European Centre for the
Development of Vocational Training

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European Social Partners Conference on the

European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET)

Thessaloniki, 12-13 February 2007

FINAL AGENDA

OBJECTIVES OF THE CONFERENCE

Inform European Social Partners about the ECVET system, its technical specifications and the role Social Partners are going to play within the ECVET system

Enable European Social Partners to contribute actively to the ECVET consultation process of the European Commission

Discuss ECVET implications on VET policies and LLL strategies

Examine possible ways of practical implementation, including pilot projects

Exchange experiences of existing credit practices in VET

Sunday, 11 February 2007
Arrival of the participants
20.00 / Welcome dinner hosted by Cedefop

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Monday, 12 February 2007
08.45 / Bus from the Hotel to Cedefop
09.30 – 10.00 / Registration
10.00 – 10.30 / Opening Session
Aviana Bulgarelli, Cedefop, Director
Hans–Detlev Küller, Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB)
Dr. Barbara Dorn, German Confederation of Employers Organizations (BDA)
10.30 – 11.30 / Session 1: ECVET and the Lisbon strategy
Chair / Gerhard Riemer, Association of Industries,Austria
Key note speakers / Peter Rigney, Irish Congress of Trade Unions / Cedefop, Chairman of Governing Board, Credit Competency and Mobility: the issues for unions
Michel Aribaud, European Commission, ECVET: concepts, instruments, development and questions for the consultation
Jens Bjornavold, Cedefop, ECVET and the links to other European Lifelong Learning initiatives
Peter Thiele, Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany, / Cedefop, Member of Governing Board,ECVET - a challenge for VET systems in the EU
11.30 – 12.00 / Coffee break
12.00 – 13.30 / Two Parallel Sessions
Session 2: Trade Unions
Chair / Hans–Detlev Küller, Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB)
Key note speakers / Petri Lempinen, European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) / Cedefop, Member of Governing Board, European cooperation in VET and mobility at Labour market
Winfried Heidemann, Member of the Technical Working Group on Credit Transfer in VET: ECVET – A device for improving training and enhancing participation?
Questions and answers moderated by the Chair
Session 3: Employers’ Organisations
Chair / Susanne Müller, German Confederation of Employers Organizations (BDA)
Key note speaker / Ralf Drachenberg, European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (UEAPME), Expectations for the ECVET from a Craft and SME perspective
Questions and answers moderated by the Chair
13.30 – 15.00 / Lunch
15.00 / Session 4: The ECVET from the social partners’ point of view; report on the preliminary results of the consultation process at national and European level
Chair / Matthew Higham,The Confederation of European Business (BUSINESSEUROPE) / Cedefop, Member of Governing Board
Key note speakers / Heikki Suomalainen, Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), The ECVET from the social partners' point of view
Gema Torres Sastre, Trade Union Confederation of Workers’ Commissions,Spain, Lifelong development of a Spanish national competences and qualifications framework: the Spanish social partners evaluation
Roberto Pettenello, Italian General Confederation of Labour,Italy, Involvement of the Italian Social Partners in the ECVET developing process and correlation with EQF approach
16.00 – 16.30 / Coffee break
Questions and answers moderated by the Chair
18.00 / End of the first day and Pick up for Dinner
Tuesday, 13 February 2007
08.45 / Bus from the Hotel to Cedefop
09.30 – 11.00 / Two parallel workshops
Workshop 1: ECVET and mobility
Chair / Loukas Zahilas, Cedefop
Key note speaker / Philippe Tissot, Cedefop, The Europass portfolio
Contributions: / Tatiana Babrauskiene, Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation, ECVET as a tool for mobility development: the Lithuanian TU survey results
Ion Hohan, Romanian Employers Confederation (UGIR), Involvement of the Romanian Social Partners in the ECVET developing process and correlation with CQAF approach
Joël Decaillon, European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) / Cedefop, Member of Governing Board,ECVET as a tool for promoting workers mobility – the ETUC view
Caroline Nash, Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC), A lifelong learning society on the move
Rapporteur / Sonja Deffner, Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB)
Workshop 2: ECVET in the perspective of lifelong learning within the European social dialogue
Chair / Karsten Krüger, Cedefop
Speeches / Peter Kerckhofs, European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers’ Federation, Brussels, Involvement of the EuropeanSocialPartners at sector level in the process of improving lifelong learning – ECVET as a topic for the social dialogue?
Thérèse de Liedekerke, The Confederation of European Business (BUSINESSEUROPE), Life long learning, social dialogue and ECVET: the interprofessional perspective
Bruno Scazzocchio, General Confederation of Italian Industry,Lifelong development of an Italian national competencies and qualifications framework: the Italian social partners evaluation
Alain Le Bagousse, European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest (CEEP),ECVET development and implementation with regard to European Sectoral Social Dialogue
Rapporteur / Wilfred Muis, Trade Union for workers in the middle and higher vocational education(UNIE NFTO)
11.00 – 11.30 / Coffee break
11.30 – 13.00 / Plenary Closing Session
Chair / Christian Lettmayr, Cedefop, Deputy Director
Rapporteur Workshop 1 / Sonja Deffner, Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB)
Rapporteur Workshop 2 / Wilfred Muis,Trade Union for workers in the middle and higher vocational education (UNIE NFTO)
Conclusions / Aviana Bulgarelli and Michel Aribaud
13.15 / Lunch and departure of the participants

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