Centre for Labour Market Research Aalborg University Denmark

Centre for Labour Market Research, Aalborg University, Denmark (CARMA) A Danish model for Scotland? Edinburgh 24. 3. 2010 by Morten Lassen

The Purpose? • Policy- import? – No! - different contexts, different regimes • Policy-transfer? – Perhaps! - depends on specific conditions and political will • Policy-learning? – Yes! - inspirations on content, institutions and processes

A Few Facts About Denmark • 5. 4 mio. inhabitants • An universalistic welfare state: - social welfare financed through taxes - free public services for all citizens in many areas • The Danish Labour Market model: - based on the flexicurity model - tripartite co-operation

• The Danish Labour Market: - the labour force constitutes appr. 2. 8. mio. people - a high participation rate of appr. 77% - women make up about 47. 5. % of the labour force - about 33 % of all employed work in public sector

The Danish flexicurity triangle • Low employment protection • High job mobility Flexible labour market Income security Unemployment benefits • High degree of compensation • Four years in the insurance system Active LMP Educational policy etc. • Focus on better qualifications • Right and duty to accept job offers

ADULT EDUCATION AND TRAINING SYSTEM IN DENMARK

LLL-policy objectives since 2007 • Provision of a coherent and publicly funded education and continuing training system for adults at all levels • Ensure access for all – not least low skilled • Coherent education/training and career guidance for adults • Ensure possibilities of skills and competence development (general and work-related supply from public institutions) • Ensure recognition of skills and competencies of prior learning (focus on non-formal and informal learning) by employers and society at large • New institutional framework – VET-centres from 2010

Some deepenings about VET • Financing: – Public provision and taximeter funding of approved education activities – Co-financing by participants or employers through graduated tuition fees favouring low-skilled, certain offers being free – Co-financing by competence-funds, raised by collective agreements giving individual rights for wage-earners – Publicly financed support/allowance schemes forgone earnings during trainee leave (qualifying courses only) – Training for unemployed purchased by Public Employment Service

VOCATIONAL ADULT EDUCATION AND TRAINING for low- skilled and skilled labour -two main entries

STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT AND MANAGEMENT -corporatism

Deepening about Adult Vocational training (AMU) • Main objectives: – To provide, maintain and improve skills and competencies of participants in accordance with the demand of the labour market – To solve restructuring and adaptation needs in the labour market – To contribute to lifelong learning upgrading of skills and competencies in the workforce

• Profile of the AMU-system: – Target group: Unskilled and skilled workers (more than 500. 000 participants per year in a course) – More than 3000 programmes – Each year, app. 500 programmes are developed or changed due to changed needs on the labour market – Nationally recognised certificate upon completion of a course – More than 150 providers: colleges, training centres and private providers

JOINT COMPETENCE DESCRIPTIONS - A shift from focusing on education and training to focusing on competencies

INDIVIDUAL COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT -a new tool

Some Danish Challenges • Raising activity for unskilled persons – • Raising activity for employed in SME’s – • a question of strategic planning by management of institutions Implementing new VET-centres for better need scanning in firms and coordination of supply in a still more market –oriented supply – • a question of firm decisions and offensive promoting of VET-supply Better interplay between general and vocational providers – • -a question of motivation a question of strategic will and cooperative spirit from the people of the supplying institutions -Raising activity for unemployed – a question of new policy profile of labour market policy

• Thank you for your attention • I hope you have been inspired for further discussions of learning, perhaps transfer or even import of the Danish model of Life Long Learning……. .