To make full use of the possibilities offered by new technologies in vocational training systems.

To promote innovation in the vocational training field with a view to taking account of technological changes and their impact on employment, work, and the requisite qualifications and skills.

Council Decision 89/657/EEC of 18 December 1989 establishing an action programme to promote innovation in the field of vocational training resulting from technological change in the European Community (Eurotecnet).

It comprises a network of national or transnational innovatory projects and a series of Community measures.

The common framework of guidelines taken into account by the network of projects has the following objectives:

Both sides of industry are to be fully associated in the implementation of the common framework of guidelines.

The Community measures supplementing the measures taken by Member States are aimed at:

The Commission is to implement support measures as indicated in the Annex, taking account of the differing needs and situations which exist in the Member States. Both sides of industry are to be fully associated.

The Commission is to ensure that there is consistency and complementarity between this programme and the other Community programmes involving vocational training and/or technological development. It will draw upon the assistance of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training and be assisted by an advisory committee, which it must keep regularly informed of the development of the programme.

7) follow-up work

Council Decision 92/170/EEC of 16 March 1992 (Official Journal L 75, 21.03.1992) amending Decision 89/657/EEC (Eurotecnet) and Decision 90/267/EEC (Force) with a view to setting up an advisory committee for education and continuing training combining Force and Eurotecnet.

Commission report concerning the first phase of Eurotecnet (1985-88) - (SEC(89) 1658 final).

Commission report on the operation of the Eurotecnet Programme (January 1990 - June 1992) COM(93) 317 final.

1991 was a very successful year for the Eurotecnet programme, as the nine working objectives set out in the work programme were achieved:

the network of projects was set up;
the links with the Euroform initiative were established;
the national animation and dissemination units were established and operated effectively in all Member States;
the exchange programme of study visits;
the policy on links and complementarity with other Community programmes was initiated;
ways and means of transferring innovations in vocational education and training were developed;
models designed to increase the impact of the new developments on Member States' systems and policies were drawn up;
a trainer development project was designed and implemented.

The objectives for 1992, in line with the overall objectives of the Eurotecnet Decision, were adapted to take account of the new guidelines, and the activities were structured and planned accordingly.

The objectives are as follows:

to examine the impact of innovations in training resulting from technological progress on the qualification systems in Member States;
to promote the concept of the modern enterprise;
to produce new guidelines for the changing role of the trainer;
to produce guidelines for new learning strategies;
to promote the new qualifications arising from changes in work organisation;
to determine the likely effect of advances in technology on:

- technological content of training programmes;

- skill shortages at general vocational training level;

- key/core competency development of technological, cognitive and social skills;

to promote the Euroform initiative;
to participate in the Task Force initiative in relation to SMEs;
to develop the use of key/core competencies;
to complete the initial evaluation of the Eurotecnet programme and present the interim report to the European Parliament, ECOSOC and the Council;
the Eurotecnet/Cedefop programmes for the exchange of experts;
to participate in further measures in the new German Länder.

The following actions are involved:

implementation of the Eurotecnet Decision;
continuing to promote and organise network projects;
running workshops geared to develop and improve vocational training policies and systems for the new technologies in the Member States;
follow-up of the evaluation team and the draft interim report on the operation of the interim programme;
strengthening Eurotechnet/Euroform operations;
organising and running meetings and conferences;
setting a communication system between Eurotecnet and each of the other two vocational training programmes (Petra and Force).

Starting in 1993, the network has been redesigned in line with the four key domains approved by the Commission, following a favourable opinion from the Force/Eurotecnet Advisory Committee (Doc. FPC/93/12 final):

Innovative training needs analysis with a special focus on core/key qualifications.
Transfer of innovative methodologies for planning and management of training in the framework of human resource development.
Training providers as innovative service centres for enterprises.
Innovative teaching and learning approaches/methodologies.

The active involvement of enterprises, management and labour is guaranteed.

A considerable effort has been made to give activities a transnational dimension by pursuing particular aims and seeking partners in other Member States.

In addition, most of the projects operate in synergy with other Commission programmes and iniatives such as Force, Petra, Delta, Comett and Euroform.

The upgraded network at present comprises 284 projects which have been approved by Vice-President Ruberti.

Results

The main results achieved by the network are as follows:

Transferable models (134 projects), e.g. innovative methods involving workers' representatives in all stages of the planning of training activities.
Innovative tools (68 projects), e.g. self-learning materials and multi-media packages.
Information materials (19 projects), e.g. databases on available training materials/resources; booklets on new training concepts for disadvantaged groups.
Training programme (63 projects), e.g. new modular curricula and special training measures for SMEs.

Final report from the Commission on the Eurotecnet programme (1990-1994) [COM(97) 386 final, not published in the Official Journal]

The total budget allocated to the Eurotecnet programme for the period 1990-1994 was ECU 9.2 million. The objective of Eurotecnet was to promote innovation in the fields of basic and continuing vocational training with a view to taking account of current and future technological changes and their impact on employment, work and necessary qualifications and skills.

The programme did not provide direct financing for projects. It was concerned on the one hand with the networking of innovative projects in vocational training and on the other hand with carrying out research on specific themes linked to vocational training.

Eurotecnet produced more than 70 scientific publications, including "The Learning Organisation", which was distributed in the Member States in nine languages. Between 1990 and 1994 70 000 copies of publications were distributed in the Member States, and 64 workshops and seminars took place.

1993 saw a major restructuring of the network. 90 new projects were introduced, and 83 old ones (out of 284) were withdrawn. Projects were grouped around the following four key domains:

innovative analysis of training needs, with a special focus on key qualifications (54 projects);
transfer of innovative methodologies for the planning and management of training in the framework of human resource development (79 projects);
training providers at the service of enterprises (52 projects);
innovative pedagogical approaches (101 projects).

The following tangible results were obtained:

transferable products (122 projects): e.g. innovative methods which involved workers' representatives at all levels of the training process;
innovative tools (65 projects): e.g. self-learning tools and multimedia packages;
information equipment (35 projects): e.g. databases on training resources, brochures on the new training concepts for disadvantaged groups;
training programmes (62 projects): e.g. new modular curricula and special training measures for SMEs;
a product guide and a compendium of project innovations compiled at the end of the programme and published by the Commission.

Eurotecnet organised dissemination activities in two ways:

at Member State level: a series of national strategic conferences concerned with the specific needs identified by the Member States took place in the 12 countries between 1992 and 1993;
at Community level: 18 transnational seminars took place on specific themes in all Member States, and a final conference entitled "Vocational training and innovation in Europe" took place in Manchester on 11 and 12 November 1994.

The programme contributed to innovation in vocational training through favouring the creation of transnational partnerships between projects and through synergy with other Community programmes, in particular Force, but also Petra and Comett. In addition, 77 Eurotecnet projects were supported by Euroform, the Community Initiative on human resource development.

Since 1995, the main Eurotecnet activities have been incorporated into the Leonardo da Vinci programme.