European Union’s policies on Education and Training

1. European Union’s policies on Education and Training with a special reference to the‚Education and Training 2010 agenda‘, Cedefop‘s contribution and on eSkills and eLearning initiatives within the eEurope programme Burkhart Sellin, Principal Administrator and Senior Advisor Cedefop/Thessaloniki At the occasion of the AICA- Congress organised by the University of Bologna at CESENA, 21 and 22 September 2006.

2. Challenge: skill shortages • approx. 1/3 (about 60.000.000 persons) are unskilled or lower-skilled and have major difficulties to get a job of adequate quality and duration • Within 5 years from now: • approx. 50% of the present knowledge and professional competences will have become obsolete, therefore • need for continuous training and re-training of major part of the workforce

3. Challenge: Retraining & Continuing Training for Adults Urgent need due to: • Demographic developments (aging population) • Rapid technological and organisational changes in the world of work • Impossibility to continue with ‘early retirement’ policies/measures

4. Challenge: New quality jobs require high-quality VET&HE • Establishing appropriate working conditions (regarding the content and organisation of work) • Establishing appropriate labour relations (social dialogue) • Ensuring that VET&HE equips individuals with broad and ‘key’ competences/skills

5. «Lifelong Learning» 6 priorities for action • 1. Valuing learning • 2. Information, guidance and counselling • 3. Investing time and money in learning • 4. Bringing together learners and learning opportunities • 5. Basic skills • 6. Innovative pedagogy

6. ‘COPENHAGEN/BRUGES PROCESS’ STRENGTHENING COOPERATION IN VET • Process initiated at Bruges (2001) and set out in the Copenhagen Declaration (Nov. 2002), CONFIRMED IN MAASTRICHT IN 2005 • Underlying principles: • target date: 2010 • voluntary measures developed through bottom-up cooperation • initiatives focused on the needs of citizens/users • inclusive cooperation, involving Member States, Commission and Candidate Countries as well as Social Partners

7. THE E-LEARNING INITIATIVE SINCE 2002 • platform for European cooperation • part of the comprehensive eEurope Action Plan 2002 adopted in March 2001 • new action programme from 2004 to 2005 adopted in December 2003 which includes major issues linked to e-Skills, E-EUROPE ACTIONS ALONGSIDE THE INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE • New communciation and actions envisaged for 2007

8. Five main components • equip schools with multimedia computers • train European teachers in digital technologies • develop European educational services and software • speed up the networking of schools and teachers • access to ICT application in teaching and learning

9. eEurope Action Plan 2005 • modernising public services with the assistance and promotion of - e-government • e-learning and e-Skills • e-health services • e-business services

10. eSkills initiatives within the eEurope Programme eSkills Forum set up by the Commission’s DG Entreprise in March 2003: Issues papers on supply and demand aspects, international aspects including outsourcing and off shoring. Major e-Skills conference in Copenhagen 2002, in Thessaloniki 2004, the latter approving the e-Skills Forum´s final report and recommending further actions. 3. CEN/ISSS workshop on ICT-Skills: (1) validating Generic Profiles of the ICT industry (Career Space Consortium) as well as Curriculum Guidelines;(2) working towards an agreement on a European Reference Framework for ICT skills and competences (joint actions initiated by Cedefop and CEPIS; EUCIP and the Milano University is strongly involved in this initiative).

11. e- Skills actions in 2007 and beyond (forthcoming communication of the of the European Commission, DG Industry and Enterprise within the eEurope programme, support from other DG´s and Cedefop) Objective: Long term e-skills strategy for competitiveness, employability and workforce development

12. eSkills conference 2006 • To take place in Thessaloniki on 5 and 6 October next with high level stakeholders and government representatives to discuss new action lines proposed by the European Commission • Some 150 experts and representatives are being expected

13. ENVISAGED ACTION LINES

14. The European eSkills or Competence Framework • Will be refined by the new programme of the CEN/ISSS ICT Skills workshop, trying to establish a European level sector specific framework for eSkills basing on a common assessment of national frameworks: a two year busines plan is agreed. Certification and standards will be an issue for 2007. A user skills framework will presumably also be agreed.

15. CEDEFOP CONTRIBUTION Virtual communities to support the Copenhagen Declaration set up by Cedefop in partnership with the European Commission: • Single transparency framework • Lifelong learning - guidance • Credit transfer in VET (including european qualifications framework (reference levels) and certification) • Quality in VET • E-Skills

16. RECENT PRODUCTS • STUDIES: TYPOLOGY OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND COMPETENCES; REFERENCE LEVELS AND ZONES OF MUTUAL TRUST; EUROPEAN ICT SKILLS CERTIFICATION; CREDIT TRANSFER SCHEMES (ECVET) • E-SKILLS NEWSLETTERS • E-SKILLS CONFERENCES, DOCUMENTATION AND DECLARATIONS • REGULAR MEDIA: VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES • CEDEFOP INFFO • CEDEFOP JOURNAL • SEE: WWW.CEDEFOP.EUROPA.EU/PUBLICATIONS

17. For further information: EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR THE PROMOTION OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING P.O. Box 22427 GR-55102 Thessaloniki Greece Tel.: (30-2310) 49 01 11 Fax: (30-2310) 49 01 02 E-mail:burkart.sellin@cedefop.europa.eu