COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS

of 24 July 1995

on the importance and implications of the quality of vocational training

(95/C 207/03)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

1. RECALLS the Council resolution of 11 June 1993 on vocational education and training in the 1990s (1) which states that the quality of vocational training in the Member States should be strengthened in order to encourage continuing opportunities for individuals to develop their knowledge and skills and thus contribute to increased economic and social cohesion as well as to competitiveness of the European economies.

2. RECALLS the Council resolution of 5 December 1994 on the quality and attractiveness of vocational education and training (2), which affirmed that there is a need for high-quality vocational training in order to respond to the needs and aspirations of all young people and adults.

3. STRESSES that Article 127 of the Treaty establishing the European Community confers on it responsibility for implementing a vocational training policy which supports and supplements the action of the Member States.

4. RECALLS that the main objective of the action programme for the implementation of a European Community vocational training policy Leonardo da Vinci established by Council Decision 94/819/EC (3) is to support and supplement the action of the Member States in order to improve the quality of vocational training systems and arrangements in accordance with the common framework of objectives of Community policy provided for in Article 127 of the Treaty establishing the European Community.

5. RECALLS that the promotion of investment in vocational training is the first of the five areas in which the conclusions of the Essen European Council recommend that measures be taken to improve the employment situation.

6. NOTES that all Member States share a number of concerns relating to the quality of vocational training, namely:

(a) making effective use of public and/or private financial resources to meet the vocational training needs of public and private undertakings, in particular small and medium-sized undertakings, and the needs of individuals;

(b) creating an appropriate framework for the vocational training on offer;

(c) evaluating the vocational training on offer and its results in order to ensure that, as far as possible, it satisfies demand on the part of public and private undertakings, in particular small and medium-sized undertakings, and individuals.

Interest in the quality of vocational training is indeed growing in all countries of the European Union through the diversity of organization of vocational training systems.

7. UNDERLINES the consensus which is emerging on the way in which to approach the quality criteria for vocational training.

The quest for quality demands constant attention to ensure that a set of measures is consistent. The act of teaching is not an isolated act; the quality of vocational training is the result of a series of actions, starting with analysis of a need, development of content and organization of training and ending with the assessment of results. These actions require the involvement of many people.

8. NOTES that taking account of quality in the area of vocational training has led those involved, depending on the way in which vocational training systems are organized in the various Member States, to take various initiatives, such as the following:

(a) undertakings seek to organize the relationship with providers of vocational training according to the pattern of the customer/supplier relationship;

(b) vocational training bodies have begun to define quality criteria and/or charters on the basis of commitments entered into vis-à-vis their customers; some are tending towards certification by a third party;

(c) the public authorities and/or the two sides of industry and/or other partners, depending on national practice, have introduced quality criteria when laying down rules and objectives, defining strategies and setting action and management frameworks for vocational training.

9. INVITES the Member States, the two sides of industry and the competent bodies, in accordance with national practice, to develop exchange of information and experience on the quality of vocational training, while fully respecting national practice and Member States' responsibility for the content and organization of vocational training, by supporting measures to:

(a) promote access to information on the vocational training on offer suited to the needs of the consumer;

(b) improve requests for vocational training, whether they derive from the public authorities or from undertakings, for example by formulating objectives;

(c) encourage those providing vocational training to improve the quality of their services through further vocational training of their staff and by research and development initiatives to propagate innovations in the area of quality;

(d) promote methods and tools for evaluating vocational training.

This effort to increase the quality of vocational training should thus help to reduce the proportion of young people and adults without appropriate vocational training.

10. INVITES the Commission, on the basis of the above points, to promote experiments in this area and their transfer and propagation in the European Union, particularly through the various existing Community initiatives and programmes.

(1) OJ No C 186, 8. 7. 1993, p. 3.

(2) OJ No C 374, 30. 12. 1994, p. 1.

(3) OJ No L 340, 29. 12. 1994, p. 8.