Competence development in working life Recommendations and reflexions from the social partners 1 2 Competence development in working life Recommendations and reflexions from the social partners 15 June 2020 3 NVL 2020 © Nordic Network for Adult Learning nvl.org ISBN 978-952-7140-67-3 This publication has been financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers through the strategic means of NVL. Writers: Ida Thomson and Anne Solsvik Photos: Adobe Stock unless otherwise stated Layout: Marika Elina Kaarlela/Gekkografia 4 Table of contents 1. Summary . 6 2. Preface . 8 Background................................................. 9 An acute need for transition brought on by corona.............. 10 Purpose of the network ...................................... 11 Focus and definition of the activities of the network ............ 12 Definition of competence . 14 Working method of the network .............................. 15 3. Perspective on competence development in working life ........ 16 Structure of the report . 19 Target group................................................ 19 4. Why competencedevelopment in and forworking life is needed ..20 Supporting working life in the wake of the pandemic ........... 21 Constant changes – constantly new needs for qualifications . 23 Basic competence in order to benefit from competence development.................................... 24 Sustainability – several perspectives . 26 New colleagues – new mindsets . 28 Increased focus on general competence ....................... 29 5. Prerequisites in the context of the society, companies and the individual ........................................... 30 Reflexions in the network . 31 Nordic examples . 36 6. Survey of competencies and an anlysis of competence needs of companies and individuals........................... 40 Reflexions in the network . 41 Nordic examples . 47 7. Flexible, digital and effective competence development . 50 Reflexions in the network . 51 Nordic examples . 54 8. Recommendations from the network and concluding reflexions ................................................60 Appendix Program and participants in the arranged seminars . 62 Members of the network..................................... 64 5 1 Summary The NVL network “Competence in Recommendations and for working life” consists of rep- resentatives of the social partners (employee- and employer organisa- 1 tions) in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, A national policy for qualifications Norway and Sweden. and skills with a central role for the social partners There is a need for a comprehensive policy in each of Economic the Nordic countries to strengthen the perspectives Governance for lifelong and life wide learning. This requires a strengthening of the possibilities for further develop- ment and transition of adults. When developing a national qualifications and skills policy, tripartite Organized Public partnership must be guaranteed for accuracy, legit- Welfare Work imacy and long-term sustainability. 2 THE NORDIC MODEL Qualifications required in the working The network has functioned as a plat- life as basis for learning form for the exchange of experiences The network sees a necessity to develop a more and knowledge, with different per- effective method of defining and formulating the need spectives on the theme development for qualifications and skills in working life, as a basis of qualifications for employees. The for education within and outside the formal educa- ambition has been to highlight the tion and training system. The European Qualifications different dimensions, which either Network (EQF) offers a framework for this and can weaken or strengthen the oppor- guarantee compatibility over the borders. A continued tunities for learning in working life, Nordic exchange of experiences of how the qualifica- tions in working life can be developed and used, will be and show examples of this. useful, as the countries and the different branches of The results of this work during the the economy are at different stages of development. years 2018–2020 is presented in this final report. The network presents its collected recommendations, which 3 point out some prerequisites, con- Educational information and sidered by the members as important career guidance for the development of competence in The availability of career guidance for adults must working life. be ensured and developed in order to increase the 6 individuals’ faculties for making conscious and order to create a better targeted competence well-informed choices throughout their working development. The work for the development life. The digital possibilities for a more flexible of competence in the context of society, com- and accessible career guidance must be explored. panies and individuals must be more based on a In order to get a better overview of the situation GAP analysis, where existing qualifications are in the development of skills and qualifications, compared with the need for competence. The the ambition in each country should be to create network fully endorses the conclusions of the one simple access to the existing educational and NVL validation network, concerning validation training system – a platform that would round in working life. up possible means for skills development, both for those in and outside working life, as well as 7 employers. Better educational information may Continued focus on basic skills also improve the employers’ possibilities to orien- and general competence tate themselves in the educational opportunities. A broad knowledge base is the prerequisite for the development of individuals throughout the 4 entire working life. It is therefore necessary to More digital and flexible learning continue to strengthen the digital skills of adults The network sees also a need for enhanced flexi- – but also other skills such as literacy, in order to bility in the educational and training system so assure that they can re-learn and learn new skills that education can more quickly adapt to the throughout their lives. The network endorses the changing needs of working life. More flexible, conclusions of the NVL network on basic quali- digital educational programs have increased, fications and its recommendations for the need partly because of the ongoing pandemic. This of reinforced digital competence. The network also applies to the possibilities for multilateral also sees a need for ongoing focus on general cooperation concerning a narrower category of qualifications, such as creativity and the capac- education, for example within different clusters ity to adapt to change, which will be of greater in industry. importance in the future. The development of methods for better identification and utilization of general competence is required. 5 Motivation and Return on Investment The network sees an ongoing need for strength- ening the motivation of businesses and indi- The network concluded its activities during the viduals to work towards the development of continuing corona pandemic (summer 2020). qualifications and skills. This has to be continued The crisis rapidly actualized many of the per- in several areas – both through strengthening spectives on competence development in and the incentives and possibilities for the improve- for working life that the network had worked ment of qualifications and skills, but also by with during two years. The crisis shows in many highlighting and spreading knowledge of the ways the importance of an intentional com- value of competence development. petence policy and a society, businesses and individuals, geared up to a quick readjustment of their qualifications to changing conditions 6 in the world around us. The network therefore Competency mapping and validation emphasizes the importance of following the of competence in working life development and learning from competence Competency mapping and validation of compe- development in working life, during and after tence in working life must be increased in the ongoing pandemic. 7 2 Preface Economic Governance Organized Public Work Welfare 8 2 Preface The continuing social development requires adjustment and continuing development of qualifications throughout the entire working life. A global incident such as the corona pan- demic, which hit the world in 2020, also shows how the normal proceedings of the labour market can quickly be rendered ineffective. Certain branches and qualifications are suddenly no longer demanded, while the need for new qualifications is accelerated in other branches. What is required of the employees in small, medium and large businesses, private as well as public, so that they can develop their qualifications and skills in step with the changing requirements? How can competence be valorised and developed in times of rapid changes in the labour market? Which are our common challenges in the Nordic countries, and what kind of creative examples and possible solutions do we share? These are the issues which the network on “Competence in and for working life” focused on. The results of the work 2018-2020 are presented in this final report. Background The network on “Competence in and for working life” is one of the several expert networks under the umbrella of the Nordic network for adult education (NVL). The network was launched in the autumn of 2018, and is partly a successor to an earlier network called “Competence from the perspective of working life”, the results of which were presented during 2017, in a report under the same name. It took up a number of strategic issues,