Abstract

In a context of strong professional uncertainty, social and economic changes characterized by restructuring in the production sector (frequent renewal of professions, changes in the forms and organization of work), the individual is expected to take initiatives, adapt and be autonomous in the performance of tasks while possibly changing professions several times during his or her career. It is no longer a question of producing reproducible behaviors, but of developing dispositions to generate behaviors adapted to diverse and changing situations (Chauvigné and Coulet, 2010). These new societal demands call into question the modalities and place of professionalization in higher education. Thus, the development of university professional training is reaffirmed as a priority by the member states of the European Union. The university has a role to play in linking the training offer with the needs of the economic world. In this context, how to accompany students in the construction of their professional project and in a reflection on their experiences in training, in internships or in other life contexts (Khasanzyanova and Duceux, 2016)? How can we promote the transfer of students' skills and knowledge for professional integration? Through “focus groups”, interviews with students and their internship document folder, the aim is to understand the students' academic experience and to study the conditions for transferring the skills developed. The notions of experience, informal learning, autonomy and transfer will be examined. Finally, directions for the academic training of undergraduate students to foster links between practice and theory will also be considered.

• Albina Khasanzyanova, Catholic University of the West, France
• Yann Duceux, University of Reims Champagne Ardenne, France

Abstract

Since their very inception some five thousand years ago, the rationale for the establishment of schools and supply of education was to train students for the labour market, and to supply the labour market with skilled labour. That was also one of the driving motivations of the global education expansion project which took off after the Second World War and which is continuing right up to this day. Yet since the early 1970s, brought to a head by the 1973, schooled unemployment and even graduate unemployment have been a growing problem worldwide.

With these two apparent contradictory trends in recent world history and in contemporary times, of frantic education expansion and growing schooled and even graduate unemployment, the search for finding a formula aligning world of work and world of education has been compelling. This paper surveys the major strategies that have been pursued by education planners all over the world in achieving this holy grail. This paper argues that the scholarly field of Comparative and International Education has a valuable and indispensable contribution to make in this quest. The paper explains the particular study object and objectives and significance of Comparative and International Education, and after having surveyd the rich stock of theoretical positions in the field, suggests that this field is turned to in the search for a solution to the challenge of matching education and work.

Optimising transversal skills in higher education - input from the TASTStrategy Erasmus+ Program

Claudia Iuliana Iacob, PhD

University of Bucharest

Abstract

The presentation will summarize the main results of the TASTStrategy Erasmus+ program which aims to combat the mismatch of students’ skills and the dropping out phenomenon in undergraduate university studies. In the first part, the necessity of such a program will be discussed from the perspective of the development of higher education in France, Spain, Greece and Romania. The positive impact of the program was delivered to academic staff through a MOOC course consisting in five modules: (1) preventing student dropping out; (2) developing student employability soft-skills; (3) diversifying your teaching; (4) question your assessment practices; (5) collaboration for developing students’ soft skills. In the second part, qualitative and quantitative results of the TASTStrategy MOOC course will be presented for each participating country. In the third part, drawing from the course, recommendations regarding the optimization of the transferability of the skills acquired in higher education will be offered.

Doctorate in Educational Sciences. He’s Associate Professor, Department of Didactics & School Organization, University of Granada. Member of the research group SEJ-059, ProfesioLab, Laboratory of Research in Training and Professionalization.

Research field is focused on Competences-Based Training and, specifically, in the early dropout in Higher Education. Currently he’s leading a research project about early dropout in higher VET in Andalusia.

“Competencies, Employability and Dropout in higher VET”.

The dropout is a very important challenge in Higher Education around the world because the investment in higher education is very important in developed countries, and the early dropout transform this investment in something worthless. Normally, researchers focused their studies on undergraduate students and their early dropout (causes, consequences, prevent actions, etc.), trying to stablish models that explain the process of desertion decision. But the Higher VET is also affected by dropout, and many universities are involved in teaching VET as a third level studies. However, the diversity of economic areas involved in VET difficult these studies, and the factors involved in the dropout can change between different “professional families”. We present in this paper the results of a study conducted in higher VET institutions of Andalusia (Spain), describing especially what kind of general or transversal competences (soft skills) are involved in the student’s perception about the quality of courses, and what teaching methodologies are related whit employability, and for this reason, are important to prevent or avoid the early dropout in VET.

Trends and Transformations in the Labour Market and the role of the micro-credentials in Training and Reskilling.

Nikos Papadakis

Professor and Director of the Centre for Political Research & Documentation (KEPET), Department of Political Science, University of Crete

Director of the Centre of Training and LLL of the University of Crete (KEDIVIM-UoC)

Member of the Scientific Board of the National Centre of Public Administration and Local Government (EKDDA)

Greece

email: papadakn@uoc.gr

Abstract.

The speech deals with the ongoing transformation in the Labour Market (including the effects of the “mega- trends”, such as digitalization) and the role of Training, as active employment policy, emphasizing the dynamics of micro- credentials. Initially, it provides an overview of the dominant trends in the Labour Market (including the rising of the various forms of precarious work, among Youth and its association with the social vulnerability). Then, it proceeds in briefly (critically) examining the projections- forecasting on future skills and future jobs. Given the abovementioned, emphasis is laid on the state-of-play regarding Training, and LLL, within this (rapidly) changing context, while the presentation analyses the role of the micro-credentials in Reskilling, (flexibly) building individual skills-repertoire and feed-backing the existing accreditation- certification practices and patterns.

CREATIVITY AND THE FUTURE JOBS

Ruxandra Folostina

University of Bucharest

Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences

ruxandra.folostina@fpse.unibuc.ro

Abstract

Many researchers sustain that the competencies required for successful careers differ from those needed for academic success. Although the predictors of important life outcomes have not been established entirely, the influence of creativity on academic achievement, job performance, and health-related behaviors is increasingly analyzed. Creativity is crucial for the progress of knowledge and transformation of the world in all areas of activity. In the business world, creativity generates new ideas, which means new opportunities and higher performance. Studies list creativity as the third most important skill an employee would have. In the future, automation will change the nature of work, and creativity will be the one that will help employees to adapt to change. Economic and social progress is mainly dependent on the intelligence and creativity of everyone, on the originality invested in the activities carried out in various fields. However, this involves changes in the education system, including introducing programs for developing creativity and creative skills in students and selecting those with higher creative potential.

The presentation focuses on the role of creativity in job seeking, job performance and satisfaction, problem-solving, and burnout.

Patricia Champy Remoussenard, Professor of Science Education, University of Lille, CIREL (Interuniversity research center in educational sciences), France. Responsible of the axis “Autonomy, initiative, entrepreneurial spirit: key skills for which transformations of the education system, training and society”. Her researches are about the relation between school and work and about entrepreneurship education.

She is the author of “Learn to undertake” (Champy-Remoussenard, P. et Starck, S. (dir.). (2018). Apprendre à entreprendre : politiques et pratiques éducatives (primaire, secondaire, supérieur) Louvain-la-Neuve : De Boeck Supérieur, 192 p., and many others publications in peer revews, in particular Champy-Remoussenard, P. (2021). Éducation et formation à l’esprit d’entreprendre, pour quelles perspectives ? Savoirs, 57, 19-60. https://doi.org/10.3917/savo.057.0019. She was expert for the Eurydice report “Entrepreneurship education at school in Europe” (2016) and also she was a part of a scientific committee of the international conference “Entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurship training? Issues, questions, transformations” in 2020.

Title: Developing entrepreneurial spirit as a key competence in higher education.

Developing Entrepreneurship with education answers social, ethical, economic, political and educational issues. Currently, the political recommendations, the development of practices, the sociopolitical interest for the role of education and training in developing entrepreneurship brings to question entrepreneurship education. School entrepreneurship? Educational entrepreneurship? Entrepreneurial education?  Entrepreneurship education? Entrepreneurship training? Entrepreneurial culture awareness? The miscellaneous denominations reflect a field of various, emerging and professionalizing educational practices that intend to develop entrepreneurship aim at many objectives on, at least, two levels (large objectives promoting the sense of initiative, entrepreneurship, creativity, autonomy, critical thinking, capacities belonging to a same base of knowledge and skills identified as useful for every citizen ; objectives specific to the development of entrepreneurship, to business culture, to the knowledge required to invest entrepreneurship activities, to create and keep a company active.

In a world dominated by permanent and fast change the expectations and social stakes are strong, entrepreneurship enters into social emergencies and regional, national, international and supranational policy agenda and in European Key Competence. The impact of the educational efforts made in that field is closely connected to the innovation and adaptation to societal change, vocational guidance and occupational integration, the evolution of types of employment, the pursuit of competitiveness...Political powers agree at a local, national and international level to say that promoting a culture, which can encourage entrepreneurial initiatives among the population, is mainly the role of educational systems. The mindset and the skills, which may make entrepreneurial initiatives possible, can be entirely or only learnt in the formal system of training. They should be part of a socialization process, of a more complex educational process. Moreover, the means do not always follow the policy incentives and the effects of these educational efforts are not yet necessarily always known.

The conference will insist on the reality of the educational practices intended to develop this key competence, and its challenges for our changing society. The light on ongoing research on micro entrepreneurs will provide a better understanding of what kind of skill and what vision of the society is involved in the entrepreneurial dynamic.