Skills developrnent for realizing the workforce competence reserve Utvikling av voksnes ferdigheter for optimal realisering av arbeidskraft (SKILLSREAL)

The point of departure for the project Skills developrnent for realizing the workforce cornpetence reserve (Ski1lsREAL)(2014-2017) is the situation in which shortage of labour and competence reserve not in use exist in parallel. The purpose of the study is to explore, how to best optimize the learning and competence potential of groups of adults at risk of labor exclusion, outside the labour force or underemployed. Complex relationships between adult skills, characteristics and attitudes (as measured by OECD's PIAAC study), adult participation in leaming activities and in the labour market (register data) will be explored. The project objectives are:

1. to investigate the relationships between adult skills, characteristics and attitudes and participation /non-participation in working life;
2. to investigate and compare the relationships between adult skills, characteristics and attitudes in regards their participation/non-participation in learning activities in different contexts across the Nordic countries;
3. to investigate how organization and enactment of (non-formal, informal, formal) learning experiences within workplaces, can optimally promote learning and working potential among adults;
4. to identify, develop, implernent, and analyze best practice and innovative solutions for optimizing the working and learning capacities in the target groups through innovative pedagogical use of new technology in adult education provisions.

SkillsREAL employs both quantitative and qualitative methods. The project leader is the University College Stord/Haugesund (HSH) (project management). Partners are the University of Stavanger (UiS), and the International Research Institute of Stavanger (IRIS), supported by an international Scientific Advisory Board with experts in research adult education frorn Sweden, Finland and Australia.