Opportunities for non-formal learning?
Article Type: Research news From: Education + Training, Volume 51, Issue 3
CEDEFOP report on opportunities for non-formal learning across Europe. The research draws on data from the European Adult Education Survey (AES), the European Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the European Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS) to form a complete system of EU statistics on lifelong learning (see Figure 1).
The European AES covered participation in all types of lifelong learning(formal, non-formal, informal) and their characteristics; it included modules on self-reported IT and language skills, and on social and cultural participation.
One of the indicators reflecting on non-formal learning is how provision in countries is distributed among various providers.
Key points:
In all countries where final data are available, employers together with formal and non-formal education/training institutions provide at least half of all non formal learning activities. The other half is provided by equipment suppliers, employers’ organisations and trade unions, non-profit associations (political parties and alike) and non commercial institutions(libraries and alike), individuals and “others” (not defined elsewhere). But shares for single such providers are rarely above 10 per cent.
The data confirm the prominent role of firms in providing non-formal learning activities that can be considered mainly as continuing vocational training: in half of the countries, more than one third of all activities is provided by firms; provision by education and training institutions is below 20 per cent, except in Latvia (35 per cent) and Greece (27 per cent).
In the other countries provision by education and training institutions is generally more pronounced; shares range from 21 per cent in Italy to 63 per cent in Poland.
The more prominent role of education and training institutions is observed above all in East European Member States (Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia).
