REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION - European Training Foundation: Annual Report 2001

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction

1.1. Role of the European Training Foundation

1.2. Structure of the Foundation

1.3. The European Training Foundation's evaluation and quality assurance

1.4. Foundation development

2. The Foundation's activities in 2001

2.1. The candidate countries

2.1.1. Introduction

2.1.2. Obligatory initiatives

2.1.3. Support to the Commission

2.1.4. Information gathering and analysis

2.1.5. Development activities

2.2. Western Balkans

2.2.1. Obligatory Initiatives

2.2.2. Support to the Commission

2.2.3. Information gathering and analysis

2.2.4. Development activities

2.3. The Mediterranean Region

2.3.1. Obligatory Initiatives

2.3.2. Support to the Commission

2.3.3. Information gathering and analysis

2.3.4. Development activities

2.4. New Independent States and Mongolia

2.4.1. Obligatory Initiatives

2.4.2. Support to the Commission

2.4.3. Information gathering and analysis

2.4.4. Development activities

2.5. Technical assistance to the Tempus programme

2.5.1. Selection

2.5.2. Tempus CARDS - Joint European Projects and Networking Projects

2.5.3. Tempus Tacis - Joint European Projects and Networking Projects

2.5.4. Individual Mobility Grants

2.5.5. Monitoring

2.5.6. Computer development

2.5.7. Information and publications

2.5.8. Special events

3. Co-operation with other EU agencies

4. Financial report

4.1. Funding sources

4.2. Budget execution

4.3. Procurement

4.4. Financial and management systems

5. Personnel

5.1. Staffing and organisation chart

5.1.1. Temporary agents

5.1.2. Table A: The number of temporary agents in post on 31 December 2001 (by category and nationality)

5.1.3. Table B: Change in staffing profile in 2001

5.1.4. Table C: The number and type of other staff employed in the Foundation at the end of 2001

5.2. Personnel initiatives

6. Governing Board and Advisory Forum

6.1. Governing Board

6.2. Advisory Forum

ANNEX 1: Table of operational achievements

ANNEX 2 : Table of budgetary and non budgetary resources

ANNEX 3 : Table of Phare and Tacis conventions

ANNEX 4 : Table of Technical Assistance to the Tempus Programme

ANNEX 5 : Organigramme

ANNEX 6 : Members of the Foundations Governing Board

ANNEX 7: Table of the Foundation events during 2001

ANNEX 8 : Table of the Foundation's publications during 2001

ANNEX 9 : Glossary of country codes

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION

European Training Foundation: Annual Report 2001

1. Introduction

1.1. Role of the European Training Foundation

The European Training Foundation supports the reform of vocational education and management training in over forty partner countries and territories. In doing so it provides services to five Directorates General within the European Commission (DGs Relex; Enlargement; Employment; the EuropeAid Co-operation office and DG Education and Culture, the Foundation's DG de tutelle).

Services are delivered in four main geographical blocks across three continents: the Mediterranean partners [1]; the countries of the Western Balkans [2]; the New Independent States and Mongolia [3]; and the candidate countries [4].

[1] Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Cyprus and Malta. The latter 3 countries are candidates for membership of the European Union and as such are covered by the Foundation's activities for candidate countries (see 4 below).

[2] Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia.

[3] Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Mongolia.

[4] Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Turkey.

The Foundation is a centre of three-fold expertise which integrates detailed knowledge of specific regional / country political and economic dimensions; in-depth knowledge and experience in labour market related vocational training issues; and effective management of major European projects. It is fully involved in the project cycle of the European Phare, CARDS, Tacis and MEDA programmes. As a centre of expertise, the role of the Foundation is to:

- provide expertise, advice and information on labour market related training issues;

- provide in depth analysis of the situation in the fields of vocational education & training and employment related issues;

- spread information from Member States on best practice in the European Union; and,

- facilitate contacts amongst key actors and co-ordinate the work of donors.

Since there are significant differences between the four regions and the partner countries, there are naturally a wide diversity of needs and demands articulated. For this reason the Foundation does not offer standard products or processes but takes a "tailor-made" approach to the individual partners.

Wherever possible the Foundation will try to work at the systemic level and secure the commitment of Ministries and social partners in partner countries to effect changes in national legislation, systems and arrangements. In this way it tries to maximise leverage and achieve the best returns on its investment.

The Foundation also provides technical assistance to the Commission for the Tempus programme.

1.2. Structure of the Foundation

The Foundation's Governing Board (see Chapter 6) is chaired by the Director General of DG Education and Culture and is comprised of representatives from Member States and the Commission. The Governing Board meets to discuss and approve the Foundation's annual work programme and budget and is also consulted on issues relevant to the to the strategic direction and management of the Foundation.

The Governing Board is supported by the Advisory Forum, a body of over 100 vocational training specialists drawn from Member States of the European Union, the partner countries, social partner and other international organisations. The main role of the Forum is to provide advice to the Foundation and its Governing Board on the preparation of the Foundation's annual Work Programme. The Forum also serves also as an exchange network enabling good practises on vocational training policies and reform to be shared between and with countries in transition. Brief details of the work of the Advisory Forum can be found in Chapter 6.

The Director of the Foundation reports to the Governing Board and chairs the Advisory Forum. In 2001 he was supported by some 115 members of staff in the implementation of the Work Programme which was based on the Foundation's budget of EUR 16.2 million for that year.

The Foundation is organised on a geographic basis with four departments which cover the Candidate Countries, the Western Balkans, the New Independent States and Mongolia and the Mediterranean region. A separate department manages the technical assistance to the Tempus programme which the Foundation provides for the Commission. In the field of management training, activities are co-ordinated by the management training unit, which works in co-operation with the geographical departments. Underpinning Foundation operations is the Administrative and Central Services Department which provides technical and administrative support to the organisation as a whole.

1.3. The European Training Foundation's evaluation and quality assurance

The Foundation takes seriously its obligation to monitor closely and evaluate its activities. To facilitate this process of review and appraisal, the Governing Board established an internal Evaluation Steering Committee in 1999 comprising members of the Board, evaluation specialists and ETF staff, to report to the Board on its findings.

The internal Evaluation Steering Committee met in February 2001 and discussed the first draft of the Terms of Reference for the external evaluation of the European Training Foundation which had been prepared by DG EAC. The Committee agreed with DG EAC's proposal that in addition to an assessment of the impact of past Foundation activities, the external evaluation exercise should also be geared towards providing a forward looking analysis in support of the continuing development of the Foundation.

In view of the forthcoming external evaluation exercise, it was agreed that further meetings of the internal Evaluation Steering Committee would be postponed until the outcomes of the external evaluation are known. A separate ad hoc Steering Committee for the external evaluation has been established.

The internal Committee also discussed the part which evaluation should play within the Foundation in its role as a centre of expertise. The Committee suggested that the Foundation should move from a product-based evaluation culture to a process of continuous quality monitoring and assessment of activities which involves all Foundation staff.

This recommendation was taken forward by the Foundation in 2001 when the development of a Quality System started, the ultimate goal of which will guarantee customer/beneficiary satisfaction through the development and delivery of Foundation products and services.

1.4. Foundation development

The contexts in which the Foundation operates are subject to rapid change, both in terms of the nature of the services requested by the European Commission and the needs and aspirations of partner countries. Furthermore, key issues which relate to the vocational and management training, labour market conditions and cultural factors all continue to evolve quickly, particularly in economies in transition.

The Foundation is well aware of the need to stay ahead of these developments and in 2001 put in place a process of change which will ensure that its operations as a centre of expertise are based on the latest understanding of the implications of the changes which shape education and training system reform, both in Europe and in partner countries.

Furthermore, in order to ensure that it remains at the forefront of service to partners undergoing transition, the Foundation has put in place new arrangements to increase its know-how. In 2001 three major themes were identified for special attention:

- vocational training in the context of lifelong learning - in particular the further definition of the concept and implications for the implementation of action plans in relevant countries/regions;

- assessment and evaluation of progress in the reform of vocational training systems - designing an assessment methodology and tools, including benchmarking;

- development of training and skills at the enterprise level, particularly in relation to SMEs.

In addition to these measures, the Foundation of course continued to consolidate its expertise in other important and core areas including: teacher and trainer training, qualifications and standards, and labour market assessment.

2. The Foundation's activities in 2001

This section outlines briefly the Foundation activities carried out during 2001. To be consistent with Work Programme 2001 these activities are categorised under four headings: obligatory activities; support to the Commission; information gathering and analysis; and development activities. A tabular summary of these activities by region is at Annex I.

2.1. The candidate countries

2.1.1. Introduction

In 2001 the Foundation started to reduce its activities in the candidate countries, having already finished most of the initiatives managed under Phare conventions although it continues to support the Commission in the assessment of Phare proposals. Subsequent activities are mainly of an analytical and development nature, including policy advice to the partner countries.

2.1.2. Obligatory initiatives

In managing the remaining Phare activities the Foundation completed the financial audits of a number of programmes. The final HRD programme in Romania ended with a seminar in Bucharest in May 2001.

The Foundation continued to implement the thematic and pilot projects which had been launched in 2000: in the field of social partnership in vocational training a conference in Malmö on Lifelong learning and social dialogue was organised with the support of the Swedish government; on the issue of regional labour market intelligence the Foundation completed a survey of company skills which led to other candidate and Western Balkan countries expressing interest in undertaking similar surveys.

Maintaining its support to the growth and management of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) the Foundation held events in Hungary, Bulgaria, Latvia and Brussels to disseminate the outcomes from an earlier initiative on entrepreneurial training for SME growth. The Foundation successfully concluded a number of other projects: on teacher and trainer training in both Latvia and Lithuania; a second phase of a pilot project to establish a regional Training Center in Lithuania; a number of school-based micro-projects in Romania; and a pilot project on developing national qualification frameworks in Slovenia. The annual meeting of its Advisory Forum Regional Group for the candidate countries was held in Cyprus in September 2001.

2.1.3. Support to the Commission

On behalf of DG Employment & Social Affairs, the Foundation prepared detailed monographs on the vocational training, lifelong learning systems and employment services in all the candidate countries. Work has advanced in the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, Estonia, Malta and Cyprus. DG Enlargement has also involved the Foundation heavily in the Phare programming in several countries, particularly Romania, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Turkey and the Baltic States.

In parallel the Foundation updated its reviews of candidate country progress in vocational education & training Reform. In Bulgaria, it was agreed that the Foundation would help the European Delegation in the vocational education & training Labour Market project carried out by the Ministry of Industry.

The Phare Special Preparatory Programme for the introduction of the European Social Fund (ESF) to the candidate countries was managed by the Foundation in 1999/ 2000. As a follow-up to this activity and with the support of the TAIEX office of DG Enlargement, the Foundation organised a special workshop aimed at updating the National Training Institutes for ESF, established in each country during the original programme, with the latest developments in the European Employment Strategy.

On behalf of the Commission, a management training initiative is being carried out in Bulgaria and the EU Delegation and Bulgarian Ministry of Economy are closely involved in the implementation and development of the project which will end in 2002.

2.1.4. Information gathering and analysis

National Observatories continued to provide analytical services to the Foundation and a new reporting system based on data requirements associated with accession was developed. In line with Foundation policy, National Observatories were invited to launch a consultation process leading to initial development plans, which will identify services which can be provided to stakeholders in a particular country. Discussions also started on how the Observatory function can be achieved in Malta and Cyprus.

2.1.5. Development activities

At the request of DG Education and Culture, the Foundation participated in the Commission's consultation on its Memorandum on Lifelong learning in the candidate countries. The Foundation contributed to some events and drafted a cross-country analysis of the reports produced by each candidate country. The Foundation also initiated pilot activities in the context of lifelong learning in the candidate countries, by supporting the reform of curricula in Cyprus and by contributing to the establishment of a national system for qualifications in Malta.

The Foundation also prepared a document on eLearning, which was tabled at the fifth conference of the European Ministers of Education held in Riga in June 2001.

2.2. Western Balkans

2.2.1. Obligatory Initiatives

The Foundation organised a number of conferences on the Integration of Work and Learning which attracted considerable participation from ministries, social partners, researchers, companies and education institutions from both South Eastern European (SEE) and candidate countries.

Youth unemployment micro-projects were launched in Croatia and Montenegro and a conference to disseminate the outcomes to other countries in the region was organised in November 2001.

A key task for the Foundation is to encourage co-operation amongst donors investing in the region. The Foundation met senior officials from the EBRD and EIB to generate discussions on how the Banks can better integrate the skills and employment agenda into their strategic planning and operations.

Together with funding from the Swiss authorities the Foundation identified a regional tourism skills project for SMEs which takes advantage of a Swiss-Croat bilateral project.

The final evaluation of the Bosnia-Herzegovina 1997 programme was completed and the report published. The 1999 programme led to the publication of the White Paper on vocational education & training reform in May 2001 and a series of seminars for school teachers to consolidate the piloting of the new curricula.

The joint meeting between the South Eastern Europe Advisory Forum Regional Group and Observatories in the region took place between 3-7 July in Bled, Slovenia. The meeting was jointly organised and facilitated by the Slovene national authorities and the Foundation. The main objective was to assess needs, priorities and approaches for the reform of vocational training in the region based on OECD and Foundation reviews, and then make recommendations for Foundation Work Programme 2002.

2.2.2. Support to the Commission

Within the framework of the OECD Regional Education Policy Review, Foundation staff participated in the work of policy review teams to assess the labour market and vocational education & training situation in SEE countries. The Foundation prepared a draft cross-country review of its own labour market and vocational education and training reports for discussion at the Advisory Forum Regional Group meeting.

Country reports are also used to advise the Commission on targeting assistance to Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and FYROM. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, FYROM and FRY - Serbia, the Foundation has designed vocational education and training reform projects as an input to Commission project cycle, and is currently preparing a vocational education & training reform project in FRY-Montenegro.

Staff development programmes for key decision-makers in the field of vocational education & training have made steady progress in each country:

- In Albania the Foundation supported a group of Albanian key actors in preparing a Green Paper in the field of vocational education and training;

- In Croatia the Foundation helped three Croatian expert working groups on (i) decentralisation and financing, (ii) vocational education and training curriculum reform and (iii) vocational education and training teacher training reform;

- In FRY-Montenegro the Foundation held a seminar to develop recommendations for future action in the area of vocational education and training, for the development of a modern system which supporting economic development and social cohesion;

- In Kosovo Foundation activity addressed labour market information collection, analysis and reporting during 4 training sessions.

2.2.3. Information gathering and analysis

The Observatories in the region reported on progress towards EU integration in the field of vocational education and training. In FRY-Serbia, an Observatory is being developed and will promote and develop expertise in vocational education and training and labour market issues from May 2002.

2.2.4. Development activities

Following Commission requests to contribute to skills development in SMEs, the Foundation has piloted a new approach in Croatia which integrates training and counselling with business development services. The Foundation made use of its own experience in this field, and has recently completed an assessment of training provision for managers in South Eastern Europe and produced country reports for Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

2.3. The Mediterranean Region

2.3.1. Obligatory Initiatives

The Foundation held the annual meeting of the Mediterranean Regional Group of the Advisory Forum on 28-29 June in Rabat, Morocco. The meeting was organised in co-operation with the Moroccan 'Ministère de l'Emploi, de la Formation Professionnelle, du Développement Social et de la Solidarité', and focused on two themes of special importance for the region: improving the quality of training of trainers; and the production and analysis of data and information - the Observatory function.

2.3.2. Support to the Commission

The Foundation has continued to develop activities in the Mediterranean region where the Commission makes use of Foundation expertise to support the development of the MEDA program. Events in the region have led to the reassessment of the relative importance of other activities in order to accommodate new requests which include:

- Project identification and feasibility studies in Egypt and Morocco to prepare the ground for Commission-funded projects in the field of vocational education and training. Both exercises were launched in September 2001 and will be completed in 2002;

- A blueprint for a regional programme on training for employment; guidelines for developing sectoral support programmes in the vocational education and training sector; identification of possible fields of joint activity with Israel as part of the EU-Israel Association Agreement; and providing expert support in the context of a Social Development Programme in Jordan.

At regional and sub-regional levels the Foundation has continued to develop activities aimed at promoting the gradual convergence of vocational education and training policy in the different countries:

- A conference on vocational training standards in the Mashreq region, organised in Cairo in April 2001, brought together over 80 representatives from both public and private sectors in Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, international organisations and bilateral donors. This demonstrated the value added by an external body such as the Foundation in encouraging co-operation between the countries in the region;

- The second 'Rencontre Manforme' organized in Tunis in October 2001 brought together various Tunisian stakeholders involved in the national vocational education and training reform program, as well as representatives from Algeria and Morocco.

Acting as a catalyst at national level, the Foundation helped a range of Syrian stakeholders, both public and private, to launch a multi-annual pilot apprenticeship scheme which, for the first time in Syria, brings together industrialists and public authorities in providing training.

Following a Commission request the Foundation produced two reports which offer an overview both of the national vocational education and training systems in Syria and Morocco and the relationships between the vocational education and training system and the needs of the labour market. The reports are the latest in a series which the Foundation has produced since 1999 and which include publications on Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Cyprus and Turkey.

2.3.3. Information gathering and analysis

During 2001 the Foundation reviewed existing local capacities and mechanisms for generating information and forecasting the demand for training, qualifications and employment (the 'Observatory' function). The first phase assessed data gathering and analytical services currently available in Mashreq countries. The Foundation also helped Algeria to strengthen its capacity by creating a pilot network of the different local structures which are currently active in this field.

2.3.4. Development activities

The first phase of the activity aiming to develop teacher and trainer training strategies started with field reports which assess the delivery of teacher training in Maghreb countries. This will continue during 2002 and will cover all the Med Region.

In the field of management training, the Foundation disseminated its report "Overview of management development support for SME growth in the Med Region" which is a summary of actions for key players.

2.4. New Independent States and Mongolia

2.4.1. Obligatory Initiatives

Four National Observatory twinning projects involving Phare and Tacis National Observatories and EU partners produced a number of useful outputs in 2001. These include: training in strategic planning and project management in Georgia; comparative evaluation and analytical methodologies for measuring the impact of continuing vocational training in Moldova, Romania and the Ukraine; and tools which identify emerging key occupations and skill needs in countries of Central Asia.

During 2001 the project 'Strengthening partnerships between management training institutions and companies' produced clear recommendations on implementing HR policy, conducting training needs assessment and carrying out a training plan. A complete 'tool-kit' for these activities was produced and will be widely disseminated during the second phase of the project which began in December 2001.

The second of three phases of the Ukraine vocational education and training reform project produced a new curriculum while French and Italian partners continue to focus their support to the four agriculture schools of the Vinnitsa region. An Austrian partner also joined the project and provided assistance to tourism schools in the Odessa region.

The second phase of the North-West Russia project reached a successful conclusion. The outcomes will be consolidated and then disseminated to other regions and beneficiaries.

2.4.2. Support to the Commission

In the second half of 2001 the Foundation assisted the Commission by contributing to terms of reference for TACIS-funded projects to be launched in the year 2002. For example, the Foundation provided the Commission with the first draft of terms of reference for a vocational education and training reform project in Kazakhstan; based on work carried out during a mission to Uzbekistan in April 2001, the Foundation completed in September the terms of reference for the EUR2m TACIS-funded project 'Development of Employment Opportunities in Uzbekistan'; and the Foundation drafted the new terms of reference for the Managers' Trainers Programme II in collaboration with EuropeAid. In addition, and based on consultation with both the Commission and the Russian Ministry of Education, the first draft for the Delphi II terms of reference was also produced.

To contribute further to the Commission's programming process, the Foundation analysed and subsequently updated the Commission on the development of the National Doctrine on Education under preparation by the authorities in Ukraine in co-operation with international donors.

2.4.3. Information gathering and analysis

The work of the Tacis National Observatories continued with key indicator collection and dissemination, and the drafting of stocktaking reports. The external evaluation of the network has provided individual recommendations for the Observatories in each country and have been taken into account in the new work plans for 2002.

2.4.4. Development activities

During the first phase of the three-year project on Entrepreneurship in Education and Training in the Russian Federation and the Ukraine, pilot schools were selected and change agent teams established in each. One of the main components of the project in 2001 involved two programmes of ten weeks duration which aim to foster entrepreneurship in the organisation of the school and in the classroom work of the teachers. Each school designed, developed and assessed a number of projects and the activities have set the scene for the second phase of the project which will start early 2002.

A course on the evaluation of training projects was designed for a selected group of NIS participants and will be delivered on-line as a test of innovative learning methods.

2.5. Technical assistance to the Tempus programme

The Foundation continued to provide technical assistance to DG Education and Culture for the Tempus Programme. In 2001, the range of countries eligible to participate to the programme was widened to include the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. All countries which are eligible for the CARDS and Tacis Programmes are able to participate in the Tempus Programme.

Under the present phase of the Programme Tempus contributes to the reform and management of higher education institutions through targeted projects in clearly specified areas. These include University Management, Curriculum Development, Institution Building, and Networking and Mobility. In addition, Individual Mobility Grants (IMGs) are available to all countries which are eligible under Tempus III.

In line with the general priority for the Stabilisation and Association Process and the Stability Pact, there has been a strong emphasis on the promotion of regional co-operation in the Western Balkans. Universities in South Eastern Europe can play both a leading role in promoting mutual understanding across cultural and ethnic boundaries and enable a more efficient use of scarce national human resources by increased academic co-operation at a regional level.

In 2001 the Commission launched a fundamental review of all of the basic documents and procedures involved in the management of the Tempus Programme with a view to updating, streamlining and simplifying them wherever possible. The ETF was actively involved in this review process.

2.5.1. Selection

In 2001, the deadline for Joint European Projects and Networking Projects (JEPs) applications was March 1st and April 3rd for Individual Mobility grants. A total of 428 JEP and 210 IMG applications was received and selection meetings chaired by the Commission were held in a number of partner countries.

2.5.2. Tempus CARDS - Joint European Projects and Networking Projects

In response to the Tempus III call for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, a total of 161 applications was received. The number of applications for multi-country projects which involve more than one CARDS country increased significantly from 12 in 2000 to 57 in 2001.

2.5.3. Tempus Tacis - Joint European Projects and Networking Projects

In response to the Tempus III call for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, a total of 267 Joint European Project and Networking Project applications were received, of which 20 were multi-country projects.

2.5.4. Individual Mobility Grants

A total of 210 applications were processed:

- 2 applications were ineligible;

- 93 applications covered mobility both to and from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia;

- 115 applications covered mobility both to and from Tacis partner countries.

2.5.5. Monitoring

Monitoring activities in both Tempus Phare and Tempus Tacis covered the standard functions of contract management, desk and field monitoring. A total of 1,100 reports were received in 2001.

- Contract management

Annual grants were issued for current Tempus projects. A Commission-led review of the contract documents and annexes finished in 2001 when a common contract model was approved for both Cards and Tacis projects, and the guidelines for new projects in the use of the grant have also been aligned. At the Commission's instigation, reporting documents have been simplified and reduced in length.

- Desk monitoring

Several hundred Phare, CARDS and Tacis projects were followed and received advice from the different country desks. 1,626 letters were received in 2001.

The assessment of the Annual, Final and Progress reports of Tempus Phare, CARDS and Tacis JEPs for the different contractual years (from 1998 to 2001) continued. In 2001, 975 reports were assessed.

- Field monitoring

In 2001, the National Tempus Offices and the Foundation's Country Desks made 87 field-monitoring visits to Tempus Phare and CARDS projects - 84 carried out by NTOs and 3 by the Foundation. Information and training meetings for Tempus practitioners were held in Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Russian Federation.

2.5.6. Computer development

At the request of the Commission, and in collaboration with the Foundation's Computer and Technical Services Unit, "online" application forms were developed and tested in 2001 and e-application forms should be available to IMG applicants by June 2002. This facility will eventually be available to JEP applicants.

A computerised reporting tool, Business Object, has been adapted to Tempus needs; this permits the production of statistics, reports and project fiches for selection, monitoring and information purposes.

2.5.7. Information and publications

- Information material completed in 2001:

>TABLE POSITION>

The existing internet web site has been updated and contains new categories which include pages on "Selection 2000" and "On-going Selection 2001". These domains contain the latest information for project partners and candidates together with an on-line survey.

- Under the guidance of the Commission, work started in 2001 on the production of Tempus information material as follows:

- A major re-drafting of the Guide for Applicants in such a way as to avoid any major revisions for the rest of the lifetime of the Tempus III programme

- At the request of the Commission, an external contractor was commissioned to draft a study on the achievements of the Tempus programme in the candidate countries.

- A publication resulting from 3 regional Tempus seminars;

- New "Tempus at Work" sheets.

2.5.8. Special events

The Foundation supported the Commission in the organisation of:

- joint National Tempus Office (NTO) / Tempus Information Point (TIP) / National Contact Point (NCP) meeting in Brussels - 9-12 March 2001;

- seminar in Tirana, Albania on "Networking and Regional Co-operation" - 23-25 April 2001;

- NTO/TIP/NCP meeting in Brussels - 11-15 October 2001. The Foundation prepared training material and helped train NTOs and TIPs on project design, in particular the analysis of needs.

The Foundation was also represented at Tempus Committee meetings organised by the Commission in July and December 2001; and at closing meetings organised by NTOs in the candidate countries.

3. Co-operation with other EU agencies

The Foundation continues to work closely with other EU agencies on issues of common interest. The Director of the Foundation attended the two meetings of heads of agencies in 2001 during which items of mutual concern such as governance, funding, personnel and administrative issues were discussed.

For several years there has been close co-operation between the Foundation and CEDEFOP, particularly in the context of work with the candidate countries. The Foundation aligns its activities in these countries with the requirements of the overall accession process, which includes assisting the countries in their preparations for participation in Community Agencies such as CEDEFOP. During 2001, Foundation and CEDEFOP Governing Boards agreed both a framework for the co-operation between the two organisations during the enlargement process (GB01-015) and a list of joint activities (GB01-029 - REV) for the year 2002. Several joint meetings between the two agencies took place throughout 2001.

In 2001 Eurydice, CEDEFOP and the Foundation agreed a joint co-operation framework which appears in the annual work programme for 2002 of each organisation. Closer co-operation is necessary not only because the widening of Community activities in the fields of education and vocational training to cover the candidate countries, but more especially because within Europe these areas are rapidly becoming more integrated.

The Foundation also co-operates closely with most of the other Community agencies on such issues as security and to take forward joint initiatives in computer and information technology systems. The Foundation participates in the Common Support Service Steering Committee consisting of 12 member agencies and institutions which collaborate on the development of the SI2 budgetary and financial management system.

4. Financial report

4.1. Funding sources

The Foundation receives an annual subvention from the European Community budget to cover its administrative costs as well as the cost of operations in the annual work programme. In 2001 the subvention amounted to EURO 16.8 million.

The Foundation also continued to manage funding from the European Union's different external assistance programmes. These funds were transferred via conventions signed with the Commission for the management of Phare/Cards and Tacis programmes on behalf of the Commission. In 2001, the Foundation handled around EUR 23 million in Phare and Tacis convention funds for vocational education and training projects (see Annex 3 for further details). The Foundation also provides technical assistance to the European Commission for the Tempus programme and managed around EUR 136 million in Tempus Phare funds and EUR 80 million in Tempus Tacis funds (see Annex 4).

4.2. Budget execution

Following the Governing Board's approval of the "Mid-term perspective on staff resources 2002-2004" in November 2000, the Foundation started to reduce the number of temporary agents posts to achieve the target figure of 105 in 2002 (from 115 in 2001). Because of the departure of several temporary agents and delays in recruitment and secondment of National Experts (item 1520), savings were made in Personnel costs (Chapter 11). The Foundation proposed the following four transfers between chapters in Titles 1, 2 and 3:

- In order to cover travelling costs linked to staff training, a reallocation of EUR 30,000 was proposed from Training budget (item 1440) to Mission budget (item 1300);

- A transfer of EUR 6,000 from Chapter 11 to Chapter 25 (Governing Board meetings) was proposed, to cover the higher cost of the first Governing Board meeting of 2001 as a consequence of participation by representatives from candidate countries;

- A transfer of EUR 150,000 was proposed from Chapter 11 to Chapter 30 (item 3040 "Translation Costs") to cover the retroactive increase in prices charged by the Translation Centre;

- A transfer of EUR 400,000 from Chapter 11 (Personnel costs) and 15 (National Experts seconded) to Chapter 31 (Work Programme activities) was proposed. This transfer covered a number of activities related to the Foundation's 2001 Work Programme, reinforcing the impact of activities and developing further the Foundation as a centre of expertise.

The Governing Board approved the amending budget in September 2001. The table below shows the state of execution of the budget (in Euro) at 31 December 2001

>TABLE POSITION>

4.3. Procurement

The Foundation manages centrally its calls for tender and struck 99 contracts and amendments and issued 68 grants in 2001. The approach to contracting with the Foundation's National Observatories was amended. Two framework contracts for hiring temporary experts in the field of vocational training field were agreed. The Foundation's Advisory Committee on Procurement and Contracts (ACPC) met on eight occasions during 2001 and 13 dossiers were processed.

4.4. Financial and management systems

In collaboration with the Foundation's Computer and Technical Services Unit an electronic tool for capturing procurement data (OSCAR) was launched to streamline the procurement process. The Foundation also completed the first development phase of a portal for consolidating all finance and procurement-related data in line with the Plan of Action produced in 2000.

5. Personnel

At the end of 2001 the Foundation employed some 102 temporary agents. Details of the grading and nationality of staff can be found below.

5.1. Staffing and organisation chart

5.1.1. Temporary agents

5.1.2. Table A: The number of temporary agents in post on 31 December 2001 (by category and nationality)

>TABLE POSITION>

5.1.3. Table B: Change in staffing profile in 2001

>TABLE POSITION>

5.1.4. Table C: The number and type of other staff employed in the Foundation at the end of 2001

Local agents // 11

National Experts on secondment // 4

5.2. Personnel initiatives

In 2001 the Foundation:

- Implemented the first promotion exercise for the Foundation staff;

- Adopted a part-time scheme for Foundation staff, in line with the Commission guidelines and procedures;

- Adopted of a policy on the use of support staff (Auxiliary Agents and Temporary workers or Interimaires);

- Updated recruitment procedures;

- Implemented the annual training plan for the European Training Foundation's staff;

- In collaboration with the Computer and Technical Services Unit, implemented a the Foundation implemented a personnel database ("SIC Personnel" the standard HR database used in the Commission) and a computerised system to manage Missions ("SIC Mission" the standard mission database used in the Commission).

6. Governing Board and Advisory Forum

6.1. Governing Board

The Governing Board of the European Training Foundation met twice during 2001 - on 13 June and 13 November. In addition to these formal meetings there was an informal Governing Board seminar on 12 June to which representatives of the candidate countries were invited in order to discuss issues around the planning and implementation of lifelong learning.

At the meeting on 13 June the Governing Board:

- adopted the operational guidelines and medium-term priorities of the Foundation as set out in the document "Making the European Training Foundation work as a centre of expertise" (GB01-013);

- agreed the framework for co-operation between CEDEFOP and the European Training Foundation during the enlargement process (GB01-015); and,

- took note of the draft Terms of Reference of the forthcoming external evaluation of the European Training Foundation (GB01-014).

At the meeting of 13 November the Governing Board:

- approved the Foundation's draft Work Programme for 2002 (GB01-029) and noted the «Rolling Framework for Foundation Action in the Mediterranean Region 2002-2004»;

- approved the proposed Draft Budget 2002 (GB01-031) subject to subsequent approval by the Budgetary Authority;

- approved the implementation of Article 21 of the Financial Regulation (GB01-033);

- approved the preliminary Draft Budget 2003 (GB01-032);

- granted discharge to the Director of the European Training Foundation for Budget 2000;

- granted discharge to the Accounting Officer and the Assistant Accounting Officer European Training Foundation for operations relating to the revenue and expenditure account for 2000; and

- took note of the European Training Foundation Human Resource Policy and Development Plan (GB01-034).

6.2. Advisory Forum

The principal function of the Advisory Forum is to deliver an opinion to the Governing Board on the Foundation's draft Work Programme for the following year.

The Advisory Forum is comprised of four Regional Groups which represent Candidate Countries; South Eastern Europe; the New Independent States; and the Mediterranean partners. For the first two years of the Forum's three year life-span these Regional Groups each meet once each year. In the final year, 2003 there will be a plenary meeting in Turin which will bring together all four groups.

During 2001 all four Regional Groups met to review progress of Foundation strategy and activities in the particular region and to start the development of Work Programme 2002 by offering at an early stage advice on the needs within the region. Regional Groups meetings took place in 2001 as follows:

New Independent States and Mongolia Regional Group- 24-26 June- Moscow;

Mediterranean Regional Group - 28-29 June - Rabat, Morocco;

South Eastern Europe Regional Group - 3-7 July - Bled, Slovenia; and

Candidate Countries Regional Group - 13-15 September - Nicosia, Cyprus

ANNEX 1: Table of operational achievements

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

ANNEX 2: Table of budgetary and non budgetary resources

2001

>TABLE POSITION>

ANNEX 3: Table of Phare and Tacis conventions

>TABLE POSITION>

ANNEX 4: Table of Technical Assistance to the Tempus Programme

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

ANNEX 5: Organigramme

>REFERENCE TO A GRAPHIC>

ANNEX 6: Members of the Foundations Governing Board

>TABLE POSITION>

ANNEX 7: Table of the Foundation events during 2001

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

ANNEX 8: Table of the Foundation's publications during 2001

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

ANNEX 9: Glossary of country codes

>TABLE POSITION>