Legal provisions of COM(2018)24 - Key Competences for Lifelong Learning

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dossier COM(2018)24 - Key Competences for Lifelong Learning.
document COM(2018)24 EN
date May 22, 2018
4.6.2018   ENOfficial Journal of the European UnionC 189/1


COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION

of 22 May 2018

on key competences for lifelong learning

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2018/C 189/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Articles 165 and 166 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1)The European Pillar of Social Rights (1) states as its first principle that everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and lifelong learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that allow full participation in society and successful transitions in the labour market. It also states the right of everyone ‘to timely and tailor-made assistance to improve employment or self-employment prospects, to training and re-qualification, to continued education and to support for job search’. Fostering the development of competences is one of the aims of the vision towards a European Education Area that would be able ‘to harness the full potential of education and culture as drivers for jobs, social fairness, active citizenship as well as means to experience European identity in all its diversity’ (2).

(2)People need the right set of skills and competences to sustain current standards of living, support high rates of employment and foster social cohesion in the light of tomorrow’s society and world of work. Supporting people across Europe in gaining the skills and competences needed for personal fulfilment, health, employability and social inclusion helps to strengthen Europe’s resilience in a time of rapid and profound change.

(3)In 2006, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union adopted a Recommendation on key competences for lifelong learning. In that Recommendation the Member States were asked ‘to develop the provision of key competences for all as part of their lifelong learning strategies, including their strategies for achieving universal literacy, and use the ‘Key Competences for Lifelong Learning — A European Reference Framework’ (3). Since its adoption, the Recommendation was a key reference document for the development of competence-oriented education, training and learning.

(4)Nowadays, competence requirements have changed with more jobs being subject to automation, technologies playing a bigger role in all areas of work and life, and entrepreneurial, social and civic competences becoming more relevant in order to ensure resilience and ability to adapt to change.

(5)At the same time, international surveys such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) or the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) indicate a constant high share of teenagers and adults with insufficient basic skills. In 2015 one in five pupils had serious difficulties in developing sufficient reading, mathematic or science skills. (4) In some countries up to one third of adults are proficient at only the lowest levels in literacy and numeracy (5). 44 % of the Union population have low or no (19 %) digital skills (6).

(6)Consequently, investing in basic skills has become more relevant than ever. High quality education, including extra-curricular activities and a broad approach to competence development, improves achievement levels in basic skills. In addition, new ways of learning need to be explored for a society that is becoming increasingly mobile and digital. (7) Digital technologies have an impact on education, training and learning by developing more flexible learning environments adapted to the needs of a highly mobile society (8).

(7)In the knowledge economy, memorisation of facts and procedures is key, but not enough for progress and success. Skills, such as problem solving, critical thinking, ability to cooperate, creativity, computational thinking, self-regulation are more essential than ever before in our quickly changing society. They are the tools to make what has been learned work in real time, in order to generate new ideas, new theories, new products, and new knowledge.

(8)The New Skills Agenda for Europe (9) announced the review of the 2006 Recommendation on key competences for lifelong learning acknowledging that investing in skills and competences and in a shared and updated understanding of key competences is a first step for fostering education, training and non-formal learning in Europe.

(9)Responding to the changes in society and economy, reflecting discussions on the future of work, and following the public consultation on the review of the 2006 Recommendation on key competences, both the Recommendation and the European Reference Framework of key competences for lifelong learning need to be revised and updated.

(10)The development of key competences, their validation and the provision of competence-oriented education, training and learning should be supported by establishing good practices for better support of educational staff in their tasks and improving their education, for updating assessment and validation methods and tools, and for introducing new and innovative forms of teaching and learning (10). Therefore, basing itself on the experiences of the last decade, this Recommendation should address the challenges in implementing competence-oriented education, training and learning.

(11)Supporting the validation of competences acquired in different contexts will enable individuals to have their competences recognised and obtain full or, where applicable, partial qualifications (11). It can build on the existing arrangements for the validation of non-formal and informal learning as well as the European Qualification Framework (12), which provides a common reference framework to compare levels of qualifications, indicating the competences required to achieve them. In addition, assessment may help in structuring learning processes and in guidance, helping people to improve their competences also with regard to changing requirements on the labour market (13).

(12)The definition of the set of key competences needed for personal fulfilment, health, employability and social inclusion has been shaped not only by societal and economic developments, but also by various initiatives in Europe during the last decade. Special attention has been given to improving basic skills, investing in language learning, improving digital and entrepreneurial competences, the relevance of common values in the functioning of our societies, and motivating more young people to engage in science related careers. These developments should be reflected in the Reference Framework.

(13)Target 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals highlights the need to ‘ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development’ (14). Unesco’s Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development affirms that education for sustainable development is an integral element of quality education and key enabler of all other Sustainable Development Goals. This aim is reflected in the revision of the Reference Framework.

(14)The provision of language learning, which is increasingly important for modern societies, intercultural understanding and cooperation, profits from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This Framework helps to identify the main elements of the competence and supports the learning process. It also lays the foundation of defining language competences, in particular those referring to foreign languages and is reflected in the update of the Reference Framework.

(15)The development of the Digital Competence Framework and the Entrepreneurship Competence Framework support competence development. Likewise, the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture presents a comprehensive set of values, skills and attitudes for an appropriate participation in democratic societies. All of these have been taken into due consideration when updating the Reference Framework.

(16)In order to motivate more young people to engage in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related careers, initiatives across Europe started to link science education more closely with the arts and other subjects, using inquiry-based pedagogy, and engaging with a wide range of societal actors and industries. While the definition of those competences has not changed much over the years, the support of competence development in STEM becomes increasingly relevant and should be reflected in this Recommendation.

(17)The importance and relevance of non-formal and informal learning is evident from the experiences acquired through culture, youth work, voluntary work as well as grassroots sport. Non-formal and informal learning play an important role in supporting the development of essential interpersonal, communicative and cognitive skills such as: critical thinking, analytical skills, creativity, problem solving and resilience that facilitate young people’s transition to adulthood, active citizenship and working life (15). Establishing better cooperation between different learning settings helps promoting a variety of learning approaches and contexts (16).

(18)In addressing the development of key competences in a lifelong learning perspective, support should be ensured at all levels of education, training and learning pathways: to develop quality early childhood education and care (17), to further enhance school education and ensure excellent teaching (18), to provide up-skilling pathways to low-skilled adults (19) as well as to further develop initial and continuing vocational education and training and modernise higher education (20).

(19)This Recommendation should cover a wide range of education, training and learning settings, both formal, non-formal and informal in a lifelong learning perspective. It should seek to establish a shared understanding of competences which can support transitions and cooperation between these different learning settings. It sets out good practices that could address the needs of educational staff which includes teachers, trainers, teacher educators, leaders of education and training institutes, employees in charge of training colleagues, researchers and university lecturers, youth workers and adult educators as well as employers and labour market stakeholders. This Recommendation also addresses institutions and organisations, including social partners and civil society organisations, guiding and supporting people in improving their competences from early age on throughout their lives.

(20)This Recommendation fully respects the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality,

HAS ADOPTED THIS RECOMMENDATION

Member States should:

1.support the right to quality and inclusive education, training and lifelong learning and ensure opportunities for all to develop key competences by making full use of the ‘Key Competences for Lifelong Learning — A European Reference Framework’ as set out in the Annex, and
1.1.support and reinforce the development of key competences from an early age and throughout life, for all individuals, as part of national lifelong learning strategies;

1.2.support all learners, including those facing disadvantages, or having special needs, to fulfil their potential;

2.support the development of key competences paying special attention to:
2.1.raising the level of achievement of basic skills (literacy, numeracy and basic digital skills) and supporting the development of learning to learn competence as a constantly improved basis for learning and participation in society in a lifelong perspective;

2.2.raising the level of personal, social and learning to learn competence to improve health conscious, future-oriented life management;

2.3.fostering the acquisition of competences in sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), taking into account their link to the arts, creativity and innovation and motivating more young people, especially girls and young women, to engage in STEM careers;

2.4.increasing and improving the level of digital competences at all stages of education and training, across all segments of the population;

2.5.nurturing entrepreneurship competence, creativity and the sense of initiative especially among young people, for example by promoting opportunities for young learners to undertake at least one practical entrepreneurial experience during their school education;

2.6.increasing the level of language competences in both official and other languages and supporting learners to learn different languages relevant to their working and living situation and that may contribute to cross-border communication and mobility;

2.7.fostering the development of citizenship competences with the aim of strengthening the awareness of common values, as referred to in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;

2.8.increasing the awareness of all learners and educational staff of the importance of the acquisition of key competences and their relation to society;

3.facilitate the acquisition of key competences by making use of good practices to support the development of the key competences as set out in the Annex, in particular by:
3.1.promoting a variety of learning approaches and environments, including the adequate use of digital technologies, in education, training and learning settings;

3.2.providing support to educational staff as well as other stakeholders supporting learning processes, including families, to enhance key competences of learners as part of the approach for lifelong learning in education, training and learning settings;

3.3.supporting and further developing the assessment and validation of key competences acquired in different settings in line with the Member States’ rules and procedures;

3.4.reinforcing collaboration between education, training and learning settings at all levels, and in different fields, to improve the continuity of learner competence development and the development of innovative learning approaches;

3.5.reinforcing tools, resources and guidance in education, training, employment and other learning settings to support people in managing their lifelong learning pathways;

4.mainstream the ambitions of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), in particular within the SDG4.7, into education, training and learning, including by fostering the acquisition of knowledge about limiting the multifaceted nature of climate change and using natural resources in a sustainable way;

5.report through existing frameworks and tools of the Strategic Framework for European Cooperation in Education and Training (ET2020) and any successor framework on experiences and progress in promoting key competences in all education and training sectors, including non-formal and, as far as possible, informal learning;

HEREBY WELCOMES THAT THE COMMISSION WITH DUE REGARD TO MEMBER STATES’ COMPETENCES:

6.supports the implementation of the Recommendation and the use of the European Reference Framework by facilitating mutual learning among Member States and developing in cooperation with Member States reference material and tools such as:
6.1.where appropriate, frameworks for specific competences which facilitate development and assessment of competences (21);

6.2.evidence-based guidance material on new forms of learning and supportive approaches;

6.3.support tools for educational staff, and other stakeholders, such as on-line training courses, self-assessment tools (22), networks, including eTwinning and the Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe (EPALE);

6.4.approaches to the assessment and support of validation of key competences acquired following up on previous work in the context of ET2020 (23) and any successor framework;

7.supports initiatives to further develop and promote education for sustainable development with regard to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 on inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all;

8.reports on experiences and good practices to enhance key competences of learners as part of the approach for lifelong learning in education, training and learning settings in the Union through existing frameworks and tools.

This Recommendation replaces the Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on key competences for lifelong learning.