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PIAAC reveals the deficits of basic competences within the adult population. To master this problem, which also applies to the labour market, the author calls for establishing a Federal Office for the protection of basic education. This office may be an opportunity for people with and without a migrational background, persons seeking employment as well as precariously employed people to attend vocational education and training programmes, which are funded by the government.
Based on the assumption that the findings gained during the PIAAC study provide an impetus for the development of demand-driven support opportunities, the author points out the needs for improvement in the field of basic education. At the same time, regarding the content, the author warns of constricting adult education in favour of competence and outcome oriented programmes.
Focusing on Germany, the authors provide an overview on the PIAAC key findings. In addition to the findings on everyday skills, an insight on factors such as age and educational qualification, which influence the characteristic of competences, is presented.
The article presents initial findings of the CiLL study - a German extending study on PIAAC. Using the same tools as PIAAC, the study measures reading, numeracy and technology-based problem-solving skills of people between 66 and 80 years of age - an age group, which was excluded in the PIAAC study.
Based on the development of modern information and communication technologies, the author tries to get to the bottom of the significance of reading and writing skills for the participation in society and the job market. He recognises a growing replacement by auditive and visual formats such as voice recognition and pictograms. Against this background, he calls for the recognition of developing smart technologies as the key for handling insufficient reading and writing skills.
The article depicts a structural model of health competences consisting of basic and developed skills, which refer to a perceptive-motivational as well as activity-based level. As a contrast to health literacy, the model is detached from the clinical context and intended as a life competence for health. The article also focuses on the empirical model review as well as on the issue of how to acquire competences.
Thinking in statistical patterns is a core competence of the responsible citizen, who is capable of making informed health decisions. At the same time, a lack of statistical skills as well as non-transparent communication of risks undermines the ideal of an enlightened citizen. Thus, educational programmes are responsible for imparting basic concepts of statistical thinking as well as equipping citizens directly and via mediators to enable informed decisions.
The article provides an overview of the constellation of stakeholders in health education. It focuses on the publicly funded section and its current challenges such as the participants' age pattern, as well as the range of services and the relating quality standards.
