Following is the programme of the event:

Day 1 – Thursday 20 January 2011

12.30 – Registration of participants, lunch buffet

13.30 – Welcome and opening session

Chair: Ernő Keszei, President Hungarian National Bologna Board, Co-chair of the BFUG

Hungarian Ministry for National Resources (MNR), László Dux, Deputy State Secretary for HE

Hungarian Rectors’ Conference/Budapest Business School, Eva Sándor-Kriszt, Chair Hungarian Rectors’ Conference, Rector Budapest Business School

EURASHE, Michal Karpisek, Vice-president EURASHE

13.50 – Plenary presentations

Position SCHE in the EHEA: European and National Policy Level, Findings from the EURASHE survey ‘L5 – Missing Link in the Bologna countries’ Part 1: National Qualifications Frameworks and the SCHE, Magda Kirsch, Educonsult, Belgium

The Hungarian situation in the Higher Education Area, László Dux, Deputy State Secretary for HE

Approaches to Quality Assurance in SCHE (Associate degree), Henri Ponds, NVAO (Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organisation)

SCHE in Higher Education: the opinion of the Hungarian employer, Akos Niklai, Vice-President of MGYOSZ (Business Hungary), former president of the Hotel Association of Hungary and of the Hungarian National Tourist Office

Panel Discussion (all presenters)/Questions

15.30 – Coffee break

15.50 – Workshops

Mission and role of SCHE on a national level: Sylvie Bonichon, France, Bologna promoter/expert SCHE; Magda Kirsch, Educonsult, Belgium; Henri Ponds, NVAO, the Netherlands

Role of SCHE, other HE-awards and ‘instruments’ promoting LLL

Use of embedded awards at SCHE in the Irish Qualifications Framework to promote LLL, Richard Thorn, IoTI, Ireland

SCHE and other ‘instruments’ promoting LLL, Ad Vermeulen, Fontys University of Applied Science, member of the LLL-network in the Netherlands

Erzsébet Szlamka, Ministry for National Resources, Hungary

SCHE and its target groups – specifics of students: Janneke Korf, manager SCHE, Hanzehogeschool, University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands; Balázs Heidrich, Dean, College of Finance and Accountancy, Budapest Business School; Dániel Kővári, The National Union of Students in Hungary (HÖOK)

NQF: Links of SCHE with HE and VET: Hans Daale, EURASHE, Chair WG on LLL; Nick Davy, Higher Education Policy Officer, Association of Colleges, UK/partner in EUproVET, European Network of National VET Associations; József Roóz, President, Representative Association for Higher Level Vocational Training, Hungary, rector emeritus, BBS

17.10 – Short break

17.20 – Summary of the workshops and plenary discussion

19.30 – Official seminar dinner in Restaurant Alma Mater

 

Day 2 – Friday 21 January 2011

09.00 – Plenary presentations

Chair: Michal Karpisek, Vice-President EURASHE

Short summary of the outcomes of the first day of the seminar

Position of the SCHE in the EHEA – Findings from the EURASHE survey ‘L5 – Missing Link in the Bologna countries’ Part 2: SCHE and HEIs, Magda Kirsch, Educonsult, Belgium

The Community College Model, Michael Allen, Associate Vice President for International Programmes & Services, American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)

SCHE in the USA and Europe, Snejana Slantcheva-Durst, Asst. Prof. Higher Education, University of Toledo/manager of the international ATLANTIS project ‘SHE-programs in the USA and in Europe’

Partnership and progression – the role of vocational short-cycle HE in lifelong learning and employment in Scotland, John Lewis, manager Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), Scotland

Panel Discussion (all presenters)/Questions

10.50 – Coffee break

11.10 – Workshops

Employability: SCHE and the Labour Market, need for specialized qualifications: Snejana Slantcheva-Durst, Asst. Prof. Higher Education, University of Toledo, Ohio; Csaba Ferencz, Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Student centred learning in Higher Education – paradigm shift, methodology & implementation: Zdenka Steblovnik Župan, Association of Slovene HVC & Wood Technology School Maribor, Slovenia; Jan Nienhuis, project manager, Leido, the Netherlands

The Canadian and American Experience: Community Colleges and HE: Hervé Pilon, President, Cégep international, Community Colleges, Quebec, Canada; Michael Allen, Associate Vice President for International Programmes & Services, American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)

Specifics of SCHE: Characteristics and Requirements in a HE context: John Lewis, SQA, Scotland; Eva Sándor-Kriszt, Chair Hungarian Rectors’ Conference, Rector Budapest Business School

12.30 – Lunch buffet in Restaurant Alma Mater

14.00 – Summary of the workshops and plenary discussion

15.00 – Conclusions of the seminar by the general rapporteur

Jiri Nantl, director HE Department, Czech Ministry of Education

15.40 – Closing of the seminar

Embedding Professional Short-Cycle Higher Education (SCHE) in the (Higher) Education System

Short Cycle Higher Education (SCHE) is a sector of higher education which has started a rather dynamic development in a number of European countries within the recent decade. It seems to be a response to changing requirements for qualified skills and manpower flexibility on the European labour market. Governments of a number of countries are running a discussion on the role, position and arrangements of the sector which has been recognised as a part of the higher education system, and yet indicates some specific characteristics.

The seminar provided a platform for sharing experience and best practices among the participants from different countries. It should lead to identification of perspectives and priorities of further development of the sector and its role within the Bologna process. The programme of the seminar included a presentation of the results and findings of the survey on the situation of SCHE throughout Europe, contributions from the guests from the U.S.A. and Canada, a presentation of the Hungarian situation and views of key stakeholders – students and employers. The seminar benefited from the first public presentation of the results and findings of a complex comparative cross‐European survey on SCHE which was run by EURASHE within the EU‐funded project “L5: Missing Link”.

The seminar also offered the possibility to understand this issue more in details and to discuss different experience within a number of parallel workshops which focused on more detailed aspects of SCHE.

The seminar examined the current situation of the SCHE in the European Higher Education Area from various aspects including:

• mission and position within HE systems;
• links to labour market and employers;
• links to other sectors of higher education, as well as vocational education & training;
• links to European (respectively national) Qualification Frameworks, profile and characteristics of graduates;
• methods of teaching/learning including recognition of prior learning (RPL);
• quality assurance and accreditation;
• regional role of HEIs and community colleges in a changing social and economical environment, in context of life‐long learning;
• role of national bodies, regional and local authorities in steering and (co)funding SCHE.

Conclusions and report

Seminar on ‘SCHE and (Professional) Higher Education’: Important outcomes for the next years!

The official Bologna seminar in Budapest gave the participants the possibility to hear more about the results of the survey by EURASHE on the situation of the Short Cycle Higher Education (SCHE) in the European Union (and within the Bologna Process). The conclusions and recommendations from this report will be no doubt the start for (more) interesting discussions on an international level, about the EQF and the National Qualifications Frameworks, and for international debates on the position of the SCHE – and other programmes at the same level like higher vocational education in the higher education area.

It was therefore very important to hear more about the situation in Canada and the United States of America, in Community Colleges – offering higher education programmes. We can learn from them – but the developments in the Bologna Process can also inspire the policy makers outside Europe.

In the workshop sessions the participants could learn from what is happening in Hungary, Scotland, England, the Netherlands, Slovenia, France – with good practices which also can be used as input in the national debates on the position of the SCHE.

In the next years there will be more seminars on SCHE, as a degree in higher (professional) education. All experts, interested staff members of HEI’s, managers, representatives of national and international organisations and everyone who is looking for more information about the developments concerning the use of the SCHE for Lifelong learning, flexible learning pathways and employability… you are welcome to join those seminars.

Following are the speakers of the event:

Following are the practicalities of the event:

Organisers

Following is the material of the event:

•  Approaches to Quality Assurance in SCHE (Associate degree) (1.6 MB)
•  Bologna process' goals and challenges from the point of view of Hungarian student (1.3 MB)
•  Embedding Professional Short-Cycle Higher Education in the (Higher) Education System, Conclusions (0.1 MB)
•  Employability: SCHE and the Labour Market, need for specialised qualifications (3.3 MB)
•  Lifelong Learning SCHE and its targetgroups (1.4 MB)
•  Links between HE and VET: The English Experience (0.2 MB)
•  Mission and role of SCHE on a national level (0.8 MB)
•  Mission and role of SCHE on a national level - France (73 KB)
•  Mission and role of SCHE on a national level - Netherlands - Flanders (0.2 MB)
•  NQF: Links of SCHE with HE and VET (1.3 MB)
•  Partnership and progression – the role of vocational short-cycle HE in lifelong learning and employment in Scotland (2.2 MB)
•  Position of the SCHE in the EHEA - Findings from the EURASHE survey ‘L5 – Missing Link in the Bologna countries’ Part 2: SCHE and HEIs (1.8 MB)
•  Position SCHE in the EHEA: European and National Policy Level, Findings from the EURASHE survey ‘L5 - Missing Link in the Bologna countries’ Part 1: National Qualifications Frameworks and the SCHE (2.3 MB)
•  SCHE and other ‘instruments’ promoting LLL - Hungary (0.2 MB)
•  SCHE and other ‘instruments’ promoting LLL - Netherlands (0.4 MB)
•  SCHE in Higher Education: the opinion of the Hungarian employer (1.6 MB)
•  SCHE in the Netherlands (3.5 MB)
•  Specifics of SCHE: Characteristics and Requirements in a Higher Education context (1.3 MB)
•  Specifics of SCHE: Characteristics and Requirements in a Hungarian context (4.5 MB)
•  Student centred learning in Higher Education – paradigm shift, methodology & implementation (2.4 MB)
•  Target groups of higher education vocational training and special characteristics of Hungarian students (0.2 MB)
•  The Canadian and American Experience: Community Colleges and Higher Education (5.6 MB)
•  The Community College Model (1.8 MB)
•  Use of embedded awards at SCHE in the Irish Qualifications Framework to promote LLL - Presentation (1.6 MB)
•  Use of embedded awards at SCHE in the Irish Qualifications Framework to promote LLL - Speech (0.2 MB)

Following are the photographs of the event: