JRC - Joint Research Centre

10/08/2021 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/08/2021 04:38

Commission launches new tool to digitalise work-based learning

Today, Nicolas Schmit, EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, launched SELFIE for Work-Based Learning, a new module of the widely used SELFIE tool.

Already today, more than 90% of all jobs in Europe require at least some digital skills but many adult Europeans still do not even have a basic level of these skills. The COVID-19 pandemic has visibly accelerated the digital transition and highlighted existing shortcomings.

SELFIE for Work-Based Learning will help vocational education and training (VET) schools, as well as companies offering apprenticeships and other forms of work-based learning to improve the digitalisation of their training programmes, raising the digital skills of learners.

The tool is organised around four short and anonymous surveys. Teachers, learners, school leaders and in-company trainers can all give their input. Based on these, the tool generates a tailor-made, interactive report - a 360-degree snapshot of the training programme's strengths and weaknesses in the use of digital technology.

This helps VET schools and companies to discuss jointly how to best embed digital technology in the education and training they provide.

EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, said: "Digital technologies are changing the world at an incredible speed and reshaping how we live, work and study. Digital skills are a pre-condition to ensure inclusion and participation in a digitally transforming society and labour market. Vocational education and training is in an excellent position to equip learners with the skills we need in most of today's jobs and to participate in society. The new SELFIE for Work-Based Learning tool will help bring VET institutions and companies closer together to discuss how to achieve such a smart integration of digitalisation into work-based learning."

Last year, nine countries, among them five EU Member States (France, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania), tested SELFIE for Work-Based Learning in a pilot phase - with positive results. The exercise involved 35,000 participants from 150 VET schools and 250 companies.

SELFIE for Work-Based Learning is available free of charge in all 24 EU official languages. Users can customise the tool to adapt it to their needs.

SELFIE for Work-Based Learning is an adapted version of the SELFIE tool, which the Commission launched in 2018 with the aim to support primary, secondary, upper-secondary vocational and post-secondary non-tertiary education schools to develop their digital strategy involving the whole school community, including students.

The second SELFIE Forum on 7-8 October 2021 brought together policy makers, teachers, trainers, management teams, students, learners, educational managers and researchers to share their experiences, present good practices and reflect on future lines of work and improvement of SELFIE.

After almost three years, SELFIE has reached more than 1.7 million users from around 13,000 schools in 82 countries.

At the start of COVID-19 restrictions, researchers of the Commission's Joint Research Centre, who develop the tool, registered a sudden increase in the number of users as new schools and teachers were searching for guidance on online schooling.

On World Teachers' Day (5 October 2021), Commissioner Gabriel launched the new self-reflection tool, SELFIEforTEACHERS to support teachers in further developing their digital competence. After answering questions in six different areas, teachers receive a report with personalised feedback and suggestions on how to level-up their skills.

More than 4,000 teachers tested SELFIEforTEACHERS in the pilot phase and it will soon be available in all EU official languages.

The Joint Research Centre, working with the education and employment departments of the Commission, continues to develop the SELFIE tool and adapt it to new areas, so that it can reach and help more users.