Croatia Adult Learning - CARDS 2004 (2007-2009)

Type of project/activity:

Technical assistance under the EU-funded CARDS programme. Croatia received support and technical assistance to improve the quality of adult education. The project started in September 2007 and finished in April 2009.

Objectives:

Overall the project will have three objectives for adult learning in Croatia : policy development, modernisation of adult learning and awareness-raising.

Background:

Adult learning is a relatively small activity in Croatia. In general terms adult education mostly consists of courses in higher specialist skills, financed by participants' fees. There are only a few examples of companies, mostly operating on the international market, that train the various categories of their staff, while SME's are using HRD activities to raise their competitiveness only to a very limited extent. Since 2003, a basic skills programme run by the Ministry of Educaiton had trained an increasing – but still low – number of adults in basic skills, including literacy at compulsory school level, and the Croatian Employment Service also provides some learning opportunities for unemployed.

Partners:

The consortium is led by Aarhus Technical College (DK). The other members are PEM GmbH (DE), EPRD (PL) and the University of Jyväskylä (FIN).

Jean Gordon was a key expert for the component on Quality of Training Programmes and Providers.

Main activities:

The component on the improvement of the quality of adult provision included piloting a methodology for developing short competence-based occupational training courses for adults (unemployed or in employment) based on a modular structure and specified learning outcomes. The report of the multi stakeholder working group for this component also made proposals for key improving the accreditation of training institutions and programmes and for quality supervision of these programmes. The work was undertaken by a working group of the key actors from stakeholder organisations in the public and private sectors.

Name of programme, funder or client:

The CARDS Programme of the European Union

Expected outcomes, reports/documents:

For more information: http://www.aoo.hr/en/Page.aspx?id=18

The report for Component 4 is also available in English on the same website:
http://www.aoo.hr/Do cuments/CARDS_konferencija_rezultati/ENGLESKI/Comp4/Component%204_06.pdf

For more information: Jean Gordon gordon@eiesp.org