European Union’s policies on Education and Training with a special reference to the ‚Education and Training 2010 agenda‘, Cedefop‘s contribution and on eSkills and eLearning initiatives within the eEurope programme Burkhart Sellin, Principal Administrator and Senior Advisor Cedefop/Thessaloniki At the occasion of the AICA- Congress organised by the University of Bologna at CESENA, 21 and 22 September 2006.

AICA-Congress September 2006 Burkart Sellin 2 >approx. 1/3 (about persons) are unskilled or lower-skilled and have major difficulties to get a job of adequate quality and duration >Within 5 years from now: -approx. 50% of the present knowledge and professional competences will have become obsolete, therefore -need for continuous training and re-training of major part of the workforce Challenge: skill shortages

AICA-Congress September 2006 Burkart Sellin 3 >Demographic developments (aging population) >Rapid technological and organisational changes in the world of work >Impossibility to continue with ‘early retirement’ policies/measures Challenge: Retraining & Continuing Training for Adults Urgent need due to:

AICA-Congress September 2006 Burkart Sellin 4 >Establishing appropriate working conditions (regarding the content and organisation of work) >Establishing appropriate labour relations (social dialogue) >Ensuring that VET&HE equips individuals with broad and ‘key’ competences/skills Challenge: New quality jobs require high-quality VET&HE

AICA-Congress September 2006 Burkart Sellin 5 1. Valuing learning 2. Information, guidance and counselling 3. Investing time and money in learning 4. Bringing together learners and learning opportunities 5. Basic skills 6. Innovative pedagogy «Lifelong Learning» 6 priorities for action

>Process initiated at Bruges (2001) and set out in the Copenhagen Declaration (Nov. 2002), CONFIRMED IN MAASTRICHT IN 2005 >Underlying principles: >target date: 2010 >voluntary measures developed through bottom-up cooperation >initiatives focused on the needs of citizens/users >inclusive cooperation, involving Member States, Commission and Candidate Countries as well as Social Partners ‘COPENHAGEN/BRUGES PROCESS’ STRENGTHENING COOPERATION IN VET

AICA-Congress September 2006 Burkart Sellin 7 THE E-LEARNING INITIATIVE SINCE 2002  platform for European cooperation  part of the comprehensive eEurope Action Plan 2002 adopted in March 2001  new action programme from 2004 to 2005 adopted in December 2003 which includes major issues linked to e-Skills, E-EUROPE ACTIONS ALONGSIDE THE INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE  New communciation and actions envisaged for 2007

AICA-Congress September 2006 Burkart Sellin 8 Five main components  equip schools with multimedia computers  train European teachers in digital technologies  develop European educational services and software  speed up the networking of schools and teachers  access to ICT application in teaching and learning

eEurope Action Plan 2005 >modernising public services with the assistance and promotion of -e-government -e-learning and e-Skills -e-health services -e-business services

AICA-Congress September 2006 Burkart Sellin 10 eSkills initiatives within the eEurope Programme 1.eSkills Forum set up by the Commission’s DG Entreprise in March 2003: Issues papers on supply and demand aspects, international aspects including outsourcing and off shoring. 2.Major e-Skills conference in Copenhagen 2002, in Thessaloniki 2004, the latter approving the e-Skills Forum´s final report and recommending further actions. 3. CEN/ISSS workshop on ICT-Skills: (1) validating Generic Profiles of the ICT industry (Career Space Consortium) as well as Curriculum Guidelines;(2) working towards an agreement on a European Reference Framework for ICT skills and competences (joint actions initiated by Cedefop and CEPIS; EUCIP and the Milano University is strongly involved in this initiative).

11 Objective: Long term e-skills strategy for competitiveness, employability and workforce development e- Skills actions in 2007 and beyond (forthcoming communication of the of the European Commission, DG Industry and Enterprise within the eEurope programme, support from other DG´s and Cedefop)

AICA-Congress September 2006 Burkart Sellin 12 eSkills conference 2006 §To take place in Thessaloniki on 5 and 6 October next with high level stakeholders and government representatives to discuss new action lines proposed by the European Commission §Some 150 experts and representatives are being expected

AICA-Congress September 2006 Burkart Sellin 13 ENVISAGED ACTION LINES INFORMATION; COOPERATION; DATA EXCHANGE GUIDANCE, ICT- PORTAL, TRANSPARENCY EUROPASS SCENARIOS, FORECASTING, MONITORING DEMAND/SUPPLY, UPDATING E-SKILLS E-COMPETENCE, STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATION FRAMEWORK RECOGNITION AND CREDIT TRANSFER E-SKILLS FOR EMPLOYABILITY, E-SKILLS AND E-LEARNING: NETWORKING RESSOURCES FOCUS ON ICT PRACTITIONERS IMPROVING BASIC ICT SKILLS FOR USERS AND ALL CITIZENS MAINTAIN VIRTUAL E-SKILLS COMMUNITY, ORGANISE E-SKILLS CONFERENCE ETC.

AICA-Congress September 2006 Burkart Sellin 14 The European eSkills or Competence Framework §Will be refined by the new programme of the CEN/ISSS ICT Skills workshop, trying to establish a European level sector specific framework for eSkills basing on a common assessment of national frameworks: a two year busines plan is agreed. Certification and standards will be an issue for A user skills framework will presumably also be agreed.

CEDEFOP CONTRIBUTION Virtual communities to support the Copenhagen Declaration set up by Cedefop in partnership with the European Commission: >Single transparency framework >Lifelong learning - guidance >Credit transfer in VET (including european qualifications framework (reference levels) and certification) >Quality in VET >E-Skills

AICA-Congress September 2006 Burkart Sellin 16 RECENT PRODUCTS §STUDIES: TYPOLOGY OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND COMPETENCES; REFERENCE LEVELS AND ZONES OF MUTUAL TRUST; EUROPEAN ICT SKILLS CERTIFICATION; CREDIT TRANSFER SCHEMES (ECVET) §E-SKILLS NEWSLETTERS §E-SKILLS CONFERENCES, DOCUMENTATION AND DECLARATIONS §REGULAR MEDIA: VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES §CEDEFOP INFFO §CEDEFOP JOURNAL §SEE:

For further information: EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR THE PROMOTION OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING P.O. Box GR Thessaloniki Greece Tel.: ( ) Fax: ( )