational training, and also validation of informal and non-formal learning. Adults who have previously not completed the upper secondary level can apply for free access to such training from the age of 25. Adults who have an entitlement to education and training are also entitled to validation and certification of their informal and non-formal learning. The provision should be adapted to adults, and be based on the adult students pre-existing skills. In this manner, adults can be exempt from certain modules and components and complete their education over a shorter period of time.

3 The entitlement to basic education comprises the subjects that are compulsory for completion of the lower secondary level. These subjects are Norwegian language, mathematics, English, social sciences and natural sciences. Adults are also entitled to special-needs education at the primary and lower secondary levels. This applies to adults who do not or are unable to benefit in a satisfactory manner from regular educational programmes for adults. The objective of the Vocational College Act (2003) is to establish a highquality tertiary vocational training opportunity which is subject to a public approval scheme. Vocational college training is defined as a vocational training programme beyond the upper secondary level or validation of equivalent informal and non-formal qualifications, with a duration of at least one half of an academic year and a maximum of two academic years. Vocational college training results in skills that can be put to use in the labour market with no need for further general training. The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT) is charged with the approval of the vocational colleges. Once a training programme has been approved as fulfilling the requirements to for the vocational college level, the students will also be eligible for financial support from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund. Education at the university and university college level is regulated in a separate act. This act applies to this level of education in general, and from 2001 the act also comprises provisions for validation of informal and non-formal learning. Norwegian language and socio-cultural orientation The entitlement and obligation of immigrants to undergo Norwegian language training is regulated by the Introduction Act. Curriculum for Norwegian language and socio-cultural orientation is a set of regulations appurtenant to the act, and Vox is responsible for implementation of the curriculum. The municipalities must provide free training (300 hours) to immigrants who have an entitlement and an obligation. A municipality may choose to delegate this task to an adult education association or another provider. The participants are registered in the National Introduction Registry (NIR). Immigrants who have an obligation (who intend to apply for permanent residency or citizenship) must fulfil certain linguistic requirements, which must be documented. Other providers can apply for approval of relevant training programmes (valid for three years). Vox has approved seven private providers in addition to the universities/university colleges, web-based schools and folk high schools, which all have advance approval. Vox monitors the private providers that have been approved. Non-formal learning

4 Along with learning in formal and non-formal structures, working life is of major importance as an arena for lifelong learning in Norway. A large proportion of all non-formal learning takes place in enterprises. Studies show that brief, professionally related or technology-oriented courses constitute a common form of training in industrial life. Employers tend to seek provision of continuing or further education in relation to immediate needs. Vox undertakes annual quantitative and qualitative studies targeting enterprise managers and the population as a whole, with a view to various aspects of workplace-based training. The new Adult Education Act came into force on 1 January The objective of the act is to support organized training activities outside the formal system of education. The act regulates the approvals required for eligibility for public grants to adult education associations, and approval of web-based schools (distance education). It also stipulates the conditions for public grants to approved private schools. The act defines six general objectives for the activities of the adult education associations, requirements for approval, the model for the public grant and monitoring/supervision. Vox administers the grants to the adult education associations and the web-based schools. The purpose of the Folk High School Act is to facilitate the establishment and operation of folk high schools in Norway. The act defines conditions for grants, the model to be used for grants and requirements for the learning environment. The folk high school is an independent school with no examinations. These schools constitute a supplement to the learning that takes place in the formal system of education and in industrial life. The Directorate of Education and Training is responsible for management of the folk high schools. Basic skills According to estimates, Norwegian adults 1 possess insufficient basic skills in literacy and numeracy to be able to cope with the challenges of modern labour and social life. The Programme for Basic Competence in Working Life (BKA) is intended to strengthen basic skills in reading, writing, numeracy and ICT among adult employees and job applicants, to reduce attrition from the labour market and to increase participation rates in education and training programmes. Private and public enterprises can apply for grants for motivational activities and for training courses for 1 The figure is an estimate based on OECD s international ALL survey (Adult Literacy and Life Skills), in which Norway participated in 2003.

5 reading, writing, numeracy and ICT. Training providers and industrial organizations can also apply in cooperation with a private or public enterprise. The programme has recently been made permanent and is administered by Vox, the national agency for lifelong learning. Validation of prior learning and the qualifications framework The three-year Validation of prior learning project ( ) was the Government s response to implement the Storting s decision to establish a system that gives all adults an entitlement to document their prior learning, without having to go through traditional exams or tests. The concept of prior learning comprises the sum of the formal, nonformal and informal qualifications that the adult possesses. The Norwegian concept of realkompetanse thereby comprises the sum of all skills that a person has acquired through the system of education, paid or unpaid work, organizational activities, family life and social life. Validation of prior learning describes the process through which a person has his or her learning assessed and recognized in relation to various areas of its potential use. National efforts pertaining to the recognition of prior learning comprise four main elements: Schemes for documentation and validation of prior learning with a view to entry into training at the upper secondary level, including testing of work-related competence for qualification for work Validation of prior learning as a basis for access to higher education and possible exemptions from courses Documentation of prior learning from employment Documentation of prior learning from courses and participation in voluntary organizations (the non-formal sector) The county councils are obligated to provide validation of prior learning to adults who have an entitlement to upper secondary education and training, as well as to persons who are referred for such validation by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) with a view to qualification for work. They can also accept applications for validation from individuals. The obligation also applies to validation of informal and nonformal learning for prison inmates, since the education authorities are charged with provision of training for persons with prison sentences. The county councils should make sure that the validation is undertaken in a good and correct manner. The assessment should be performed by qualified personnel, and in accordance with the requirements defined by the curriculum for upper secondary education, Knowledge Promotion. The Act Relating to Universities and University Colleges stipulates that applicants older than 25 years who have no general university and college admissions certification can apply for admission on the basis of relevant

6 prior learning. The act also gives students an opportunity to apply for exemptions for part of the programme of study, meaning that they can be granted exemptions from certain exams or tests on the basis of documented prior learning. Documentation of skills acquired through participation in organizational activities and non-formal training is a further key aspect of the recognition of prior learning. The training courses held by the adult education associations could in many cases contribute to qualifications for both work and studies. Documenting such training remains a challenge, and ensuring that the individuals who perform the validation process recognize the content of this training as valid constitutes another. In 2009 Vox was charged with the implementation of a two-year project with the objective of improving coordination between those who hold the formal responsibility for validation of prior learning on the one hand, and other stakeholders and the social partners on the other. National qualifications framework (NQF) The Ministry of Education and Research has established a project that will produce a proposal for a unified national framework, parallel with the clarification of frameworks at various levels of education. A reference group has been established, consisting of representatives from industrial life and the education sector. This work should be completed by the first quarter of One challenge in this context is to identify the interconnections between validation of informal and non-formal learning and a national qualifications framework, and how the interplay between these can contribute to promotion of lifelong learning. Career guidance To have information about, and access to, proper guidance concerning education and work is important for adults at various stages of life. Regional partnerships for career guidance have been established in all counties. These partnerships will cooperate to provide and coordinate career guidance schemes between the county councils, the municipalities, schools, universities, university colleges and the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration, as well as involve the trade unions, employers organizations and local industry. As part of the follow-up of White Paper No. 44 ( ) to the Storting, a national coordinating unit for career guidance will be established from 1 January 2011 and integrated into Vox. This is one of the measures taken to prevent wrong career decisions and concurrent reorientations, which are costly to the individual as well as to society. Participation and statistics The Learning Conditions Monitor is an annual appraisal of learning and competence development among adults. It shows that the volume of

7 learning activities has been relatively stable during recent years. Half of the employed respondents reported that they had participated in courses or other training activities during The proportion of the population in the age group who participate in formal continuing education has been relatively stable during recent years. The county councils submit reports on rights-based education at the upper secondary level, including adults. The municipalities submit reports on education activity at the primary and lower secondary levels. The reporting with regard to adults has certain weaknesses. In 2009, approximately 41,000 adults were enrolled in education and training at the upper secondary level, most of them took health and social studies or aimed to obtain a general university and college admissions certification. Barely 4,000 adults underwent ordinary training at the primary or lower secondary level, and more than 70 per cent of these were minoritylanguage students. Adult education associations, web-based schools and folk high schools submit annual reports on their activities. The statistics generated by the adult education associations have some weaknesses, for example regarding course levels, and pertaining to whether the number of participants reflects the number of actual persons. Courses in Norwegian language and socio-cultural orientation are annually attended by more than 25,000 participants. Since its inception in 2006, the Programme for Basic Competence in Working Life (BKA) has been attended by more than 13,000 participants (2010). The Vox Mirror is an annual statistics publication describing adult participation in education and training activities.