Report of task force on measuring lifelong learning

Citation

(2001), "Report of task force on measuring lifelong learning", Education + Training, Vol. 43 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2001.00443gab.013

Report of task force on measuring lifelong learning

Report of task force on measuring lifelong learningKeywords: Learning, Vocational training, Labour force, Europe

European surveys into lifelong learning should take more account of informal learning, says the report of a task force on measuring lifelong learning. The task force was set up by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) to explore ways of obtaining better statistical information to support the development of lifelong learning in Europe. It comprised representatives of Cedefop, Eurostat, the European Commission, seven EU member states, Eurydice, CEIES, OECD, Unesco and the ILO.

The EU definition of lifelong learning encompasses "all purposeful learning activity, formal and informal, undertaken on an ongoing basis, aiming to improve knowledge, skills and competence". The task force points out that European statistical surveys focus on participation and attainment in formal education and training systems and their labour-market outcomes. It recommends modifying existing surveys to recognize the importance of learning outside formal systems and the development of a classification of learning activities covering all types of formal and informal learning. The task force also proposes improvements to questions on education and training in the labour-force survey, and developing a standard form of questions in this area for use in other European statistical surveys.

Finally, the task force concludes that the ideal solution would be a dedicated, harmonized, household-based, lifelong-learning survey and suggests the next step towards this be a new European adult-education survey. Copies of the report are available on the Internet, at http://www.trainingvillage.gr/etv/newsletter/ns_files/TFMLLL.pdf .