Direction Plan: Developing a clear strategy for supporting

Tool 1 Direction & Plan Developing a clear strategy for supporting Low Skilled Unemployed

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Table of Contents Copyright statement of the material ............................................................................................................. 3 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 4 Analysis of Low Skilled Unemployed Adults in the European Union .................................................................... 5 Methodology ......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Strategy for supporting low skilled unemployed adults................................................................................. 9 Low-Skilled Adults unemployment rate ................................................................................................................ 9 Information and career guidance services……………………………………………………………………………………..………………13 Continuing education and training initiatives…………………………………………………………………………………………………17 Evaluation and recognition of competencies………………………………………………………………………………………………….…20 Conclusions………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….24 References……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………25

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Copyright statement of the material This material has been developed by Fundación Coremsa within the framework of the EU co-funded project “Career Coaches for Low Qualified Adults - QUALIFY”.

The material is open and available for all interested stakeholders.

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Introduction Low-skilled adults are a source that can be empowered to enter jobs with higher demands. However, they not only face a higher risk of unemployment, but also a social marginalization or social exclusion due to deteriorating work and life conditions. Unfortunately, unemployment disproportionally affects low-skilled workers.

The “Career Coaches for Low Qualified Adults” project implements a specialised training for guidance practitioners (private/public) to become Career Coaches and provides them with useful complementary ICT tools to support their daily practice, in empowering and upskilling low-skilled unemployed adults.

The project aims to revolutionise professional guidance and explore coaching as a tool to support lowskilled unemployed people and to reflect on blocks and obstacles in their decision-making. In addition it will support identifying patterns of behavior from the past that may impact future choices and work as a catalyst in helping them define their own way forward.

In the frame of this Erasmus+ project co-funded by the European Commission, modern ICT tools to support career management for low-skilled adults have been developed. These tools are the result of the third intellectual output of this project, which intends to develop attractive support tools for the work of guidance practitioners with low-skilled unemployed people. This output will be composed of three different tools.

This first one, named “Direction & Plan”, has the shape of an e-book and it aims to develop a clear strategy for supporting low-skilled unemployed.

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Analysis of Low Skilled Unemployed Adults in the European Union In recent years, the consequences of the continuous process of labour market change have affected most European countries. The reintegration of low-skilled workers into labour markets and their upskilling is a key policy challenge for European economies. The growing number of low-educated and low-skilled adults out of work in most European countries require increasing attention.

Improving and maintaining high-level skills and workforce competences is essential to ensure that Europe remains competitive and innovative, and to face fast-changing labour market needs.

According to CEDEFOP´s study “Investing in skills pays off: the economic and social cost of low-skilled adults in the EU” (CEDEFOP (2017). Investing in skills pays off: the economic and social cost of lowskilled adults in the EU. Luxembourg: Publications Office. Cedefop research paper, No 60 http://dx.doi.org/10.2801/23250), the definition of low-skilled as individuals whose schooling is below any level of secondary education corresponding to levels 0-2 of the ISCED classification, is oversimple and doesn´t take into account different types of skills, abilities and factors which can result in lowskilled status:

• long-term unemployment and/or disengagement from the labour market • skill obsolescence due to ageing, technological change, changes in production processes and/or work organization

• gaps between individual job skills and changing skills demands of the labour market • socioeconomic factors such as migrant background and gender

Adults with a low level of education are more likely to be employed in low-skilled occupations. Low skilled workers employed in low skilled occupations also tend to experience more precarious employment than their higher skilled peers. They are more likely to be self-employed than those with medium or high levels of education and are more likely to be employed under a temporary contract.

Workers in low-skilled jobs usually experience poorer working conditions compared to people in intermediate and high skilled ones.

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They are reportedly less satisfied with their paid and career prospects, receive fewer benefits from extra payment, fringe benefits and performance-related schemes, and are also more likely to be

LOW-SKILLED

employed in dangerous occupations and report higher accident rates.

Low Educational Attainment Disadvantaged background Unemployed and inactive Trapped in low-skilled occupations Precarious work Poor working conditions Participate less in Lifelong Learning

Although low-skilled adults are most in need of education, training and upskilling, empirical evidence tells us they are less likely to participate in learning activities. Unequal participation in learning activities reveal strong disparities in the participation rates of different categories of adults in lifelong learning.

The European Commission is aware of the current situation of Europe regarding low skilled adults and unemployment. For this reason, a strategy for Adult Learning in Europe 2020 has been developed. It includes the following items: - Innovation Union - Youth on the Move - A digital agenda for Europe - Resource efficient Europe - An industrial policy for the globalization era - An agenda for new skills and jobs - European platform against poverty

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Also, according to the presentation made by the Head of the Vocational training and adult education Unit in December 2013 in Vilnius, the European Agenda for Adult Learning vision for 2020 enhances high-quality learning opportunities and focuses on learner’s autonomy and responsibility.

This Tool 1 developed under the IO3 “Modern ITC Tools to Support Career Management for Low Skilled”, aims to design a clear strategy for supporting Low Skilled Unemployed adults based on active employment policies that have been recently developed in the current difficult economic context of the European Union. The adequate working of these policies, regarding employment promotion and job creation, are key factors in order to achieve the dynamisation of the European labour markets.

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Methodology The methodology followed consisted in a thorough and comparative analysis at European level in terms of employment policy. For that purpose, we have based on reports about economic policy that are published annually of the different Member States.

This meant the gathering and thorough analysis of the measures of employment active policies applied in European countries during the economic crisis period 2008-2014 and that endure currently.

The result has been a thorough analysis of the measures of employment active policies implemented generally by all the Member States: Information and career guidance services; Vocational and Education Training Programs; Evaluation and recognition of competencies.

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Strategy for supporting low skilled unemployed adults Low-Skilled Adults unemployment rate Unemployment rate in the European Union has increased during the financial crisis period between 2008 and 2014 in all countries expect Germany. Unemployment rates have increased more in some European countries than in other ones. The rates were from 5% in Austria, Germany, Malta and Luxemburg to around 25% in Spain and Greece.

OCDE. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The financial and economic crisis shattered Lisbon Strategy’s attempt to increase the EU’s employment rate to 70% among 15-64 year olds by 2010. The new Europe 2020 strategy envisages a 75% adult employment rate by 2020; however, this goal also seems unrealistic in light of the economic crisis which has caused the EU’s employment rate to drop significantly below 70%. A crucial question now is whether a skill upgrade of the European labour force would help to increase the employment rate.

Due to this situation, most relevant challenges focused on Low-Skilled Unemployed Adults have been, among others, the following ones:

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• Increasing the participation of population over 55 years old in the labour market.

Unemployment rates of population over 55 changes among the European countries, from 60% in countries such as Sweden, Germany, Estonia, Denmark, United Kingdom and Holland to under 45% in Greece, Slovenia, Croatia, Malta, Hungary, Luxemburg, Poland, Belgium, Romania, Spain and Slovakia.

• Increasing the employment rate of low qualified adults. The employment rate of people who have low level of education (elementary or secondary level) is placed in a range of 57-17% facing the rate of 89-67% for people with high level of Education.

The Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) (EC DG EAC, 2013b) highlights that:

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20 % of the EU working age population has low literacy and numeracy skills;

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25 % of adults lack the skills to effectively make use of ICTs;

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the high-skilled are progressing well through adult learning, but people with low proficiency are easily caught in a ‘low skills trap’ as they are less likely to participate in learning activities;

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education and skills increase employability: this represents a challenge for the one in four unemployed who has low literacy and numeracy skills.

• Increasing the participation in lifelong learning/continuing training of low skilled unemployed people. The PIAAC study (EC, DG EAC 2013a) shows that, usually, learning during adulthood was found to be undertaken by young adults and highly educated individuals as opposed to older adults or adults with lower skills. Furthermore, there is divergence between participation in education and training by age group. Less than 6 % of all 55-64 year olds participated in education and training in 2013, compared to early 17 % of 25-34 year olds.

PIAAC also found that people who are employed were more likely to access non-formal learning activities compared to unemployed people (45% compared to 23% respectively).

Moreover, the access rate in non-formal training is clearly below than in formal training (38% as opposed to 2.4%), with strong variations across countries.

The latest forecasts of supply and demand of the European Union, prepared by Cedefop for the period 2010-2020, states that the number of people with a high level of qualification will increase until it represents more than a third of the active population. People with a medium level of qualifications will

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continue moving closer to half of the workforce. Moreover, occupations that traditionally require a low level of competences will demand a medium or high level. This means that workers with a low level of formal qualification or without any qualification will have a lot of difficulties to find a job in the future.

Since today the labour market requires more knowledge and skills, the need of a constant investment in training and education is essential, as well as a better use of the workers’ potential and the recognition of skills acquired in the workplace.

According to the study conducted by CEDEFOP "Training vulnerable adults to face the challenges of the labour market" (CEDEFOP (2013). Capacitar a adultos vulnerables para afrontar los desafíos del mercado de trabajo. Conclusiones de las visitas de estudios organizadas en 2010-2011 y 2011-2012.

Luxembourg: Publications Office), the most effective support actions for adults with low qualifications are the following:

• Information and career guidance services. Career guidance is generally unknown in some countries, particularly in Slovakia, Cyprus and Spain. In those countries where career guidance is known, such as United Kingdom, there are mixed feelings regarding the usefulness of it. In some cases, the notion of counselling is connected to the traditional test-based career counselling sometimes practised at school, which provokes a negative reaction. In others cases, an objective evaluation of one’s capacities is seen as potentially beneficial in setting realistic education aspirations. Formal career guidance seems more likely to be offered to those who became unemployed in countries with extensive public employment services provision, such as Denmark, Germany and the UK.

• Continuing education and training initiatives. As with career guidance and counselling, continuing education is a valuable resource that can promote labour market integration and social inclusion, while decreasing the risk of unemployment or underemployment. Targeted support increases the likelihood for active career management and reengagement in learning by the low-skilled. However, often the first step to successfully integrating this group into the labour market and society is to rebuild their identities as workers and learners. Continuing education and retraining must, therefore, take into account individuals’ needs as well as their

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prior, often experienced-based, knowledge from learning environments that emphasise the link with work practice.

• Evaluation and recognition of competencies. The European Union supports the transparency and recognition of knowledge, skills and competences in various ways to make it easier to study and work anywhere in Europe. One of its contributions is the European Qualification Framework (EQF), which makes it easier to compare National Qualification Frameworks (NQF’s) across different countries in Europe. The EQF and NQF’s are not limited to formal education, as they cover qualifications at all levels and in all sub-systems of education and training. In formal education, credit systems for higher education (ECTS) and for vocational education and training (ECVET) were based on the European Qualification Framework and are now widely used and developed throughout Europe for validation and recognition of learning outcomes, including transversal skills and competences. Therefore, the 2012 Council Recommendation on validation encourages Member States to work on national arrangements for validation of nonformal and informal learning by 2018. One of the benefits of validation of non-formal and informal learning is that it helps to fight social exclusion by providing a way for early school leavers, the unemployed and others at risk, particularly low-skilled adults, to validate their skills. Authorities on national and regional levels as well as sectorial bodies recognise its importance and have introduced many arrangements for validating non-formal and informal learning. Currently, 17 countries have implemented validation arrangements to assess nonformally or informally acquired skills and competences which are based on standards used in formal education.

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Information and career guidance services Importance of career guidance in supporting adult career development Low-skilled and low qualified employees often need to develop their skills further to find longer-term and more stable forms of employment. Career guidance can play an important role in helping them articulate both the types of skills and knowledge which they may wish to develop and the education, training or employment contexts in which such skills and knowledge may be developed (Cedefop, 2008b; 2011a; 2011b). In other cases, career guidance may help workers reflect upon the nature of their skill sets and whether switching between low-skilled work contexts could nevertheless support them in developing their adaptability or employability. It can also assist employees in low-skilled work change their perspective towards aspects of learning, training and working. This may help them become more reflexive in how they view opportunities, themselves and their support networks, and develop a new sense of direction, or become more proactive in their own career development.

Overall, career guidance can help workers in low-skilled employment consider the most effective ways they can deploy and develop their skills, knowledge and understanding through a range of employment, education and training contexts. The quality and nature of career guidance services needs consideration. Well qualified professionals are needed to deliver services that are adequately resourced.

Gaining access to appropriate career guidance support to facilitate career development requires a combination of individual action and appropriate structural support.

Providing labour market information about the benefits associated with skills development Labour market information should be more readily available in accessible forms showing the value of skill development for the low-skilled. This recommendation is in line with the OECD (2013) suggestion that it is important to ‘show how adults can benefit from better skills’. More adults will be tempted to invest in education and training if the benefits of improving their skills are made apparent to them.

Governments can provide better information about the economic benefits, including wages net of taxes, employment and productivity and noneconomic benefits, including self-esteem and increased social interaction of adult learning (OECD, 2013, p. 18). Efforts should go into the provision of free information that is up to date and easily accessible.

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Information and advising policies The aim of the information and advising policies is to improve labor intermediation services between labour supply and demand. The purpose is to make more effective the process of matching job vacancies and job applicants.

Regarding the labor intermediation services, it should be highlighted measures aimed to public employment services in Europe, since one of its 135 objectives is to facilitate the contact between the labor supply and demand. Among the main functions of the public employment services, the ones that should be mentioned are the following: -

Firstly, regarding their role as a labor intermediation, they should allocate resources efficiently.

That refers a correct functioning of an employment exchange program. o By one side, it faces challenges regarding lack of information and information asymmetry that can inhibit the correct matching of job seekers with current job vacancies; this lack of information generates a less efficient job search. o By other side, it allows reducing costs. For job applicants means job vacancies search and for employers means available workers search. This way is considered the best one for human capital management.

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Secondly, achieving an equitable distribution of the burden of unemployment since the Public Employment Services usually aimed, in general terms, most disadvantaged and vulnerable job seekers as low qualified people.

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Lastly, it should be mentioned that Public Employment Services tends to link passive to active policies in order to impose the participation in personalized itineraries of insertion for job search assistance when participants have reached a certain stage of the unemployment compensation period.

Public and Private Employment Services The PARES (Partnership between Employment Services) initiative is part of the Europe 2020 strategy.

The initiative supports EU-level dialogue to promote cooperation between different forms of employment services (public, private and non-profit) and to identify where they can deliver

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complementary services, with the ultimate objective of improving the functioning of labour markets in Europe.

Private employment agencies cooperate with public employment services in the framework of active labour market policies, sharing candidate and job vacancies database, assessing jobseekers’ skills, facilitating access to training for jobseekers, and providing outplacement services to help unemployed re-entering the labour market.

Since the year 2000, temporary agency work has been established as one of the sectoral social dialogue committees on the European level.

The World Employment Confederation-Europe has been recognised as the official social partner, representing the employers’ side, with UNI Europa being its counterpart representing the workers side.

The Work Programme 2019-2020 adopted by World Employment Confederation-Europe and UNI Europa aims on the labour market and employment policy and contributes to EU level discussions on employment and labour market policies, with a special focus on: a) EU and national policies to foster apprenticeships and dual learning. Discussions will focus on the role of temporary agency work in fostering formal and informal learning and in developing soft skills of workers and candidates. b) The design of a new EU Employment and Growth Strategy post 2020, the related employment targets, EU Employment Guidelines and the annual national reform programmes. c) National and European policy approaches to secure the transferability and portability of rights for temporary agency workers. The transferability and portability of rights can be ensured in the temporary agency work industry via bipartite funds established by the Sectoral Social Partners and/or based on individual accounts. Typical areas of transferable and portable rights include access to training, complementary social benefits, health care and/or complementary pension schemes (3rd pillar). The Wold Employment Confederation-Europe and UNI-Europa will aim to organise the exchange of best-practices in this field based on presentations of national social partners, the organisation of workshops and/or mutual learning sessions throughout 2019/2020.

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d) In following-up the 2017/2018 joint project on online talent platforms, labour market intermediaries and the changing world of work, the World Employment Confederation-Europe and UNI-Europa will continue to monitor policy debates at EU and national level on online talent platforms to contribute to a common point of view on this topic. e) EU policies on preventing and tackling undeclared work, showcasing that an appropriately regulated temporary agency work industry contributes to the reduction of undeclared work by turning available work into formal jobs. The World Employment Confederation-Europe and UNIEuropa will also address the cross-border dimension of undeclared work, aiming to establish contacts with the European Labour Authority to be established by 2019. f) The follow-up of the European Pillar of Social Rights, discussed and agreed at EU level in 2017 and its main dimensions, namely equal opportunities and access to the labour market, fair working conditions, social protection and inclusion.

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Continuing education and training initiatives The education and training policies aim to improve unemployed education and training or employed actives at risk of unemployment to increase and improve employability. The training policies can point to demand training, offer training or sandwich training within employment.

The training and education measures persue the improvement of workers’ qualification, competences and abilities for both, unemployed and employed, to increase their employability in the labour market.

Within these measures, three sorts of fundamental actions can be distinguished: 1.- Demand training: it seeks to answer the specific needs of the companies’ training and its workers. The actions that are part of it target workers’ qualification in order to a great efficiency and competitiveness of the companies. (As an example, companies training activities and training individual permissions in response to specific needs of training set by the companies and its workers).

2.- Offer training: it´s a key point to propel workers’ employability as well as to guarantee a suitable staff of human capital and competences (as an example, training plans targeted to employed and activities about unemployed to improve their skills and qualifications with regard to their incorporation to employment).

3.- Sandwich training with the employment: it appears from the combination of offer and demand training (as an example, training activities of agreements for training and the public employment and training programs).

The three sorts of actions have been a constant since the beginning of crisis due to the persistent and high level of unemployment in European countries caused by the imbalance among demand and offer qualifications, this is to say, by the distinct sorts of mismatches among the qualifications that are requested in the labour market and the quality of job offered by the employment applicants. Within this context, there are a number of problems associated to training and education on which labour policy should take action:

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• Overqualification: when people with high level of qualification tend to take up job positions of lower level to avoid the unemployment situation. In this way, the companies that hire overqualified people for a certain job can find some advantages.

Nevertheless, people feel trapped and unsatisfied in jobs of lower level to their qualifications.

Not only can´t they display their competences properly, but also overqualified people rule out from labour market those with a lower level.

Worthy of mention is the underutilization of inmigrants’ human capital due to the fact that qualifications obtained in their own country are not usually recognized in the host country, plus the lack of linguistic knowledge.

• Competences deficit: it refers to the scarcity of specific competences required in companies.

Competences deficit can emerge as a response of technological changes, for instance the increasing demand of ‘’ecological’’ competences, or as a response of the standards or procedures introduced by law. In the context of the current economic crisis, it has been speeding up the rate of the economic restructuring, sentencing to unemployment to workers of sectors in decadence that do not have the qualifications that request the sectors in expansion. This is demonstrated by the fact that it exists simultaneously an ongoing and high level of unemployment accompanied by a shortage of workforce in some occupations or by the persistence of unemployment levels quite different per occupation.

• Competences obsolescence: it is a process that takes place when the competences are disregarded because of ageing, the lack of use in the workplace due to being unemployed for long or because they become unnecessary due to technological changes. Regarding older workers, they usually suffer more frequently the obsolescence of physical and technical competences, since age can diminish the competences and physical and mental skills.

Which are the key factors in continuing education and training initiatives?

• The value of specially designed education and training programmes for adults without skilled training or experience of skilled work. This vocational training for adults is an educational opportunity for adults without skilled training or experience. At the same time, low-skilled with working-life experience should have their prior learning considered.

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• Programmes supporting basic skill development are valued by learners, but continuing support is often needed.

• Importance of financial support. Economic factors are important for participation in adult education.

• Importance of educational infrastructure to support adult learning.

• Importance of employee self-direction in support of adult learning.

• Importance of a skills audit in support of adult learning.

• Outreach work to support engagement of the low-skilled in education. Personal and social barriers in relation with job and family seem to explain the lack of incentive towards the upgrading of qualifications. Outreach work can take place in many different forms, such as including adults in different functions in communal activities or school activities as well as building a bridge to leaders who also participate in communal activities and function as role models and providers of ideas.

• Access to (semi-)skilled worker training for disadvantaged adults. Apprenticeship systems are effective forms of initial skill formation but shorter programmes of more limited (semi-)skilled worker training may give access to qualifications, work experience and employment opportunities that use an enhanced skill set for disadvantaged.

• Identifying those most at risk due to poor skills proficiency. Poorly developed skills are associated with a range of labour market and other problems, so it is important to identify those most at risk from poorly developed skills. The most disadvantaged adults need to be not only offered, but also encouraged, to improve their proficiency. This means identifying lowskilled adults in recruitment centres, career guidance centres, and at the workplace, who require support, such as language support as well as help with basic skills and emotional support. Learning support and learning opportunities need to be tailored to their needs.

• Attempts to remove the stigma attached to individuals with low levels of education. Policies should also aim to remove the stigma sometimes attached to individuals with lower levels of education. What one achieved as a teenager should not define one’s learning capability, still less one’s worth as a person. Diversity training for teachers as well as the development of pedagogical tools to support diversity training among students would support awareness building and contribute to the change of attitudes or mindsets.

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Evaluation and recognition of competences According to studies, 70 million Europeans lack adequate reading and writing skills, and even more have poor numeracy and digitals skills. This puts them at risk of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion. On the other hand, a large number of Europeans, particularly high-qualified young people, work in jobs that do not match their talents and aspirations. At the same time, 40% of European employers report that they cannot find people with the right skills to grow and innovate. Finally, too few people have the entrepreneurial mindset and competences to start their own business and keep adapting to evolving requirements of the labour market.

Increasing skills levels, promoting transversal skills and finding ways to better anticipate the labour market's needs, including based on dialogue with the industry, are therefore essential to improve people's chances in life, and support fair, inclusive and sustainable growth as well as cohesive societies.

To help tackle skills challenges, in 2016 the Commission approved 10 actions which is addressing these issues and making skills more visible and improving their recognition at local, national and EU levels, from schools and universities to the labour market: 1. A Skills Guarantee to help low-skilled adults acquire a minimum level of literacy, numeracy and digital skills and progress towards an upper secondary qualification.

2. A review of the European Qualifications Framework for a better understanding of qualifications and to make better use of all available skills in the European labour market.

3. The "Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition" bringing together Member States and education, employment and industry stakeholders to develop a large digital talent pool and ensure that individuals and the labour force in Europe are equipped with adequate digital skills.

4. The ‘Blueprint for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills’ to improve skills intelligence and address skills shortages in specific economic sectors.

5. A "Skills Profile Tool for Third Country Nationals" to support early identification and profiling of skills and qualifications of asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants.

6. A revision of the Europass Framework, offering people better and easier-to-use tools to present their skills and get useful real-time information on skills needs and trends which can help with career and learning choices.

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7. Making Vocational Education and Training (VET) a first choice by enhancing opportunities for VET learners to undertake a work based learning experience and promoting greater visibility of good labour market outcomes of VET. 8. A review of the Recommendation on Key Competences to help more people acquire the core set of skills necessary to work and live in the 21st century with a special focus on promoting entrepreneurial and innovation-oriented mind-sets and skills.

9. An initiative on graduate tracking to improve information on how graduates progress in the labour market.

10. A proposal to further analyse and exchange best practices on effective ways to address brain drain.

Making skills and qualifications visible and comparable Qualifications signal to employers what people know and are able to do but rarely capture skills acquired outside formal learning institutions, which therefore risk being undervalued. Identifying and validating these skills is particularly important for people with lower qualifications, the unemployed or those at risk of unemployment, for people who need to change career path and for migrants. It helps people better showcase and use their experience and talent, identify further training needs and take up opportunities for re-qualification.

Differences between education and training systems in the EU, however, make it difficult for employers to assess the knowledge and skills of people with a qualification from another country than their own.

Mobility across borders can help labour markets work well and opens up people's life chances. But low understanding and recognition of their qualifications means that EU and non-EU workers who move abroad often face more obstacles to find a job or are paid less than workers with comparable qualifications gained in the host country.

Improving transparency and comparability of qualifications At EU level, directive 2005/36/EC facilitates mutual recognition of professional qualifications and helps access to regulated professions and since January 2016 it provides for the first EU wide electronic

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procedure for the recognition of professional qualifications (so-called European Professional Card)for five professions. The European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (EQF) was also established to make it easier to understand and compare what people have actually learned ('learning outcomes') while gaining their qualification.

The EQF encouraged actors from different national educational sectors to work together to design coherent national qualification frameworks based on 'learning outcomes'. A new impetus is required however,for the EQF to fully reach individuals and organisations, and serve as a basis for day-to-day decision-making on recruitments or access to learning, including via a reflection of the different ways in which learning takes place.

Several non-European countries have expressed interest in the EQF to enable their qualifications to be compared with European ones. This would help attract highly-skilled researchers and professionals from outside the EU to secure the skills needed in our economy and vice versa would make it easier for researchers and professionals in the EU to work outside the EU. This is in line with the ambition to have a smarter and wellmanaged legal migration policy. The revision of the Blue Card Directive is particularly important in this respect. A revised EQF would improve understanding of qualifications acquired abroad, and facilitate the integration of migrants – both new arrivals and those already residing in the EU – into the EU labour market.

Early profiling of migrants' skills and qualifications Fewer non-EU than EU nationals residing in the EU have an upper (or even lower) secondary-level qualification. About 25% of the non-EU nationals are highly-skilled.

However, within the group of highly-skilled, around two-thirds are inactive, unemployed or overqualified for their jobs. In addition, some migrants already residing in the EU, as well as those recently arrived, including refugees, may have limited knowledge of the host country language.

Understanding the skills, qualifications and professional experiences of newly arrived migrants is a challenge for many EU countries. Tools developed through Europass, the EQF and peer learning and exchange between Member States and competent authorities can support skills profiling and integration of migrants. Identifying migrants' skills early on can help determine the first steps needed to integrate them into their host society and the labour market. This may involve referring them to

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appropriate training (including language training, business training or apprenticeships available through the European Alliance for Apprenticeships), or to employment services.

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Conclusions The main results obtained show that there is a great divergence between measures of active policies pursued by European countries during these years of crisis.

Community employment policy has been taking shape without an effective coordination of the Member States in response to the economic and unemployment fluctuations, making difficult to achieve an effective common employment policy in the EU. Long-term unemployment continues to have devastating effects on individuals and communities but this report confirms that many strategies could be implemented for an effective back to work of low skilled and long-term unemployed adults.

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European Union (2012) Luxembourg. Publications Office of the European Union, 2012. European Guide Strategies for improving participation in and awareness of adult learning. ISBN 978-92-79-23152-0 DOI: 10.2766/26886.

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Adult Learning in Europe – Challenges and responses (2013). Dana Bachmann, DG EAC. Head of Unit: Vocational training and adult education.

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Tackling Long-Term Unemployment Amongst Vulnerable Groups (2013). Secretary-General of the OECD.

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CEDEFOP (2013). Capacitar a adultos vulnerables para afrontar los desafíos del mercado de trabajo.

Luxemburgo: Oficina de Publicaciones de la Unión Europea, 2013 ISBN 978-92-896-1159-6 doi:10.2801/14022

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