Skills strategy in OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies

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Skills strategy in OECD Programme for the
International Assessment of Adult Competencies

• 22-23 November 2011
• Etienne Albiser

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PIAAC

• PIAAC fills a key gap and will be important for
  education and skills strategies.
• Identify key competencies and levels of literacy,
  numeracy and problem solving to participate in a
  modern economy and society.
• Shed light on the process of acquisition,
  maintenance and loss of competency over the life
  cycle in relation to exposure to education,
  training and work.
• Relates competencies at different ages with
  patterns of training, employment and wages as
  well as social outcomes.

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Qualifications cannot be equated with actual
skills
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PIAAC Objectives

• Identify and measure cognitive competencies
• believed to underlie both personal and societal
  success
• Assess the impact of these competencies on
  social and economic outcomes
• at individual and aggregate levels
• Gauge the performance of education and training
  systems in generating required competencies
• Help to clarify the policy levers that could
  contribute to enhancing competencies.

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PIAAC Overview

• PIAAC is the most comprehensive internationally
  comparable data on adult skills (16-65 years)
  across 25 countries.
• Based on a direct and computer-based assessment
  (with paper-pencil version) in respondents
  homes
• Allowing trends to be monitored from previous
  surveys (IALS and ALL).
• PIAAC will provide
• Data on competencies in literacy, numeracy and
  problem solving skills in technology rich
  environments.
• Data on skills used in the work place and other
  contexts and the match between required and
  measured competencies.
• Information on the antecedents, economic and
  social outcomes and contexts of competency
  development and use.

• No direct links between PIAAC and PISA but PISA
  2000 included some literacy and numeracy
  questions.
• PISA cohorts may provide evidence of the impact
  of early performance on competencies of young
  adults in PIAAC
• For example PISA cohort 2000 will be 27-28 year
  old people at the time of PIAAC data collection

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Participating countries

• 23 Member countries and 2 non-Member countries
  are participating in PIAAC.

Australia Austria Belgium Canada Chile Cyprus Czec
h Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany
Ireland
Italy Japan Korea Netherlands Norway Poland Portug
al Russian Federation Slovak Republic Spain Sweden
United Kingdom United States
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PIAAC Timeline
2007 2008 2009 2010
2011 2012 2013
Second round Project launch in January 2012
FT analysis Preparation for Main Survey
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PIAAC Progress to date

• Field Test 2010 completed
• Conducted in 25 countries, in 35 languages and
  delivered completely on computer
• Sample of 1500 cases per country
• (in the main study 4500 to 5000 adults in each
  country)
• High quality data gained (e.g. few missing
  values, etc.)
• Good or relatively good comparability of
  assessment items across country and assessment
  modes
• Main operational challenge are response rates
• Preparation for Main Study completed
• Final item selection based on FT completed
• Assembly of virtual machine, training completed
• Main Study under way until March 2012
• Approximately 167 000 completed cases are sought

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Demographic challengesSkills by age
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Keeping learning beyond schoolCross-sectional
skill-age profiles for youths by education and
work status
Youth in education and work
Youth in education
Youth in work
Not in education, not in work
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PIAAC results in 2013

• Proficiency levels of population (what people can
  do)
• Distributions of proficiency
• Correlates of performance and outcomes
• Match/mismatch of skill
• Returns to education and basic competencies
• Change in levels and distributions of basic
  competencies for groups and nations (20 countries
  in both IALS/ALL previous surveys and PIAAC)
• Picture of demand for competencies by
  occupations

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PIAAC policy potential

• Policy issues that can be addressed
• Performance of education/training systems in
  developing basic competencies
• Measurement of stock of human capital
• Economic and social outcomes related to basic
  competencies
• Effects of aging (individuals and society)
• Social inclusion and access to social
  opportunities by level of competencies
• Factors aiding retention of competencies, those
  promoting the improvement of existing
  competencies and those related to new
  competencies.

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Further information

• Education Directorate
• www.oecd.org/edu
• PIAAC and Skills strategy
• www.OECD.org/piaac
• www.oecd.org/education/SkillsStrategy
• Email William.Thorn_at_OECD.org
• Etienne.albiser_at_oecd.org