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An informal working group comprised of members of Employers' Federations from seven European Union (EU) countries was established in 1999 to examine quality in primary and secondary education in their countries. This article reports the initial views of employers organisations from the seven EU countries on improving the quality of general education. The working group identifies a general consensus across the EU on the need for reform and the strong interest of employers in the direction the reforms should take. The issues raised highlight the importance of including vocational education and training as part of the learning framework and not in isolation from other types of education. The group recognises that reform in education is the domain of national governments but puts forward a series of proposals as a contribution to the debate on quality in schools. The article sets out a broad framework for school reform in the coming century. The proposals are presented in four sections examining the reasons for reform, what shape the reforms should take, how the reforms can be achieved, and who should take responsibility for their implementation.