LEADERSHIP IN VET IN EUROPE

Characteristics and challenges

Grethe Haugøy

Author of Cedefop report on VET leadership

The life of a working paper…

• Published November 2011 by Cedefop

• Quoted by VET researchers in Spain, Lithuania, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia

• VET leadership still a white spot on the map of school leadership

• The EULIVET project

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

My presentation

• The importance of VET leadership

• The distinctiveness of VET leadership

• European governance trends influencing VET leadership

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

Definitions• Leadership vs management

(Bennis and Nanus)

• Leadership vs governance

• From the Cedefop report: positional leaders (employed in a recognised leadership position) in public or private IVET and CVET institutions• Excluding teachers, trainers,

facilitators, HR staff, training managers in companies, etc

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

The importance of VET leadership

• Leadership as a critical success factor in education and training

• The complexity of the VET landscape

• The expectations on learning outcomes of VET

• VET as an agent for change

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

The distinctiveness of VET leadership

The TTnet survey: interviews with VET leaders, policy-makers, leadership trainers and researchers in 10 countries:

Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Ireland, Finland, Hungary, Malta

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

The connection to the world of work

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

Stakeholder involvement

• Involvement of social partners (employers, trade unions)

• VET leaders to ‘realise possibilities’ for companies

• Short-term vs long-term views on education and training

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

HRM complexity

• High emphasis on internal and external training of staff to keep up with changes in labourmarket

• Complex staff with variety ofqualifications, work tasks, workcontracts, collectiveagreements

• Staff being both pedagoguesand technical experts

• Fluctuations and turnover ofstaff

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

Pedagogical leadership

• Changing curricula and learning materials

• Innovative study programme development

• Flexible learning designs and up-to-date learning environments

• Basic skills vs technical skills

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

Student group complexity

• IVET study programmes

• CVET training for companies

• Diverse student groups withwide age and skills range

• Disadvantaged students and low academic achievers

• Dropout

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

International networking

• Networking with VET actors abroad

• EU projects and co-operation

• Sharing good practice

• Student and staff mobility

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

European trends in governance

• Mergers

• Decentralisation

• Output focus

• Power sharing

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

Why mergers?

•Increase quality of VET

•Expand capacity•Make better use of

resources•Demographic decline

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

Decentralisation

• WHY? E&T resources will be more efficiently allocated if decisions are made closer to target group and local labour market needs

• From central authority to regional, local or institutional actors

• Transfer of power and work tasks

• Financial independence

• National curricula and VET policy vs local needs and policy

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

Output focus

• From input factors to learning results

• Measuring and evaluatingeffectiveness and results ofVET

• Quality assurance systems and benchmarks

• Outcome-based curricula and assessment procedures

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

Accountability and customer freedom

• Training vouchers and othermeasures to liberate learners and give them the freedom to choosebetween providers: the creation ofan education market

• Transparency and accountabilityof the use of public funds: New Public Management principles

• From education to skills development

• Breakdown of trust culture

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

Power sharing with social partners

Great variation in Europe

• Scandinavia, Germany, Austria: formalised systems of socialpartnerships with employer and employee associations

• UK: informal voluntary partnership

• ‘New’ member states: Increasingpartnerships (EE, LU, CZ, HU) or little/weak development (MT, SK, BG)

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

Leadership trends – and challenges

• Increased administrative work load

• Lack of sufficient/relevant training

• Performance-based salary and fixed-term contracts (NPM)

• Increased external networking and less pedagogical day-to-dayleadership

• Increased amount of negotiations, marketing, legal issues

• Increased planning, documentationand reporting

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

Leadership opportunities• Increased school autonomy

• Better quality monitoring

• Learner-centred approaches

• Greater diversity

• More room for experimenting and learning

• Budgetary independence

• Room for visible, courageousleadership

• Room for delegated and transformational leadership

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014

My contact details

Grethe Haugøy

grh@imdi.no

0047 46446595

EUproVET: EULIVET project conference, Alkmaar 16-17 June 2014