Ladies and gentlemen and all those outside of these two categories,

Welcome to Iceland and welcome to the 4th Biennalen in Reykjavik on Validation of Prior Learning (VPL) – a topic which I find very interesting, ambitious and urgent – in dealing with todays matters  – and to come up with new solutions to the challenges we are facing.

As the minister of Social Affairs and Labour in Iceland I am responsible for Adult Education.

Today both the labour market and the Adult Education belong to the  ministry of Social Affairs and Labour. I believe this gives us a unique opportunity to put an extra effort and focus on connection between the Adult Education and the Labour market, integration and diversity issues, which are topics high on the political agenda today.

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In Iceland, as in other countries in Europe, we want to increase participation in life long learning in general, both work related and for the purpose of personal development. But within that range we are determined to place special emphasis on those adults who have not yet graduated from any studies at the upper secondary level - or - who are in any other way in an unequal situation based on their lack of skills or lack of opportunities. Here I am also talking about people with disabilities and people of different nationalities. Through the Act on Adult Education we want to give these vulnerable groups a second chance to education and chance to enhance or develop their skills or career. And there our VPL system is very important and even crucial.

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The overall target of all our measures is of course to increase the general educational level in Iceland and not only to improve our education, labour market and welfare systems but also to make a better coherence across all systems, in order to facilitate access, quality and equality for people. In this regard, our VPL projects have done wonders –in connecting the formal school system to the Lifelong learning centres, all around the country, and with the social partners both from the public and private labour market. The government therefore funds and supports various educational opportunities and services, where VPL plays a crucial role.

VPL it is all about access for adults who want to further their competences or careers - and have them acknowledged – and seen. It is all about making competences that have been learned or earned in all kinds of unformal or untraditional settings – more visible and validated.

However, the fact is that in Iceland too few people from the target group are participating in VPL, so there is space for more - and we need to reach out and make the system more attractive, accessible – and of course more efficient, - without losing quality or trust in the results. 

-Education and human resources are the foundation for growth and prosperity, and we need to foster creative thinking, knowledge and science, and ensure everyone the opportunity to participate.

We know that „Technological changes call for new skills for work in a more complex society, making the role of continuing education and lifelong learning ever more important.“

In order to meet these challenges or new needs we need to revise our systems and we need to revise our Act on Adult Education. And that is exactly what we are going to do.

„Continuing education and lifelong learning will therefore be strengthened and legislation on further education will be reviewed in broad consultation, to ensure that the further education system is equipped to deal with societal developments, e.g. due to climate issues and technological change in the labour market.“

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There are of course many other skills at stake when looking into the future, but those skills need to be relevant in our personal context, earmarked as important and , developed and transferred upon demand from individuals, employees and employers. By doing that we make the most out of them and benefit the most. This has been the procedure when implementing VPL projects in Iceland -and I want to mention specifically projects carried out by the industries  - and which I understand received some awards at a former Biennial conference- some years ago. I also want to congratulate a new upcoming winner this year  in advance.

It´s a fact that the Technological changes and climate change are creating a new reality and new opportunities in most industries. And a lot of other opportunities lie, for example, in other sectors like the healthcare and life sciences, software development, green technology and the creative sector. Then artificial intelligence must be in everyone’s interest to tackle – and try to understand- and have to be guided by the fundamental values of human rights, democracy and equality. It is therefore important to increase expertise, ensure equal opportunities and counteract disadvantages in a changed environment. And this can be done, for instance, by supporting transformations in the education system and ensuring everyone access to opportunities for continuing education and lifelong learning. –

Learning begets learning and while Iceland has luckily one of the highest score in lifelong learning participation,-  along with the other Nordic countries - this does not extend enough to the unskilled labour. We need to find out why and therefore we are willing to act and take the necessary measures to reach out.

There VPL has an important role to play, in this matter, and I wish you a fruitful conference and I look forward to hear of your suggestions and solutions.