Social Dialogue Education and Training Ad Hoc Group

S/13.2.3.2001/draft joint text final

1.Challenges

‘The European Union is confronted with a quantum shift resulting from globalisation and the challenges of a new knowledge-driven economy’[1].

The Lisbon summit created a new dynamic by setting itself the strategic objective of making the European Union a competitive economic area based on innovation, knowledge and social cohesion, capable of tackling the necessary changes “in a manner consistent with its values and concepts of society and also with a view to the forthcoming enlargement”.[2] Comprehensivestrategies for lifelong learning are therefore a top priority.

In the perspective of the Lisbon conclusions and with respect to the Feira and Nice European Councils, social partners agreed to work jointly on the promotion and realisation of lifelong learning.

Only a joint effort by the European Commission, the national governments and social partners, each within their mandate and responsibility, can make the Lisbon ambitions and objectives a reality.

The social partners’ working agenda should be regarded as their specific contribution to this process.

Meeting the challenge imposed by the globalisation of economies and markets, the introduction of new technologies and especially of ICT, new forms of organising work, services and production, implies innovative approaches and a strong partnership at all appropriate levels.

The European Union is also confronted with a serious demographic challenge. This requires a new way of approaching the learning systems. Training young people entering the labour market is of high importance but it will not be enough. It is necessary to give opportunities to those who are already in work, to all age groups, to both women and men, skilled and unskilled, if significant increases in the skill levels are to be achieved. Learning should also contribute to the promotion of equal opportunities.

The development of lifelong learning, based on knowledge, skills and competencies is certainly one of the key instruments for fostering the knowledge-based society. It requires organisations to understand the necessity to have the will and appropriate instruments to adapt to the quick pace of change.

A knowledge-based society will foster economic growth, sustainable development, social inclusion, to increase the competitiveness of the European economies and companies, through higher levels of productivity and profitability as well as to the creation of more and better jobs and to a higher job quality. It will also promote active citizenship and personal development.

A “culture” of lifelong learning implies the opportunity for every individual to develop a personal commitment and a strong motivation to enhance his or her ambitions and interests, that is a capacity for learning in different contexts.

The promotion of a culture for learning is also linked to the way work and the company are organised.

All relevant partners, at all appropriate levels and according to their specific responsibility, must play an active role in order to create the necessary conditions and instruments for lifelong learning to become a reality.

New skills are required in order to cover the needs of both traditional and innovative enterprises as well as those of the whole workforce. Simple technical skills or abilities are no longer sufficient. A new set of general, personal and social competencies, complementary to specialised qualifications is needed, as confirmed by enterprises’ experiences.

Beyond literacy and numeracy, key skills comprise problem solving, abilities for creative and critical thinking, communication, team work, the ability to learn how to learn, computer literacy, etc. These are essential to promote employability and to enable enterprises to adjust to the quick pace of change.

Furthermore, providing every worker with ICT skills is crucial for employers and employees in order to overcome ICT skills shortages

The identification of new skills needs to be progressively updated in line with changing requirements.

2.General principles

To support the developments to meet the above mentioned challenges, CEEP, ETUC[3], UNICE/UEAPME, agree on the following:

Partnership

To put lifelong learning into practice means working together and identifying the responsibilities of the different actors. It also means the involvement of social partners – at all appropriate levels – in the development, implementation and evaluation of policies by public authorities and learning institutions.

Shared responsibility of employers, employees and public authorities

To build on a sense of shared responsibility for lifelong learning among all key actors – Member States, European Institutions, Social Partners, the world of enterprise and the individual citizens themselves each at their own level- will be the key to success.

It is also essential that public authorities promote a general framework for strategies of lifelong learning, within which they ensure that measures are undertaken to address the needs of specific groups.

Role of social partners

The development of lifelong learning poses new challenges for both employers and employees at all levels.

Social partners need to meet these challenges, building on good, comprehensive and innovative strategies and practices, and contributing to the identification of new methods in terms of promoting and delivering learning.

UNICE/UEAPME, ETUC, CEEP will concentrate their work on areas where employers and workers have a specific knowledge or responsibility, at all appropriate levels and utilise the mechanisms within their reach.

Social partners at the European level want to give a clear political signal on their joint engagement and on their specific contribution “in order to identify ways of promoting access to lifelong learning and developing the skills of all men and women”[4].

Access and motivation

Every individual should be able to access opportunities to learn and to acquire basic qualifications and key skills, in initial education and training and in continuing vocational training. Good information, advice and guidance are equally important in this regard.

Access to and participation in learning are influenced by several factors: level of qualifications, age, gender, type of work contract, size of enterprises. The impact of these factors has to be taken into consideration in order to meet the challenges.

In order for lifelong learning to become part of a new culture, supporting the development of employability and enhancing the enterprises’ competitiveness, these questions must be addressed.

Therefore, employers, managerial and professional staff, and the whole workforce must be motivated and work in close co-operation in order to develop and promote competencies. The social partners need to identify the strategies and patterns that will contribute to this objective.

Diversity

Lifelong learning is a common challenge for Europe. There is evidence that no “one size fits all” solution is possible, because traditions and education and training systems differ inside the European Union. Nevertheless, the social partners are working to identify general principles.

Quality

Education and training systems should be evaluated according to quality indicators. The social partners have a role to play in the identification of these indicators as well as in the evaluation process.

3.The way forward

In the light of the identified challenges and general principles, ETUC, UNICE/UEAPME, CEEP wish to give their contribution to the promotion of lifelong learning and to the development of skills in Europe. The social partners will explore the possibilities through their joint work which may include the following aspects :

3.1.Identification and anticipation of competence needs

Identification and anticipation of competence needs is one of the priorities for social partners’ joint work. Appropriate mechanisms will have to be identified in order to match supply and demand in the labour market and to fulfil needs at territorial, sectoral, enterprise and individual levels:

–The identification of enterprises’ competencies needs;

–The development, measurement and evaluation of existing competencies;

–The identification of individual learning needs;

–Learning plans;

–Relevant mechanisms for information, advice and guidance;

–Participation and motivation of employers, workers and their representatives;

–Links to be made at sectorial, territorial and European levels (European Observatory on Industrial Change).

3.2.Innovative tools and approaches for learning

The development of a lifelong learning culture implies new and innovative tools and approaches for learning at enterprise level. New models are needed in order to encourage and promote learning:

–Changes in work organisationand the importance of learning organisations;

–New learning methods and the use of ICT;

–Time for learning / learning leaves;

–Assessment of learning;

–Quality assessment.

3.3.Recognition, validation and accreditation

Learning and skills development at work is seldom formally assessed, recognised or formalised, meaning that the visibility and transferability of skills and competencies acquired is rather limited.

New ways of improving visibility and transferability of skills and competencies have to be found:

–Validation of competencies and skills acquired on the job, instruments allowing for portability and transferability;

–Instruments allowing for the validation of qualifications in Member States.

–Improved transparency of skills and competencies at the European level by establishing links between the relevant national practices.

Impact on career progression, earning capacity and employability.

3.4.Resources for lifelong learning

The creation of a knowledge-based society must be accompanied by new efforts in terms of shared investment in human resources development, based on the principle of partnership and on the identification of the different levels of responsibility of each actor:

–New ways of funding at company level, through the utilisation of different types of resources;

–Individual learning accounts;

–Tax relief / tax incentives / other mechanisms.

On the basis of the results of their joint work, ETUC, UNICE/UEAPME, CEEP will commit themselves to work towards a European framework, including common goals, in order to promote lifelong learning at all levels and especially at enterprise level.

The Social Partners will engage themselves to promote this European framework at national level through their respective organisations, according to national practices.

Social partners will jointly identify a number of mechanisms for exchange of information and experience, which will allow them to monitor progress.

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1

[1] Lisbon Summit conclusions.

[2] Lisbon summit conclusions.

[3] The ETUC delegation includes representatives of the Eurocadres/CEC Liaison Committee

[4] Joint statement of the social partners to the Forum on the 15 June 2000