Adult education is an important element in the Flemish recovery plan. With the strategic plan “Edusprong for adults: adult education reinforced”, Flanders will boost adult education in order to make it even more central to social mobility in Flanders. Flanders has earmarked 60 million euro for retraining, extra training and qualifications that will help overcome the backlog of adult education caused by the health crisis as well address structural challenges. The key elements of the plan are (1) strengthening digital competences, (2) tackling unqualified youth and (3) strengthening labour market opportunities.
Edusprong wants to make adult education in Flanders a strong and well-known brand that connects with the labour market and other training providers. This plan has been developed and will be implemented as part of a long-term vision on lifelong learning and in collaboration with the public employment service of Flanders (VDAB), Syntra and other stakeholders.
Adult education courses are offered according to a modular organisation: the subject matter is offered in modules. A module is the smallest part of a programme to be certified, corresponding to a certain content, size and level. Under certain conditions, the Centres for Basic Education and Centres for Adult Education can set up open modules, allowing them to offer a certain, relevant selection of basic competences tailored to learner(s). This possibility already exists in the areas of mathematics, Dutch and literacy in Dutch second language of primary education and in the literacy modules of secondary adult education.
Because of the need for a more tailored NT2 offer, from 1 September 2020, CVOs will be able to offer open modules with a selection of basic competences from the entire study area NT2 Guideline 1 and Guideline 2 or NT2 Guideline 3 and Guideline 4. At the level of directive 1 and 2, CVOs can also organise a tailor-made offer for the written NT2 competences.
This can improve the flow of students from primary adult education to secondary adult education. In addition, centres can offer these open modules for refresher courses for students who have been out of class for some time and who have lost this writing ability due to few writing opportunities. At the level of guideline 3 and 4, open modules are important for students who are already highly educated in a language other than Dutch, but who mainly need targeted work on specific NT2 basic competences at a higher level. A more specific, target-oriented offer tailored to the students in the high proficiency levels can help these students to acquire all basic competencies and to obtain a certificate of proficiency level 3 or 4 without much loss of time.
Under the EVC decree of 26 April 2019 (see annual overview 2018 and 2019), candidates who have passed the assessment of an accredited EVC test centre may obtain a certificate of professional qualification. If this certificate of professional qualification corresponds to a diploma-based vocational training course in secondary adult education, it may lead to a diploma of secondary education as from 1 September 2020 in combination with a certificate of the supplementary general education course. This is automatically the case when the certificate of vocational qualification has been issued by a Centre for Adult Education or issued by another organisation in accordance with the GKK decree of 26 April 2019 (see annual overview 2019). Only CVOs can issue a diploma secondary education.
The Department of Education and Training foresees means to develop EVC instruments and - in anticipation of structural funding - to stimulate the Centres for Adult Education (CVO) to offer EVC pathways.
This new call for EVC projects in CVO is part of the implementation of the integrated EVC policy approved by the Flemish government in 2019 (see overview 2019). The elaboration of EVC trajectories starts with the preparation and approval of EVC standards. Valid and reliable EVC instruments will be developed on the basis of these standards. To support this process, project grants will be awarded to adult education centres. There are 2 types of project resources and the timing relatied to them differs:
InnoVET stands for Innovation in Vocational Education and Training (VET). With InnoVET, vocational education is strengthened. The programme is in line with the European programme on Centres for Vocational Excellence, which started in 2019, and which is resolutely in favour of innovation and transition trajectories.
InnoVET provides financial support to schools that want to innovatively tackle current and socially relevant challenges and work on (technical) developments. The project consists of three phases: a start-up phase (first half of 2019), a project phase (2019 -2020) and a disseminating phase (2020-2021). The end result of the project phase is the availability of thirteen well-documented, tested and thus replicable/modifiable, highly innovative pathways, specifically for VET SE. The results will be shared as good practices both in Flanders and elsewhere in Europe.
On 26 April 2019, the Flemish Parliament approved the decree on an integrated policy for the recognition of acquired competences (EVC). The decree ensures that individuals can have their competencies assessed in EVC test centres established within educational institutions or other public or private organisations. The new regulations determine the conditions for being allowed to act as a test centre and define the framework for the organisation and financing of the EVC test centres in various policy areas. Recognising competencies allows people with experience to achieve a qualification faster.
10 pilot projects were approved, 6 development committees were established, a number of EVC standards were drawn up, and the first steps to develop assessment instruments were taken. A total of 28 centres for adult education are involved in these pilot projects. They will choose a professional qualification that is related to vocational training in which they have expertise and prepare EVC instruments (test material for the assessment) based on EVC standards. They will also test these instruments and allow EVC candidates to complete the assessment. The project will be evaluated in December 2019.
In 2018 pilot projects involving EVC for adult education were set up. These initiatives fit within the Flemish Upskilling Pathways framework: New Opportunities for Adults Implementation Plan, implementing the European recommendation by the same name. The Department of Work and Social Economy and the Department of Education and Training are working together to increase the chances of low-skilled people on the labour market by validating competencies and making follow-up processes visible and possible.
The Flemish Parliament approved the decree on quality control for professional qualifications based on a common quality framework. This system of external quality control not only assures the learner but also a (current or future) employer that the evidence provided meets the stated professional qualification, regardless of the learning path or training provider through which the competences have been acquired.
The new financing decree for adult education enters into force on 1 September 2019. This new system will be monitored from 2020 with a view to a possible refinement of the system from school year 2023-2024 onward.
This reform stipulates that the resources a centre receives for Dutch as a second language and literacy courses in basic education centres will correspond to the number of students that centre serves (open-ended funding). The reform aims to guarantee more opportunities for every student, with special attention to vulnerable groups. For example, centres with a larger number of low-skilled students, students or trainees following a recognised trajectory to work, or detainees will, in the new system, receive more resources. The Flemish Government also intends to make a stronger focus on qualification. For example, the Flemish Government wants to remedy the unqualified outflow from compulsory education through adult education and to strengthen students on their way to further education or professional career.
The Flemish Government is taking steps to make dual learning possible in the context of adult education and higher education (for more information, see 14.2).
In 2018, a European Social Fund (ESF) call for pilot projects focusing on dual learning in higher and adult education was launched. With this call, the Flemish Government wanted to finance pilot project that explores the possibilities and modalities of dual learning in higher education and adult education.
The ESF agency approved a total of 14 projects, including one that organises a learning network. 13 other projects will work out dual learning processes and trajectories. 4 of the 13 projects will work out a dual track in adult education, 9 in higher education (short cycle, bachelor's and master's degrees) and one in both higher- and adult education. These 13 projects include a preparatory phase of 6 months and an implementation phase in the school/academic year 2019-2020.
The learning network is made up by the Department of Education and Training in collaboration with SYNTRA Flanders. Through this network, the various approved projects will be monitored and guided, problems or obstacles in the implementation of the projects can be detected, peer review can take place, information sharing and networking can be encouraged, policy recommendations can be formulated, and answers to policy dilemmas can be found. The approved projects started on 5 March 2019 and will run for a period of 18 months.