Delivering lifelong learning for knowledge, creativity and innovation - implementation of the "Education & Training 2010 work programme"
PURPOSE: to present the third Joint Report on the “Education & Training 2010 work programme”.
BACKGROUND: lifelong learning supports creativity and innovation. That is why the Council sets itself ambitious objectives in the Education and Training 2010 work programme. Indeed, the Council and the Commission prepare a joint report every second year in order to identify achievements and to direct efforts in field that are proving more difficult
CONTENT: this Communication is a contribution to the 3rd Joint Report on the “Education & Training 2010” work programme. It points to significant progress and challenges in education and training reforms. The report finds that although progress has been achieved in a number of areas, this does not mean that progress is uniform or that efforts can be relaxed. Those areas in which progress has been made include: Lifelong learning strategies and qualifications; pre-primary education; higher education; education and training in the broader EU policy context. Nevertheless, a number of hurdles still need to be over come. They include:
Implementing lifelong learning strategies:
Implementation of lifelong learning strategies requires institutional commitment, coordination and partnership with relevant stakeholders. Positive trends in public spending on education between 2000 and 2003 appear to have come to a halt. For example, total public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP increased in the EU between 2000 (4.7%) and 2003 (5.2%) but then decreased to 5.1% in 2004. Levels of expenditure continue to show huge variations between countries (3.3% in Romania compared to 8.5% in Denmark). Private expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP has increased slightly since 2000 but progress slowed down in 2004.
Basic skills for all:
Major challenges remain vis-à-vis early school leavers, upper secondary attainment and key competences. Some progress has been made since 2000 but not enough to reach the 2010 EU benchmarks. In some countries performance has worsened with several countries still having very high levels of early school leavers. For example, every sixth young person (15.3%) aged 18 to 24 in the EU-27 still leaves school with no more than lower secondary education and does not participate in any kind of education or training after this. In the case of upper secondary attainment, there has been slow but steady progress. It has picked up slightly in recent years, but is not sufficient to achieve the 2010 objective (at least 85% of 22 year olds to complete at least upper secondary education).
Higher education: excellence, partnership and funding:
Countries are beginning to pay more attention to the role of universities in research and innovation and university-business partnerships are becoming more common. While they remain strongest in the Nordic countries and the UK, many countries still have much to do in this respect. Increasing investment from private sources remains a challenge. Several government have instruments to stimulate private investment such as tax incentives, public-private partnerships or sponsoring schemes and some have introduced or are increasing tuition/registration fees. Public spending on tertiary education in the EU remains far below that of the United States. Private funding in the United States is more than seven times higher than in the EU.
Adult participation in lifelong learning:
Adult participation in lifelong learning is no longer on track to achieve the EU benchmark. Greater effort needs to be made to raise skills in the population and to achieve flexibility and security across the labour market.
Attractiveness and relevance of vocational education and training (VET):
Further work must be done to improve the quality and attractiveness of VET. On occasion VET can suffer from being poorly integrated with the rest of the education system. It can contribute to retaining potential drop-outs in education and training where earlier levels of school provide a key requirement to enter VET. Further progress must be made.
In order to address these challenges the paper sets out a number of suggestions including implementing lifelong learning by improving the knowledge base, offering sustainable funding, raising the level of people’s skills, addressing socio-economic disadvantage, using the potential of migrants and offering high quality teaching. In addition innovation and creativity remain a core component of the knowledge triangle. The paper also advocates improved governance.
To conclude, significant progress has been achieved since the programme was launched in 2002. Major challenges, nevertheless, persist and new challenges have emerged. Given the crucial role of education and training to the Strategy for Jobs and Growth, the main priority in future must be associated with the Lisbon process.