NN46, September 2011
Towards a New Global World of Skills Development? TVET's turn to Make its Mark
Learning from European Training Foundation’s “Torino Process”
By Sören Nielsen, European Training Foundation (ETF), Turin
Email: Soren.Nielsen@etf.europa.eu
Keywords: VET system review; capacity building; policy learning; EU VET policy.
Summary: this piece discusses the Torino Process on VET policy assessments in ETF 29 partner countries from a policy learning perspective and concludes that the instrument could be a valuable tool for increased national ownership of VET reform.
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‘Policy’ is about visions for development and the ways to achieve goals. The policy learning concept was developed to argue that VET reforms in transition countries (and indeed any major reform in any country) will only be successful and sustainable if policy development, formulation and implementation are firmly based on broad ownership and embeddedness in existing institutions. The concept of policy learning was developed in a critical discussion with more traditional approaches to policy transfer and policy copying. It emphasizes the active engagement of national stakeholders in developing their own policy solutions. I will here present the ETF Torino Process through the lenses of the ETF policy learning approach and ask the question: to what extent may this process help countries to help themselves?
In 2010, the ETF launched the Torino Process to offer interested partner countries a framework and technical support aimed at supporting progress in their VET systems. The exercise, to be repeated every two years, intends to empower countries and reinforce national institutions so that they can implement the exercise themselves through ETF-guided self-assessments based on a common methodology to enable comparability.
The Torino Process is a participatory, analytical process of the whole VET system. Its main objectives are (i) to reinforce evidence-based policy making in partner countries; (ii) for ETF to serve as a basis for planning; and (iii) for ETF to support the delivery of Community assistance. The analysis is designed as a tailor-made country-led review process with broad participation/consultation of all key VET stakeholders. The methodology is based on a common analytical framework which has a double dimension: VET system assessment and VET policy cycle analysis. In agreement with partner countries, four key guiding principles steer the Torino Process: (i) country ownership, (ii) a participatory approach, (iii) a holistic assessment (the analytical framework targets the VET system and its environment), and (iv) the assessment is evidence-based. Partner countries can decide themselves on preferred implementation modality, either a guided self-assessment or an ETF-led participatory approach.
From a policy learning perspective the most interesting aspect of the approach is the focus on ‘vision’ and ‘state of art’ in VET, as defined by the countries themselves. Where are the countries now, and where do they want to go? The Torino Process thus establishes a platform for reflecting on and defining their own priorities.
While the Process is inspired by the Copenhagen Process and is drawing on the Open Method of Coordination, it also differs from the Copenhagen Process:
Methodology: from Copenhagen to Torino Process
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Copenhagen Process |
Torino Process |
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The Torino Process is an upward movement from the level of projects via programmes to policy and will increase the demands also on ETF to demonstrate its capacity to facilitate policy learning. Just as the ‘learning to learn’ in modern learning theory is about the ability for meta learning, ETF will have to work on a meta level with a focus on helping to develop the local capacity of partner countries to solve their own problems themselves.
All ETF partner countries have to find national solutions in a European/global context. The European Union experience will guide developments in candidate and pre-accession countries but can also support and inspire countries in other regions of the world. In the EU VET policy processes, there are good possibilities for shared learning – but the real efforts and the hard work will have to be made at home through own national priority setting and policy decisions. Policymakers and practitioners at all levels therefore have to develop the capacity to become “policy interpreters”, as there is a variety of models, measures and practices open to achieve the same goal. There is a need to develop capacities to translate goals into nationally preferred practices and to manage the internal processes involved in the policy cycle. In short, efforts to intensify the organisation of policy learning platforms and to establish meaningful policy learning for key actors and stakeholders will be key to enable country responsibility for owning VET policies.
If we measure the Torino Process against the policy learning approach, as developed by the ETF and measured by the following yardstick:
“Policy learning emphasizes not simply the involvement but rather the active engagement of national stakeholders in developing their own policy solutions, and is based on the understanding that there are no universally valid models that can simply be transferred or copied from one context to another. At best there is a wealth of international, though context-specific, experience in dealing with similar policy issues that can be shared.” (Grootings & Nielsen, ETF Yearbook 2005: 11)
- then the Torino Process may certainly stimulate the development and consolidation of a sound policy culture and environment, based on accountability and ownership of national policymakers and stakeholders. It may lead to a more reflective policy-making process where creativity and local capacities are properly mobilised, valuing also international experience and results. Going from policy taking or policy copying to real policy learning, to a sound policy process for which national key actors and stakeholders take responsibility and ownership, requires new approaches in technical assistance. To achieve this ambition we need to stimulate the continuous nurturing of a culture of quality policy-making in education. The Torino Process could here become a valuable instrument.
References
European Training Foundation (2011) The Torino Process. Evidence-based Policy making for Vocational Education and Training. ETF: Turin.
European Training Foundation (2011) Compendium of Country Reports 2010. ETF: Turin.
www.etf.europa.eu/torinoprocess
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Cite article as: Nielsen, S., (2011) ‘Learning from European Training Foundation’s “Torino Process”’, in NORRAG NEWS, Towards a New Global World of Skills Development? TVET's turn to Make its Mark, No.46, September 2011, pp. 101-103, available: http://www.norrag.org
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