Articles

Valladolid, Spain on June 27-28, The Nordic Network for Adult Learning (NVL) participated in the European Basic Skills Network (EBSN) annual conference, focusing on ‘Upskilling and Reskilling for the Twin Transition: Digital and Green Transformation’.

The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is an OECD survey measuring key information-processing skills in literacy, numeracy and problem solving among the adult population aged 16–65.

The European Year of Skills has ended, but the work continues. Kirsi Heinivirta, director of the new Service Centre for Continuous Learning and Employment in Finland, emphasises the importance of new short modular courses and efforts to reach those who face high barriers to education. -We must create conditions for everyone to develop, says project…

EU has prioritized skills in the workplace, dedicating an entire year to the “European Year of Skills,” abbreviated as EYS. The year will be a springboard for a skills revolution, it was stated at the closing conference in Brussels in April. Perhaps it is not that simple.

How has the Nordic Network for Adult Learning – NVL – approached the challenges that were focused on during the European Year of Skills? In the Nordic region, how have we worked to improve matching, promote retraining opportunities and address the skills shortage? We asked the NVL’s validation and guidance network coordinators, Agnetha Kronqvist and…

The Finnish insurance company Turva has developed the company and the employees’ skills based on team learning and a philosophy that employees are experts in their own work.

It is probably not news that the employees at your company are extremely valuable and nearly irreplaceable. But have you considered that they might have more to offer, including hidden skills and educational potential? Utilise the resources you have on hand – namely your employees – to streamline your work and develop both as individuals…

PIAAC measures key information processing skills and data from the survey provide unique opportunities to analyse the cognitive skills needed in the labour market and society. Access to PIAAC data, on its own or linked to register data, is possible for research purposes. To facilitate the selection of register variables a handbook is available for…

While looking for ways to work with seniors so that they could live an active social life, a unifying cultural tradition was found in the three Baltic countries. The social inclusion competence of adult educators was created and tested by the experience of singing and playing music in families.

After more than 25 years as a designer in the online advertising industry, Wille Bolinder decided to switch to a completely different profession. Now he drives a truck and transports hazardous waste. Despite a 50% cut to his salary, the choice was ultimately an easy one.

– If you get the opportunity to have your prior learning assessed, take it! It was a fantastic way to be assessed and move forward after a long sick leave and the threat of disability. It’s great to be able to go straight into a healthcare programme without first completing two years of upper secondary…

Next year, Finland will introduce national skills badges in the field of non-formal adult education. Marja Juhola from the Finnish National Agency for Education and Educational Advisor Annika Bussman of the Ministry of Education and Culture have been involved in the ambitious project perceived as unique in the Nordic countries.

More than 100 participants from 19 countries discussed validation policies at the European Making all Skills Visible conference on May 24 and 25 in Stockholm.

At the 4th VPL Biennale in Reykjavik in May, Jens Bjørnåvold was honoured. He received the Egg of Life as an award for his lifetime achievement. For many he is the father of validation. He dislikes this term, and refutes it firmly, saying that there were at least a couple of hundred parents at the…

NVL disseminates the results of the Nord Plus Adults Project. Be Digital-Social Media for 50+ is a two-year Baltic-Nordic project supported by the Nord Plus Adult program. The focus of the project was on strengthening the social media skills necessary for older employees to succeed both at work and in everyday life.

In a dialogue meeting in Reykjavik, the participants discussed questions related to the European project UP-AEPRO on competence development. More people need upskilling in order to meet new demands. Many need further education to meet new demands resulting from the pandemic and the 4th industrial revolution.

People with low skills in respectively literacy and numeracy are defined as those who are at level 0 and 1. These people score less than 226 points at the scale of literacy and numeracy respectively, a scale ranging from 0 to 500. Persons at level 0 and 1 in literacy are able to read and…

In this article, the Danish sociologist Anders Rosdahl presents main findings from PIAAC cycle 1. The article presents skills in the Nordic countries in a comparative perspective and focuses on the uneven distribution of skills with regard to education, age and other factors. It also sheds light on adults with low skills and how adult…