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The outcomes of a special Eurobarometer survey, carried out in spring 2005, provided for the first time an insight into attitudes and opinions of citizens in the new Member States towards lifelong learning. The present report provides a detailed analysis of this survey. Taking into account the results of an analogous survey in the EU-15 in 2003, the authors try to capture major differences or possibly coherences in the perceptions, needs, motivations and preferences of citizens in the new and old Member States. The results of the 2005 Eurobarometer survey on lifelong learning show that new Member States' citizens are highly conscious about the importance of learning a lifetime, for both economic and social reasons. Results provide evidence that EU policies on lifelong learning gained a foothold in the new Member States. However, details of the analysis reveal the potential for further targeted policy intervention and measures.

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This Cedefop-Lifelong Learning Platform joint briefing paper aims to inform European institutions as well as national policy and decision makers on the issue of [an] integrated and holistic approach to lifelong learning. It also provides the context at a high level and share a few recommendations on ways to establish lifelong learning systems at local, regional and national level.

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This study, based on Cohorts 9 and 10 of the England and Wales Youth Cohort Study (YCS), addresses a number of questions, including: (1) How many students work part-time in Years 12 and 13, and how many hours do they spend in jobs and on their studies? (2) What factors increase the probability of students taking part-time jobs? (3) What kinds of jobs do they do, and how much do they earn? and (4) What impact does part-time employment have on examination results? The extent of part-time employment amongst young people in full time education, both at age 16/17 and age 17/18, is described. Patterns of part-time employment amongst students in different types of courses, as well as the factors that increased theprobability of part-time employment from perspectives of gender, Year 11 results, ethnicity, home background and region, are looked at and a statistical model is fitted to disentangle the impact of these variables. The labour market for students aged 16/17 is analysed, providing information on occupational and industrial structure and wage levels and comparing the student labour market with that of 16/17 year olds who were not in full-time education. Further statistical models that explore the impact of part-time employment on examination results and/or vocational qualifications in Years 12 and 13 are presented. The final section highlights the main findings from the analyses and discusses their relevance to educational policy. Show less

The knowledge, skills and competences Europe needs to compete successfully in a global labour market is a major question on the European Union policy agenda. It is a question directly relevant to European citizens who want to know which knowledge, skills and competences will help them find or keep a job. Acknowledging the challenge, the 2007 Council Resolution 'New skills for new jobs' stressed the need to anticipate the skill needs - and skill gaps - emerging in the European labour market. In the short term, information on emerging skills needs is crucial, especially as several sectors already face skill shortages. The 2008 Spring European Council called for a comprehensive assessment of skill requirements in Europe up to the year 2020. This request has also been taken up in the June 2008 Council conclusions 'Anticipating and matching labour market needs, with special emphasis on youth - a jobs and skills initiative'. Information on skill needs at national level is no longer enough. A European labour market requires European-level information. Through its analysis of skills needs at European level, Cedefop took the initiative to help fill this knowledge gap. Cedefop's analysis, carried out in 2007, provides a consistent and comprehensive medium-term forecast of employment and skill needs across Europe and has made a major contribution to identifying labour market trends. To complement the information, in 2009, Cedefop will publish a skill supply forecast analysing possible future labour market imbalances. Cedefop intends to produce demand and supply forecasts regularly to help make skill needs in Europe more transparent. Cedefop's original analysis covered 2006-15. This booklet extends its forecast on skill needs in Europe to 2020. The forecast covers 25 EU Member States plus Norway and Switzerland. It analyses skill needs by broad sectors, occupational groups and broad qualifications levels and discusses possible policy implications. It is hoped this text will support not only policy-makers and researchers working on skill needs, but also social-partners and practitioners.

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The aim of the ADAPT community initiative was to help the workforce adapt to industrial change and to promote growth, employment and the competitiveness of companies in the European Union. This report, aimed at contributing to the current debate on lifelong learning in Europe, was commissioned by CEDEFOP at the end of the initiative to analyse those projects which illustrated good practice in lifelong learning. The focus of the report is on the key findings of ADAPT projects on workplace-oriented learning and learning networks. Suggestions are made based on project results and structured around the key messages of the European Commission’s ‘Memorandum on lifelong learning’ (indexed at TD/IRD 88.400). The chapters are: Introduction; New basic skills for all; More investment in human resources; Innovation in teaching and learning; Value learning; Rethinking guidance and counselling; Bringing learning closer to home; Learning networks; Lifelong learning, innovations from ADAPT. Show less

The Foundation Degree Taskforce released its report to UK government Ministers on 2nd September 2004. The report contains several recommendations aimed at embedding Foundation degrees within the UK higher education system. It presents the case for further expansion of Foundation degrees in England, documents the progress already made and outlines the next steps in establishing the new qualification. Research into the current and future skill shortages in the UK reveal a need for associate professional and higher technician level jobs. Foundation degrees have been developed in consultation with employers to address these skill shortages. A number of objectives for the development of Foundation degrees have been identified: (1) to contribute to the reduction in skill shortages at the associate professional and higher technician level by equipping students with a combination of technical skills, academic knowledge and transferable skills that are valued by employers and students; (2) to expand the number and range of Foundation degrees and contribute to widening participation by providing flexible and accessible progression routes for young people starting careers, those in employment, and those returning to work; and (3) to promote collaboration between employers, Regional Development Agencies, Sector Skills Councils, universities, and higher and further education colleges in developing Foundation degrees. Show less

This booklet focuses on some of the main aspects of vocational education and training (VET) in Italy. It provides an outline of the structure and characteristics of the training system and the challenges it faces. The booklet includes a chart of VET in the Italian education and training system and some education and training statistics. Show less

Skills Dialogues constitute a series of consultations with all major industrial and business sectors in the UK, generating high quality authoritative skills assessments for each of these broad sectors. Their purpose is to improve the quality of information available on skills at sector level and to provide an effective means for national training organisations (NTOs) and employers to contribute to the planning and implementation of education and training provision in their sector. This report is the result of the Clothing, Textiles, Footwear and Leather, and Furniture, Furnishings and Interiors Skills Dialogue and provides an assessment of trends in employment and skill needs and associated issues in these industries. These industries have faced a difficult transformation over the past three decades as a result of overseas competition and technological change. The report provides overviews of these industries, examines issues related to the demand for, and supply of, skills, including employment change, occupational change, skill requirements, skills gaps and shortages, and summarises common skills issues. The report suggests that to maintain competitiveness, the industries will need to further enhance skills, particularly in management, marketing and technical expertise. Major skills issues common to these industries are: (1) changes to the skills mix resulting from the transition to a combination of UK and overseas production; (2) overall skills deficiencies exacerbated by lack of experience and of basic skills; (3) skills gaps particularly at management levels and for clerical, craft and plant and machine operatives; (4) the equal demand for soft skills and technical and information technology (IT) related skills; and (5) that recruitment and skills problems are responsible for business problems and delays in developing new products. Show less

SEMTA, the national Sector Skills Council for science, engineering and manufacturing technologies, launched a national initiative to ensure that all engineering employers and training providers have access to a common trainee feedback system designed to help raise standards and improve trainee satisfaction. The www.apprentice-feedback.com system is designed to capture and analyse the feedback from engineering apprentices in relation to their training provision. Two surveys, one for first year apprentices and one for those in the second, third and fourth years, were conducted during the pilot. The survey results indicate that overall, levels of satisfaction with initial engineering workshop training were high and the overall impressions of post-first-year trainees were generally favourable. The pilot showed that the feedback system ‘raises awareness of the need for improvement, encourages management action, opens a channel of communication with trainees and reveals important sector-wide trends’. This report outlines the structure and content of the National Trainee Feedback System and summarises the methods used to achieve its aims and objectives, how the partners contributed to the project, the outcomes of the project, and the feedback received from project partners and trainees. Show less

The European Union (EU) hopes to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economic area in the world by 2010 and making lifelong learning a reality for all citizens is the guiding principle for meeting this goal. This booklet contains the initial highlights of the Eurobarometer survey, which directly asks citizens their opinion of lifelong learning, and includes a brief country profile of Greece, the EU Presidency country at the time of publication. Findings of the survey include: nine in 10 European citizens think lifelong learning is important, at least to some extent; the majority of citizens think they learn best in informal settings; and social and personal reasons for learning outweigh work-related motives. Policy implications of these findings are also discussed. The contents are: Creating one world of lifelong learning - an integrated approach for an inclusive society; Skills for a Europe of knowledge; Lifewide learning and the diversity of learning; Incentives, motivations and intentions; Citizens’ views on lifelong learning in Greece. Show less