1. Malta, January 2013 Graciela Sbertoli
Vox – Norway
European Basic Skills Network
gs@vox.no
Adult Education in
Basic Skills
A critical reflexion

2. What is Vox?
• Agency owned by the Ministry of Education and Research
• Working also for other ministries
• Policy providers
• Between policy makers and implementation level
• Coordinating multiple stakeholders
• A triangle of objectives with a focus on the adult learner
• Research, national programs, validation, career guidance,
basic skills, immigrant integration, communication,
international cooperation (see vox.no)
Graciela Sbertoli / Vox

3. The European Basic Skills Network
• An initiative born within the Working Group for the
Commission’s Action Plan for Adult Learning
• Launched on June 2010
• Now: an independent network cooperating with the
Commission
• Target group: policy makers and policy providers
www.basicskills.eu
Malta, January 2013 Graciela Sbertoli / Vox 05/24/13 • Page 3

4. graciela.sbertoli@vox.no
Basic principles
Objectives of AL in Norway:
Increasing the adult population’s
•employability
•social inclusion
•access to further learning
•general welfare
for the sake
of the
individual
for economic
growth
for the good
of society

5. Basic skills: what is this all about?
• Basic = foundational
FIRST THINGS FIRST
• Literacy
• Numeracy
• Digital Competence
• Oral communication
Malta, January 2013 Graciela Sbertoli / Vox 05/24/13 • Page 5

6. A hidden problem
• What does it mean to be literate?
• Making numeracy count
• Literacy in the digital era
Malta, January 2013 Graciela Sbertoli / Vox 05/24/13 • Page 6

7. Initial training is not enough
• The problem of erosion
• Motivation and relevance
• Access to materials
• Flexible training provision
Malta, January 2013 Graciela Sbertoli / Vox 05/24/13 • Page 7

8. Literacy is not (only) about decoding…
Malta, January 2013 Graciela Sbertoli / Vox 05/24/13 • Page 8
… and it is a moving target

9. Increasing gaps
• Demographic change
• The age issue
• Migration
• Internationalization and
development
• Bureaucratic demands
• Efficiency requirements
Malta, January 2013 Graciela Sbertoli / Vox 05/24/13 • Page 9

10. Governance issues
• Responsibility – Who is in charge?
• Finances
• Quality
• Teacher training
• Accreditation of providers
• Efficiency as element of quality
Malta, January 2013 Graciela Sbertoli / Vox 05/24/13 • Page 10

11. The way ahead
• Awareness raising
• Shouldering the responsibility
• Involvement of all stakeholders
• Recycling of resources
• Synergies at national and
European level
Malta, January 2013 Graciela Sbertoli / Vox 05/24/13 • Page 11