The EU High-Level Group on Skills is an advisory body tasked with supporting efforts to strengthen education, vocational training and lifelong learning across Europe. As the relatively new Chair of the group, Ylva Johansson is visiting different types of organisations and educational institutions to gain insights and develop a deeper understanding of the issues covered by her new role. In June, she visited Link枚ping University (LiU).
One important issue is the need to connect EU鈥檚 strategic work with concrete practical examples. Ylva Johansson emphasises that, while policies at European level often need to be formulated in broad terms to be applicable across all member states, they risk becoming irrelevant if they are not rooted in real-world practice.
鈥淰isits like this are valuable because they help me understand how different forms of education work in practice, what barriers exist, and how experiences from individual universities can be translated into recommendations at EU level,鈥� she says.
During her visit, Ylva Johansson met representatives from LiU鈥檚 Faculty of Science and Engineering, who shared how they work with the Technical Foundation Year programme and standalone courses within the framework of lifelong learning. She also learned more about ECIU, a European consortium of 13 innovative universities of which LiU is a member.
鈥淟iU is an interesting example, not least because of its work within ECIU, where several pilot projects on micro-credentials are underway. That made it extra valuable to be able to have discussions with both the Vice-Chancellor and representatives of ECIU,鈥� says Ylva Johansson.
For LiU, contributing to developments at EU level, while also responding to regional and national reskilling and upskilling needs, is an important priority.
鈥淚f we are to meet regional and national needs, we cannot continue educating people in exactly the same way as we have done in the past. Lifelong learning must become an integrated part of LiU鈥檚 mission, and that requires new forms of education and closer collaboration with industry and employers,鈥� says LiU Vice-Chancellor Jan-Ingvar J枚nsson.
鈥淭hrough ECIU, we have been able to develop and test new educational models, including approaches to lifelong learning, together with other European universities. It is encouraging to see that our experiences can contribute to the development of the EU鈥檚 work on skills and competence development,鈥� says Jan-Ingvar J枚nsson.
