Work-linked training, apprenticeship: European pathways, EUROPASS-training formal recognition

In its common position on European training pathways, the Council has incorporated most of Parliament's amendments which were already incorporated in the Commission's amended proposal. Among these amendments are in particular those aiming to highlight the role of SMEs and the craft sector in developing work-linked training and of apprenticeship as a means of integration into working life and those aiming to ensure adequate information concerning the conditions for developing pathways, particularly with regard to relevant provisions in force in the Member State where the pathways operate. The Council has also included the idea that a European pathway should not confer any additional rights other than those defined in the decision and the fact that the pathway must be able to be followed by any person of whatever age or level of training. It also considers, as does Parliament, that the decision setting up the European pathways should be reviewed after three years to evaluate its impact and propose any corrective measures, including budgetary proposals, to pursue this initiative. The Council did not consider it necessary to incorporate the amendments aiming to define the duration of European pathways and the function of the mentor as a person with joint pedagogical responsibility. It also did not incorporate the amendments aiming to: - emphasise the fact that a pathway can not be used instead of a job, - provide for a quantitative analysis of the Member States' training needs. It makes an important change to the initial text, with regard to finance, by specifying a financial reference amount in the text of the decision: for the period of 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2004, the Council sets a budget of ECU 7.3 million; this sum is intended to finance the initiative's introductory phase. �