Access to continuing training in the Union. Report

In adopting the report by Mrs Susan A. WADDINGTON (PSE, UK) on access to continuing training, the European Parliament welcomed the communication from the Commission on this subject, which was the first systematic attempt to analyse and compare situations in Member States with regard to promoting workers' access to such training. However, Parliament noted that the national reports on which the communication was based did not contain enough quantitative and qualitative information about these measures. Accordingly, it called for the adoption at European Union level of common qualitative and quantitative indicators with a view to establishing a permanent monitoring and reporting system on access to training (a system in which EUROSTAT and CEDEFOP could play a role). It stressed the importance of monitoring trends in the labour market with a view to identifying shifting or changing requirements for skills in the labour force, and called for the next report to pay particular attention to the implications of continuing training policies for working women. Further research should be carried out in relation to the quantity and quality of training made available to the unemployed and to older workers. Concrete proposals should be brought forward with the objective of identifying and disseminating more widely good practices. Parliament called for the social partners to be involved more in measures relating to vocational training, which should be geared to ensuring equal treatment of men and women in the labour market. It stressed that vocational training must be made more accessible to women (particularly those working in SMEs) with the aim of providing them with the skills required to take full advantage of new technology. It considered that the Commission should step up its efforts towards greater coordination between continuing training and employment. It called for a more concerted approach between labour market-related programmes (e.g. the European Social Fund) and training-related programmes (Leonardo da Vinci). This imperative should be taken into account in the next review of the Structural Funds. It called on the Social Partners to reach an agreement on some of the issues of common concern identified in the resolution within a reasonable time period; otherwise, the Commission should bring forward proposals of its own based upon Article 127 of the Treaty on European Union.�