52003SC1250

Implementation of the "Education & Training 2010" programme - Supporting document for the draft joint interim report on the implementation of the detailed work programme on the follow-up of the objectives of education and training systems in Europe {COM (2003) 685 final}

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

1. An integrated approach

2. This is not just an isolated initiative

Part I. Implementing the work programme

1. Ambitious common objectives, a new method

1.1 Objectives which are defined, diversified and ambitious

1.2 A new and enhanced method of cooperation

2. The contribution of the working groups

2.1 Thematic working groups at the heart of the process

2.2 A common and coherent working approach

2.3 An open and collaborative approach

3. A platform for cooperation

3.1 Taking stock, establishing synergy and achieving consensus

3.2 Exchange of innovative practices: an instrument of measurement and a reflection of the vitality of the systems

- Defining the framework for the exchange of "best practice"

- Examples of practices which reflect the vitality of the systems

- The contribution at this stage by exchanges of best practice

4. Interim results and conclusions of the working groups

4.1 Need to pursue and step up action in all areas

4.1.1 Provide all Europeans with the key competences needed to live and work in the knowledge-driven society and economy (Objectives concerned: 1.2, 3.2, 3.3)

4.1.2 Teachers and trainers: the essential catalysts of change (Objective concerned: 1.1)

4.1.3 The role of ICT in transforming and modernising education and training systems (Objective 1.3)

4.1.4 Helping to raise the general level of scientific and technical culture and competence in the Union (Objective concerned: 1.4)

4.1.5 A more resolute effort with regard to linguistic diversity and language learning in Europe (Objective concerned: 3.3)

4.1.6 Diversified and effective investment in resources (Objective 1.5)

4.1.7 Strengthening mobility and cooperation in the Union (Objectives concerned: 3.4 and 3.5)

4.1.8 Developing a learning-conducive environment which is open to society and the world of work (Objectives concerned: 2.1, 2.2 and 3.1)

4.1.9. Social inclusion and equal opportunities (Objectives concerned: 2.1 and 2.3)

4.1.10. Education and training for active citizenship (Objective concerned: 2.3)

4.2 Main recommendations

5. Progress indicators and European benchmarks to support the "education & training 2010" programme

5.1. Identification of 29 progress indicators

5.2. Highlighting shortcomings and requirements

5.3. The "Education" Council adopts five European benchmarks

5.4. An initial picture of education and training systems in Europe

Part II: Enhanced European cooperation in vocational education and training : the Copenhagen process

1. Implementation of the Copenhagen process : a flexible approach

2. Progress November 2002 - October 2003

2.1. Developing a single framework for the transparency of qualifications and competences

2.2. Quality assurance in VET

2.3. Developing a credit transfer system and common reference levels for VET

2.4. Increasing support the development of sectoral qualifications and competences

2.5. The European dimension

2.6. Developing common European principles for the validation of non-formal and informal learning

2.7. Strengthening policies, systems and practices that support information, guidance and counselling

2.8. Giving attention to the learning needs of teachers and trainers in VET

3. Coordination: transparency, transfer and quality

3.1. Transparency

3.2. Transfer

3.3. Quality

4. Conclusion

Part III: Implementation of national coherent and global lifelong learning strategies

1. Introduction

2. Main trends in national policies

2.1. LLL a guiding principle growing in importance

2.2. Basic competencies

2.3. Learning and the workplace; the role of the social partners

2.4. Financing lifelong learning; public-private partnerships

2.5. Facilitating access

2.6. Information and guidance

2.7. Qualifications and validation of acquired competencies

2.8. Creating a cradle-to-grave learning culture - some missing links

2.9. European dimension

Part IV. Higher Education: the Bologna Process

1. The Bologna process

2. Accelerating the Bologna reforms

3. Bologna Action Lines

Annex 1.

Organisation of the working groups and preliminary exchanges of best practice /

Annex 2.

INDICATORS AND REFERENCE LEVELS OF EUROPEAN AVERAGE PERFORMANCE (Benchmarks)

Introduction

The report on the future objectives of education and training systems in Europe [1] and the ten-year work programme [2] which accompanies it are central to the implementation of the Union's new economic, social and environmental strategy defined in Lisbon in March 2000 by the Heads of State and Government. They come in response to the request made at that time by the latter to the (Education) Council to modernise education and training systems to enable them to rise to the challenge of a knowledge-driven society and a more job-rich economy, and to reflect together on the future objectives of these systems using their common concerns as a starting point [3]. These texts were approved at the highest level in February 2001 and March 2002 respectively [4] and constitute an historical agreement which for the first time provides European cooperation on education and training with medium-term common objectives, a framework and a working method which are coherent, structured and open, since June 2002, to the participation of other countries, particularly those which will be joining the Union as from 2004.

[1] Report adopted by the "Education" Council on 12 February 2001. Council document 6365/02 of 14.02.2001.

[2] Detailed work programme on the follow-up of the objectives of education and training systems in Europe. OJ of 14.6.2002 No C 142/01.

[3] Conclusions of the European Lisbon Council, 23-24 March 2000. Paragraph 27.

[4] After its adoption by the Education Council on 12 February 2001, the report on the future objectives of education and training systems was adopted by the Stockholm European Council of 23-24 March 2001. The detailed work programme which followed on from this was adopted jointly by the Education Council and the Commission on 14 February 2002 and approved by the European Council meeting in Barcelona on 23-24 March 2002.

The work programme on the future objectives of education and training systems ("Education & Training 2010") specifies and defines the areas of action and thus is itself a specific framework of action. Its broad scope and political significance also make it the reference framework which henceforth bring together all initiatives in progress in the area of education and training to enhance coherence and effectiveness. Everything is now being concentrated on three strategic targets in order to attain by 2010 the objectives set by the Heads of State and Government in Lisbon in March 2000: education and training systems must more than ever before rise to the challenge of quality and effectiveness; they must be accessible to everyone, as part of a lifelong learning approach, and open to society and the rest of the world.

At the request of the Barcelona European Council [5], the Commission has adopted a Communication [6] ahead of the Spring 2004 European Council, taking preliminary stock of the situation of education and training in Europe in relation to the objectives set under the Lisbon strategy. It examines the challenges to be faced by 2010 and makes recommendations on priority action for the future. This report backs up the Communication and presents a more detailed inventory of action taken since 2001.

[5] Barcelona European Council, 15-16 March 2002, paragraph 43 of the conclusions.

[6] COM(2003) check reference final

The adoption of the work programme is still too recent to allow any reliable and meaningful assessment of how far the Union has progressed towards the objectives set jointly. The work of the past two years nevertheless illustrates the vitality of the education and training systems in gradually adapting to the knowledge-driven society and economy. At the same time they highlight the huge gap to be narrowed if the objectives set for 2010 by the Heads of State and Government are to be attained, particularly that of making the European education and training systems "a world quality reference by 2010".

1. An integrated approach

The various actions in progress when the work programme was adopted in 2002 or which have been started since all strive towards the same objective, i.e. to attain the targets set by the Lisbon European Council. In line with the Education Council's request, they are part of an integrated approach in relation to the "Education & Training 2010" programme and are thus also covered by this report.

Accordingly the report, after describing the initial phase of implementation of the work programme as such, through the various working groups set up (Part I), takes stock of the work carried out in the wake of the Copenhagen Ministerial Declaration [7] (Part II) adopted in November 2002. The point of this Declaration is to strengthen European cooperation in the area of vocational training. It defines five priority areas of action: transparency; information and guidance; recognition of qualifications and competences; quality assurance and the European dimension. Lifelong learning is henceforth the underlying principle for all Community cooperation in education and training. The progress made (Part III) in implementing at national level coherent and comprehensive strategies in this area [8] are therefore meaningful also for the "Education & Training 2010" programme. The implementation of the Recommendation on the mobility of students, people in training, volunteers, teachers and trainers [9] is another major strand and is described in a separate report.

[7] Declaration by the European ministers responsible for vocational training and the Commission, meeting in Copenhagen on 29-30 November 2002, and Council Resolution of 19 December 2002 on the promotion of enhanced European cooperation in vocational education and training; OJ C 13 of 18.01.2003.

[8] Implementation of the Commission Communication of 21 November 2001 "Making a European area of lifelong learning a reality". COM(2001) 678 final and Council Resolution of 27 June 2002; OJ C 163/1 of 9 July 2002.

[9] Recommendation of 10 July 2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council "on the mobility within the Community of students, people undergoing training, volunteers, teachers and trainers" (OJ L 21 of 9. 08. 2001).

Given the importance of the process initiated in Bologna in June 1999 [10] on the creation of a European Area of Higher Education and the strong link with Community action undertaken at this level in recent years, this document also refers to the work pursued within this framework (Part IV).

[10] On 19 June 1999 the ministers responsible for higher education from 29 European countries signed, in Bologna, a Declaration on the creation of a coherent European area of higher education by 2010.

At this stage of implementation and given the diversity involved (in terms of both time and arrangements) as well as their still variable degree of integration within the "Education & Training 2010" programme started a mere two years ago, these different actions are described in parallel presentations in this first interim review. The links which already exist with this process are nonetheless made explicit, considering the high degree of complementarity involved. In particular, there are transversal aspects which closely affect lifelong learning strategies (e.g. validation of non-formal and informal competences; training of teachers and trainers; development of guidance and of flexible and open qualifications frameworks). These are indeed major components of the work carried out as part of the implementation both of the "Education & Training 2010" programme (Part I) as well as of the Copenhagen Declaration (Part II). Some extent of integration already exists and needs to be strengthened, and a close link will have to be established with the regular collection of information on national lifelong learning strategies (Part III).

The work also brings out the close relationship that exists between the objectives pursued by the Copenhagen process and those which underpin the Bologna process, particularly with regard to transparency and quality assurance. It stresses (Part II-point 3 and Part IV-point 2) the need for better coordination and synergy. This will be essential for the European level development of a reference framework for qualifications, both in higher education and in vocational training. The European employment market cannot function smoothly and effectively until such a European framework exists. A framework of this kind would make mobility easier, thanks to better linkage across the various systems in Europe and a higher degree of mutual trust between countries.

2. This is not just an isolated initiative

It is important to stress that the implementation of this new road map for cooperation in education and training started at Stockholm is not a disjointed initiative. The training of human resources is central to the dynamism of European economies and societies and to the construction of a genuine Europe of knowledge, so the action is from the outset closely related to the other dimensions involved in the implementation of the Lisbon strategy. It involves in particular the European Employment Strategy, the creation of a European area of research, the information society, but also the major economic policy guidelines, the internal market and enterprise policy. Education and training are benefiting from developments in progress in these areas and at the same time contribute to enhancing their impact. In addition, they carry forward the social and citizen-focused dimension of the Lisbon strategy.

The work of the social partners in implementing their joint framework of actions for the lifelong development of competences and qualifications, adopted in March 2002, is also of great relevance to the key aspects of the "Education & Training 2010" programme.

PART I. IMPLEMENTING THE WORK PROGRAMME

In this initial phase of implementation of the "Education and Training 2010" programme, the main thrust of the work, based on the guidelines of the programme itself, was to take stock with regard to each of the 13 common objectives, to agree on the key issues to be addressed as a matter of priority and on the indicators needed to monitor the process, and to ensure preliminary identification and exchange of best practice applied nationally.

1. AMBITIOUS COMMON OBJECTIVES, A NEW METHOD

1.1 Objectives which are defined, diversified and ambitious

The work programme adopted in 2002 by the Education Council and the Commission has a very broad scope, for it is built around the principle of lifelong learning. It touches on the different areas and levels of education and training systems and addresses the full spectrum of issues facing them in order to cope with the changes anticipated, whether in terms of quality and effectiveness, basic skills, adapting to the digital age, funding, access or openness to the world.

The work is structured around a common framework which defines the different objectives to be implemented and the practical arrangements at the Community level. Starting with three strategic objectives (quality/effectiveness, access and openness), themselves subdivided into 13 specific targets, the common work programme is in fact a guide for individual and collective action by the Member States within the Community framework up until 2010. In addition, it sets out 42 key points considered to be crucial to the attainment of all the objectives and which must steer the work, and provides an indicative list of instruments for measuring progress along the road to these objectives.

Contribution of the European education and training systems

to the Lisbon strategy

>TABLE POSITION>

In order to address the different dimensions of the work programme in a coherent way, taking due account of the interrelation which is essential in any lifelong learning approach, the work pursued since 2001, in line with the timeframe envisaged, very quickly examined all thirteen objectives defined jointly. In line with the wishes of the (Education) Council, top priority was given as early as the second half of 2001 to examining the three objectives concerning the skills needed in a knowledge-driven society, increasing recruitment into scientific and technical channels and using ICT. The work relating to teachers and trainers started in September 2002 while that relating to the other themes was launched at the start of 2003. While all the programme's objectives have since been covered the actual work has not reached the same stage in all cases.

The reports of each working group are available in full on the Europa site (http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/ policies/2010/et_2010_en.html).

1.2 A new and enhanced method of cooperation

Learning from one another in a more systematic and more structured way, and thus improving national policies in relation to the objectives set jointly, is central to the open method of coordination applied in education and training. This enhanced approach to cooperation defined by the Lisbon European Council is based on the principle that the changes and reforms defined nationally become more effective when they can draw on successful experience acquired elsewhere and on the factors which determined this success. It uses a whole range of instruments designed to encourage mutual learning and follow up the progress made: indicators, reference criteria, exchange of best practice, peer reviews, etc.

Over the period since the programme was adopted in February 2002, education and training have established the basis needed for optimum implementation of the open method of coordination. Thanks to the assistance of working groups, and on the basis of the guidelines supplied by the work programme, the key areas to receive priority have been defined and the work of identifying best practice (with regard to policies introduced) has been started. Considerable work has gone into the matter of indicators and common reference levels which are needed to follow up the process (see point 5). Using the information available, this has led to a preliminary list of 29 relevant indicators and made it possible to identify the areas which will require new developments. The adoption by the (Education) Council on 5 May 2003 of five new common reference levels (benchmarks) is an additional step towards the actual implementation of the open method of coordination in education and training.

2. THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE WORKING GROUPS

2.1 Thematic working groups at the heart of the process

The bulk of the work has been carried out in eight working groups (see table) comprising national experts appointed by the participating countries (Member States; EFTA/EEA countries, acceding countries and candidate countries) and representatives of the players from the world of education and training. The groups have met regularly (cf. Annex 1) and each one has taken charge of one or more of the thirteen objectives defined in the work programme. When the themes in question were close, the objectives were grouped. Certain working groups have also taken on the task of monitoring Community actions in progress which are closely linked with the implementation of the "Education & Training 2010" programme. This is the case, for instance, of the working group on mobility and European cooperation which has been entrusted with the task of monitoring the implementation of the action plan on mobility and the recommendation on the mobility of students, people in training, volunteers, teachers and trainers, adopted by the Council in 2000 and 2001 respectively.

Similarly, a sub-group on languages was set up to keep track not only of the language-related aspects of the work programme on the objectives but also the preparation of the action plan on languages and the definition of a language proficiency indicator following the Barcelona European Council. This group has also covered more specifically the objective relating to improving foreign language learning (objective 3.3) and has in this capacity acted as a sub-group of group (B) on key competences, foreign languages and entrepreneurship.

The groups of experts set up in 2003 in the context of the implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration on enhanced cooperation in vocational education and training (Copenhagen process -- cf. Part II) have provided direct input for the work of the working groups in relation to the most important objectives. This is particularly the case of the expert groups dealing with lifelong guidance and validation of non-formal and informal learning.

In July 2002 the Commission also set up a standing working group on indicators (see point 5), entrusted with the task of advising it on the use and development of reliable and meaningful indicators in support of the implementation of the process up to 2010 and in order to be in a position to assess progress made in relation to the common objectives. This working group has worked in close conjunction with the various thematic working groups.

Objectives covered by the different working groups

>TABLE POSITION>

2.2 A common and coherent working approach

Considering the number of working groups, the different facets of the work itself and the horizontal nature of certain themes handled within the specific working groups (e.g. ICT, languages, teachers, basic skills, citizenship, equal opportunities), the Commission prepared a common working methodology in order to ensure maximum consistency and to promote synergy across the different levels of reflection. In line with this, certain Member States have set up national coordination bodies. This approach is not yet, however, operational across the board and needs to be strengthened in the future. There should be close links between the national structures coordinating the "Education & Training 2010" programme and those being developed elsewhere, particularly under the Copenhagen process.

Three working phases have thus been defined. The first, based on the detailed guidelines set out in the work programme itself, was to take stock of each of the objectives covered by the working groups, define the concepts and key issues to be dealt with as a matter of priority, to identify the themes which would be the subject of exchanges of best practice and to define priority needs with regard to indicators for measuring progress. The second focused essentially on the exchange and analysis of best practice, identifying the factors of success or failure, and on possible peer review (at the initiative of the participating countries). The third was designed to make recommendations.

In order to delimit the work properly, specify the objective and ensure coherent and good quality outcomes, the Commission also provided the different working groups with common guidelines for identifying and implementing exchanges of best practice focusing on national policies and strategies in education and training and also for study visits.

The coordination by the Commission of the overall process also relies on external consultants which have assisted it in preparing the basic documents and the working party reports and in analysing examples of best practice.

2.3 An open and collaborative approach

As the future and the modernisation of education and training systems must assemble everyone's energies, the implementation of the "Education & Training 2010" programme was opened up immediately to the consultation and involvement of all players concerned. The working groups thus benefited from the contribution of specialised circles and associations. Community-level agencies and specialised networks (Cedefop; ETF; Eurydice) but also other Commission departments concerned, as well as international organisations active in this area (Unesco, OECD, Council of Europe), were able to play a leading part along with a wide range of interested partners (European organisations, representatives of associations, the social partners, etc.).

The process of work and consultation is also profoundly European, given the number of countries involved. The countries of the EFTA/EEA [11], the acceding countries [12] and the candidate countries [13] have been playing an active part in its implementation since January 2003 [14], thus taking the number of countries concerned to 31.

[11] Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

[12] Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Poland.

[13] Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.

[14] The opening up of the process to these countries was decided at the meeting of European Education Ministers held in Bratislava in June 2002.

In order to encourage the flow of information and transparency with regard to the work carried out and to undertake, between working group meetings, regular consultations on the content of the work in order to improve its representativeness and its quality, the Commission has given access to this work via its extranet (CIRCA) to all participants and to the members of the Education Committee.

3. A PLATFORM FOR COOPERATION

3.1 Taking stock, establishing synergy and achieving consensus

These first two years of work have made it possible to take stock of virtually all the themes covered by the work programme. The working group reports provide us with a clearer picture of the situation, and the way in which, at the European but also international levels, most of the different key issues identified in connection with the 13 objectives of the work programme are addressed. This review and analysis of the existing situation was essential in order to avoid duplication of effort, to make full use of the work completed or in progress and to prepare the ground for future work.

The working group on the competences needed in the knowledge society, for instance, took account of the conceptual and methodological work carried out by the OECD. The work of the Council of Europe and UNESCO, and, more recently, by the Greek Presidency of the European Union on education in democratic citizenship, was also taken into account. The subject is a complex one and abundant literature exists, which means that this stocktaking was particularly advantageous with regard to the matter of investment in resources. In some instances, the experts were also asked to provide an overview of national policy in the areas concerned in order to ensure better mutual comprehension of the different national contexts and the approaches pursued.

The work which has been going on over the past two years has been based on close consultation (meetings and regular comparing of notes, but also intensive exchanges by electronic means) with the experts of the countries concerned and the partners in the area. This allowed the broadest possible consensus to emerge on matters which are so important to good comprehension and mutual action and to the quality of the overall process, e.g. the definition of the key questions addressed, the concepts used, best practice, etc.

The Community's Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and Youth programmes have also, in certain cases, been a support but also a source of inspiration for the work. Projects developed within this framework have thus been proposed by certain countries as examples of interesting practices. Certain networks (particularly under Grundtvig) have been invited to participate in the work of the working groups and the action of the Socrates programme on observation and innovation has started to target project selection on requirements (training of teachers, basic skills, etc.) of the "Education & Training 2010" programme.

The process's effectiveness also hinges on close synergy being achieved with related areas which often address the same issues from different but complementary angles. The strategy defined in Lisbon is indeed based on strong involvement and coordination of all areas and actors concerned, and requires pooling of reflection and endeavour at national and Community levels alike. The work carried out has made it possible to identify the synergy which needs to be intensified in the future at Community level. Examination of the new skills needed in the knowledge society has highlighted the need for closer cooperation with the area of research but also with the business sector, both active in this field [15]. The issues of validation of informal and non-formal competences and of guidance are crucial to a genuine lifelong learning approach, and must also be informed by the work of the social partners in this area [16]. The scope and impact of efforts to promote social inclusion and equal opportunities could benefit significantly from working more closely with Community policies on employment and action against all forms of discrimination and inequality. The reflection in progress with regard to education in science and technology must also interact with that conducted in 2001 on research through the action plan "Science and society". Needless to say, the importance of human capital, a matter which is central to the Lisbon strategy for investment in human resources, is growing every day and should receive increasing attention from the various areas involved at the Community level (education and training, employment, social inclusion, research, economics).

[15] The Commission's Enterprise DG has set up an expert group on "Education and training for entrepreneurship".

[16] The ETUC, UNICE/UEAPME and the CEEP in March 2002 adopted a framework of actions for the lifelong development of competences and qualifications; this framework was the subject of a preliminary follow-up report in March 2003.

3.2 Exchange of innovative practices: an instrument of measurement and a reflection of the vitality of the systems

Once a consensus was reached on the more methodological aspects, each working group was able to look at the exchange of actual experience between countries, while recognising, on the basis of international studies on the question, that there are no universal criteria for selecting "good" practices. The objective was to identify a limited number of experiences as examples in order to understand what made them successful or perhaps unsuccessful, and to thus formulate recommendations in support of changes in national policy. The first three working groups [17] started their work in the second half of 2001, that on the training of teachers and trainers in September 2002, and these are the working groups which have got furthest on this matter. The others set up at the beginning of 2003 started to collect examples during the summer and will have results to hand in the coming months.

[17] The three objectives concerned: developing the competences needed in the knowledge society (including language learning and the development of enterpreneurship); ensuring access for everyone to ICT, and increasing the numbers going into scientific and technical channels.

- Defining the framework for the exchange of "best practice"

In order to target exchanges of "best practice" between Member States on the dimensions which are the most significant in relation to the nature of the overall process, it was decided that these would concentrate by way of priority on the national education and training policies and strategies. The work did not overlook the innovative practices in the field when the theme required it (e.g. the use of ICT in teaching) or the fact that these provided elements for evaluating the scope and relevance of the policies and strategies concerned.

On the basis of this tentative refocusing of the work and of a general background document from the Commission, the various working groups applied a common analysis grid for the selection of national examples. This was adapted according to the requirements of each group. The collection was also tailored to the general approach chosen in relation to each of the 13 objectives. Some decided to tackle all the key points proposed in the work programme (language working group; group E), while others preferred to specify or reorganise them in order to make them more readable (groups D, G and H), and others decided to start with a few only. The ICT working group geared its work to the use of ICT in school teaching. The working group on teachers focused on teachers within the education system and on what will be needed to adapt them to their new role in the knowledge society. The working group on basic skills gave priority to exchanges concerning adult literacy and numeracy, the ability to learn to learn, interpersonal skills and civics, and on cultural awareness. The working group on mobility and European cooperation decided to place the focus on matters of access, quality and openness to Europe and the rest of the world.

The existence of an evaluation was considered as a determining element for judging the quality of the practices highlighted and the factors which conditioned their failure or success. The criteria most frequently mentioned by the working groups in judging the quality of a practice and the conditions of success were the existence of a prior analysis of requirements (relevance of the measure in relation to national priorities/requirements), clearly identifiable objectives, the involvement of all the parties concerned, including the learners themselves, the innovative nature of the practice in question, its insertion in a long-term perspective particularly from the funding point of view (sustainability), its potential for transferability into another context and, above all, the availability of results which have been evaluated.

- Examples of practices which reflect the vitality of the systems

In order to enhance the work and avoid duplication of effort, the working groups also took account of interesting examples of practices collected and published in other contexts. It was the case of the group on key competences which - as regards entrepreneurship education - has made use of the results of activities recently carried out in the context of the Commission enterprise policy [18]. The languages working group made also full use of the information from the Community data base of innovative projects in language teaching and learning, the resources working group drew on the results of a study conducted on partnerships between the public and private sectors by the Commission's Regional Policy DG, and the ICT working group exploited the work of case studies conducted in particular within the framework of the OECD and the IEA [19].

[18] "Best Procedure" project on Education and Training for Entrepreneurship and its follow-up.

[19] International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievements.

The extent of exchange which has taken place at this stage of implementation of the work programme (cf. Annex 1) is impressive. The quantity and diversity of the examples highlighted by the countries concerned attest to the vitality of the education and training systems and the efforts made in public policy to adapt them to the changes required in all the areas affected by lifelong learning. This is corroborated by the analysis of the contributions by countries to the consultation on the implementation of coherent national lifelong learning strategies (cf. Part III). This analysis shows that while these overall strategies are not yet in place in all the Member States, there are many initiatives and reforms moving in that direction.

- The contribution at this stage by exchanges of best practice

The four working groups (A, B (including languages), C and D) have had more time to organise such exchanges and analyse the outcomes, and therefore stress the value of the exercise. It is in itself an invaluable source of information on the steps deemed to be the most effective nationally in relation to the objectives of the work programme and in relation to the factors of success or failure. It makes it possible to set the national debate on education and training policy in the European context. It also brings out the trends with regard to education policy and common priorities across the countries. Working group B on basic skills was thus able to observe that most of the examples given for adult education were designed to strengthen social cohesion through social integration. Similarly, the practices exchanged on the development of interpersonal skills and civics or those related to cultural awareness in compulsory education point to an approach which is increasingly cross-disciplinary and to a growing accent being placed on lifelong learning. The experts' contributions highlight the emergence of a learning culture increasingly focused on the learner and drawing on a wide range of interpersonal skills. If they were to gain further ground, these trends would be fully in line with an adaptation of the systems to a lifelong learning approach. The analysis of these practices has also made it possible to better circumscribe the essential parameters and the main factors which contribute to the success of a policy.

The analysis of the actions conducted as part of the exchanges also makes it possible to identify the countries whose systems have gone furthest with certain approaches (e.g. concerning the incorporation of ICT in developing pupils' capacity for scientific argument or in designing resource centres in an original manner). Using practices deemed to have been successful as a basis and whose implementation has been evaluated, mutual learning can thus be achieved by comparing the approaches adopted and the results obtained by the different countries. An analysis of the best ICT practices has also confirmed that the major challenge facing education systems is henceforth not so much a matter of computer equipment and Internet connections as of the fundamental changes generated by the combined effect of societal trends and trends in learners' needs in terms of educational processes and school organisation. Through the examples they highlight, certain countries make specific reference to these changes (with reference to contexts, places, modes of learning and the new skills necessary, etc.) in their policies and have defined new medium and long-term education objectives to take these into account. On the basis of this exchange on an issue which henceforth has an impact on the whole of education, it is also possible to note very differing levels of reflection across the European countries and therefore to conclude that there is a need to go further in sharing experience and practice.

With regard to teachers, the analysis by the working group of the practices collected in relation to education policies had a twofold function. It served as the basis for reflection and the conclusions of the working group on the changing role of teachers and the competences they will have to acquire as a result. In addition, it made it possible to select seven examples of practices judged to be the most relevant and promising in terms of mutual learning. These were then the subject of study visits which provided the opportunity to see them in context and to better understand how they were developed and implemented, and the factors which were key to their success. The working group on teachers is, at this stage, the one which has gone furthest in identifying and analysing practices likely to be used in other countries. These study visits, thanks to dialogue, a focus on training policies, and involvement of all the players concerned, have made it possible to identify the aspects of the practices studied in the field which could be transposed into another context/system as well as the messages which could be of interest to policy leaders. As far as those responsible in the host countries are concerned they have also helped them to view things not solely in relation to their specific national situation, in order to present their policy and its results to peers from other countries.

4. INTERIM RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS OF THE WORKING GROUPS

Even though some of the work did not start until the beginning of 2003, all the working groups have by now drafted their specific conclusions and recommendations on the basis both of the focus placed on each area dealt with and the lessons drawn from a first exchange of best practice. These also take account of the work carried out as part of the implementation of the Copenhagen process on vocational training (see Part II), certain aspects of which (validation of non-formal and informal learning and lifelong guidance) are already being dealt with in direct connection with the "Education & Training 2010" programme. They are in line with the main conclusions drawn from the analysis of the national contributions to the questionnaire on the implementation of lifelong learning (cf. Part III).

These conclusions and recommendations vary widely because of the diversity of the themes dealt with. They are preliminary at this stage but provide pointers as to the priority actions which national and Community policies should pursue in the coming years. Some relate more specifically to education policies and strategies, others concern more closely their implementation in the field. Some are more a matter for the Community level, and others for national, regional and local policies. Considering the horizontal nature of certain issues (resources, basic skills, ICT, teachers, citizenship, equal opportunities, etc.), some cut across one another or merge. The analysis has not always been conducted from the same angle, depending on the objectives in question, so this apparent overlapping between the work of certain working groups is in fact beneficial.

The added value and the support Community action can bring to the national efforts made are prominent in the work, reflecting the advantages of framing national action in the European context, a factor in greater consistency and collective effectiveness.

The discussions in the different working groups have brought out the extent of activity of the education and training systems on all the fronts concerned by the 13 objectives of the work programme. The conclusions and recommendations made by the working groups nonetheless show also the need to pursue and step up the efforts made so far in order to be in a position to attain by 2010 the targets set by the Heads of State and Government in Lisbon in March 2000.

4.1 Need to pursue and step up action in all areas

4.1.1 Provide all Europeans with the key competences needed to live and work in the knowledge-driven society and economy (Objectives concerned: 1.2, 3.2, 3.3)

The work of most of the working groups, particularly the one responsible for dealing with this specific aspect (Group B), shows clearly that the matter of key competences, (traditional and new) that all people, particularly the most vulnerable, should henceforth have in order to live and work in the knowledge-driven society and economy is a dimension which is central to the reforms the national systems must implement. There are major problems to be overcome: the most recent international surveys [20] show that there are still too many adults who do not have the minimum level required in terms of reading, writing and arithmetic skills consonant with the requirements of modern life.

[20] OECD (2000) Literacy in the Information Age: Final report from the International Adult Literacy Survey.

The work has also enabled an agreement to be reached on a proposal for eight areas [21] of key competences [22] which everyone should have in future and which should be maintained and updated throughout life. These have been defined as a transferable and multifunctional set of knowledge, aptitudes and attitudes essential for everyone for their personal development, and their social and occupational integration. They should be acquired before the end of compulsory schooling and serve as the platform for any further learning. The development of the ability to learn to learn has been judged particularly crucial in assuring the access by everyone to continuing learning and adapting to the changing needs of society and the world of work. This work has been very useful to other groups, particularly the working group on active citizenship and social cohesion, for which interpersonal skills and civics are essential, and the working group on re-establishing the importance of mathematics, science and technology. The guidance expert group stresses the need to also develop the ability to take charge of one's own learning and career [23].

[21] Communication in one's mother tongue; communication in a foreign language; knowledge of maths and basic skills in science and technology; ICT skills; learning to learn; interpersonal skills and civics; entrepreneurship and cultural awareness.

[22] The working group, drawing on recent studies, particularly by the OECD, decided to use the concept (expressed in English) by the word 'competences' rather than 'skills'; that of 'competences' being broader (including simultaneously the ability to learn and know-how) and covering a combination of aptitudes, attitudes and knowledge.

[23] This point is also stressed in the recent work of the OECD: "Career guidance and public policy: bridging the gap" (draft final report, August 2003) and "OECD Education Policy Analysis 2002 - Rethinking Human Capital".

The development of an entrepreneurial spirit is also related to learning to learn, interpersonal and civic competences. Given the horizontal nature of these key competences, working group B stressed that their development will require a coherent common approach to the systems as a whole on how to make sure that they are acquired. Environments conducive to continuing learning will have to be created and effective cooperation must be secured between all the players and levels involved in the system.

The recommendations also stress the need to set national endeavour in this area in a European perspective. They accordingly take on board the guidelines formulated by the Lisbon European Council (paragraph 26 of the conclusions) for the development of a European framework of key competences. Its implementation could be based on the eight competences already identified by the working group concerned.

The working group on competences also recommends that the Community programmes make the acquisition of the key competences one of their fundamental objectives.

4.1.2 Teachers and trainers: the essential catalysts of change (Objective concerned: 1.1)

One of the points raised by all the working groups is the key role played by teachers and trainers in attaining the 13 objectives covered by the work programme. Being at the heart (as players and main recipients) of the changes in progress and anticipated, teachers in particular have come in for special attention, particularly from the angle dealt with by the working group concerned (Group A) i.e. their new role in the knowledge society and the key competences they should henceforth possess.

Teachers and their training, moreover, have always received special attention in most Community texts related to education and training. Indeed the context is today more strategic than ever (high level of staff turnover and major changes stemming from the knowledge society) in justifying major changes to adapt the configuration of the profession, enhance its attractiveness and its level of training. The working group concerned calls on governments to make continuing training a priority for teachers from the moment they enter the profession. This should take due account not only of the new objectives and the new qualifications needed but also of other dimensions such as the studies undertaken independently or classroom experience. It should be possible to gain official recognition of these. The accent is on strengthening the links with research, partnerships between the school and its environment and the involvement of all the players concerned.

This is seen as a matter of priority by the working group on basic competences because these cannot be acquired by learners without highly qualified teachers, particularly with regard to the competences of a more social or horizontal nature. This is also the case of the ICT working group which stresses that ICTs cannot be incorporated successfully in the world of education without solid training for teachers and trainers but also for the headteachers who have to steer the changes generated at all levels (material and pedagogical organisation, content, etc.) by the information society. The working group on mathematics, science and technology shares this concern and stresses the need to have teachers trained in new teaching methods and able to make the link between theory and practice and generate greater motivation in pupils for these disciplines. The working group which looked at ways of making education and training more attractive stresses the need to make teachers and trainers active partners in defining new learning environments. The expert group on lifelong guidance proposes that their education should include a specific dimension on their role with regard to guidance.

Drawing on national experience and practices, the working group on teachers identified five dimensions to the role of teachers which are subject to major changes [24] in the knowledge society and which condition the new skills these people must acquire and which they will have to develop and update throughout their careers. Its recommendations stress the need to make this reflection part of a European perspective. They are based amongst other things on the proposal (see Communication on lifelong learning, point 3.6) for the European level development of a reference framework for the competences and qualifications of teachers and trainers.

[24] Promoting new learning outcomes (citizenship; competences for the knowledge society and a lifelong learning approach); reorganisation of classroom work (consideration of social, cultural and ethnic diversity among pupils; developing an effective learning environment, teamwork); "outside the classroom" work and work with the local community (parents and other partners); incorporating the ICTs in formal learning situations and in vocational practice; an enhanced professional pattern of behaviour (taking on a greater share of responsibility for one's own vocational development on an ongoing basis).

As headteachers are given ever greater autonomy and responsibility (both administrative and pedagogical), several working groups also stressed the evolving and increasingly important role played by them in developing schools as genuine places of learning which are dynamic and open to the outside world, and which fully incorporate ICT, and the need therefore to adapt their competences accordingly.

4.1.3 The role of ICT in transforming and modernising education and training systems (Objective 1.3)

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are becoming an essential dimension in education and training pathways. Young people, adults, teachers and trainers are having to make them part and parcel of their daily lives. As regards priority action for the future, several working groups have therefore stressed this aspect: the ICT working group (group C) as well as the working group on competences (one of the eight key competences listed by the working group concerned relates to ICT), that on teachers (ICT are one of the five dimensions identified by the working group as implying a change in the role of teachers) and that on social inclusion and active citizenship.

The ICT working group stresses the need to tailor ICT-related policies and strategies to long-term educational aims, making sure that the people concerned are involved. These technologies fulfil their promises only if they are part of teaching which takes specific account of them, and if they are steered by teachers and trainers who are capable of building up the applications linked to long-term educational aims. The economic importance of ICT must not mask the essential contribution they make to educational objectives for the benefit of society and the individual. Account needs to be taken urgently of the impact of ICT on our relationship to knowledge, the way we process information, communication and cooperation, and on our modes of learning.

Special attention must be paid to the link between decision-making at policy level and the local dimension when considering the educational context and specific needs. Education and training policies, when it comes to ICT, must focus their efforts less on the technical aspects than on their impact and potential for transforming systems and approaches: on-line and proximity services; changes with regard to methods, timetabling, the architecture of the places of learning; open education environments, etc.

The development of a wide range of services is considered essential to give schools the means to take full advantage of ICT with, for instance, the widespread introduction of education portals and open access to software or works in the cultural field. The same applies to access to customised services which go hand in hand with the use of the Net or software: tutoring, cooperation platform, school and vocational guidance, validation and certification. The use of these services should be applied as a function of matters relating to quality, ethics and protection of citizens' interests.

4.1.4 Helping to raise the general level of scientific and technical culture and competence in the Union (Objective concerned: 1.4)

Scientific and technological development is fundamental to a competitive society and economy based on knowledge. This is why the Ministers of Education and Research, back in 2001, expressed their common concern at the dwindling interest shown, particularly by girls, in the maths and science channels, and at the drain of top scientists and researchers to other continents or other areas of activity. The Barcelona European Council of March 2002 set the target of achieving a level of research investment equivalent to 3% of the average European GDP (currently 1.9%), by 2010, thus giving a clear signal in the right direction. The education ministers did likewise by approving, on 5 May 2003, the objective of a minimum increase of 15% by 2010 in the number of graduates in maths, science and technology in the Union and a reduction in the gender imbalance in these areas. The common commitment to the objectives via the work programme is to bring about a substantial increase in numbers in these channels, to modernise teaching approaches and to develop closer links with occupational life and the business sector.

The case for action in this area is compelling enough for the working group dealing with this specific matter (working group D) to recommend to decision-makers to make the teaching of maths, science and technology an entitlement for each child as early as possible. In the view of the working group, this teaching should be compulsory at all levels of compulsory education. It stresses the need to introduce at primary and secondary levels more effective and more attractive teaching methods for pupils. These methods should promote the link between theoretical learning and real-life experience and combine classroom teaching with extra-curricular activities (participation in science fairs, visits to science museums, reading of scientific journals, etc.) The initial and continuing training of teachers is considered to be crucial in supporting and promoting these changes.

The gender issue and a better balanced distribution/participation across the sexes has been central to the work of the working group, which has stressed the need for information and guidance systems to promote career opportunities in the sciences and technologies and to help to get rid of gender-related inequalities and stereotypes. It is also important to take action to motivate young people, particularly girls, to go in for scientific and technical studies and to encourage them to opt for a career in these areas. The group also stressed the need to take due account of the needs of specific groups (gifted pupils, pupils experiencing difficulties or from different ethnic origins), through improved methods and pedagogical and evaluation tools.

4.1.5 A more resolute effort with regard to linguistic diversity and language learning in Europe (Objective concerned: 3.3)

In its recommendations to those responsible for education and training policies, the language subgroup, which also had the task of assisting the Commission in preparing the Action Plan 2004-2006 [25] and the application of a language proficiency indicator (see point 5.1.3) [26] stresses the need for national, regional and local authorities to invest more in raising public awareness on the capital importance of language diversity in Europe. Its recommendations present the case for stepping up the promotion of all languages, including minority and regional languages, neighbouring languages and the languages of migrants. Education and training policies should include action in this direction.

[25] "Promoting language learning and language diversity: an action plan 2004-2006", adopted by the Commission on 24 July 2003 (COM(2003)449).

[26] As called for by the Barcelona European Council, 15-16 March 2002. European Council Conclusions, paragraph 44.

On foreign-language teaching, the group stresses the need for policy leaders to define clearly its aims for each level within the education system (including the acquisition of language skills, but also the promotion of mutual respect and awareness in language matters) and to remove the obstacles to continuity in language options and teaching methods in the transition from primary to secondary. It encourages them to support the widespread introduction of the teaching of a subject through the medium of a foreign language (CLIL/EMILE) by defining standards for the qualification of teachers and providing for the appropriate teaching material, and introducing a system of tutors to support language teachers at the start of their careers.

Working group G also stressed the importance of adaptation of the systems to an increasingly multicultural and multilingual public, in conjunction with discussions on the strengthening of information and guidance systems. The group stressed that the latter should incorporate this new reality into their work so as to allow access for everyone to lifelong learning.

In addition to these recommendations calling for changes particularly in education policy, the languages working group also formulated other proposals which could be implemented at decentralised or local level: the development of cross-border links between education and training systems, schools, and different players; the development of language resource centres; the raising of the awareness of students as to the economic value of foreign languages through links with the world of work; the introduction of ICT and multimedia tools and the training of teachers in their use. It also endeavoured to set this within a lifelong learning perspective, emphasising ongoing foreign-language learning and recommending that language courses have a strong self-tuition component consistent with the development of ability to "learn to learn".

The working group points out that the Member States have already been asked to set up transparent systems of language proficiency validation based on the Council of Europe's Common European Reference Framework for Languages. As regards the certification of vocational training, the European language portfolio developed by the Council of Europe will be incorporated into the single European framework for the transparency of qualifications and competences mentioned in the Copenhagen Declaration (see Part II).

The working group also recommends the extension and development of agreements between training establishments and between the ministries of two or more Member States on mobility and exchanges of established or newly-started language teachers, in order to help them to round off or update their language skills and to have contact with the culture of the country concerned. The systems which provide for the recognition by two or more Member States of certification issued to language teachers have already yielded good results and could be extended.

4.1.6 Diversified and effective investment in resources (Objective 1.5)

Investment in human capital and more efficient use of resources generally is a central and crucial aspect of the Lisbon strategy and of the "Education & Training 2010" programme. Education and training expenditure makes up the greater part of this investment which is a factor of substantial benefits both in economic and in social terms. Indeed, investment in human resources conditions the attainment of all the objectives set jointly in Stockholm by the Ministers of Education. If there is no appropriate and effective public and private investment in education and training within a lifelong learning perspective, then the objectives set jointly will remain no more than wishful thinking.

The working group (group E) given the task of monitoring the objective of the work programme concerning optimum use of resources focused its attention not only on the matter of increasing investment in human resources but also on the related issues, viz. the development of quality assurance systems and of partnerships between public and private sectors. Given the current widespread strain on public budgets and that there is little hope of seeing these substantially increased in the years ahead, the working group decided to concentrate its work on the effective use of resources rather than their increase, while at the same time not underestimating the importance of this latter aspect from the point of view of a more targeted increase of public investment and a higher contribution by the private sector.

The group recognised the complexity of the issue of investment and the need to take due account of its different facets and dimensions, be they quantitative or qualitative (access, fairness, equality) and at this initial stage of its work put the emphasis in its conclusions and recommendations above all on the need to act to facilitate private investment in education and training, particularly at higher education level, thus rallying to the positions taken by the Commission in its two recent Communications [27]. It stressed the advantages of public-private partnerships as an approach for better involving the private sector and increasing the effectiveness of investments, and called for consideration to be given to the validation of competences based on experience, particularly non-formal and informal (see point 4.1.8), as a means of making best use of and encouraging investment by individuals and families in education and training.

[27] "Investing efficiently in education and training: an imperative for Europe", Commission Communication of 10 January 2003, COM(2002) 779 final, and Commission Communication of 5 February 2003 "The role of the universities in the Europe of knowledge", COM (2003) 58 final.

Its work also stressed that the quality of education (formal and non-formal) and arrangements on quality assurance are a major dimension which is closely linked to effectiveness (quality being a key dimension of the "product" of education) but also to equal opportunities. The working group stressed that the fair distribution of resources is linked to the question of access and recommends that compulsory teaching be of high quality and free of charge in order to avoid problems of fairness and access to other levels.

It hopes that the players from the world of education and training be encouraged to compare their results (benchmarking), within European networks, particularly at the decentralised level or at the level of schools in order to improve the effectiveness of the use of resources. In this context, the availability of comparable information (including statistics) would make analysis and exchange of best practice easier.

4.1.7 Strengthening mobility and cooperation in the Union (Objectives concerned: 3.4 and 3.5)

The free movement of people has been one of the fundamental freedoms written into the Treaty since the start of European integration. European mobility of players from the world of education and training, and of students in particular, has been central to the Community programmes since they were launched in the second half of the 1980s. Twenty years on, it still nonetheless remains limited and much progress is still needed to remove all the obstacles along its path. At the turn of the century, some political headway was made in terms of consolidation of Community and national action in the area. An Action Plan was adopted in 2000 offering the Member States a wide range of tools to stimulate educational and occupational mobility. In 2001, the European Parliament and the Council adopted a Recommendation on the mobility of students, people in training, volunteers, teachers and trainers.

The working group set up (group F) to deal with the work programme objectives for increasing mobility and strengthening European cooperation therefore quite naturally included follow-up to the Action Plan and the recommendation in its work. The representatives of the Member States have thus coordinated preparation of the national reports on the implementation of this Recommendation. These reports will be made into a consolidated evaluation report by the Commission and should be adopted in December 2003.

On aspects more specifically related to the work programme objectives, the group focused essentially on access, quality and Europe's openness to the rest of the world. At this early stage of its work, the group stresses the need to increase mobility, particularly in the area of vocational training, which lags seriously behind higher education.

The group also recommends a substantial effort to improve full access to transnational mobility for people are disadvantaged or have specific needs. In addition to "mainstreaming" actions already in place, specific measures or positive discrimination should be introduced in order to open up this access.

In order to improve mobility in qualitative terms, the idea of a "quality charter" at European level has also been put forward. This would be based on the progress already made, for instance under the Socrates ("Erasmus Charter") and would present common quality criteria which could perhaps become compulsory for any Community or national mobility action. Similarly, an appeal is made for additional efforts to be made to improve the attractiveness of education and training systems at international level. It is accordingly proposed that international mobility statistics be improved, particularly those from outside Europe, and that there should be European action to support national efforts to promote education and training in Europe. This could take the form of logos or common messages defined at European level and which would enhance the impact of national promotional actions by highlighting the advantages of training in Europe.

4.1.8 Developing a learning-conducive environment which is open to society and the world of work (Objectives concerned: 2.1, 2.2 and 3.1)

Europe still has too many people who have failed to complete their upper secondary education, a situation which hinders the dynamism and creativeness of the countries concerned and of Europe as a whole, and which is socially and economically damaging. No stone should therefore be left unturned in the endeavour to redynamise the national systems (formal and non-formal), to make them more attractive so that they actively sustain the demand for lifelong learning and to restore the taste for learning and self-improvement in young people and adults who left the systems prematurely and who could be even more vulnerable and excluded in the knowledge society. If they are to attract people, education and training have to be diversified in terms of content and source. They should be accessible to everyone and should focus on learner needs and assemble the energies of all the players involved in a range of partnerships.

These aspects are central to the Commission Communication of 2001 on lifelong learning (see Part III) and the November 2002 Copenhagen Declaration (see Part II) and imply major changes to the organisation and content of education and training systems, and committed involvement by the social partners in developing continuing learning at the place of work. The recognition and validation of non-formal and informal learning and the development of appropriate guidance and counselling services are key dimensions of the policies to be implemented. While considerable headway has been made on this in certain Member States and supports the case for exchange of "best" practice at European level, much remains to be done.

The working groups concerned by these aspects (groups G and H [28]) have worked closely together with the Commission's two experts' groups set up to implement the dimensions of the Copenhagen Declaration (see Part II) related to the validation of non-formal and informal learning and to lifelong guidance.

[28] Considering how close some of the objectives covered are, the work of groups G and H have been closely coordinated, e.g. Objective 2.1 to create a learning-conducive environment (group G) and Objective 2.2 to make education and training more attractive (group H).

Enhancing the attractiveness of learning in all its forms

The recommendations made stressed the need to promote from a very early age a new culture and new environments of learning and a type of learning open to the needs of the learner and making it easier to continually update knowledge. Teachers and trainers should take an active part in this process. This also applies to employers and employees with regard to the development of learning at the work place.

The accent is placed on the need to develop nationally qualifications frameworks and evaluation approaches which encourage ongoing learning and recognise the broadest possible forms and results of this learning, including partial qualifications obtained. The emphasis must be switched away from what people have failed to achieve so that the best use can be made of the success and progress they have achieved and the competences they have acquired. In order to make individual learning easier and to support the development of a European credit transfer system for vocational training, the Member States are encouraged to make training courses and syllabuses available as modules and units.

The aim is also to strengthen, with the involvement and commitment of all the partners concerned, measures to open up the work place to learning and to remove the obstacles which prevent these developments. The exchange of experience within working group H revealed the existence of practices of mutual interest: rotation at the work place; co-financing programmes; work/learning combinations; education leave, etc.. Employers and employees should become active partners in developing learning-conducive work environments, including in SMEs and micro-enterprises.

The way in which non-formal and informal learning is taken into account takes on a whole new meaning in a lifelong learning perspective based on the development of competences and experience which are very diverse in nature and in terms of where they were acquired. This is an area where significant progress is being made at the national level in this direction, as is shown by the national contributions to the questionnaire on the implementation of lifelong learning strategies (see Part III, point 2.7).

The matter of appreciation, recognition and validation of these competences then becomes a crucial one. The recommendations made support one of the major priorities of the Copenhagen declaration, which is to define at the European level a set of common principles for validating such learning in order to allow a higher level of compatibility between the different national approaches. These principles would set out the best arrangements that exist to allow people to validate their competences in a transparent way, along with guidelines for the development of high quality validation methods and systems which are comparable at the European level.

Investing in guidance systems which encourage lifelong learning

The work has stressed the need for governments to develop permanent high quality guidance and counselling services which are accessible to everyone throughout life, including at the place of work, and are open to Europe and are based on shared responsibility and close partnership between all the stakeholders (education services, social services and youth services, local businesses, social partners, etc.), because these services are key to the motivation of learners and adults and to making their pathway through the systems and the provision of education and training easier. There is already some evidence of moves in this direction in certain Member States (see Part III, point 2.6) and these should continue to be encouraged.

It is stressed that these guidance services should be tailored to the needs of different target publics, sensitive to cultural diversity and gender equality, and able to help learners with regard to recognition and utilisation of their informal learning. Their role in actively promoting individual, social and economic benefits stemming from diversified learning and in training citizens to manage their occupational progression and their careers must be supported. The authorities should, in order to encourage innovation and better consideration of learners' needs also support the development of a system of feedback from these services with regard to any individuals' or potential learners' needs not catered for. As in the case of all services provided by education and training systems, the guarantee of their quality is a matter judged particularly important through both a certification system and a continuing training system which is in tune with new working configurations.

The analyses by the working groups concerned argue the need for increased investment in guidance services for education, training and employment, because of the role they play in reducing the rate of school drop-outs, increasing the number of those obtaining their secondary school leaving certificate and in higher education, etc.

A range of partnerships in order to ensure quality

The partnership-based approach is judged to the crucial to the effective implementation of all these guidelines. It should be part and parcel of policy at all levels: national (including cooperation between ministries), regional, local, involving the social partners, civil society, employment services, etc. New organisational forms are needed to nurture these partnerships and to enable all the actors concerned to cooperate closely in a spirit of shared responsibility, to effectively open up the systems to their environment and to develop diversified and flexible learning places.

The importance of partnerships between field players and researchers is stressed so that new models, methods and learning programmes can be evolved. Empirical and applied research needs to be stepped up on learning conditions in the formal education and training systems and at work, with special focus on active methods and alternative forms of learning and on the development of more flexible learning environments, of learning-conducive work organisation, etc.

The need to develop diversified partnerships is also supported by other working groups, albeit from different angles. In the view of the teachers and trainers group, governments should support the development of partnerships between schools, universities, the business community and the community at large in order to ensure that teacher training is tailored to requirements. The working group on basic skills feels these partnerships should be encouraged because they allow clearer identification of the needs of specific groups and local needs, and a sharing of responsibilities. The work on restoring the place of teaching in maths, science and technology also stresses the positive influence of strong and effective partnerships between schools, the universities, research establishments, the business sector, parents, etc., in improving the quality of this teaching and making it more attractive.

4.1.9. Social inclusion and equal opportunities (Objectives concerned: 2.1 and 2.3)

At the time of the Lisbon, Feira and Nice European Councils, the Heads of State and Government made the fight against poverty and social exclusion one of the central dimensions of the European social model. They decided to work together and exchange experience on the subject through national action plans and a Community programme of action against social exclusion to support their cooperation.

Unemployment and poverty often go hand in hand with a low level of education, so the education and training systems are in the front line in the battle against social exclusion. They have a leading role to play in heading off the risk at an early stage and in working towards solutions. Better consideration of the individual needs of all learners, certain specific groups and of the pathways and contents of non-traditional learning is one of the major challenges for the years ahead.

Equal opportunities for women and men is already part of the acquis communautaire. The matter of what education and training systems contribute in terms of social inclusion and also equal opportunities is a dimension which is central to the "Education & Training 2010" programme. It cuts across all thirteen objectives (mainstreaming approach) to be attained by 2010.

The working group (G) responsible for dealing with these matters has stressed this important aspect, stressing in particular the need to take due account of the gender aspect at all levels (gender mainstreaming) of implementation of the "Education & Training 2010" programme.

It recommends that strategic interdisciplinary task forces be set up nationally on lifelong learning in order to better coordinate action in all the sectors concerned (e.g. youth, the elderly, social work, employment, migration). The experts have stressed the merits of stepping up the development of "learning" regions and towns, referring amongst other things to the Community R3L initiative linking 120 "learning" regions, thus favouring exchange of know-how and the development of methods for ongoing learning at the regional level. Extensive partnership-based approaches have been developed within this framework focusing on social inclusion and lifelong learning. European networks such as that which organises adult-focused weeks and festivals (e.g. Adult Learner's Week) or the use of cultural institutions and the media have been considered as ways of better reaching, stimulating and motivating excluded groups.

The working group observes that obstacles to access in many instances still remain a serious problem for many segments of society. People with disabilities have been considered as a priority group among potential learners. They must have entitlement to learning and have full access to the competences needed for them to integrate into the knowledge society. If they are to be full integrated into all forums of lifelong learning, they must be able to rely on specialised support staff: technical and medical assistance, individual tutors, special guides and advisors (e.g. coordinators for students with disabilities), etc. Spurred by the success of initiatives under the European Year of People with Disabilities 2003, the working group has set up a specific subgroup (coordinated by Austria). The definitions of the notion of "disability" and approaches in this field vary widely in Europe, and the group will also focus on a framework of recommendations for improving the collection of data and the development of follow-up instruments.

The working group considers that one of the major challenges which education and training systems in Europe will have to face in the years ahead is the achievement of genuine equal opportunity for itinerant people and gypsies, bearing in mind that the size of this group within the European Union is set to grow substantially with enlargement. Recent initiatives in this area (DG EMPL, World Bank, action under Socrates and Leonardo) have been taken into account in discussion and exchanges on this matter. It also stresses that education and training services will have to be strengthened to cope with the continuing rise in the number of third country migrants with social and educational needs which are often extensive and urgent. Mainstreaming, an approach which is increasingly implemented in schools in order to take account of groups and people with specific needs, should be extended to the continuing education of marginalised adults. These changes would make it possible to speed up the development of multicultural education and training programmes supported by an increasing number of teachers and trainers of diverse cultural origin and having knowledge of several languages.

The working group also gave priority to heading off racism and xenophobia in all lifelong learning establishments. Continuous and systematic monitoring of the effectiveness of the European directive on this in education and training establishments would make a useful contribution to the changes needed. The group will take account of the information and instruments already available from the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC).

These measures will all contribute to heading off premature school leaving which continues to be a major problem in the Union. The people concerned, when in employment, should be given the opportunity to alternate between work and learning in order to finish their studies. The working group will examine in detail examples of good practices developed in particular in the Nordic countries (e.g. paid leave for fathers so that young mothers can finish their studies). National initiatives and action plans and the experience of the European network of second chance schools (Socrates/Grundtvig) will provide a basis for subsequent work on this issue.

Early dropping out at university level has been stressed as a problem for which solutions must be found. The aim would be, particularly for non-traditional learners, to introduce more flexible and more open learning approaches, supported, for instance, by individual mentors and by childminding facilities, allowing people to continue and succeed in their studies or make it easier to temporarily interrupt studies and later come back to them on a regular basis.

4.1.10. Education and training for active citizenship (Objective concerned: 2.3)

The Amsterdam Treaty provides for the development of citizenship of the Union, not only from the legal point of view but also as part of a vision of a Europe close to its people. Full and active participation by people in European integration has been one of the focal points of the Convention on the future of the Union. The contribution of education and training to the development of active citizenship promoting inclusion and social cohesion is acknowledged by everyone. The Council of Europe's project on education for democratic citizenship is, moreover, actively supported by the Member States and the European Commission. The Commission in 1998 published a study on education in active citizenship, showing that: "the concept of citizenship is becoming more fluid and dynamic, in conformity with the nature of European societies themselves. In this context, the practice of citizenship becomes more like a method of social inclusion, in the course of which people together create the experience of becoming the architects and actors of their own lives. Opportunities to learn and practise autonomy, responsibility, cooperation and creativity enable the development of a sense of personal worth and of expertise in confronting and tolerating ambiguities and oppositions". This view which places the learner at the centre has been considered as very close to the approach and values upheld by working group G and the experts group on guidance which has supported its work.

Education in citizenship, in a globalised world, can no longer be restricted to the national or European level and calls for continuous cooperation with the international organisations concerned, the social partners, the NGOs and the networks active in this area. These are contributing to the tasks of the working party. The Unesco Institute for Education (UIE) active in the area of adult education and active citizenship will coordinate a subgroup of working group G [29] on education in active citizenship which will also be supported by the DARE network (Democracy and Human Rights in Europe) under Socrates-Grundtvig. In addition to the examples of good practice collected by the members of the working group, the work will also take account of the examples collected under the Council of Europe's project and the Community's Socrates, Leonardo and Youth programmes.

[29] A member of working group B (key competences) will be invited to take part in this subgroup, given that civics-related competences have been identified by it as one of the eight key competences (see point 4.1.1).

The working group has stressed that education in active citizenship should be developed using collaborative methods and in democratic structures which stimulate participation. The active involvement of the learner in all the stages of his education pathway is a precondition for learning of active citizenship to simultaneously combine knowledge and the necessary competences. Bills to establish pupils' and students' parliaments are among the examples of best practice which the group will examine. The development of sustainable and independent professional support structures to promote education in active citizenship and appropriate initial and continuing training of staff, plus the publication and updating of a range of learning material, are considered to be priorities.

4.2 Main recommendations

The recommendations from the working groups concern the national and European levels alike and lay particular emphasis on the following aspects:

Equip all citizens with the key competences they need

- by the time they finish their compulsory schooling, everyone should have the package of key competences essential to their personal development, to their social and occupational integration, and to any subsequent learning undertaken;

- teachers and trainers are essential catalysts of change and innovation and it is important to invest in them, particularly by consolidating and making substantial adjustments to their training throughout their careers so that they have the competences and resources they need to fulfil their new role in the knowledge society;

- the teaching of entrepreneurship at the level of compulsory education should be especially based on a cross-curricular approach. Schools should be empowered to run activities promoting entrepreneurial attitudes and skills. Teachers should be trained in order to support the acquisition of key competences;

- efforts to increase the general level of scientific and technical culture and learning in the Union need to be carried forward through reforms in teaching methods and practices, making teaching more relevant to real life, in order to better prepare young people for the knowledge society, the world of work and also for active citizenship; in particular, action should be taken to motivate young people, particularly girls, to undertake scientific and technical studies and to encourage them to opt for a career in these areas;

- the ICTs should be incorporated more clearly when drawing up and seeking to implement long term education objectives; ICT-related services should be developed, making fuller use of their potential in teaching methods and organisation (in time and in space) and involving learners more closely;

- language teaching should be given clear, coherent and transparent objectives at every level of schooling; teaching methods should be adjusted, along with the training and initial support of teachers, in order to make this teaching more effective; young people and the general public need to be made more aware of the need for and the advantages of learning several languages and preserving language diversity.

Securing the essential investment

- endeavours to guarantee adequate and effective investment (both public and private) in education and training should be continued, while respecting the principles of access, fairness and equality. A higher level of private investment is needed, particularly in higher education;

- the policies implemented must allow the widest possible access to learning opportunities, backed up by material and financial support for the most vulnerable groups and incentive measures to increase the rate of take-up.

Creating learning environments which are open, attractive and accessible to everyone

- teachers and trainers, and also employers and employees at the workplace, should be involved in developing new learning environments open to everyone;

- all countries should develop flexible and open qualifications frameworks, evaluation approaches which encourage lifelong learning and arrangements whereby everyone can have the competences and learning they have acquired in a non-formal or informal framework validated;

- there is also a need to strengthen and ensure coherence in the existing measures (placements, courses which alternate periods of work with school, inclusion in general teaching of in-company placements, development of accumulable units, etc.) in order to diversity pathways and make individual choices easier;

- the role, quality and coordination of information and guidance services should be strengthened so that they can actively support ongoing learning at all ages, particularly making it easier for learners to work their way through the various systems and arrangements. Closer account should be taken of individual requirements and the expectations of the different target groups;

- every effort should be made to adapt education and training systems to the requirements of the knowledge-driven society and economy and greater account should be taken, by way of priority, of the different requirements of the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. They must to encouraged to take full advantage of the new opportunities;

- coherent approaches are needed for all initiatives to bring back in young people who failed at school or who left prematurely; the accent should be on prevention, systematic detection and shepherding of those at risk;

- partnerships at all levels (national, regional, local sectoral) should be strengthened in order to achieve, in a spirit of shared responsibility, full involvement of all partners (institutional, the social partners, learners, teachers, civil society, etc.) in the development of education and training systems which are flexible, effective and open to their environment.

Setting national action in the European context

The reflections and recommendations of the different working groups support in particular the following developments at the European level:

- the introduction, on the basis of work already started, of European frameworks, and of definitions and common principles relating to:

- the key competences needed (at work, on a personal level and as an active citizen) by everyone to live and work in the knowledge-driven society and economy and in order to learn on an ongoing basis;

- the competences and qualifications needed by teachers and trainers to fulfil their new roles and meet the new expectations of education and training;

- the validation of learning acquired informally or non-formally.

- The development of European networks grouping all the players concerned around specific policy issues (e.g. of institutions responsible for the quality of systems; authorities responsible for qualifications; on the matter of effective use of resources); the strengthening of actions and European networks of learning cities and regions;

- support for the development of actions and support structures for the lifelong learning of active European citizenship;

- intensifying European mobility, particularly in the area of vocational training, and actions to provide full access for disadvantaged people to transnational mobility;

- improving mobility in terms of quality, by setting up a European level "quality charter";

- enhancing the attractiveness of European systems in the international arena by developing European action to support efforts by the Member States to promote education in Europe.

5. PROGRESS INDICATORS AND EUROPEAN BENCHMARKS TO SUPPORT THE "EDUCATION & TRAINING 2010" PROGRAMME

Indicators and benchmarks are essential instruments of the open method of coordination without which the whole of the Lisbon process would become substantially less relevant. Accordingly, in order to achieve the anticipated impact, the "Education & Training 2010" programme must have a range of reliable and relevant key indicators to measure progress and benchmarks to convert the ambitions set out in Lisbon, and at the subsequent European Councils, into specific targets.

The work carried out since 2002 has allowed progress to be made in this direction. It has involved 30 European countries [30] and has been conducted with the support of Eurostat, Eurydice, Cedefop and the ETF. The OECD has played an active part in the work. Among the existing indicators, 29 have been selected in conjunction with the 13 objectives of the work programme. The (Education) Council has also adopted five levels of benchmarks. The work has brought out the mismatch between certain existing indicators and requirements, and the absence of comparable data for certain key dimensions of the "Education & Training 2010" programme. The situation therefore needs to be improved in the years ahead, both by enhancing the quality of the existing indicators and developing a restricted number of new indicators and the necessary data in the areas judged to be priority areas.

[30] The 15 Member States of the European Union; three EFTA/EEA countries and 12 candidate countries.

There will have to be a closer examination of the instruments which are the most appropriate for the objectives and key issues tackled. It will be necessary to identify the areas which best lend themselves to exchanges of good practice or peer reviews rather than to an evaluation based on quantitative indicators. In any event, the various instruments used will have to be applied in combination. Indicators should not be interpreted in an isolated manner but in close conjunction with best practice identified or the outcomes of peer reviews.

5.1. Identification of 29 progress indicators

Most of the indicators which exist at European level in education and training emanate essentially [31] from the sources of the European Statistical System: from the annual statistical collection conducted jointly by Unesco, Eurostat and the OECD (UOE collection), from the Eurostat specific data collection on languages, from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and from the Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS2). Internationally, the work of the OECD (INES, PISA [32]) and the IEA [33] provides, on the basis of empirical surveys, another source of indicators of relevance to Community work. The Eurydice network also offers a range of qualitative indicators on education systems.

[31] 23 out of the 29 indicators selected by the Standing Group on Indicators; it is worth also refering to the regular publications of the European Commission "Key data on education" and "Key data on vocational training" produced jointly by Eurydice and Eurostat and Cedefop and Eurostat respectively.

[32] The OECD programme for international student assessment (PISA) is a three-yearly survey of the attainment levels of 15-year-old pupils in written comprehension, maths and science, extended for PISA 2003 to their problem-solving ability .

[33] International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievements

The work conducted since 2002 has sought to identify the best indicators for supporting the implementation of the 13 objectives and its follow-up. In July 2002 the Commission set up a standing group on indicators to advise it and study the relevance and feasibility of the 33 indicators proposed in the work programme for the future objectives of education and training systems. The Group met between June 2002 and September 2003 (7 meetings) and in April 2003 produced a preliminary list of indicators based on available data deemed to be reliable and comparable. On the basis of this preliminary selection, it sought the opinion of the eight working groups (see Part I) of the "Education & Training 2010" programme on the consistency, relevance and appropriateness of the indicators selected in relation to the requirements of the 13 work programme objectives and their follow-up. The working groups also had to identify the areas for which new indicators were needed.

Generally speaking, while the eight working groups welcomed the Standing Group's preliminary selection of proposed indicators, they found some to be too narrow in relation to requirements or the complexity of the area in question (see point 5.2 below). Proposals for amendments, deletion or additions were also made. Following this the Standing Group drew up a fresh list of 29 indicators (see statistical annex), all based on available data considered to be reliable and comparable.

This is the first stage in establishing a common framework of solid and reliable statistical indicators as a basis for regular monitoring of progress with the implementation of the common objectives and identifying best practice with regard to education and training policies.

5.2. Highlighting shortcomings and requirements

The work also brought to light shortcomings in the existing indicators, and even the absence of data in certain key areas of the process. Not all 13 objectives of the work programme are in fact covered by the list of 29 indicators selected. These include access to the ICT; active citizenship, entrepreneurship, European cooperation and consideration of the gender dimension. The work stressed the need to remedy the lack of relevant indicators in general by improving the existing indicators and developing new indicators in order to provide the "Education & Training 2010" programme with evaluation instruments consonant with the ambitions stated in Lisbon and Barcelona.

When the working groups were consulted by the Standing Group, several pointed out shortcomings in relation to aspects which were highly significant for their work. In response to this, the following areas were deemed to be priority areas for the future development of new indicators:

- language proficiency;

- effectiveness in education and training expenditure;

- the ability to learn to learn;

- the percentage of teachers and trainers in continuing vocational training;

- the social origin of students in higher education;

- social cohesion and active citizenship;

- equity issue;

- information and communication technologies;

- mobility.

Work to implement the Copenhagen declaration (see Part II) on vocational training led to the identification of a group of eight basic indicators related to the quality of vocational training. The work also stressed the absence of data for three of them:

- investment in the training of trainers;

- the use at the place of work of learning acquired; and

- the percentage on the market of "providers" of vocational training applying quality management systems.

In order to make good the deficit in terms of quantitative and qualitative data on initial vocational training and thus strengthen the link with education, it also recommends to examine the possibility of collecting the necessary information using the framework of the annual UOE statistical collection.

In its report "Progress towards the common objectives in education and training - indicators and benchmarks" [34], the Commission feels that development of new indicators depends on priorities being defined and a short and longer-term strategy being prepared. It considers that absolute priority should be given to the following areas: key competences; language proficiency and the ability to learn to learn. It stresses that the other key dimensions of the "Education and Training 2010" programme also suffering from a deficit of indicators should also come in for special attention: private investment in education and training; continuing training of teachers and trainers; adult learning; mobility of students/people in training and of teachers/trainers; access to education and training; guidance and flexibility in learning systems, etc. It recommends that the interpretation of the data available not be limited to a specific indicator but seeks to combine a number of indicators which have a bearing on the issue in question.

[34] Commission Report "Progress towards the common objectives in education and training - indicators and benchmarks", Draft of 28 October 2003.

A large number of indicators are necessary to cover all the policies involved in monitoring implementation of the Lisbon strategy, so it also stresses the case for having composite indicators. DG RTD and DG EAC have already taken a step in this direction by producing two indicators of this type: one on "investment in a knowledge-based economy" and the other on "performance in the transition towards a knowledge-based economy" [35]. These indicators will be very useful for an overview of progress made in relation to the primary objective set in Lisbon of making the European Union the world's most competitive and most dynamic knowledge-based economy.

[35] See annex to the above-mentioned report of 28 October 2003.

5.3. The "Education" Council adopts five European benchmarks

Developing indicators is directly linked to the availability of new benchmarks to provide a framework for the changes needed at European level. An important step has been taken in this direction with the adoption by the "Education" Council [36] in May 2003, following up a proposal from the Commission, of five European benchmarks setting out quantified targets to be achieved in certain key areas for quality and effectiveness of European education and training systems. These relate to European averages, stressing clearly that these are challenges to be faced collectively, with each country contributing as a function of its resources and own priorities.

[36] Council Conclusions of 5 May 2003 Council Conclusions of 5 May 2003 on reference levels of European average performance in education and training (Benchmarks), OJ No C 134/2003, p.02.

These five European benchmarks are:

- the average rate of young people leaving school prematurely in the European Union should not exceed 10%;

- the total number of graduates in maths, science and technology in the European Union should increase by at least 15% and the gender imbalance in these areas should be reduced.;

- at least 85% of 22-year olds in the European Union should have completed their upper secondary education;

- the percentage of 15-year old pupils with insufficient reading skills in the European Union should be reduced by at least 20% by comparison with 2000;

- the average take-up rate for lifelong learning should be at least 12.5% of the adult population of working age (25-64 age group).

This is a major step in more effective implementation of the open method of coordination in education and training and of political recognition of the need to give the "Education and training 2010" programme good quality indicators and benchmarks. This is in line with the call from the Brussels European Council [37] to use "benchmarks to identify best practice and to ensure efficient and effective investment in human resources".

[37] Brussels European Council, 20-21 March 2003. Paragraph 40.

5.4. An initial picture of education and training systems in Europe

The 29 indicators selected cannot yet be used to gauge the progress achieved with the common objectives set in Stockholm in 2001, particularly the five benchmarks adopted by the (Education) Council in May 2003. They do nevertheless throw interesting light on the current situation of education and training systems in the Union, the EFTA/EEC countries and the candidate countries, in relation to these objectives, and the huge amount which remains to be done by 2010 if they are to be achieved.

The Commission's report "Progress towards the common objectives in education and training - indicators and benchmarks" makes a detailed analysis of the 29 indicators selected from the point of view of the main themes [38] and objectives examined by the working groups of the "Education & Training 2010" programme.

[38] Teachers and trainers; competences for the knowledge-based society; maths, science and technology; investment in education and training; development of a learning-conducive environment; making education and training more attractive; language teaching and mobility.

This report provides a preliminary working basis for enhanced cooperation between the Member States in order to better monitor progress under the open method of coordination. It shows that Europe is lagging way behind on some fronts and must endeavour to catch up if it wants its education and training systems to become a world quality reference, particularly considering the benchmarks adopted by the (Education) Council:

- Need to raise Europeans' level of education and give everyone a set of key competences (see statistical annex - indicators 1, 4-8, 23)

- Only 75.4% of the Union's 22-year olds have completed higher secondary education (European benchmark: 85%) ;

- The proportion of the young in the Union which still leave school prematurely is still too high (at 18,8% compared to the European benchmark of 10%).

In these first two instances, the Union average will very quickly rise thanks to the favourable situation in the acceding countries. Nevertheless, national efforts must be kept up, for the problem remains a real one in many countries:

- there are still far too many 15-year olds in Europe (17.2%) with insufficient reading skills (European benchmark: 13.7%), i.e. two to three times more than in countries like Korea (6%), Canada (9%) and Japan (10%);

- generally speaking, the Union produces fewer higher education graduates than its main competitors in the international arena. On average, 23% of men and 20% of women in the 25-64 age group have a higher education qualification, compared with 36% of men and 32% of women in Japan and 37% of the overall population in the USA;

- a European indicator relating to language proficiency is currently being developed [39]. However, the target set by the Barcelona European Council to guarantee that by 2010 all pupils/students should learn at least two foreign languages is still very far away.

[39] In response to the call from the Barcelona European Council (15-16 March 2002) the Commission began work on this indicator through its languages working group (subgroup of working group B of the "Education & Training 2010" programme - see point 4.1.5, Part I). The work to date has made it possible to establish that this indicator should be designed to evaluate the four basic competences (reading, listening, speaking and writing) in two or more languages other than the mother tongue. The tests would be applied at the end of compulsory schooling. The yardstick used would be that of the Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference for Language which is already used by several Member States. A specific collection of data will be needed to build up this indicator.

Improving the Union's position by 2010 on these various points is essential, for its future dynamism and competitiveness largely depend on the quality and the level of the education and training of its human resources. If this is to be achieved, the Union will also have to have enough teachers and trainers fully acquainted with the new requirements of lifelong learning. Several Member States are already facing staff turnover problems (see statistical annex - indicator 1). Over one million primary and secondary school teachers will have to be replaced in the Union between now and 2015.

- Strengthening the Union's presence and capacity in the scientific and technical fields (see statistical annex - indicators 10-13)

The number of European graduates in maths, science and technology is rising all the time. Indeed the Union trains more than its main competitors (25.7% of the total number of graduates compared with 21.9% and 17.2% respectively for Japan and the USA). Considering the current trends, the benchmark the Union set itself for 2010 in this area (a 15% increase) will undoubtedly be attained, with an annual increase of 100 000 additional graduates every year (EU-25).

However, the participation of girls in these areas is still far from satisfactory and the objective set of a substantial reduction of the gender imbalance will require further considerable effort by education systems and policies. There are currently between two and four times as many men as women in the scientific and technological channels in the Union.

While the Union initially has a very strong competitive advantage thanks to a higher number of graduates in these channels, it loses it when we look at its position with regard to the level of research in these areas. Too many European researchers still leave the European market which is judged to be too narrow and go to further their careers elsewhere, particularly to the USA, thus undermining the Union's potential for innovation and competitiveness.

- Renew and constantly update the knowledge and competences of the people of Europe (see statistical annex - indicator 19)

Learning and updating one's knowledge throughout life is not yet part of the culture and practices of the people of Europe. Although the situation is improving slightly in the Union's current Member States, the percentage of adults in the 25-64 age group (8.5%) having participated in some form of education and training in the four years before the survey is well below the European objective set (European benchmark: 12.5%). The position in the acceding countries (5.0%) is only just half the level of the EU-15.

The Commission's analysis of the 29 indicators selected and others relating to the Union's performance in a worldwide perspective also highlights the countries which seem to be at the leading edge in the key areas for the success of Europe in the knowledge-driven society. The indicators are considered not only as an essential instrument in monitoring progress but also as a source of inspiration for mutual learning between countries through exchanges of best practice.

Such exchanges will be particularly useful on the issue of the efficiency of the education and training systems for which it is difficult to draw firm conclusions on the basis of the indicators currently available. The existing indicators on performance and expenditure suggest indeed that there may be considerable variance in the educational outcomes achieved with a given level of investment.

PART II: ENHANCED EUROPEAN COOPERATION IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING : THE COPENHAGEN PROCESS

Section I of this chapter introduces the key issues at stake in the Copenhagen process and explains why vocational education and training (VET) has recently become a major priority area for cooperation at European level. Section II sets out in brief summary form the main points of progress between November 2002 and October 2003, and suggests certain political recommendations relating to the future concrete follow-up of the priorities at national and European level. For a more complete overview consult the Stocktaking Report of the Copenhagen Coordination Group.

1. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COPENHAGEN PROCESS : A FLEXIBLE APPROACH

The Copenhagen declaration was adopted in November 2002 by the Ministers responsible for vocational education and training (VET) of 31 European countries and the European Commission, and endorsed by the Social Partners' representatives at European level [40]. It sets out a strategy for improving the overall performance, quality and attractiveness of VET in Europe. Its adoption followed the request from the Barcelona European Council (March 2002) for closer cooperation in the field of vocational training, in parallel to cooperation already underway in higher education within the Bologna process [41].

[40] "Declaration of the European Ministers of vocational education and training, and the European Commission, convened in Copenhagen on 29 and 30 November 2002, on enhanced European cooperation in vocational education and training".

[41] See Presidency conclusions, Barcelona European Council, 15-16 March 2002, paras 43-45.

The declaration gives a mandate to strengthen bottom-up and voluntary cooperation between the Commission, the Member States, the candidate countries and the social partners. This cooperation is aimed at harnessing the rich diversity of VET systems throughout Europe; on improving the standing of vocational qualifications and competences; and on facilitating individual learning pathways, including by promoting occupational and geographic mobility.

The full participation of the Social Partners is crucial. Strategies to develop competences and qualifications are adopted by enterprises and industry sectors acting autonomously, for example, in order to respond to the pressures of globalisation and the changing organisation of work. The Social Partners therefore share ownership of the development of VET, and the responsibility for reaching the 2010 goals in this field.

The declaration identifies a series of specific issues for VET in view of the developing knowledge-based society heralded at Lisbon, and the objective of ensuring that the European labour markets are open and accessible to all. These issues are centred around the themes of transparency, information and guidance; recognition of qualifications and competences; quality assurance; and the European dimension. These are issues which have been identified as priorities for cooperation at European level in the context of several EU initiatives, not least the "Education & Training 2010" programme which is now the reference framework for Community cooperation in the field of education and training. They also concern (inter alia) the Commission Communication and Council Resolution on Lifelong Leaning, and the Action Plan (February 2002) and Council Resolution (June 2002) on Skills and Mobility. Transparency, quality assurance and recognition correspond also to the main action lines of the Bologna process in higher education and to the priorities of the social partners both in the context of agreements made in the European Social Dialogue, and in the European Social Partners' framework agreement on the lifelong development of competences and qualifications (February 2002).

To date, however, existing initiatives have not addressed in a concrete and systematic way the particular needs of vocational education and training. In view of the strategic objectives of the Union declared at Lisbon and subsequent European Councils, the profile of VET has been substantially raised. The Copenhagen process of voluntary, bottom-up cooperation in VET reflects a recognition of and growing concern for these issues among the key actors in the field.

The range of initiatives mentioned above confirms, nonetheless, that the priorities of the Copenhagen process are not confined to vocational education and training. Rather, they are transversal, referring to key issues at stake at various levels and types of education and training, whether in terms of skills for the labour market, or for general education. From the point of view of the individual learner it is clear that improving the portability of competences and qualifications, and the quality and relevance of the learning offer, are concerns which should span the learning path and which must therefore be addressed from a lifelong and lifewide perspective. A key role for the European level is therefore to provide the framework in which initiatives responding to the real needs of stakeholders in a given field can interact with one another. While the specificities of each field must of course be addressed, this must not lead to new barriers being erected between them.

This has been a key concern in the formulation and the follow-up of the Copenhagen declaration. A strong emphasis has been placed on the need to maintain a dual perspective between the lifelong learning context on the one hand, and the specificities of VET on the other. From the outset the aim of the Copenhagen process has been to produce concrete and tangible results which can be of real and direct benefit in terms of helping the Member States (and participating countries) to develop their own policies, systems and practices within a European perspective, and in terms of providing the tools with which individuals themselves can better confront the challenges of the modern labour market.

In particular, the development of common frameworks, principles and criteria at European level is seen as a useful model for contributing to the quality of the VET systems, and stimulating the development of the national systems within a European perspective. Such European references can provide important basic guidelines for actors at national, regional, sectoral and local level. Respecting the responsibility of national (and regional) authorities for the content and organisation of their own systems, common principles, criteria etc. can add value to solutions that are tailored to local circumstances, while also building on best practice, and ensuring a degree of compatibility between systems.

2. PROGRESS NOVEMBER 2002 - OCTOBER 2003

The Commission has organised the follow-up to the Copenhagen declaration in a flexible way, taking account of the need to make best use of existing structures and instruments, and to ensure that initiatives are well coordinated with action in other areas. Technical working groups (TWGs) have been set up to address the issues of transparency, credit transfer and quality. These groups are composed of experts from the participating countries suggested by the relevant ministries; experts nominated by the Social Partners' representatives at European level (UNICE, ETUC, CEEP); representatives of CEDEFOP and ETF (who both provide support to the process); and chaired by the Commission. The composition of the groups was determined by the Commission on the basis of suggestions received. The main criteria for selection was the need to ensure the right mix of competences in each group, and to ensure that a fair balance of representation was achieved across groups.

The issues of lifelong guidance, validation of non-formal and informal learning were already key issues in the "Education & Training 2010" work programme [42]. Following the new emphasis given to these topics by the Copenhagen declaration, experts were appointed by the Commission to give advice to the working groups G (conducive learning environment, citizenship and social cohesion) and H (making learning attractive, strengthening links with working life) of the "Education & Training 2010" programme, in order to ensure an integrated approach on these issues. It was also decided that the question of giving more attention to the learning needs of teachers and trainers in VET should also be integrated and would be dealt with by group A (teacher and trainer education).

[42] See Part I of the present report.

No specific group has been set up by the Commission to address the issue of increasing support to the development of sectoral qualifications. This has been a topic of discussion in the Advisory Committee for Vocational Training in order to agree the best way to take forward this issue (see 2.4. below), in view of the particularly important role of the social partners in relation to this priority.

The following table gives an overview of the main results achieved to October 2003

Priority of the Copenhagen Declaration // Main Results 2003

Transparency, information and guidance // Proposal from the Commission (for adoption in November 2003) for a Decision of the Council and the European Parliament for a new Europass single framework for transparency of qualifications and competences.

// Recommendations on guidance produced for the "Education & Training 2010" programme.

Identification of key factors for the development of careers guidance in Europe.

Strategic statement on guidance in Europe.

Recognition of competences and qualifications // Draft set of common principles for the validation of non-formal and informal learning.

Draft inventory of systems and methodologies for the validation of non-formal and informal learning in Europe.

// Identification of short and medium-term strategy for the development and implementation of a credit transfer system for VET.

// Outline of a strategy for increasing support to the development of qualifications and competences at sectoral level.

CEDEFOP mapping exercise underway of education and training initiatives at sectoral level.

Quality assurance // Proposal for a common framework for quality assurance and development in VET (at system and provider levels) based on a common core of criteria and a coherent set of indicators, and a cooperation framework to promote, for example, the exchange of good practice and the use of voluntary peer review and networking.

A European guide to self-assessment for VET providers.

2.1. Developing a single framework for the transparency of qualifications and competences

The Commission has prepared a proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and Council which establishes a single framework for the transparency of qualifications and competences, known as "Europass" and which sets out the necessary implementation and support measures.

Coordination and rationalisation are the key concepts. The Europass is a coordinated portfolio of documents, organised around the European CV, and supported by information systems and services at European and national level. It will include from the outset the existing transparency documents mentioned in the Copenhagen declaration [43], but it is open to further transparency instruments being added. All related activities are also streamlined and coordinated. This concerns the implementation, promotion and support of the Europass portfolio, as well as the operation of the Ploteus portal on learning opportunities [44] and the Euroguidance network. Coordination at national level will be ensured by a single body, expressly appointed for this purpose, which will participate in a European network coordinated by the Commission.

[43] These are the European CV, certificate and diploma supplements, the European language portfolio (based on the Common European framework of reference for language), and the existing Europass Training.

[44] www.ploteus.net

The Transparency TWG has been working in particular on options concerning the challenges posed by the implementation of the Europass framework, as concerns organisational models, the promotional strategy and, especially, the information system. The development of a pilot experience of the Europass information system has been started, with the technical support of Cedefop.

Member States should actively prepare the ground at national level for the introduction at European level of a coordinated framework for transparency of qualifications and competences, in view of the proposal (November 2003) from the Commission for a Decision of the Council and the European Parliament for a new Europass.

2.2. Quality assurance in VET

The approach taken by the TWG (and the European Forum on Quality in VET before it), is that of building consensus, through a 'bottom-up' approach (taking stock of existing experience), on common quality principles, methods, criteria and indicators that could guide the implementation, on a voluntary basis, of quality assurance and management systems in VET, in the European Union. A strong focus is placed on the improvement and evaluation of the 'outputs' and 'outcomes' of VET in terms of increasing employability, improving the match between demand and supply, and better access to lifelong training, in particular for disadvantaged people.

The TWG has proposed in its October progress report (i) a common framework for quality assurance and development in VET (at system and provider levels) based on a common core of criteria and a coherent set of indicators; and (ii) a cooperation framework in order to develop common activities between countries on specific issues, to promote the exchange of good practice and the use of voluntary peer review and networking. A European guide to self-assessment [45] has also been developed, based on a cross analysis of cases of 'good practices' in Member States.

[45] see 'An European Guide on Self-assessment for VET providers', Version 3.0, by Lise-Lotte Ravnmark, September 2003

The common framework for quality in VET integrates and combines a model for quality management, a method for self-assessment at systems and provider levels, and a set of indicators for measuring outputs, against goals and aims planned at both levels. It can be seen as a tool for the assessment and improvement of existing practices, as a basic framework to help decision makers' to choose their own quality approaches to VET where no quality system exists, and /or a reference system to identify 'examples of good practices'.

The outputs of the TWG's work should now be consolidated through an experimental phase. Member States and participating countries should develop pilot actions in order to assess, on a voluntary basis, the added value of the common framework, and to provide feed-back on this common reference tool. Such actions could be aimed at creating inclusive networks with the objective of improving existing practices on the basis of the commonly agreed quality criteria and indicators for VET, or of promoting the exchange of best practices among countries/institutions. European cooperation between these networks should also be encouraged, making best use of Community policy instruments. Where appropriate, the proposed limited set of quantitative and qualitative indicators could be used as a means to help countries to compare progress and monitor quality development.

The Commission will further increase synergy with the Leonardo da Vinci programme, and the future generation of programmes, by targeting priorities to offer means for the development of trans-national projects or institutional networks, possibly combined with voluntary peer review arrangements, around the topic of quality.

2.3. Developing a credit transfer system and common reference levels for VET

The TWG is working on the basic design and general principles of a European credit system for VET (ECVET), which would promote mobility through Europe for students and adult learners in VET. The TWG is working in a medium and long-term perspective on strategy development, and on a short-term perspective on the design of small, practical steps, which can easily be monitored and evaluated.

The progress report of the TWG (October 2003) sets out the main concepts and key issues at stake in the development of ECVET (for example variables for the definition of credit for VET, modularisation, stakeholders etc.). It also presents a possible 'meta-scheme' for a European credit system in VET (ECVET), based on different national approaches towards credit systems and credit transfer. The aim of the scheme is to facilitate the transfer of credits from one system to another, based on an assessment of prior learning/work activities. The TWG recommends that approaches to credit transfer in VET should be tested at upper secondary level between cooperation partners, including through the further development and testing of the meta-scheme. This experimental phase will be supported by the Leonardo da Vinci programme, through the funding of pilot projects, networks etc.

In addition, the TWG report recommends the development of a typology of knowledge, skills and competences, linked to a European 'meta-framework' for credits and qualifications, including through the elaboration of a set of principles underpinning such a framework. The work of the TWG will be further informed by the results of studies launched by CEDEFOP on the issues of credit systems and qualifications frameworks.

In order to facilitate individual learning pathways, and the development of a European credit system for VET Member States and participating countries, in cooperation with the social partners, should modularise / unitise VET programmes, curricula and courses, and establish national qualifications frameworks. This recommendation corresponds to one put forward by Group H of the "Education & Training 2010" programme (see Part I, point 4.1.8), particularly in terms of promoting flexibility in formal education and training institutions and systems.

In addition the identification of a suitable structure of common reference levels for VET, primarily based on learning outcomes, should be made a top priority. Such a levels structure should be linked with emerging developments in the Bologna process concerning qualifications frameworks and credit transfer.

2.4. Increasing support the development of sectoral qualifications and competences

Numerous important education and training initiatives are taken at sectoral level but are characterised by a lack of overview and long-term follow up, which impedes their impact and survival. The June 2003 meeting of the Advisory Committee for Vocational Training (ACVT) discussed a strategy to improve support to the development of qualifications and competences at the level of sectors and branches.

Firstly, the systematic mapping exercise currently being undertaken by CEDEFOP will help to increase the visibility of initiatives at sector and branch level, in terms of profile, institutional/political context, etc. The mapping exercise should be the basis of a database or inventory, providing for better coordination of initiatives. Secondly, there is a need to make better use of the Leonardo da Vinci programme in support of developments of qualifications and competences at the level of sectors. A substantial proportion of the procedure B-budget of the programme should be reserved for projects with a clear sectoral dimension. Thirdly, an ad-hoc working group has been established within the ACVT to coordinate the follow-up to this issue and to give advice on how best to link existing structures and initiatives.

Member States, social partners, and other relevant actors should enhance their cooperation in this area, with a view to developing a coherent strategy to support the development of qualifications and competences at sectoral level. A provisional list of sectors and branches to be given immediate attention under such a strategy should then be agreed upon. CEDEFOP will intensively pursue the mapping exercise of initiatives at sector and branch level.

2.5. The European dimension

The declaration gives a mandate to promote European cooperation between institutions and other types of transnational partnerships. European networks of national stakeholders with responsibility for specific issues/policies could be promoted, for example between bodies responsible for quality assurance and/or qualifications authorities (as is being done in the field of lifelong guidance - see 2.7 below). Such networks could possibly be combined with peer review arrangements. Initiatives could be developed on a voluntary basis around specific issues by those countries who are interested in taking part, with a view to promoting inter alia mutual learning and the exchange of good practice. Where such cooperation initiatives are shown to be successful, participation can be widened and similar approaches adopted in other areas.

This priority can be supported by the Community Education and Training programmes, and should be taken forward by future presidencies. It should also be taken into account in the future development of the Leonardo da Vinci programme and in the next generation of education and training programmes 2007-13.

2.6. Developing common European principles for the validation of non-formal and informal learning

The main motivation for developing common European principles is to add value to the diverse range of methodologies and systems for validation of non-formal learning currently evolving at national, regional, sectoral and local level. A set of common principles must firstly provide guidelines on how to strengthen the quality of methods and systems for validation. Secondly, common principles must address the issue of individual rights - that is, of ensuring that citizens have access to validation.

A common approach towards these issues should in itself provide a basis for comparability between validation approaches in different countries, at different levels and in different contexts. The European inventory on non-formal and informal learning now being set up will be a crucial instrument in monitoring how the common principles, once agreed, are followed up. A key question for the expert group is to what extent the common principles and European inventory can form the basis of a European framework for validation, contributing to the development of high quality, compatible approaches at all levels.

Member States, working with the social partners and the Commission, should agree at European level a set of common principles for validation of non-formal and informal learning, outlining (a) how best to enable individuals to have their competences validated in a fair and transparent way and (b) basic guidelines for the development of high quality, comparable validation methodologies and systems at European level [46].

[46] This recommendation corresponds to a recommendation Group H of the objectives process (Making learning more attractive, and strengthening links to working life, research and society at large), particularly in terms of valuing learning: assessment and standards. See Part I, point 4.

This recommendation is put forward by Group H of the "Education & Training 2010" programme (see Part I, point 4.1.8).

2.7. Strengthening policies, systems and practices that support information, guidance and counselling

In response to recent research findings from the OECD, CEDEFOP, ETF and the World Bank, the Expert Group has identified some key factors for the development of policies for career guidance in Europe. The Leonardo da Vinci, Socrates and Youth Joint Actions call for proposals 2004 will include support for the development of European networks of national stakeholders with responsibility for career guidance policy.

The Expert Group with the Commission and in cooperation with the Technical Working Group on Transparency will undertake a study of existing information and guidance networks in Europe, their current and potential role in promoting transparency and recognition of qualifications and competences, in particular the implementation of proposed 'Europass' framework for transparency. Also, to address the deficits in guidance policy development identified by the research, the Expert Group will develop a handbook for policy makers and explore the use of EU Programmes to stimulate the development of a European network of national forums for guidance to increase stakeholder participation in such development.

Member States, in cooperation with the social partners, should support the development of career guidance provision at the workplace in order to develop the career management skills of workers.

This recommendation complements recommendations put forward by Groups H and G of the "Education & Training 2010" programme (see Part I, point 4.1.8).

2.8. Giving attention to the learning needs of teachers and trainers in VET

Group A of the "Education & Training 2010" programme focused in a first stage of its work on two key issues: i) Identification of the competences needs of teachers and trainers in the knowledge society and ii) supporting them to respond to these needs. The work on these key issues provides a baseline for addressing the learning needs of teachers and trainers in VET, although this issue has not yet been dealt with in a concrete way. The main focus so far has been on teachers in the formal systems.

The common framework for quality assurance and development in VET (see 2.2) will also contribute to improving the competences of teachers and trainers in VET. Investment on training of trainers has been identified as one of the core quality indicators at system and provider levels, for example.

Objectives Group A will now systematically address the learning needs of teachers and trainers in VET, building on relevant work in the context of the implementation of the common framework for quality assurance and development in VET. In particular, a balance of representation in the Group should be ensured between general education and VET.

3. COORDINATION: TRANSPARENCY, TRANSFER AND QUALITY

The implementation of the Copenhagen process must allow individual 'sub-issues' to be addressed in a flexible way in order to develop and test solutions which respond effectively to identified needs. At the same time it is crucial that such solutions are open to links with work in related areas both within the Copenhagen process and, in particular, the "Education and Training 2010" work programme. While these processes remain separate for the time being, it is important that they are effectively coordinated in order to ensure synergies and to avoid duplication.

This section indicates where coordination issues are likely to arise in the near future, given the current state of play in both the Copenhagen process and the "Education and Training 2010" programme. This list of indicative and non-exhaustive points should help to guide the future organisation of work in both these contexts. They should indicate where synergies need to be developed, and where separate strands of work may eventually need to be brought together, in order to address overarching questions.

The themes of transparency, transfer and quality are examples of such overarching questions. They provide a guiding rationale for the coordination of the Copenhagen process and, given that they are transversal questions relevant to all levels of education and training, they also provide one possible point of departure for developing a more integrated approach to education and training at European level.

3.1. Transparency

The proposal for a decision on a Europass framework addresses VET issues in a wider lifelong learning context. While the need for improved transparency is particularly acute in vocational education and training, establishing a framework that links transparency instruments necessarily broadens the scope beyond VET. This is already the case with the instruments mentioned in the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and Council (see section 2.1). The potential of the Europass framework as a platform for a coordinated approach is even greater thanks to a fundamental feature: it is an open framework, designed to include further instruments and to promote the development of new ones. This is prospectively very interesting in relation to various developments:

- Europass can contribute to increasing transparency of qualifications and competences at sectoral level, for example as a reference for the development of 'sectoral passports'. Such passports could be linked, on a voluntary basis, to the Europass framework, thus supporting transparency and transfer of qualifications and competences between countries, sectors and companies;

- Europass could contribute to the documentation and presentation of achievements as concerns the development of a European Credit System for VET;

- interesting perspectives can also be identified in relation to the proposal of Objectives group B to develop a European framework of key competences and to the proposal from group A to develop a European framework for teachers' and trainers' qualifications and competences. Appropriate links should be established between these initiatives and the Europass framework.

3.2. Transfer

Several overarching coordination issues also arise through consideration of the problem of transfer of qualifications and competences. By its very nature, transfer is a multi-faceted question, encountered at all stages of the learning path, particularly in relation to occupational and geographic mobility. This is a key objective of European cooperation in education and training, being dealt with simultaneously from different aspects by various groups in both the Copenhagen process and the "Education & Training 2010" programme. The following points need to be borne in mind :

- The credit transfer TWG is developing solutions for transfer between the formal VET systems. A key coordination issue in this group is the compatibility of such solutions with parallel developments in the fields of higher education (especially ECTS), non-formal learning (in terms of validation approaches), and at sectoral level (in terms of increasing support to the development of qualifications and competences).

- Group H and the Copenhagen Coordination Group have recommended that Member States be encouraged to introduce modularised structures, curricula and courses. This is seen as a key means of promoting credit transfer at national and European levels. The practical follow-up to this recommendation should be coordinated between group H and the credit transfer TWG.

- The issue of qualifications frameworks is one which is gaining in prominence at all levels of education and training, at national and European level, as well as beyond Europe, for example in the OECD. This is a key issue in objectives group H and the CCG, which both stress the importance of developing qualifications frameworks at national level. The mandate of the credit transfer TWG to develop common reference levels for VET must also take into account parallel developments under the Bologna process in the context of the European Higher Education Area.

3.3. Quality

Quality of provision was identified in the lifelong learning Communication as a fundamental principle underpinning a European area of lifelong learning, stressing that investments of time and money in learning are fully effective only if the learning conditions and the underlying policy planning and systems are of high quality. The concept of a European area of lifelong learning also emphasises the role of quality assurance systems in promoting mutual trust both within and between countries, the lack of which is a main obstacle to recognition of qualifications, and therefore mobility.

The working methods of the TWG on quality in VET are based on the identification of common critical areas that could be improved through European cooperation, and on building on examples of good practices in order to put forward common proposals to be implemented on a voluntary basis. A systematic monitoring and follow-up of the TWG's proposals, in line with the principles of the OMC, is crucial in view of the need to promote mutual trust and compatibility between education and training systems in Europe. Member States are therefore invited to report to the CCG, on a voluntary basis, on the initiatives taken in connection with the common operational and cooperative frameworks, as well as on their main achievements.

At European level, the work on quality assurance and development in VET, developed within the 'Copenhagen process', should seek to develop synergies with related work underway in the Education and Training 2010 work programme, especially groups A (see 2.8 above) and E (Making best use of resources) and other areas (notably quality assurance and / or accreditation in higher education, in liaison with the Bologna process).

4. CONCLUSION

The model of European cooperation adopted by the Copenhagen process has allowed for the development of solutions which respond to identified needs in the area of vocational education and training. The focus is on producing tools and instruments which can help key actors in the field, including individual learners, better adapt to the demands of the knowledge-based society and economy, and which at the same time introduce a European perspective into VET systems at all levels, stimulating transparency, transfer and quality.

Flexibility and improved coordination are key to this approach. Flexibility in terms of allowing solutions to be developed and tested at different paces and in different contexts. Coordination in terms of ensuring that solutions are developed in a lifelong learning context. The virtual communities set up and developed by CEDEFOP (see http://cedefop.communityzero.com) are an essential tool facilitating the coordination of the Copenhagen process, and contributing to the dissemination of its results.

These considerations must be borne in mind as increased synergies are sought between the Copenhagen process and the "education and training 2010" work programme. A more integrated approach must be capable of producing concrete results and outcomes, and therefore should use practical and flexible working methods, with working groups operating according to clear mandates and timetables.It is essential, however, that coordination arrangements also be developed at national level bringing together, as a minimum, ministries responsible for VET (in particular education and labour ministries) and social partners.

In addition, the Commission will ensure that the Leonardo da Vinci programme increasingly focuses on supporting the Copenhagen process. The new call for proposals for 2005-2006, to be adopted in the first semester of 2004, will clearly emphasise this strategic priority.

PART III: IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL COHERENT AND GLOBAL LIFELONG LEARNING STRATEGIES

1. INTRODUCTION

Since the European Year of Lifelong Learning (1996), when the Council first adopted conclusions on the subject [47], the idea of lifelong learning (LLL) has grown considerably in importance both at Community and at national level. It is a key element of the new economic and social strategy adopted in March 2000 by the European Council for the decade to 2010. It is also the guiding principle of the resulting programme of work on the concrete objectives of education and training systems [("Education & Training 2010")] which now constitutes the single comprehensive framework for Community cooperation in this field. Other international developments, notably the adoption of lifelong learning as the guiding theme of the work of the OECD on education since 1996, have also contributed. There is now growing evidence that awareness of the importance of LLL is penetrating public opinion, as evidenced by the Eurobarometer survey of January/February 2003 [48].

[47] Council conclusions of 20 December 1996 on a strategy for lifelong learning, OJ C7/1997

[48] Lifelong learning: citizens' views (European Commission/Cedefop). Office for official Publications of the European Communities, 2003

In March 2003 the Commission sent a questionnaire to EU Member States, EEA/EFTA and acceding and candidate countries on the follow-up to the Council Resolution of June 2002 on lifelong learning [49] and to the 2001 Commission Communication on the subject [50]. The purpose of the questionnaire was to take stock of initiatives and progress in participating countries for the further development of coherent and comprehensive LLL strategies and to report on them within the framework of the interim report planned for the 2004 European Council. The questionnaire was designed around the six building blocks (partnership approach; needs of the learner; adequate resourcing; access; culture of learning; striving for excellence) identified in the Communication as key dimensions to support the development of an effective national lifelong learning strategy.

[49] OJ C163/2002

[50] COM(2002) 678 final (November 2001)

The purpose here is to present the main trends and findings coming out of the analysis of countries' contributions. These are of particular interest for the work under way in the framework of the "Education & Training 2010" programme (see Part I) and the Copenhagen process (see Part II), especially on key issues like the development of qualification frameworks, the validation of non-formal and informal learning or the strengthening of information and guidance services. The main conclusions drawn from the analysis of replies support most of the conclusions arrived at in these frameworks in terms of domains which should be given top priority in future action if the Union is to meet the objectives set in Lisbon in 2000 and in successive European Councils since then. Initiatives and actions presented by countries in this round of reporting also usefully complement those collected by the working groups put in place within the framework of the « Education & Training 2010 » programme (see Part I) as a basis for the exchanges of good practices.

A detailed analysis of the replies is accessible on the Internet [51]. It takes account of the national employment action plans (NAPs), the guidelines for which include the development of comprehensive and coherent strategies for lifelong learning. The conclusions drawn from the NAPs are set out in the Joint Employment Report 2002 [52]. It is evident that, in the short time elapsed since the Resolution and the evaluation of NAPs for 2002, countries' contributions could not be assessed solely in terms of progress since then. This is all the more so because replies do not always clearly distinguish between measures taken in the last year or two and others which have been in existence for some time previously. The present analysis is therefore more a snapshot of work in progress, rather than an attempt at a precise measurement of what has changed since the Council Resolution.

[51] The analysis of the EU and EFTA/EEA replies has been drawn up with the assistance of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop). The analysis of the acceding and candidate countries' contribution is also set out in a separate document drawn up by the European Training Foundation (ETF).

[52] COM (2002) 621 final, Supporting document SEC (2002) 1204

It illustrates the vitality of the European national education and training systems and their multiple efforts to adjust to the challenges posed by the knowledge society and to adhere to a lifelong learning approach. It also shows that some major aspects do not seem to be given the priority.

Themes which are given a good deal of attention in the reports are:

a) LLL as an issue concerning the population as a whole, though the main focus is on initial education and the working population;

b) the importance attached to basic competencies, whether acquired during initial education or through second-chance opportunities;

c) the role - including shared financial responsibility - of multiple stakeholders (national, regional and local public bodies, social partners, civil society), in promoting a LLL culture centred on the individual: financing is discussed mainly in terms not of investment targets but rather of shared responsibility;

d) the removal of obstacles and the development of multiple pathways to further learning, often linked to two issues: formal recognition of competencies however acquired, and guidance and information systems to help the individual negotiate these pathways;

e) the development of educational and training staff, to enable them to fulfil a changed and wider variety of roles than at present and use new pedagogical instruments effectively;

f) the development of local partnerships to promote access to learning, particularly to ICT and Internet literacy for the adult population, using various settings such as schools, libraries and other specific training centres.

The following themes receive rather less attention than might have been expected:

a) the need for greater coordination between all relevant stakeholders, particularly between ministries:

b) early childhood learning - including the family environment and parents' education - to which only a small number of countries refer;

c) the importance of basic schooling in developing a LLL ethos, though some countries refer to the need to adapt teacher training accordingly;

d) the potential for the workplace to be an inherently learning-oriented environment, rather than a place where theoretical knowledge is applied in practice;

e) targets for investment in LLL expressed in budgetary terms and the mobilisation of new resources or redirection of funding;

f) the role of collective bargaining and public-private partnerships in increasing participation in LLL;

g) learning, including language learning, as the key to life in the wider European environment.

Given the number of countries covered (31) and the diversity of their economic, social and educational starting points, it must be kept in mind that progress is necessarily taking place at different speeds and that priorities are not the same everywhere. Structural elements influencing the nature and speed of the changes include, in particular, the degree of development of adult education, the level of integration of or coordination between education and vocational training systems and the degree of centralisation or decentralisation. Given the variety of initiatives presented and the fact that some countries appear to be well-advanced, exchanges of good practice, especially regarding the definition and implementation of coherent and comprehensive strategies, would be a useful instrument to integrate into further work.

The concept of lifelong learning is now an underlying consideration for all activities at EU level in the field of education and training, especially within the framework of the implementation of the "Education & Training 2010" programme and the Copenhagen process. It is, however, appropriate to underline briefly here some specific initiatives. In March 2003 the Commission set up PLOTEUS, an internet Portal on Learning Opportunities Throughout Europe. This was part of its response to the request from the European Council (Lisbon 2000 and Stockholm 2001) that it and the Member States should set up a Europe-wide service providing information on jobs and learning opportunities. In April 2003 it launched the R3L initiative linking 120 learning regions with a view to exchanging know-how and developing methods of promoting lifelong learning at regional level. Also worthy of note is the involvement of the European social partners (UNICE/UEAPME, CEEP and ETUC). In March 2002 they adopted a common framework of actions for the lifelong development of competencies and qualifications, as a contribution to the implementation of the Lisbon strategy. In March 2003 they produced a first annual progress report setting our the first steps taken in relation to the implementation of the framework of actions.

2. MAIN TRENDS IN NATIONAL POLICIES

2.1. LLL a guiding principle growing in importance

An examination of the replies of existing and acceding and candidate countries (ACCs) of the European Union and the EEA reveals that the achievement of a learning society is a gradual process and a work still in progress. It confirms, however, the conclusion resulting from the examination of NAPs that progress is being made and that important initiatives have been taken in many countries. This is particularly true of almost all ACCs, where preparation for participation in a range of Community processes and access to structural funding has created debate on education and training systems and helped to accelerate reforms, especially in the adult education sector.

However, strategies vary in their coherence and their comprehensiveness, and there is still some way to go before one could speak of all countries having a well-developed LLL culture with wide public acceptance and participation.

The EU/EEA countries identify lifelong learning as an issue concerning the population as a whole, but much of the content of their replies focuses on initial education (including second-chance access to basic competencies) and the working population. They also devote increasing attention to the validation of competencies acquired outside the formal system, and target a range of obstacles facing particular population groups. The ACCs, on the other hand, mainly focus on the formal system (including adult education) and there is little evidence of their making any attempt to deal with learning outside this framework. There is a corresponding disparity in relation to the creation of pathways between formal and other learning environments. While the principle of lifelong and lifewide learning is accepted in all European countries, there is considerable variation in the extent to which it is integrated in practice into some or all components of the learning system. In the ACCs, the most ambitious and significant initiatives are found in those countries which are already the most advanced in terms of VET reforms and in those which invest most in education. A particular coordination effort is required in all those European countries in which responsibility for different components of the LLL chain is divided between ministries or levels of government.

Much national legislation takes account of LLL considerations and priorities, but there appears to be little or no legislation specifically on LLL as such. Policy documents and strategies on LLL are more frequent. The overall impression emerging from countries' replies is that, for many, the LLL idea is increasingly penetrating policy formulation and implementation. It is being taken into account as a principle underlying various separate education and training policy reforms, even if it could not yet be described as the basis of a comprehensive new national strategy in all countries.

2.2. Basic competencies

There is surprisingly little reference to the development of a lifelong learning ethos through basic schooling. Many reports highlight how LLL entails necessary changes in teacher training, with the emphasis shifting to seeing the teacher as a coach for independent learning whose first task is to create an awareness of the need for a lifelong commitment to learning. However, while this is an important development, its impact will inevitably be long-term.

Literacy and numeracy programmes are mentioned in many replies, and a prominent place is accorded to accompanying support measures to help people recognise their educational deficits and be motivated to follow courses. Computer literacy, foreign languages and entrepreneurship are key competencies emphasised by the acceding and candidate countries. Given the general raising of educational standards and achievements in most Member States, many measures are concerned with adults with no, or only low-level, qualifications who risk being left behind. These measures involve accessing formal initial education programmes or specific vocational or general adult education in various formal and informal settings.

2.3. Learning and the workplace; the role of the social partners

There are many references to the role of the social partners, particularly in committees and partnerships relating to initial and continuing vocational education and training. There is, however, relatively little reference to their role in stimulating participation and innovation in LLL, in spite of the European-level common framework referred to in the introduction above.

Thus, while initiatives by public bodies are well-reported, there is little or no information on LLL initiatives originating from within the workplace. Familiar concepts such as the learning organisation or l'organisation qualifiante du travail are noteworthy for their absence. However, the combination of education and training with work in various models of alternance is an important factor in developing the LLL reflex. Replies from several countries suggest that education and training systems are increasingly evolving towards such a dual approach, placing a growing emphasis on work-related practice and employability.

Some measures explicitly link workplace learning to demographic trends, including the ageing of the workforce in individual firms and the desirability of transferring knowledge to younger workers and facilitating retraining of older workers, sometimes as a means of avoiding early retirement.

The analysis underlines that developing learning at the workplace is a crucial need especially in most of the accession and candidate countries, where employers do not seem to consider training as an investment. This highlights the importance of the role of the state in providing the necessary incentives for developing training in the workplace in close cooperation with the social partners.

2.4. Financing lifelong learning; public-private partnerships

Countries do not refer to substantial developments in relation to new funding mechanisms to support the implementation of an LLL strategy, and examples of redirection of funding are very rare. There is an emphasis on getting quality for the money already being spent rather than on new funding, although the acceding and candidate countries refer to commitments to increased budgets. Recognition of the responsibility of the state for funding initial (including second-chance) education and training seems general, but the messages on how continuing education and training should be financed are less clear. Overall, the reports indicate acceptance of access free of charge to basic and further education programmes for adults who have inadequate educational qualifications. For continuing training, particularly at the higher competence level, the responsibility of employers and the individual is highlighted. There are differences in relation to the financing of higher education, although this is not a theme covered directly in many of the reports. Discussion on student fees and support systems in many countries should perhaps be placed within an LLL framework, as its outcome is clearly likely to have an impact on access to learning opportunities.

Although the questionnaire refers to public-private partnerships, the reports do not suggest that there has recently been either a substantial increase in, or a major role for, private-sector investment in education and training institutions. In several cases, ICT developments seemed to be the main rationale for such partnerships. On the other hand, there is acceptance that learning must be paid for by public authorities, employers and the individual. Tax relief on educational expenditure for both companies and individuals is the mechanism most commonly mentioned.

Given that the benefits from lifelong learning accrue to the individual, to employers and to society at large, the question of who should pay for what is an important but complex issue raised by many countries. Multipartite inputs from government, employers, trade unions and civil-society organisations to policy formulation are accepted as essential. Replies demonstrate recognition of the importance of a sense of shared ownership by the social partners, for example in designing and implementing dual-system approaches, although this recognition is less evident in the acceding and candidate countries. In some instances this shared ownership entails the emergence of regional and/or sectoral knowledge clusters, facilitating technology transfer and innovation. There is some limited evidence of shared responsibility for learning through collective bargaining agreements which, at industry or local level, can help to respond better to local conditions and promote a learning-promoting environment.

2.5. Facilitating access

Individual rights including second-chance opportunities are referred to in many replies. Many countries speak of removing barriers to learning and improving access for various at-risk groups, particularly for those affected by social or geographic disadvantage (immigrants or ethnic groups, urban or rural environments) and for those who have not completed basic education. Country reports from the accession and candidate countries do not reflect any great concern regarding inequalities in education. Many indicate that they have created the necessary conditions to remove barriers to learning. Acceding countries actually show markedly lower early school-leaver rates than the present EU countries. However, the situation for unemployed people and the adult population in general is less promising, and the lack of appropriate public funds for active labour-market measures in most ACCs prevents them from effectively tackling the barriers to training and learning and significantly reducing social exclusion. This is particularly true as regards the Roma population and the long-term unemployed.

Of the more specific target groups, those which are most frequently mentioned, very often in an urgent context, are migrants, ethnic minorities, Roma population, refugees and asylum seekers. Only one country refers to validating the competencies of members of these groups who have qualifications from their country of origin as a way of integrating them into the host society and economy. Many responses indicate that schools and other educational institutions should be much more open to their local communities and to each other.

In regard to gender inequality the emphasis is as much on what has been achieved, e.g. increased female participation rates in higher education and vocational training, as on what remains to be done. Overcoming sex-stereotyping of ICT, scientific and technical careers seems to be the main outstanding issue identified. None of the reports comments on the problem of underperformance by males in school, although this is often the first step towards self-exclusion from gainful employment and further learning.

Many countries refer to the economy's need for developing ICT skills in schools and the wider population, but it is difficult to discern clear trends in terms of targets and priorities. The fact that they are at different stages of progress in this area, for example as regards numbers of individuals, schools and other organisations having access to PCs and the internet, reinforces the differences of emphasis which they place on aspects of ICT. Nevertheless, a theme common to many countries' replies is the key role of teachers and trainers and how to improve ICT-based pedagogy.

2.6. Information and guidance

Information, guidance and counselling, (including outreach measures for those least likely to participate spontaneously in LLL) are identified by quite a few countries as essential to ensure that rights and opportunities are availed of, especially in a system which places the individual at the centre of the learning process. Many of the reports deal with new guidance initiatives geared to specific target groups, and the development of a more coherent and efficient policy through the development of networks and the use of ICT. Whereas guidance was previously seen as being essentially to help young people make the transition from education to working life, there is now some evidence of an increased awareness of the fact that it must be permanently available, lifelong and lifewide. However, there seems to be some way to go before one can speak of a coherent lifelong guidance system being widely available throughout the Union for those at work as well as those in education. Except in very few cases, the situation in the accession and candidate countries will require substantial improvements. The main problems identified are the lack of properly trained professionals and equipment and the weakness of the coordination between the different networks working in the school system and under the employment services.

Education and training fairs and other measures to raise awareness and provide information on courses available are widespread, though they mainly target school-leavers. On a positive note, adult learners' weeks and similar promotional activities seem to be growing more widespread. In some cases, such activities include bringing the message of LLL and "taster classes" to people outside the traditional learning environment (pubs, clubs, museums etc.) in order to reach those who might not regard themselves as concerned by it.

2.7. Qualifications and validation of acquired competencies

Quite a few EU/EEA countries have begun to establish systems for validation of non-formal and informal learning in the context of removing barriers to further learning. In the acceding and candidate countries, coordination, linkages and pathways between formal, non-formal and informal learning are still underdeveloped, as evidenced by the difficulties encountered in improving the coherence and coordination of counselling and guidance services and by the slow progress being made in developing recognition of prior learning. On the other hand, measures aiming at improving transition from school to work are developing, reflecting the priority attached in many of these countries to reforms in the formal system.

Key components to providing incentives to LLL include flexible qualification structures which not only integrate the different streams and levels of general education and learning, but also those of vocational and technical education and training. Different approaches exist, but common factors critical to promoting LLL include the opportunity for systematic identification of competencies however acquired, their validation in terms of transferability to other situations and the creation of opportunities for certification or for admission to further learning leading to new qualifications.

2.8. Creating a cradle-to-grave learning culture - some missing links

Early childhood care has often been associated more with releasing mothers back into the workforce than with the child's development. In only a small number of replies to the questionnaire, however, is a strong emphasis on pre-school care and early childhood development explicitly linked to the creation of a learning culture. The importance of parents and learning in the family environment receives only passing mention, as does the question of parents' education.

Young people in general are not automatically identified as a specific target group for specific LLL policy measures, apart from tackling issues like early school leaving or literacy. Equally surprisingly, very few activities specifically geared to older age groups and particularly those over 65 are mentioned. The idea of learning as a significant component of an active ageing strategy, though well-established in some societies and known to yield benefits in terms of both well-being and care costs, receives very little attention in the replies.

2.9. European dimension

Despite the absence of a specific reference to the European dimension in the questionnaire, several respondents refer to the need for a European context in relation to frameworks for formal, informal and non-formal qualifications, while the value of European programmes in developing co-operation with neighbouring countries is also mentioned. Many countries do refer, in their answers to specific questions, to international best practice and standards, the organisation of meetings involving other (particularly neighbouring) countries, etc. Possibly because of the links to the Lisbon agenda and concurrent work under the work programme on objectives, responding countries seem willing to take some steps in the direction of benchmarking and setting clear targets, more often in terms of participation or attainment rates rather than investment levels.

While the Council Resolution on LLL did not give rise to specific EU financial support, the mainstreaming of a LLL philosophy has meant that existing Community financial instruments have contributed to the implementation of elements of strategies based on it. The impact of the European structural funds, and in particular the European Social Fund (ESF), in terms of content, not just of financing, is evident from and explicitly mentioned in quite a few countries' responses. For some countries, the background provided by the European Employment Strategy and the conceptual framework which the Community Support Framework provides for structural fund intervention are of major importance. Social inclusion and active labour market measures developed by many countries with ESF support, particularly to deal with long-term unemployment, have a clear LLL dimension, and some "learning regions" have also received substantial structural fund support. The influence of the ESF in supporting the development of LLL is thus widespread, and is not confined to the "cohesion countries" which are major beneficiaries under Objective 1.

There was no question on language learning, but it is a feature of several reports. It arises primarily in relation to migrants learning the language of their new country of residence, but the objective of promoting the learning of foreign languages among the general population is also mentioned by some countries.

PART IV. HIGHER EDUCATION: THE BOLOGNA PROCESS

1. THE BOLOGNA PROCESS

The Bologna Declaration of June 1999 has put in motion a series of reforms needed to make European higher education more compatible and comparable, more competitive and more attractive for our own citizens and for citizens and scholars from other continents. In Prague, in May 2001, Ministers took note of progress so far and added three new Action lines. In Berlin, in September 2003, they defined three intermediate priorities for the next two years: quality assurance, two-cycle system and recognition of degrees and periods of studies.

Ministers also decided that the doctoral phase will be covered by the Bologna Reforms (transparency, quality assurance etc.) and to promote closer links between the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the European Research Area (ERA).

The Bologna process coincides with Commission policy in higher education over the years through the European co-operation programmes and notably Socrates-Erasmus. In Prague, this fact was acknowledged and the Commission was invited to become a full member of the Bologna follow-up structure, alongside the Signatory States.

The Commission supports most of the Bologna Action lines, e.g. through actions ranging from the Diploma Supplement label, promoting transparency of qualifications, to the launch of "Erasmus Mundus", fostering the attractiveness of European higher education on a global scale. All these measures, which are part of the overall EU approach to educational matters, and the - geographically wider - Bologna process are reinforcing each other, improving the chances of the genuine implementation of declared objectives across the various higher education systems. Such synergies are illustrated, for instance, by the impact of EU mobility actions on the call for more transparency and recognition of qualifications in Europe. The latter, in its turn, supports the EU's broader reform agenda under the Lisbon strategy.

In Berlin, four countries from the Western Balkans joined the Bologna process: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Serbia-Montenegro, as well as Andorra, the Holy See and Russia. There are now 40 Signatory States in the wider Europe and more will follow in the years to come. The Commission will consider special support measures for the countries covered by Tempus-Cards and Tempus-Tacis.

2. ACCELERATING THE BOLOGNA REFORMS

The Bologna process has stimulated reform in higher education across Europe. All countries are in the process of introducing the two cycle system, all countries are setting up quality assurance systems and all countries are introducing the transparency instruments ECTS and Diploma Supplement. Reports and surveys show, however, that the pace of reform is unevenly spread. Some countries have started the two cycle system, others are only considering to do so. Some countries are carrying out regular quality evaluations others have an Agency on paper only. The Commission is concerned with the fact that an uneven introduction of the Bologna reforms will not make European higher education more attractive and will only add to the confusion here and abroad. The Commission therefore welcomes the decision made in Berlin to set priorities and to bring the major Bologna reforms forward to the year 2005.

By 2005 all signatory states should:

- have started implementing the two cycle system as part of a national qualifications framework

- have a functioning quality assurance system

- issue the Diploma Supplement to all graduates, free of charge in widely spokin European language

Also by 2005, Ministers expect the European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), in cooperation with the higher sector, to develop an agreed set of standards, procedures and guidelines on quality assurance and to explore ways of ensuring an adequate peer review system for quality assurance and/or accreditation agencies. They also agreed to elaborate an overarching framework of qualifications for the European Higher Education Area.

A stocktaking exercise will be organised in advance of the next Ministerial meeting in Bergen, Norway, in May 2005, reporting on the progress made by each country on these and other Bologna Action Lines ("Bologna Score Board").

The Commission will also seek to create synergies between the Bologna process in Higher Education and the Copenhagen process on enhanced European co-operation in Vocational Education and Training in important fields such as transparency of qualifications, credit transfer and quality assurance. A first and concrete example of these synergies will be the EUROPASS initiative, creating one single European framework for transparency of qualifications.

3. BOLOGNA ACTION LINES

Bologna Declaration

1. Adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees

2. Adoption of a system essentially based on two cycles

3. Establishment of a system of credits

4. Promotion of mobility

5. Promotion of European cooperation in quality assurance

6. Promotion of the European dimension in higher education

Prague Communiqué

7. Lifelong learning

8. Higher education institutions and students

9. Promoting the attractiveness of the European Higher Education Area

Berlin Communiqué

10. European Higher Education Area and European Research Area - two pillars of the knowledge based society

ANNEX 1

Organisation of the working groups and preliminary exchanges of best practice /

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ANNEX 2

INDICATORS AND REFERENCE LEVELS OF EUROPEAN AVERAGE PERFORMANCE (Benchmarks)

A first list of 29 indicators to support the objectives of the « Education & Training 2010 » Programme

Improving education and training for teachers and trainers (Objective 1.1)

Indicator n°1 Age of teachers

Indicator n°2 Number of young people

Indicator n°3 Ratio of pupils to teaching staff

Developing competences for the knowledge society (Objective 1.2)

Indicator n°4 Completion of upper secondary education

Indicator n°5 Low-performing students in reading literacy

Indicator n°6-8 Performance in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy

Indicator n°9 Participation in education or training of initially low qualified people

Increasing recruitment to scientific and technical studies (Objective 1.4)

Indicator n°10 Enrolment in mathematics, science and technology studies

Indicator n°11-13 Graduates in mathematics, science and technology

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Making the best use of resources (Objective 1.5)

Indicator n°14 Public expenditure on education

Indicator n°15 Private expenditure on educational institutions

Indicator n°16 Enterprise expenditure on continuing vocational training courses

Indicator n°17-18 Total expenditure on educational institutions per pupil/student

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Creating an open learning environment (Objective 2.1)

Indicator n°19 Participation in lifelong learning

Making learning more attractive (Objective 2.2)

Indicator n°20-21 Working hours in continuing vocational training

Indicator n°22 Participation rates in education

Indicator n°23 Early school leavers

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Improving foreign language learning (Objective 3.3)

Indicator n°24 Pupils learning foreign languages

Indicator n°25 Number of foreign languages learned

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Increasing mobility and exchanges (Objective 3.4)

Indicator n°26 Mobility of teachers and trainers

Indicator n°27-29 Mobility of students and trainees

Objective 1.1: Improving education and training for teachers and trainers

1. Percentage of teachers older than 50 years old, ISCED 1 and ISCED 2 and 3, 2000/01

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Data source: Eurostat, UOE

2. Change in the numbers of young people in the 0-14 and 15-19 age groups in the European Union, from 1975 to 1999

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3. Ratio of pupils to teaching staff by education level (ISCED 1-3), 2000/01

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Data source: Eurostat, UOE.

Objective 1.2: Developing skills for the knowledge society

4. Percentage of those aged 22 who have successfully completed at least upper secondary education (ISCED 3), 2002

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European Union //

Acceding countries //

European Union +

Acceding countries //

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Data source: Eurostat, Labour force survey

Additional note: EU aggregates without UK: a definition of upper secondary school completion has still not been agreed. Malta: data not available

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Data source: Eurostat, Labour Force Survey

5. Percentage of pupils with reading literacy proficiency level and lower in the PISA reading literacy scale, 2000

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European Union //

Acceding countries //

European Union +

Acceding countries //

Japan //

United States //

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Data source: OECD, PISA 2000 database

Explanatory note: By 2010, the percentage of low-achieving 15 years old in reading literacy in the European Union should have decreased by at least 20% compared to the year 2000. In 2000, the percentage of 15 year old in level 1 or below in the European Union (15) is equal to 17.2. Therefore, the benchmark has been fixed at 13.7.

Percentage of pupils with reading literacy proficiency level 1 and lower in the PISA reading literacy scale

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Data Source : OECD Pisa 2000 database

6. Mean performance of students on the PISA reading literacy scale, 2000

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Data source: OECD, PISA 2000 database

7. Mean performance of students on the PISA mathematic literacy scale, 2000

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Data source: OECD, PISA 2000 database

8. Mean performance of students, per country, on the PISA science literacy scale, 2000

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Data source: OECD, PISA 2000 database

9. Percentage of adults with less than upper secondary education who have participated in any form of education or training, in the last 4 weeks by age group (25-34, 35-54 and 55-64), in the European Union, from 1995 to 2002

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Objective 1.4: Increasing recruitment to scientific and technical studies

10. Students enrolled in mathematics, science and technology as a proportion of all students in tertiary education (ISCED 5A, 5B and 6), 2001

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Data source: Eurostat, UOE

11. Graduates in mathematics, science and technology (ISCED 5A, 5B and 6) as percentage of all graduates (ISCED 5A, 5B and 6), 2000

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Data source: Eurostat, UOE

12. Total number of tertiary (ISCED 5A, 5B and 6) graduates from mathematics, science and technology fields, 2001

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European Union //

Acceding countries //

European Union +

Acceding countries //

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Data source: Eurostat, UOE

Additional notes :

DK, FR, IT, L, FI, UK and CY: Data refer to 2000.

Greece: Data not available.

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13. Share of tertiary graduates in mathematics, science and technology per 1000 inhabitants aged 20-29 (ISCED levels 5A, 5B and 6), 2000

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Data source: Eurostat, UOE

Objective 1.5: Making the best use of resources

14. Public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, 2000

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Data source: Eurostat, UOE

15. Private expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP, 2000

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Data source: Eurostat, UOE

16. Enterprise expenditure on continuing vocational training courses as a percentage of total labour costs, 1999

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Data source: Eurostat, CVTS2

Additional notes: United Kingdom: The UK figure is not comparable with other countries as the labour cost include the direct labour cost only. Poland:Pomorskie region only.

17. Total expenditure on educational institutions per pupil/student by level of education (PPS)

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Data source: Eurostat, UOE

18. Total expenditure on educational institutions per pupil/student by level of education relative to GDP per capita.

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Data source: Eurostat, UOE

Objective 2.1: Creating an open learning environment

19. Percentage of population aged 25-64 participating in education and training in 4 weeks prior to the survey, 2002

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European Union //

Acceding countries //

European Union +

Acceding countries //

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Data source: Eurostat, Labour Force Survey,

Additional note

Malta: Data not available.

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Data source: Eurostat, Labour Force Survey

Objective 2.2: Making learning more attractive

20. Hours in CVT courses per 1000 working hours (only enterprises with CVT courses), all NACE, 1999

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Data source.Eurostat, CVTS2

Additional note: Poland: Pomorskie region only.

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21. Hours in CVT courses per 1000 working hours (all enterprises), all NACE, 1999

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Data source: Eurostat, CVTS2

22. Participation rates in education (ISCED 1-6). Students aged 15-24 years, 2000/01

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Data source: Eurostat,UOE

23. Share of the population aged 18-24 with only lower secondary education and not in education or training, 2002

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European Union //

Acceding countries //

European Union +

Acceding countries //

//

Data source: Eurostat, Labour Force Survey

Additional notes: EU aggregates without UK, a definition of upper secondary school completion has still not been agreed

Malta: Data not available.

Share of the population aged 18-24 with only lower secondary education

and not in education or training, 2002

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Data source: Eurostat, Labour Force Survey

Objective 3.3: Improving foreign language learning

24. Percentage of lower/upper secondary pupils learning at least one foreign language, 2000

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Data source: Eurostat, UOE

25. Average number of foreign languages learned per pupil in general secondary education, 1999/2000

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Data source: Eurostat, UOE; in Key data on education in Europe -2002 European Commission/Eurydice/Eurostat.

Objective 3.4 : Increasing mobility and exchange

26. Inward and outward mobility of teachers within Socrates, 2001/2002

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Data source: Erasmus

27. Inward and outward mobility of Erasmus students and Leonardo da Vinci trainees

Inward and outward mobility of Erasmus students, 2001/02

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Data source: Erasmus

Erasmus student mobility: 1987/88 to 2001/2002

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Data source: Erasmus

Mobility within the Leonardo da Vinci programme, 2000

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Data source: Direction B of DG Education and Culture

28. Foreign students enrolled in tertiary education (ISCED 5 and 6) as a percentage of all students enrolled in the country of destination, by nationality (European country or other countries), 2001

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Data source: Eurostat, UOE

29. Flow of EU/EEA/Acceding country tertiary students (ISCED 5-6) in EU/EEA/Acceding countries, 2000/01

(x 1 000)

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Data source: Eurostat, UOE, provisional data