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job offer at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission
The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission recruits experts in the
field of evaluation and monitoring of education and training systems. The
positions will soon be opened to the following candidates:
a) post-doc(cat. 30)
b) senior researchers (cat. 40)
c) seconded national experts
Ideal candidates should have a background in one of the following areas:
Economics, Statistics, Econometrics, Social science and Education
For information on research profiles and application please contact:
Michela Nardo JRC-G09: michela.nardo@jrc.it
Short summary of CRELL's activities
The Centre for Research on lifelong learning based on indicators and
benchmarks (CRELL)
is the result of a cooperation between Directorate General Education and
Culture and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. It will be
physically located at the JRC site of Ispra, in northern Italy, on Lake
Maggiore, in the Institute for the Safety and Protection of the Citizen. It
will host in 2005 several national detached experts from EU member
countries plus staff from the JRC for a total of 10 investigators, funded by
DG EAC. DG EAC and JRC have outlined a blueprint of the activities of CRELL
as follows.
1) Establishment of a Network of institutions-/universities with the
scientific knowledge in this area
Under co-ordination of DG EAC, JRC will act as a European focal point for
institutions active in indicator based evaluation of education and training
systems. The centre could establish a database of European institutions
operating in this area. JRC would also set-up a specific website on
education, which underpins the role as a focal point and which would give
access to the database and to all reports prepared in this context. JRC will
produce inventories of activities on a national level related to indicator
based quality evaluation.
2) Evaluation of education systems
The centre will look at the comparability of data sets, including the
analysis of weaknesses and limitations of existing data sets. This will
include analysis of time series as well as cross-country comparisons and
comparisons with other OECD countries. Furthermore, the centre will provide
analytical support to the reporting activities in the field of the education
and training benchmarks and the reports to be produced in the frame of the
programme ^ÑEducation and Training 2010^Ò. Recommendations on how to improve
existing data will also be included in this task
The centre will screen national and international research activities and
their outcomes as regards their pertinence for evaluating education and
training policies in Europe, especially as regards ^ÑEducation and Training
2010^Ò and their importance for evaluating education and training in
quantitative terms. It will provide the Commission with an inventory of
relevant research activities and with short reports on key findings of
research activities of importance to the Commission. It will furthermore
provide feedback to national level activities on projects and needs on a
European level and will help to coordinate national activities better.
3) Qualitative aspects of education and training systems
The Standing Group on indicators and benchmarks has identified a need for
more sophisticated analysis, able to reveal more in depth qualitative
aspects of the education and training system and their relation to
quantitative outcomes. The centre will look at the development of
appropriate methodologies in order to bring together qualitative and
quantitative monitoring and evaluation measures into a holistic and
consistent picture reflecting plurality of expectations and cultural
specificities of European systems.
4) Development of new indicators (including composite indicators)
The current list of indicators used in Commission reports needs further
development in order to fully respond to current and emerging needs in terms
of evaluating the performance of education and training systems. In many
cases new indicators can be derived from existing data sets. In other cases,
however, the development of new data sets is needed. In most cases
indicators are based on two or three data sets, which are related to each
other within the indicator. In the case of a need for composite indicators,
scientific support is needed in order to properly design such composite
indicators (how to combine indicators and weigh the different elements). The
centre could provide methodological support here too.
5) Methodological support for the preparation of the collection of new data
In some cases new indicators are needed for which data do not exist yet.
Expertise is required in order to design and develop missing datasets. In
cooperation with the European Statistical System, JRC could help to identify
the data sets needed and give methodological advice on scope, definition,
approach and resources needed to collect missing data. This would include
the analysis of existing survey tools and their suitability for collecting
new data and the preparation of a list of variables and methodological
recommendations for existing and new enquiries.
4) Forecasting and modelling
4.a) Macroeconomic modelling
The centre will provide its experience in macroeconomic modelling in order
to quantitatively assess and analyse the impact of discussed and agreed
objectives for education and training on economic performance and the
implications on public budgets of EU countries, especially in the light of
the Lisbon goals.
4.b) Forecasting
Current demographic and socioeconomic changes pose challenges for the future
development of education and training systems in Europe. JRC will provide
its expertise to analyse existing forecasts and make own forecasts and
projections on important trends and their impact on education and training
systems. This would include assessments on the implication and impact of new
trends on existing benchmarks and policy objectives and the assessment of
the feasibility of benchmarks and new quantitative policy objectives.
Research profiles
It is foreseen that the centre is fully operational when 10 researchers have
been at the ^Ócentre for research on lifelong learning based on indicators
and benchmarks^Ô. This should allow for establishing a centre of some clout.
The centre will include persons with different profiles and research
backgrounds, but a number of ^Óhorizontal tasks^Ô will allow for the creation
of synergies within the centre.
It is of outmost importance to establish European research networks around
the different themes the centre is researching. Consequently, each
researcher is required to organise at least a one yearly workshop for
interested colleagues in EU25.
Moreover, it is essential that the recruited researchers are capable of
communicating not only with the scientific community, but also with policy
makers in DG EAC and elsewhere.
Personal data
JRC-G09, Econometrics and statistical support to Antifraud
http://www.jrc.cec.eu.int/uasa
Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen (IPSC)
The European Commission, Joint Research Centre, TP 361, 21020 ISPRA(VA),
ITALY,
Tel: +39 0 332 78 5968 Fax: +39 0 332-78 5733, michela.nardo@jrc.it
Forum on sensitivity analysis: http://sensitivity-analysis.jrc.cec.eu.int/
SIMLAB software: http://www.jrc.cec.eu.int/uasa/prj-sa-soft.asp
OECD-JRC work Composite Indicators: http://farmweb.jrc.cec.eu.int/ci
___________________________________________
Stefano Tarantola, Ph.D.
Joint Research Centre of the European Commission
Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen (IPSC)
JRC G09 - Econometrics and statistical support to Antifraud
http://www.jrc.cec.eu.int/uasa
TP361, I-21020 Ispra (VA)
Phone: (+39) 0332 789928, Sec: (+39) 0332 789686, Fax: (+39) 0332 785733
Forum on sensitivity analysis: http://sensitivity-analysis.jrc.cec.eu.int/
SIMLAB software (v. 2.2): http://www.jrc.cec.eu.int/uasa/prj-sa-soft.asp
PRIMER on Sensitivity Analysis: http://www.jrc.cec.eu.int/uasa/primer-sa.asp
Composite Indicators: http://farmweb.jrc.cec.eu.int/ci/
Training Course on Sensitivity Analysis (November, 2005)
http://webfarm.jrc.cec.eu.int/uasa/evt-samo2005.asp
____________________________________________
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