If there is one thing the pandemic has taught us, it is that the future will always surprise us, and that it requires resilience to cope in a world that is in constant disequilibrium.

Education systems operate in a world that is constantly evolving towards new equilibria, yet short-term crises may disrupt, accelerate or divert longer-term evolutions. Balancing the important and the urgent thus emerges as the key everyday task of today’s education systems. To do so, successful education systems must harness the kinetic energy of the ever-changing world they inhabit, becoming more dynamic and agile to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse set of learners.

About this chapter: The Framework for Responsiveness and Resilience in Education Policy supports education policy makers to bring together the important and the urgent as a synergistic endeavour for the medium to longer term. This chapter presents the background for this framework, and provides an overview of its structure, as well as how it is laid out in this report. As countries and economies focus on recovering from a profound global crisis and building a better normal, the moment is ripe to imagine a responsive and resilient future for education more fully, and to dare to make it a reality.

About this level of resilience: Resilient learners can adapt to various tasks and environments, taking advantage of opportunities to reach their individual potential. Such learners have the capacity and agency to identify and capitalise on opportunities given to them by the system and to create their own. They are also able to move between learning tasks and environments, engaging pro-actively in efforts to enhance them. All resilient learners can eventually reach their potential regardless of background, interests or needs. This chapter supports policy makers to promote resilience at this level through responsive policy approaches.

About this level of resilience: Resilient broader learning environments transcend education institutions to shape a dynamic and collaborative local education network. While institutions remain at the heart of education systems, broader learning environments promote richer and more meaningful learning for all. In so doing, they prioritise people and processes over classrooms and devices, establishing and achieving collaborations that are holistic, deep and long-term. Driving this is a strong sense of leadership, through which institutional actors are empowered to implement policies in their environments in ways that respond to local contexts. This chapter supports policy makers to promote resilience at this level through responsive policy approaches.

About this level of resilience: Resilient systems enable societies to achieve a strategic vision of social and economic prosperity. They make this possible through information infrastructure and flexible pathways. Firstly, a smart information infrastructure enables actors across the system to collect, disseminate and use information in ways that provide them with a sense of priorities, stagnation or progress. Secondly, clearly defined but dynamic learning pathways connect learners’ potential and aspirations with education, training and evolving labour markets. This chapter analyses how these components, which promote responsiveness at system level, can also be applied to strengthen resilience.

The Australian Government provides funding to universities via the Indigenous, Regional and Low Socio-Economic Status Attainment Fund (IRLSAF) to support an increase in higher education participation for Indigenous students, students from low socio-economic status backgrounds and students from regional and remote areas. One of the IRLSAF components, the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP), assists universities to conduct activities and implement strategies to improve access to undergraduate courses for students from the identified groups and increase their retention and completion rates. Universities receive HEPPP funding via a formula based on the share of students from the three identified cohorts at each university. An evaluation from 2017 found that universities use HEPPP funds to deliver tailored and targeted programmes to current and prospective students across the various stages of the student lifecycle: pre-access (including raising aspirations); access; participation; and attainment and transition out. These appear to have contributed to an increase in the number of disadvantaged students applying for, being offered a place at, and enrolling in, university, as well as an increase in completion rates, for the period 2010-15 (ACIL Allen Consulting, 2017[6]).

Austria’s Autonomy of Schools Package aims to strengthen schools’ and school leaders’ decision-making capacity while ensuring quality across the system and strengthening collaboration between schools. Measures give schools greater autonomy over the organisation of school time and learning groups so that these can be better adapted to student needs and the local context. The development of evidence-informed monitoring and quality assurance mechanisms has been a key pillar of the reform. The Federal Ministry of Education, Research, and Science has developed indicators on school quality such as learning outcomes, retention rates, school environment and educational pathways. The Quality of Schools Framework, launched in 2021, has also been important in this regard. Federal states can also bring together clusters of 2–8 schools to promote collaboration, the sharing of resources, and to support the smooth transition of students between schools. As of late 2021, pilot clusters existed in two Austrian provinces.

The Flemish Community of Belgium has been implementing dual education to develop greater flexibility in the education system. It piloted a new model of dual vocational education (Schoolbank op de werkplek) from 2016-19. Since 2019, all secondary schools in the Flemish Community can offer dual education, subject to an approved programme application. The number of dual courses has been increasing from the start, with well over 100 courses that can now be organised in dual-learning format. The Flemish government supports schools and companies in this, and most participating students spend at least 20 hours per week in the workplace. An evaluation of the pilot highlighted the key role of programme counsellors and mentors in ensuring the quality of training, and found that students’ participation improved their connections to the world of work (Flemish Department of Education and Training, n.d.[6]). Subsquent studies have focused on the costs and benefits of dual training for different stakeholders, the reasons learners choose – or may not choose – dual learning, and how to best encourage participation.

Canada’s Labour Market Information Council (2017) was established to improve the timeliness, reliability and accessibility of labour-market information to support students, workers and educational institutions. As well as conducting its own research and analyses, the Council produces data dashboards, bringing together information from different sources. In 2020, the OECD found that the Council has responded to a need for timely, local and granular data by prioritising collaboration with partners and stakeholders and identifying complementary approaches to data collection, including surveys, linking administrative data, and modelling methods (Hofer, Zhivkovikj and Smyth, 2020[6]).

Chile’s Preferential School Subsidy has played a key role in providing more equitable learning opportunities to the country’s most disadvantaged students since its implementation in 2008. Schools receive additional funding based on their enrolment of students whose socio-economic conditions are likely to affect their learning outcomes, as well as for students from the poorest 80% of families. Schools use the funding to develop an educational improvement plan aimed at improving institutional management and learning outcomes for all students, but especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. In order to obtain the subsidy, schools must exempt disadvantaged students from any financial charges and maintain good retention rates for the least able students. The subsidy has helped rebalance what was previously a regressive funding system, and has significantly strengthened the relationship between the Ministry of Education and individual schools. There is also evidence that it has led to improved standardised test scores in subsidised schools with a high proportion of low-income students.

Colombia’s Early Childhood Comprehensive Care Strategy (De Cero a Siempre, 2011) promotes quality and coverage of education and care for children from birth until five years of age. One of its initial aims was to ensure enrolment of 2 million 3-5 year-olds by 2018, and participation of all children in extreme poverty in early childcare programmes. The strategy promotes a holistic approach, with a strong emphasis on parental engagement and co-ordination of different services. A comprehensive ECEC framework defined the types of ECEC based on three modalities: family, community, and institutional. The family modality focused on support at home, targeting pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, or children in rural areas.

Costa Rica has introduced several measures to strengthen student voice in recent years. In 2009, an executive decree introduced new arrangements for student elections and the functioning of student government. A Department of Student Participation within the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) is responsible for promoting processes and spaces in which students can develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to contribute to school improvement, and participate as citizens in the wider world. Between 2009 and 2015, the MEP collaborated with the Supreme Electoral Tribunal and the Institute for Training and Studies in Democracy to organise a series of workshops that familiarised students and teachers with the new regulations and processes. The MEP also collects data on the results of school elections to monitor progress in areas such as gender parity and the inclusion of students from an immigrant background. Student elections are now held across the majority of Costa Rica’s primary and secondary schools, involving over one million students in democratic processes from an early age.

The Czech Republic’s Digital Strategy to 2020 (SDV, 2014) aimed to promote new approaches to teaching and learning through the use of digital technologies, to improve students’ digital competencies, and to develop students’ knowledge of information technologies. The government undertook regular, systematic evaluation of the strategy to monitor progress across seven lines of action. This gave policy makers a broad picture of the system’s digital capacity at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of 2019, significant progress had been made in the area of innovation. Actors in the public, private, and non-profit sectors worked collaboratively to promote innovation in education through forums such as the Digital Coalition, established in 2016. The strategy also analysed data on schools’ use of digital technologies and their impact. Progress has also been made in providing support for the integration of digital technologies in schools. This is particularly important in the context of the pandemic, where many educational institutions have had to move to distance and blended learning approaches (Jednota školských informatiků, n.d.[6]).

Denmark’s National Strategy on Promoting Science (2018) contains a range of measures to strengthen teachers’ performance and skills through collaboration and instructional leadership. Denmark’s Ministry of Children and Education encouraged municipalities to hire municipal science co-ordinators and asked schools to recruit science supervisors. It has also provided financial support and advice to science teams in primary and lower-secondary schools who wish to develop their teaching practices through professional learning communities. At the secondary level, there has been a focus on building professional networks between schools and sharing good practice. The strategy also aims to develop curricular content and pilot pedagogical approaches in digital technologies. One pilot scheme, carried out in 46 primary and lower-secondary schools from 2018-21, trialled course content, developed with the support of an expert group, aiming to foster the skills, insights and capacities learners need to engage critically and constructively with digital technologies. Denmark has also introduced a new basic VET course on digital technologies as part of the strategy.

In 2018, Estonia began implementing a range of surveys to measure different stakeholders’ satisfaction with the education system. The surveys cover all levels of the system, from pre-primary to upper-secondary and vocational education and training, and capture the views of learners, parents, and teachers. Questions cover aspects relating to the school environment, student learning, and student well-being. Schools and school owners receive a report summarising the results from their school across different stakeholder groups and comparing these to the national average. At the system level, the aggregated data is used to measure progress in Estonia’s Lifelong Learning Strategy, which contains an indicator for stakeholder satisfaction. In this sense, the surveys support the improvement of individual institutions at the same time as informing strategic improvement at the system level.

The Alternative Path to University project (2019) promotes equitable access to higher education as part of a broader student admissions reform (2018-20). Through this project, open studies courses are available at most higher education institutions across Finland, which allow learners to study at evenings, weekends, and via distance learning. There are no admissions requirements, and courses come at a relatively low cost to learners. Although they do not lead to a qualification, open studies courses allow learners to gain credits recognised within the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), which can contribute towards a degree at the same university. In addition, the TRY project aims to develop new entry routes for secondary-level students, and admissions options that fit the needs of working life. The project was funded by Finland’s Ministry of Education and includes 11 of the country’s universities.

One of the key aims of France’s Digital Strategy for Higher Education, launched in 2013, was to provide more flexible and personalised learning experiences for students and the wider public. As part of this, the France Digital University (France Université Numérique) platform (2013) brings together some 547 massive open online courses (MOOCs) designed by educators working in the higher education sector. However, a 2015 report from the European Commission notes that the majority of users are university graduates, rather than current higher education students or those outside of the system (European Commission, 2015[6]). Another effort is the Sup-numérique platform (2015), which contains over 30 000 digital learning resources aimed at higher education professionals, students, and the wider public. Other aspects of the digital strategy focus on embedding digital pedagogy to meet the increasingly diverse needs of learners, and on improving the digital infrastructure of higher education institutions.

Since 2013, Germany’s Culture is Strength - Education Alliances initiative has provided extra-curricular and cultural activities for 3-18 year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds. Children and young people take part in activities such as theatre, music, art, and digital media and everyday culture. Through these activities, run by local education alliances, the programme aims to promote key competencies such as creativity, self-confidence and social skills, as well as participation in society. These alliances bring together local actors from the cultural, education, and youth sectors who offer different types of expertise and have good access to the target population group. Over 80% of those surveyed felt that their alliance had strengthened networking between different actors and that this alliance was well-integrated into community structures. Around 1 in 4 had not previously worked with the other partners, suggesting the alliances have led to new collaborations (Federal Ministry of Education and Research, 2019[6]).

Since 2016, Greece has taken several measures to give increasing numbers of refugee and migrant children access to education. The strategy has evolved in response to previous evaluations and monitoring, support and planning mechanisms have been strengthened to ensure the strategy continues to adapt. In 2018, Greece established a Department for the Co-ordination and Monitoring of Refugee Education, charged with the planning, management and monitoring of the strategy. Regional Refugee Education Co-ordinators mediate between the Ministry, the accommodation centres, and local schools. Based on their reports, Greece’s Institute of Education Policy monitors reception, enrolment and educational needs. This helps to ensure the strategy adapts to the changing demographic of refugee students, as more children leave accommodation centres.

A key focus of Hungary’s digital strategy is transforming teachers’ pedagogical practices by improving their digital competencies, promoting knowledge sharing, and providing them with pedagogical tools and methodological support. The Digital Pedagogical Methodology Centrer (DPMK), which provides training, support, and resources for teachers, has therefore been a key pillar of the reform. The strategy also involves measures to upgrade digital infrastructure in schools. The DPMK played a key role in supporting teachers with distance learning in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. As well as organising its own webinars for teachers and school leaders, the DPMK published a range of e-learning opportunities for teachers on its website. It also produced recommendations for distance learning when schools closed in March 2020, and provided guidance on implementing blended learning during 2020/21.

Education Policy 2030 is a ten-year strategy that outlines an overall vision for Iceland’s education system based on the values of resilience, courage, knowledge, happiness and sustainability. The strategy builds on Iceland’s previous collaborations with the OECD and draws on evidence from international research. For example, Iceland undertook an assessment of its system using the framework of the Education Policy Outlook. Thus, the key pillars of the strategy – equal opportunities for all, superior teaching, skills for the future, putting well-being first, and quality at the forefront – align with challenges previously identified by the OECD. Iceland began work on the strategy in 2018, published a draft document in 2020, and has sought guidance from the OECD on turning the document into an actionable implementation strategy. In this process, Iceland has also involved stakeholder groups through a series of meetings with representatives from municipalities, parents, students, teachers, and other interest groups during 2018 and 2019 and through an online public consultation in 2020. An OECD assessment found that this process has built trust and enthusiasm among stakeholders. At the same time, the report encourages Iceland to develop more permanent methods of engagement, involving stakeholders throughout the implementation process.

The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (2012) has four broad strategic priorities: the professional development of all higher education teaching staff; teaching and learning in a digital world; teaching and learning within and across disciplines; and student success. The Forum supports projects relating to its strategic priorities through the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund, involving partnerships both within and beyond the higher education sector. According to a review from 2017, one of the key roles played by the National Forum has been to strengthen pre-existing teaching and learning networks and promote collaboration across disciplines. The Forum’s representative governance structure is also identified as having a positive impact by promoting the sharing of knowledge and opinions between different stakeholder groups, including staff, students and institutions. The review points to a need to include stakeholders from beyond the higher education sector, such as employers and other social partners. This will be important in ensuring that teaching and learning in higher education meets the needs of the knowledge economy. Ireland is considering relocating the National Forum under the aegis of the Higher Education Authority to support stakeholder engagement and ensure longer-term sustainability and accountability.

The Starter Apprenticeship Programme (2016) is aimed at unemployed adults and low-paid workers. It addresses a need to expand Israel’s VET offer, and to embed work-based learning in vocational programmes. The programme also aims to support employers by targeting sectors of the economy with a high need for skills. In the first stage of the programme, apprentices spend 6-8 weeks undertaking theoretical and practical studies in the classroom. For the following 4-7 months, participants spend 3 days per week at a college and 3 days per week in the workplace. The curriculum is designed through collaboration between employers and the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, and Social Services. At the end of the programme, participants take official certification examinations designed by the Ministry, and receive formal credentials. According to government sources, many trainees go on to work for the employer they were placed with for training.

Japan’s Third Basic Plan for the Promotion of Education sets out the goals for the entire education system in the period 2018-22, and defines a comprehensive approach to policy implementation. Its overarching aim is to ensure that the education system prepares learners for the world of 2030. As such, there is a focus on developing the skills required for the knowledge economy though the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) and problem solving into learning, as well as promoting lifelong learning and enabling learners to adapt to changes in the labour market. The plan builds on the success of the first and second basic plans for education, which include improving standardised test scores in lower-performing regions, implementing individualised learning and support plans for students with special educational needs (SEN), and reducing the cost of ECEC for low-income families. Outstanding issues from the previous two basic plans were taken into account when setting goals for the current plan. Key measures include strengthening school-community partnerships and reforming school leadership to allow teachers to focus their energy on teaching and to maintain Japan’s holistic approach to education with support from the community. There is also a focus on promoting collaboration between schools, and between the different services that sustain the well-being of learners. The implementation process involves systematically setting goals for education policies, developing indicators to monitor progress, and identifying measures to achieve these goals. Measures and goals of the Plan are refined on a continuous basis. Many activities are carried out by local actors, and local governments are encouraged to develop distinctive goals and measures based on their context.

Korea has been revising its national curriculum for primary and secondary education in an ongoing process that began in 2015. One set of reforms took place between 2015 and 2020, with a focus on moving from a knowledge-based approach to teaching and learning to a competence-based, student-centred approach. With this in mind, the curriculum centres on six core competences to be developed throughout a young person’s education: self-management; knowledge-information processing; creative thinking; aesthetic and emotional competency; communication skills; and community competence. Major reforms at the primary school level included strengthening Korean language education and introducing courses that encourage students’ active participation. Reforms to the middle school curriculum involved full implementation of the ‘free semester’ programme (2013), which lessens the burden of test preparation. As well as reducing student stress, the ‘free semester’ allows students to pursue career-related activities, with innovative assessment methods. A 2014 survey found that the programme had increased student, teacher and parent satisfaction. Since 2018, Korea has been laying the foundations for Artificial Intelligence (AI) education by gradually expanding software education in primary and middle schools. Korea opened 247 AI pilot schools and 34 designated high schools in 2020 to develop models for AI education.

The Tackling Early School Leaving project targets students in general education from later primary education to upper-secondary education (Grades 5-12) as well as those in vocational upper and post-secondary education (Grades 10-13) who are at risk of early school leaving. A recent evaluation highlighted the individual support given to students as a key success factor. At the beginning of the semester, a teacher creates an individual support plan for each learner in the programme based on an assessment of the different risk factors. Support measures may include individual consultations with specialised support staff or financial support for transport, accommodation or study materials. Teachers and educational institutions can access seminars and workshops, supervision, and methodological tools. A co-ordinated database promotes information sharing and co-operation between individual institutions and local and national government, and allows for the evaluation of the effectiveness of different measures. The mid-term evaluation of the project (2019) found that the individual support measures had a positive impact on learners’ progress and well-being, their relationships with teachers, and their attitudes towards learning (Dynamic University, 2019[6]). It also found the strategy had strengthened the capacity of staff to support students, and had improved co-operation between learners, parents and teachers, and between different levels of government. Challenges remain in identifying, monitoring, and addressing non-academic risk factors and in reaching learners with low motivation.

In 2018, Lithuania introduced changes to its school funding formula, previously based on funding per student, with a new ‘class basket’. The funding formula takes account of student characteristics such as SEN, migrant status or national minority-language status. Mainstream schools receive a funding premium to finance specialist support for students with SEN, based on their determined level of individual need. This is also the case in ECEC, where funding provides for children with SEN to receive ECEC services from birth. Access to specialised teachers and physical therapy or speech therapy are also possible, in order to help SEN children enrol in mainstream education. According to national data, in 2013, 13% of Lithuanian children in preschool and pre-primary education had some sort of special need (OECD, 2017[6]). OECD reports have found that the differentiated funding scheme has provided target students with access to appropriate services, and the mechanism ensures significantly less strain on budgets for these schools.

NiñaSTEM Pueden (STEM, Girls Can), launched in 2017, is a joint initiative between the OECD and the Government of Mexico seeking to increase the number of girls and young women entering STEM careers. While Mexico has made progress towards achieving gender parity with regards to participation in education, there are persistent gaps in boys’ and girls’ achievements in the physical and natural sciences, and women and girls continue to be under-represented in STEM subjects and careers. The project therefore focuses on challenging gender stereotypes and convincing girls that they can be successful in STEM. It introduces participants to different STEM fields through workshops, conferences and digital content. At the same time, successful Mexican women working in STEM careers act as mentors to girls in the process of choosing their study options, and work with students and their families in out-of-school learning activities. In 2020, activities included a workshop in Mexico City where mentors worked with 220 boys and girls on mechanics and robotics and an aerospace conference with presentations on the future of work.

The Netherlands has taken several measures to tackle early school leaving since the launch of its Drive to Reduce Drop-out Rates in 2002, which drew on the education and training targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy. More recently, since 2016, the Netherlands has been strengthening its regional co-operation approach, in which schools and municipalities within 40 regions make joint agreements on measures to combat early school leaving over a four-year period. Within each region, a regional co-ordinator, a contact municipality and contact school are charged with facilitating collaboration between the different parties. Schools and municipalities also work with employers and partners in the health, youth and justice sectors to provide a comprehensive safety net for those at risk. An evaluation from 2018 found that strengthening the role of regional co-ordinators and contact municipalities has deepened collaboration between education institutions and, in some cases, with employers. At the same time, the report highlights a need to equip co-ordinators and contact municipalities with the time and skills they need to carry out new roles and tasks, and to give all parties the time and guidance they need to develop lasting collaborations (Van der Gaag et al., 2018[6]). A law from 2019 makes this collaboration between schools and municipalities with regard to reducing early school leaving mandatory and sets out the roles and responsibilities of different actors.

New Zealand has implemented two key measures to recognise and promote micro-credentials at tertiary level in recent years. In 2018, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) implemented a process for recognising micro-credentials as part of the country’s regulated education and training system. This was based on a pilot programme, in which the NZQA collaborated with partners from the education and youth sectors to investigate the role micro-credentials could play in New Zealand’s qualification system of the future (New Zealand Qualifications Authority, n.d.[6]). The NZQA considers applications from tertiary education organisations (TEOs) based on a set of criteria published on its website. The criteria aim to ensure that micro-credentials meet the skill-development needs of employers, industry and communities, and that they do not duplicate learning that already exists within the tertiary education system. Once approved, qualifications are reviewed on a yearly basis. A range of other organisations, such as professional bodies, partner with TEOs to develop micro-credentials that meet their skill-development needs.

Norway’s Assessment for Learning Programme (2010-18) aimed to support schools, municipalities, and training providers to embed formative assessment practices and cultures. The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training set the guiding principles for the programme, organised seminars and conferences for participating municipalities, and provided online training and resources for schools. Local school authorities were charged with establishing learning networks, with many building on existing network structures. According to an evaluation from 2018, the network model, which combined professional development activities, knowledge sharing, and reflection, was a crucial factor in the programme’s success. The evaluation also highlights the role of local authorities and school leaders in driving development processes. Pro-active local authorities maintained dialogue with training providers, school leaders, and teacher participants throughout the process, while observing what was happening in schools. There was also a particular focus on building expertise at the school and local authority level to ensure that the improvement process continued after the programme finished. As a result, in many cases, participation in the programme increased the use of formative assessment practices in classrooms, as well as strengthening a culture of research and development among schools (Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, 2018[6]).

Portugal’s Qualifica Programme is an integrated strategy to enhance the employability of adults by tackling the low qualification levels among the adult population. By 2021, it has already led to an increase in adult participation in training and in the number of adults obtaining qualifications. Qualifica operates through three main strategic structures and tools. A network of regional Qualifica Centres aim to bring adult learning and career guidance services closer to target populations. Furthermore, the Qualifica Passport is a digital tool that records an individual’s qualifications, skills, prior learning and interests, and provides guidance on qualifications pathways. Finally, the National Credit System sets out the units of learning that make up professional qualifications, allowing learners to accumulate learning outcomes and certification across different contexts. Between 2017 and 2020, over half a million adults enrolled in Qualifica Centres. Of these, 22% engaged in prior learning assessment and recognition, and 85% obtained a new certification (National Information provided to the OECD). Challenges remain in ensuring sustainable funding for the initiative and in recruiting and retaining high-quality adult educators and career guidance professionals.

Between 2013 and 2015, the Slovak Republic’s National Institute for Certified Educational Measurements (NÚCEM) developed a range of electronic assessments, with the aim of gradually introducing e-testing in all primary and secondary schools. E-testing has taken place every year since the successful completion of the project in 2015, with many schools making use of the tests in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The assessments cover a range of education levels and subject areas and provide information to different audiences for different purposes. School-level assessments are designed to support internal evaluation and teacher professional development. Teachers can access a database of ‘teacher tests’, which give them rapid feedback on students’ progress, reducing the time they spend on marking. NÚCEM has also produced electronic examinations for external assessment and certification, including the school-leaving certificate (Maturita), and e-tests for grades 5 and 9.

Since 2010, public and private HEIs across Slovenia have been establishing career centres with the support of funding from the European Social Fund and Slovenian Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport. The Ministry has launched three public calls for tender since 2010, with the aim of expanding career guidance activities and smoothing learners’ transitions to the labour market. As well as providing individual career counselling, career centres have organised career camps focusing on job application skills, workplace visits, and speed-dating activities with employers. According to country-level data, some 88 000 students participated in these activities between 2015 and 2020, which connected them with around 1 900 potential employers from Slovenia and abroad (National Information provided to the OECD).

Spain’s dual vocational training model was designed to promote employability and improve qualification levels among young people. Subsequent regulations have sought to strengthen the links between companies and VET providers, and to increase the work-based learning component. As such, one of the key successes of the programme has been to promote the exchange of knowledge between these labour market partners and educational institutions. This process also benefits employers by delivering training that is suited to their needs (JP Morgan Chase & Co, 2016[6]). Participation in dual vocational training has increased as the quality and programme offer have improved, and young people have become more aware of the advantages of dual education. By 2016, 24 000 students in 10 000 companies were involved in dual education, an increase from 4 292 students and 513 companies in 2012/13. However, dual education still represented only 3% of VET students enrolled in dual training in 2016/17 (Sancha and Gutiérrez, 2019[7]).

Sweden’s ECEC curriculum was designed to put children and play at the centre of ECEC by: 1) ensuring continuous child development through the use of one national framework plan for ECEC; 2) balancing content by addressing academic and socio-emotional development; 3) reflecting on parental opinions and expectations; and 4) addressing respect for cultural values. Implemented in 1998 – with revisions made in 2010, and additions made in 2016 – Sweden began implementing the latest revision (Lpfö 18) in 2018. The new curriculum came into force in July 2019.

In Turkey, under a revised co-operation model (2019), VET sector representatives collaborate on curriculum design, provide work-based learning for students and teachers, offer scholarships and prioritise students for employment. Based on a VET mapping study carried out in 2019, Turkey has also sought to match the specialisms of VET institutions with the needs of the regional economy in which they are located more effectively. There have also been considerable efforts to increase the involvement of VET teachers in in-service training. The Co-operation Protocol for Teaching allows teachers to carry out professional development in real work environments; Turkey has also developed distance-learning opportunities for VET teachers. As a result of these efforts, the scale of in-service professional development for VET teachers has increased by six times since 2018. According to a national review of vocational education from 2018, labour force participation and employment rates were higher among VET students than students in the general upper secondary track. National-level data from 2020 points to a 17% increase in students choosing VET between 2018 and 2019 (Ministry of National Education of Turkey, 2018[6]). A report from the European Training Foundation underlined several improvements in Turkey’s VET provision but pointed to continued challenges in aligning skills with labour market demand (Zelloth, 2020[7]). Turkey is seeking to deepen the involvement of labour market partners in providing infrastructure for VET provision and in setting up schools.

In recent years, the United Kingdom (UK) has taken several measures to improve the quality of careers information available to prospective and current higher education students. The Discover Uni platform (2019) supports prospective students across the UK in deciding whether, where, and what to study. It builds on data from the Unistats platform (2012), which incorporated data from existing surveys on student satisfaction and the labour market outcomes of recent graduates. Unistats also integrated course-level information, including aspects such as the time spent in teaching and learning activities, assessment methods, and accommodation costs. Evaluations from 2013 and 2015 found that while the site was widely used, there was scope for improved brand recognition and market penetration, particularly among those outside of the school or college environment (DELNI, HEFCE, HEFCW, and SFC, 2015[6]). More recent research from the UK’s Office for Students suggests that learners who do not have friends or family who have been to university, or who do not have access to specialist career advice, experienced particular challenges in accessing relevant information (Maskell, 2019[7]). As well as including information on student satisfaction and labour market outcomes, the new Discover Uni platform provides advice and guidance for prospective students throughout the decision-making process. This includes information on student finance and study options such as distance learning and apprenticeships. This information will be important in the context of a global recession, where learners are likely to be more sensitive to the cost and labour market prospects of different study options (Discover Uni, n.d.[8]).

The CIPAVE is a network of support around schools in the state of Rio Grande do Sol, which works to prevent and respond to bullying, school violence and other issues affecting the learning climate in schools. CIPAVE was first developed in the city of Caixias do Sul (2013), where schools formed an internal commission involving different stakeholders to discuss issues affecting the school community, and established partnerships with local actors such as the police, fire departments, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Implemented across the state in 2013, the training and implementation of the internal commissions became a state priority in 2015. The commissions work on issues such as conflict resolution, forming a regionalised support network and planning actions in collaboration with different members of the school community. At the state level, the Secretariat of Education works with other government departments to provide guidance on issues that affect the school climate, and with schools to identify negative behaviours, their causes and frequency, and to take preventative action. Schools register the incidents that occur in the community on the programme’s website, and the state uses this information to invite partners to develop projects in schools. In 2020, the state launched the CIPAVE+ platform to facilitate monitoring and collaboration.

Building on a successful pilot in the city of Karaganda, Kazakhstan has developed a network of resource centres to improve educational quality in smaller schools. While Kazakhstan’s school network provides extensive geographical coverage, there have been challenges in ensuring high-quality learning in small-class schools, many of which are in rural areas. Resource centres are mostly based in large, well-resourced schools and provide support to three or four satellite schools within their vicinity. Support includes special teaching sessions for students at the end of lower-secondary education (grades 8 and 9) that take place at the resource centres. Students from small-class schools take part in three two-week sessions during the school year and receive remote support between these face-to-face sessions. Students are assessed in the first and last session, allowing teachers to tailor the content to their needs and monitor progress over the year. Other support efforts target teachers through providing assistance with specific pedagogical challenges and professional development. Staff from across the network of centres collaborate, including through a regular webinar in which they identify common challenges in delivering support to teachers and co-develop possible solutions.