Lifelong learning
The Commission’s White Paper, Teaching and learning: Towards the learning society, (COM (95) 590) defined lifelong learning as ‘the on-going access to the renewing of skills and the acquisition of knowledge’.
Lifelong learning is a broad concept involving an individual’s education that is flexible, diverse and available at different times and places throughout life. The scale of current economic and social change, the rapid transition to a knowledge-based society, and demographic pressures resulting from an ageing population in Europe are all challenges which demand a new approach to education and training, within the framework of lifelong learning.
The first set of employment guidelines in 1998 included, under the heading of employability, the promotion of lifelong learning (adopted in a Council Resolution of 15 December 1997). The Feira European Council of 19-20 June 2000 gave the Commission a mandate to identify coherent strategies and practical measures with a view to fostering lifelong learning for all. In 2001, the Commission adopted a Communication on ‘Making a European area of lifelong learning a reality’ which referred to lifelong learning as one of 10 areas crucial to quality of work. Lifelong learning is defined in the Communication as ‘all learning activity undertaken throughout life, with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and competence, within a personal, civic, social and/or employment-related perspective’. The Communication calls for more coherent and economical use of existing instruments and resources, including the use of the open method of coordination.
In the 2003 EU Employment Guidelines, Member States are asked to implement lifelong learning strategies in order to equip individuals with the skills required in today’s workforce, to permit career development and to reduce skills mismatches and labour market bottlenecks. The following targets were set for 2010: at least 85% of 22 year olds in the EU should have completed upper secondary education; and the EU average level of participation in lifelong learning should be at least 12.5% of the adult working age population (25-64 year olds).
Social partners’ framework of actions
The Feira European Council invited the social partners to ‘play a more prominent role in defining, implementing and evaluation of the employment guidelines. In the 2001 Guidelines, they were given sole responsibility for supporting adaptability in enterprises as part of lifelong learning (Guideline 15).
In a joint statement of June 2000, the social partners set up an intersectoral working group on lifelong learning. On 28 February 2002, after months of negotiations, ETUC, along with representatives of the liaison committee for managerial and professional staff – which brings together the ETUC-affiliated Council of European Professional and Managerial Staff (EUROCADRES) and the independent European Confederation of Executives and Managerial Staff (CEC) – and UNICE, in cooperation with UEAPME and CEEP, concluded a joint text, ‘Framework of actions for the lifelong development of competencies and qualifications’, which was presented to the Barcelona European Council on 15-16 March 2002. The text identifies four areas for priority action: identification and anticipation of competencies and qualifications needs; recognition and validation of competencies and qualifications information; support and guidance in the area of training; and mobilising resources, including targeted use of the European Social Fund.
The framework of actions was the first ever adopted. It is not a binding text. The social partners decided to implement it as a ‘non-regulatory’ agreement, which merely sets out objectives and guidelines. The signatories’ member organisations stated that they would promote the text ‘at all appropriate levels’ in the Member States. In other words, the social partners have opted for a process analogous to the ‘open method of coordination’. The European social partners agreed to jointly monitor national actions carried out on the basis of the four priorities and to evaluate its impact in 2006. The annual reports of 2003 (EU0306205F), 2004 and 2005 highlight the most significant actions taken and assess progress in lifelong learning. The joint evaluation report of the European social partners reflects four years of experience in the context of the framework of actions.
A key aim of the initiatives is to better tailor education and training to labour market needs, in terms of improving both worker employability and company competitiveness. The initiatives have enhanced the perception of competence development as a shared interest for employers and employees, and have assisted in finding solutions for modernising education and training systems. Furthermore, in most countries, they have led to an increased understanding and better cooperation between the social partners, as well as a sense of shared responsibility. The social partners concluded that the four priorities identified in 2002 remain valid and are essential building blocks for improving the functioning of Europe’s labour markets. The social partners reaffirm the need to continue their work on the lifelong development of competencies and qualifications. Lifelong learning is one of the key issues of the Work programme of the European social partners 2006–2008 (EU0605019I).
See also: employability; European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training; European Employment Strategy; European social partners; vocational training; voluntary agreements; Lisbon strategy.