1. 1 Vectors in Innovation Innovation in vocational education and training Johan van Rens, Director European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop)

2. 2 Competitiveness u EU is weak on many competitiveness and performance indicators u Disappointing economic and labour market development u Lisbon will not be reached without more action and innovation

3. Political agenda of meeting the Lisbon goals of 2010 not matched by economic developments European demographic forecasts show a shrinking and ageing work force Older workers forming the core of the workforce

4. - Unsettling prospects in the current European economy - SMEs in Europe account for 99% of all businesses - Employ 74 million people (outside agriculture)

5. Decisive factors of influence for training in SMEs are: - lack of a training culture within SMEs - lack of appropriate training materials - the attitude of individual managers

6. 6 Educational attainment General comparison

7. 7 Low and unskilled u At present 80 million EU citizens between 25 - 64 are low skilled u By 2010 almost half of additional jobs will require tertiary level education and almost 40 % upper secondary level u A major decline in job prospects for the low skilled is expected u Half of EU workforce (± 100 million) has to upskill

8. 8 Early school leavers u Policies exist but benchmark of 10 % will not be reached by all countries u Vocational streams and work-based learning help, but innovative links to the world of work are necessary

9. 9 Geographical and professional mobility u Low level of mobility - more move from outside than than inside EU u Selective immigration is needed, but not enough to resolve the situation u Copenhagen/Maastricht priorities are essential to remove obstacles

10. 10 Investment in human resources and quality u EU average below USA u Investing in skills and literacy levels will increase quality economic growth, social cohesion and have major benefits for individuals

11. 11 Innovation strategies u Ensuring highly skilled VET professionals. u Emphasis on concrete action at de-centralised level and by the social partners u Synergy should be established between VET policies and economic and employment policies. Innovation agreements and tripartite commitment to foster investment in human capital will help u Special attention to key competences, ICT literacy and learning partnerships

12. Research shows the importance of learning taking place in work situations - Non-formal in nature - It is a change of the learning scenario - Must become embedded in the work organisation Promoting innovation

13. The main objectives of ICT supported learning - increase access to learning opportunities with increased flexibility and modes of delivery - enhance the quality of the learning experiences - increase the efficiency of the organisation, reduce costs and increase productivity Promoting innovation

14. What are the obstacles facing the economy? - the issue of the learning culture - what motivates the learner? - do we really know the training needs? - do we know what elearning materials are available and appropriate? Promoting innovation

15. The issue is a complex one - what are the funding responsibilities of the public and the private sector? - already substantial difference across occupational and social groups - raises the issue of equal access Promoting innovation

16. Teachers and trainers: - the agents of change in the field - their professional status must increase - an ageing profession but innovation in pedagogy is essential Promoting innovation

17. Some practical proposals: - synergy in our communities of practice to make innovative practice more accessible to the practitioner EVTA and Cedefop – an alliance of change

18. Some practical proposals: - Making the use of the LLL knowledge base on innovative policy and practice accessible to our joint communities EVTA and Cedefop – an alliance of change

19. Some practical proposals: - A partnership in innovation in LLL with EVTAs Exemplo and Cedefops thematic virtual communities - Using Cedefops work on teachers and trainers competences and electronic resources on ecompetences EVTA and Cedefop – an alliance of change

20. Some practical proposals: - Support EVTAs newsletter Ezine with Cedefop background material - Seek synergy with Cedefop-Info - Promote partnerships with ReferNet EVTA and Cedefop – an alliance of change

21. 21 P.O. Box 22427 GR-55102 Thessaloniki Greece Tel.: (30) 23 10 49 01 11 Fax: (30) 23 10 49 01 02 E-mail: info@cedefop.eu.int Web sites: www.cedefop.eu.int www.trainingvillage.gr http://communities.trainingvillage.gr Brussels Office: 20, avenue dAuderghem B-1040 Brussels Tel.: (32-2) 230 19 78 Fax: (32-2) 230 58 24 E-mail: info.be@cedefop.eu.int Contacting Cedefop