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Article 150 of the EC Treaty states that “the Community shall implement a vocational training policy which shall support and supplement the action of the Member States while fully respecting the responsibility of the Member States for the content and organisation of vocational training”.

The underlying objective of this survey on vocational training is to determine whether current vocational training systems meet the needs and wishes of citizens and to identify the type of reforms and innovations necessary in order to meet the Lisbon goals by 2010.

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Member States of the European Union made a promise to young people in April 2013. They undertook to ensure that no young person under 25 after leaving education or becoming unemployed is left without support to obtain a job, a traineeship, or an apprenticeship, or to get into continued education. Member States set themselves a four month time limit for providing such an offer. This offer should be of good quality to contribute to sustainably improved labour market prospects. Member States' commitment involves reaching out to the young who are currently outside the labour market and not participating in formal education or training. Ultimately all this aims at tackling youth unemployment and the current huge waste of young people's potential. The Youth Guarantee is an outcome-focused approach. It is about ensuring that young people can realize their potential and play the active role in our societies that they are capable of. This entails providing real opportunities for testing and further increasing skills and employability.

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This staff working paper accompanies the Communication on ‘New skills for new jobs’ (indexed at TD/TNC 94.25). It presents the empirical and theoretical evidence upon which the policy messages of the Communication are based. Section one introduces the paper and offers the rationale behind it. Section two provides a first assessment of the skills and labour market needs of the European Union (EU) up to 2020 and identifies the possible risks of mismatches between supply and demand. This first analysis needs to be followed by continuous efforts to anticipate and match future skills and labour market needs. Section three evaluates existing practices at national and international levels. Show less

Since 2008 Europe has been suffering the effects of the most severe economic crisis it has seen in 50 years: for the first time in Europe there are over 25 million unemployed and in the majority of Member States small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have not yet been able to bounce back to their pre-crisis levels. To bring Europe back to growth and higher levels of employment, Europe needs more entrepreneurs. As a follow up to the Small Business Act review of April 2011 and of the Industrial policy communication adopted last October, the proposed action plan sets out a renewed vision and a number of actions to be taken at both [European Union] EU and Member States' level to support entrepreneurship in Europe. It is based on three pillars: developing entrepreneurial education and training; creating the right business environment; role models and reaching out to specific groups.

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Following the publication of ‘A memorandum of lifelong learning’ (indexed at TD/IRD 88.400) in October 2000, the European Commission invited Member States to launch a consultation process to collect together all views on how best to make progress in implementing lifelong learning. Feedback from the Europe-wide consultation was then used to develop the analysis and proposals in the Communication on ‘Making a European area of lifelong learning a reality’ (indexed at TD/IRD 88.264). National reports were submitted by each Member State as well as by candidate countries and Iceland and Norway. This document is the national report from the UK. It highlights the UK’s approach to lifelong learning against the six key messages of the Memorandum.

Documents from ‘Making a European area of lifelong learning a reality’ are indexed from TD/TNC 77.521 to TD/TNC 77.539. Show less

This report on the current status of the various levels of education in European countries is the result of collaboration between EURYDICE, the information network on education in Europe, and Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Communities. The report is characterised by a combination of statistical data and descriptive information on the organisation and operation of European educational systems. It aims to highlight the differences and similarities between systems and to identify major trends. It is structured on the basis of alternating comparative, statistical and descriptive graphs along with comments on the key issues emerging from the comparison. The report covers 29 European countries, with data on Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia contained in the annex. The chapters are organised by level of education with the addition of two new chapters, one on foreign language learning and one containing a set of indicators about information and communication technology. The report begins with a summary of all chapters and suggestions about how to read them, a glossary of codes and a definition of statistical tools. All data used to create the graphics are contained in the annexes. Show less

‘Education and Training 2010’ is a long-term project governed by the European Commission which aims to contribute to the Lisbon Strategy in the area of education and training. The goal of the project is to see Europe recognised by 2010 as the world leader in terms of the quality of its education and training systems. The Copenhagen declaration in November 2002 is a related policy which set out a strategy for improving the overall performance, quality and attractiveness of vocational education and training (VET) in Europe. Transfer and recognition of qualifications and competences is an increasingly important aspect of education and training systems, and refers to the ability to carry qualifications between different contexts, levels and settings of education and training. It is the aim of the Technical Working Group (TWG) to investigate options for the development of a system of credit transfer in VET at a European level, while also looking at common reference levels for qualifications and competences, and common principles for certification. This report updates on progress made in this area during the period of November 2002 - October 2003, with a final report to the European Commission, outlining a basis for concrete action in this field, planned for release at an unspecified future date. The TWG concludes with a summary of their main achievements thus far, which include: the identification of key issues and concepts at stake in the development of a European credit system for VET (referred to as ECVET); the formulation of a strategy for the development and implementation of ECVET; and the initiation of further research and consultation with stakeholders concerning the key issues.

Selected documents relating to ‘Education and Training 2010’ are indexed from TD/TNC 80.530 to TD/TNC 80.541. Show less

This report presents the fundamental aims of, and possible changes to education in order to construct European Union (EU) citizenship. The report proposes reinforcing EU competitiveness, preserving employment and maintaining social cohesion through education and training and making education and training systems and related EU activities more dynamic. This report was produced by the Study group on education and training, comprising 25 experts who advise the Commission. Show less

Following the publication of 'A memorandum of lifelong learning' (indexed at TD/IRD 88.400) in October 2000, the European Commission invited Member States to launch a consultation process to collect together all views on how best to make progress in implementing lifelong learning. Feedback from the Europe-wide consultation was then used to develop the analysis and proposals in the Communication on 'Making a European area of lifelong learning a reality' (indexed at TD/IRD 88.264). National reports were submitted by each Member State as well as by candidate countries and Iceland and Norway. This document is the national report from Estonia. The contents are: Introduction; Description of the consultation process; The six key messages; General conclusions.

Documents from ‘Making a European area of lifelong learning a reality’ are indexed from TD/TNC 77.521 to TD/TNC 77.539. Show less

Language competences are a key dimension of modernising European education systems, and this staff working document [SWD] is part of a larger policy initiative contributing to Europe 2020. It offers analysis and insight to support the Commission communication on 'Re-thinking Education: a blueprint to invest in the skills of the future for better economic and social outcomes'. Raising the language competences of children, young people and adults will foster the mobility of workers and students and improve the employability of the European workforce. Therefore, improved language competences will contribute to achieving the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy of growth and jobs. This SWD presents ground-breaking evidence. It draws on the new European Survey on Language Competences (ESLC), which assesses pupils' knowledge of the first and second foreign languages at the end of lower secondary education. Show less