ETUC Conference, 2-3 september 2010, Brussels With the support of the European Commission

1. Roundtable :“Vocational training, learning outcomes and social dialogue: European differences and points of convergence” ETUC Conference, 2-3 september 2010, Brussels With the support of the European Commission

2. Lifelong Learning in EU : an already long story • By the mid-1990s, Delors white paper was the initial source of common programs (Erasmus, Comenius, Leonardo da Vinci…) and processes (Bologna, Copenhagen) • to overcome the usual dualism between initial and continuing education by promoting permanent education : LLL is the new watchword • to promote mutual recognition of qualifications and skills • to encourage individual mobility in Europe • The 2000s : Lisbon strategy and Open Method of Coordination applied to education • Guidelines to set out coherent national strategies • Strategic objectives: • Quality and effectiveness of education and training systems • Access of all to education and training • Opening up to the world • Detailed objectives and indicators to benchmark and influence the national practices

3. Vocational Education and Training : some key issues of the Communication from the EC1 (june 2010) • To equip the people with the right mix of skills (IVET) and to update it (CVET) • To balance : • key competencies (= foundation for Life Long Learning) and vocational skills (= professional excellence) • standardized skills (factor of productivity) and creative personal competencies (factor of innovation) • To foster LLL-friendly VET systems : • easy access to CVET • guidance services and individualisation of learning pathways • Transparent and consistent recognition of learning outcomes • To modernize the VET systems: • Convergent NQF referenced to EQF • to foster permeability between VET and Higher Education (HE) • to open barriers and ceilings by transparent qualifications and portability of learning outcomes • To make transnational mobility a way for upskilling (ECVET) • Quality culture thanks to quality assurance policy (EQAVET) • Sector councils: involvement of social partners to spread information and best practices (design, organisation, delivery and financing of VET) 1Source: “New impetus for European cooperation in Vocational Education and Training to support the Europe 2020 strategy”, European Commission, COM(2010) 296 final, 9 June 2010

4. Vocational training : persistent differences and common problems between national systems • Different groups of countries, on the basis of two criteria: the relationship between CVET and IVET (integration or separation) and the nature of CVET’s regulation (centralised, decentralised, weak) • CVET integrated in IVET system (nordic countries)  probably an advantage for promoting Lifelong Learning • CVET and IVETseparate (continental and mediterranean countries), with a contractual regulation, more or less decentralized, of CVET  the progressive and unequal emergence of an individual right of workers to training  the stake of qualification frameworks to extend the transferability of personal skills • Weak regulation of CVET, whose intensity depends mainly on the unilateral efforts of firms (UK)  the role of NVQ to signal the competencies of the individuals on the labour market • Shortcomings of vocational training and social dialogue in Central Eastern European Countries • Inequalities and common problems • Strong inequalities among countries concerning the access to CVET • This inequality is stronger for small firms : SME’s workers frequently outside the CVET common problems: access of SME’s workers to training and appeal of SMEs to talents

5. Vocational training embedded in idiosyncratic systems of industrial relations, labour markets and public policies • If vocational training is key concern of Sector Councils as networking of national bodies, it is crucial to take structural differences between member countries into account • From theoretical point of view, different policy regimes for LLL 1: combination of political principles, actors’ strategies, rules and instruments • Decommodified regimes: • Corporatist (basic principle: access to a professional community) • Academic (basic principle: school-based merit system) • Universal (basic principle : compensation of initial inequalities) • Market Regimes: • Pure competition market (basic principle: utility of services provided for individual human capital) • Organised market (basic principle: fair price and quality of services developing skills as social capital) • National models = specific compromises between typical regimes • The European approach could be also be understood as a new combination of regimes : • Corporatist (sector councils), universal (fair opportunities and transitions for all workers), organised market (pro-active training providers regulated by common rules) … • … helping to correct national deficiencies and to spread best practices effectively 1see: Eric Verdier, European LLL Strategy and diversity of nationaldevices: an interpretation in terms of public policy regimes, 2009