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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(82)637
Vol.1982/0199

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(82)637 final
Brussels,21October1982
DRAFTRESOLUTION OFTHE.COUNCIL
concerning
VocationaltrainingpoliciesintheEuropeanCommunities _inthe1980's
(submittedbytheCommissiontotheCouncil)

TABLEOFCONTENTS
i,
#
I.THECOMMUNITY CONTEXT
II.THEEMPLOYMENT SITUATION
III.POLICYCHALLENGES FORVOCATIONAL TRAINING
IV.COMMUNITY POLICYGUIEELINES ANDSPHERESOPACTION
A.Trainingpoliciesforyoungpeople
B.Trainingandequalityofopportunity
C.Conceptionandorganisation oftrainingat
localandregionallevels
D.Exchangeofinformation andexperience
V.CONCLUSION1-7
8-11
12
13-18
19-34
35-49
50-64
65-66
67

-1-
I.THECOMMUNITY CONTEXT
1.Vocational training isoneofanumber ofpolicy areas towhich special
attention needs to "begiven intheoverall effort toalleviate the
current ,unacceptably high levels ofunemployment among theactive
population .Theobjective ofthis Communication istopropose common
policy guidelines totheCouncil inthetraining field which take
into account inparticular theeconomic ,social anddemographic changes
which arelikely toaffect thesituation inMember States during the
1980 S,andtomake anumber ofspecific proposals foraction at
Community level .
2.Thetraining needs ofyoung people have "been aparticular focus of
political concern since the "beginning oftheeconomic recession .Most
recently ,attheEuropean Council held on29and30March 1982 ,the
President ,indrawing theconclusions ,stated that "inorder tocontribute
totheprogressive definition ofaEuropean social policy ,theMember
States would take measures concerning more particular thevocational
training ofyoung people ,striving toensure over thenext five years
that allyoung persons entering thelabour market forthe first time
would receive vocational training orinitial workexperience "^).
3.Theneed toimprove vocational training more generally hasbeen constantly
reiterated atCouncil level .Most significantly ,theconclusions ofthe
Presidency ontheoccasion ofthejoint Council ofMinisters ofEconomic
Affairs ,Finance andSocial Affairs held inJune 1981 (2)included acall
forsteps tobetaken toimprove vocational training ,andforgreater
attention tobepaid tobetter adaptation ofeducation andvocational
training totherequirements ofthelabour market ."InitsResolution on♦
Council emphasised that training policies must beconceived asan
integral part ofacomprehensive strategy toattack unemployment and
therefore designed tobecoherent with other sectoral policy initiatives .Community action against unemployment adopted on27May1982^),the
(1)Bull EC3-1982 ,point 1.3-5 -
(2)Bull EC6-1981 ,point 1.3-3 -
(3)0JCNo186of21July 1982

-2-
4.Moreover,theEuropeanParliamenthasalsorepeatedlyemphasisedtheneed
forvigorousactionatCommunitylevelinthefieldofvocational
training,includingthewideruseoftrainingleavefor"bothyoungpeople
andadults,aswellas"bypromotingactivewaysof"bridgingthegap
"betweenschoolandworkinglife^^.
5.TheCommissionforitspart,bothinitspreambletothedraftFifth
MediumtermEconomicPolicyProgrammed)andinitscommunication on
jobcreation,stressedtheurgentneedtodevelopvocationaltraining
andtoimproveitsqualityandrelevance-particularly "byensuring
thatoverthenextfiveyearsallyoungpeopleundertheageof18are
guaranteedanalternativetounemployment ,intheformofeducation,
trainingorjobexperience.Inthiscontexttoo,theCommissionunder­
linedthecontribution oftrainingtogrowthintermsofproductivity ,
innovationandinvestment,aswellastojobsecurity.Thisapproach
hasmoreovertobeseenagainstthebackgroundoftheconclusionsof
theStandingCommitteeforEmployment^)of9October1979,aswellas
labourmarketpolicy,whichnotedbothageographical andaquantitative
mismatchintraining,qualifications andworkingconditions.
6.Theimportantcontribution ofvocationaltrainingpoliciesisexplicitly
recognisedinArticle128oftheTreatyofRomewhichrequiresthe
Counciltolaydowngeneralprinciplesforthedevelopmentofacommon
vocationaltrainingpolicy.Byvirtueofitsdecisiontakenon1April
1963^),theCouncilestablishedaninitialframeworkofgeneral
principlesforthedevelopmentofacommonpolicyinthisfield.The
tenprinciplesadoptedonthatoccasionhaveservedsubsequently asan
InvaluableframeofreferenceonaCommunity-wide basisforpolicy
developmentinthefieldofvocationaltraining.Thewiderangeof
measurestakeninMemberStatesandbytheEuropeanCommunitytocounter
theeffectsof.massiveunemployment ,inparticularthemeasuresand
initiatives introducedsincethemid-1970sinrespectofvocational
(1)EP74.712,17September1981
(2)C0M(81)344Final,22July1981
(3)BullEC10-1979,point2.1.44-46
(4)0JC168,8July1980
(5)0JNo63,30April1963oftheCouncilof27June1980^4'establishingguidelinesforaCommunity

-3-
preparation andlinkedworkandtrainingschemes,haveaddedtothe
originalframeofreference.
7.TheCommission *sproposalspresentedinthisCommunication takeinto
accounttheopinionoftheAdvisoryCommitteeonVocationalTraining,
atitsmeetingheldon12and13May1982,andalsothecompletedworkto
dateofCEUEPOP,theEuropeanCentrefortheDevelopmentofVocational
Training.Theyhavealso"beenformulatedinparallelwiththeproposals
concerningthereviewoftheEuropeanSocialFund,theCommunity'smain
financialinstrumentinthefieldofvocationaltraining.
II.THEEMPLOYMENT CONTEXT
8.Around11millionpeoplethroughouttheEuropeanCommunityareoutof
workatpresent.Thisrepresentsabout9.7%oftheactivepopulation.
Aboveall,thisprovidesthecontextinwhichtheCommission'spresent
proposalsmustbesetespeciallyinviewofthelikelihoodofafurther
increaseinthenumberofunemployed,givenboththegrowthofthelabour
forceandtherelatively lowlevelinemployment-creating investments .
9.Youngpeopleareparticularly hardhitbyunemployment.Thoseaged25
yearsorunderconstituteoverallnearly40%ofallthoseoutofwork-
morethan4millioninall-withyoungwomenexperiencing evengreater
difficultythanyoungmeninsecuringjobs.Thedepressingimpacttoo
ofincreasednumbers-especiallyofyoungandolderworkers-experiencing
longperiodsofunemploymentisanotherstrikingfeatureofthepresentsitua­
tion.BySeptember1982intheCommunityasawhole(notincludingGreece)
theoverallproportionofunemployedpersonswhohadbeenoutofworkfor
»
over12nonthsreached2,7.2%.Suchagrimsituationprovidesinevitably
theseedsofsocialdisorderanddiscontentintheyearsahead,apart
fromthemassivefailuretomobilisethepotentialcontribution ofso
manytosocialandeconomicdevelopment.
10.Apartfromtheeffectsoftheeconomicrecession,anumberofqualitative
andstructuralchangeshavetakenplaceoverthelastdecadewhichhave
profoundlyaffectedthelabourmarketinparticular:

-4-
(i)therestructuring oftheeconomyresultinginadeclineof
employmentopportunities intheprimaryandalsointhetraditional
manufacturing sectors,aswellfornon-marketserviceswhich,in
relativeterms,placesyoungpeopleverymuchatrisk;
(ii)thegreaterrigidityandsegmentationofthelabourmarketandthe
increasingcompetitionforplacesinthelabourmarket,reducing
considerably theopportunities forthelessableandlessqualified
groupsofworkers-especiallytheyoungpeoplewholeavethe
education-training systemwithoutbasicskillsorqualifications ;
(iii)theincreaseinthenumberofwomeninworkorlookingforworkor
re-entering employment ;
(iv)thedevelopmentofvariousformsofprecarious,unstable,short-
termemploymentopportunities offeringlittlechanceoftraining
andcareerdevelopment .
11.Thedemographic trendsintheMemberStatesmustalsobetakenintoaccount,
particularly theprojectednumberofyoungpeoplewhowillbeenteringthe
labourmarketoverthenextdecade.Threemajortrendsshouldbementioned
inthisrespect:
(i)adecline-especiallyafter1985-intheproportionofyoung
workersagedunder19years;
(ii)aninrease-especiallyafter1985–intheproportionofthose
agedbetween20and25years;
(iii)thefactthattheproportionofyoungfemaleworkers(under25)to
thetotalnumberofwomenintheactivepopulationwillbesignifi­
cantlygreaterthanisthecaseinrespectofmaleyoungworkers.
III.POLICYCHALLENGES FORVOCATIONAL TRAINING
12.Althoughtrainingshouldnotberegardedinanywayasapanaceafor
resolvingthesocialandunemployment problemsfacingtheCommunity,the
Commissionconsidersthattrainingpolicieshaveavitalroletoplayin
improvingthefutureprospectsforbothindividuals andsocietygenerally.
Ahighinvestmentintrainingwillhavebothmediumandlong-termreturns

-5-
andforthisreason,itisnecessarytore-emphasize thevitalplaceoftraining
withinpublicpoliciesgenerally,especiallyinthecurrentcontextofeconomic
strigencyandthecompetitionforscarceressources.Thefollowingfactorsin
particularpresentcomplexchallengestothedesignoftrainingsystemsforthe
future.
(a)Thepaceandscaleofeconomicandtechnological changearenowsoswiftand
andfax-reachingthattrainingneedstobedesignedasacontinuingprocess
forup-datingskills,whichisincreasingly necessarymorethanonceinthe
lifeofanindividual,thusdevelopingadaptability ,flexibility andanin­
novativecapacitybothintheindividualpersonandinindustrygenerally.
Theimpactofthenewinformationtechnologies inparticularpresentboth
challengesandopportunities totheeducationandtrainingsystems.Theco­
operativeendeavoursofgovernments ,socialpartnersandothergroupsin
society,includingvoluntarybodies,areessentialtorespondtothesechal­
lenges.
(b)Thecreationofnewactivitiesandjobsneedsfurtherencouragementrelying
morethanbeforeonentrepreneurial initiatives andlocallybasedactivities
(e.g.smallandmediumsizeentreprises,cooperatives ,etc.)toexploitand
developlocaleconomicpotentialratherthanonnewindustrialinvestments
fromexternalsources.Trainingandguidanceservicesinsupportofsuch
entrepreneurial activitiesareverylimitedtodateandneedtobeencouraged
onamuchlargerscale.
(c)Socialtrendsandeconomicpressureshavegivenrisetodemandsforgreater
flexibilityinworkinghoursandcareerstructures.Itiswidelyrecognised
thatthereisamismatchbetweentraditional patternsofworkandtheaspira­
tionsofindividuals ,exacerbated bytherigidstructuresdividingthepopu­
lationintoemployedandunemployed.Trainingshouldbeusedasaninstrument
toassistindividualsinmanagingtheirownworkingliveswithgreaterflexi­
bility,accompanying otherchangesinorganisation ofworkandworkinghours,
withamoveawayfromtheclassic'manpower'approachwheretheindividual
wasineffectoftenviewedinnarrowtermsasafactorofproduction.
(d)Theeconomicrecessionandhighlevelsofunemploymentareleadingtoan
increasingpolarisation ofsociety.Increasingnumbersofpeopleofallages
andlevelsofqualification arebeingpushedbyunemploymentintopoverty.
Inregionsandlocalitieswherelongtermeconomicandsocialproblemshave
resultedinareasofmultipledeprivation anyprospectofareturntoahigh
levelofsecureandrewardingemploymentisreceedingstillfurtheraseco­
nomicconditionsworsen.Trainingcannolongerbeseenpurelyasaninvest­
menttobemadewherejobpropectsarepromising.

Trainingandretrainingmust"beconsideredasanindividualrightandas
areflectionofsociety'scommitmenttotheimportanceofhumaninvestment
inresourcesforeconomicregeneration andanessentialcomponentofpro­
gresstowardsequalopportunities forall.Itmustalsobemorefirmly-
recognisedasasinequanontoimprovethecompetitivecapacityofthe
Communityforthemediumandlongterm.
(e)Theeconomicrecessionhasweakenedthetraditionalsystemforinitiating
recruitstothelabourmarket.Thewholeprocessoftransitionforyoung
peot>lefromeducationtoadultandworkinglifehastobere-thought,
avoidingadhocsolutionsandtakingaccountoftheearliermaturingof
youngpeopleaswellasthefactorsmentionedearlier.Thisrecastingof
thearrangements foryoungpeopleisanurgentnecessitysincethepros­
perityoftheEuropeanCommunityinthedecadesaheadwilllargelydepend
onthecapacitiesofitsfutureworkforce-todaysyoungergeneration.
(f)Budgetaryausterityandaccompanyingpressuresresultingfromtheeconomic
recessionhaveincreasedpublicconcernabouttheallocationofresources
andtheneedtoimprovetheefficiencyofpublicexpenditure.Thereis
nevertheless growingrecognition oftheneedforintersectoral approaches,
forpoolingofresourcesbetweenpublicauthorities (education,labour,
industry,agriculture,etc.),whilsttakingintoaccountalsothecontri­
butionofprivateandvoluntarybodies.Equally,thereisgrowingawareness
oftheneedtoimprovethequalityofdiagnosisaboutthelabourmarket
situationandtoorganiseamoretransparent flowofinformation about
presentandfuturejoborospectsandrelatedtrainingopportunities .
Thereshouldbemoreemphasisontheneedtoexploitnon-traditional lear­
ningresources,especiallly combinations ofmassmediawithhome-based
formsofstudy,andtodevelopwaysofdesigningandadministering training
programmesmorerelatedtolocalneedsandlocalpopulations ,breaking
downbarrierswhichhavegrownupwiththetraditionaltrainingstructures.
Moreover,atCommunitylevelfurtherattentionwillberequiredto
designsystemsofsupporttomeettheneedsofbothurbanandrural
areaswheretraininginfra–structuresarestillweak.Irrespective
oftherelativesizeofMemberStates,concernwiththedelivery
oftrainingservicesatlocalandregionallevels,combinedoften
withlocallybasedemploymentinitiatives ,hasgivenrisetoanew

-7-
debate about training strategy andthequality oftraining provisions .
There isincreasing concern inseveral Member States tomodify the
location ofresponsibility fordecision making inthetraining field
"bynewarrangements atnational ,regional andlocal levels .
(h)Evidence ofthis need isnowwisely apparent from thedifficulties
"being faced indesigning anddelivering appropriate
training anddevelopment resources toinner-cities andother areas
where traditional employment hascollapsed leaving "behind populations
either largely unskilled anduntrained ,orwith specific ,"butno
longer relevant skills andworking traditions .Asinrural areas ,the
concern toreverse thetendency ofyoung people toleave toseek
employment elsewhere ,hasto "bematched "byspecific measures inthe
field ofhousing andsocial services aswell aswith education and
training facilities .Inallsuch areas which have tended to "become
increasingly isolated from themain centres ofemployment ,urgent
attention should begiven tothepotential ,byfull useofnew
information technologies ,forre-distributing certain kinds ofjobs
away from large centralised offices ,andforcreating new small
units ofwork .
IV.COMMUNITY POLICY GUIDELINES AND SPHERES OFACTION
13.With these various factors inview ,theCommission considers that itis
necessary fortheCouncil tobuild onitsoriginal guide­
lines laid down in1963 (seeAnnex 1)forthepursuit ofvocational train­
ingpolicies during the1980s ,soastoprovide anewimpetus forcommon
action within theEuropean Community inresponse tothe social and
economic challenges ofthedecade .TheCommission envisages that the
guidelines andpriority actions proposed inthis communication should
serve asapoint ofreference forthe future application oftheEuropean
Social Fund .
14*TheCommission considers that anewcommitment isrequired todevelop
convergent policies throughout theCommunity which place amuch higher
premium ontheimportance ofinvestment inhuman resources .The
Community 'smost important natural resource isitspeople ;forthis
reason ,training policy must belinked closely with theCommunity' s
overall policy forsocial andeconomic development .TheCommission fully

-8-
appreciates theneed toavoid theintroduction oftemporary andad
hoc structures andtolaythe foundations forthedevelopment for
thelong-term ofsystems oftraining ofhigh quality and flexibility .
Inthis perspective ,theCommission emphasises the need todevelop
anewframework ofpolicy guidelines forvocational training tohe
pursued atCommunity level during the1980s .
Thebasic functions ofvocational training mayhebriefly summarised as
follows :
-asaninstrument ofactive employment policy ,particularly ina
period ofrapid economic ,social andtechnological change ,by
giving new emphasis toinvestment inhuman resources andthus
stimulating andsupporting jobcreation andentrepreneurial
initiatives ,ofimproving productivity ,andofmeeting the
challenges posed byinternational competition ;
-asaninstrument forassisting economic adjustment ,byfacilitating
the restructuring ofeconomic sectors indifficulty through the
development ofretraining programmes designed ,inter alia ,to
exploit thepotential oftechnological innovation ,and todevelop
the innovative skills ofallmembers ofthe active population
toenable them toplay acreative part inthis process ;
-asaninstrument forensuring that allyoung people have access to
thenecessary social andvocational preparation foradult and
working life which takes into account both trends inthelabour
market andtheaspirations ofyoung people themselves ;
-aninstrument ofabroadly-based social policy designed toenable
each individual todevelop hisorherpotential by
providing continuing education andtraining opportunities through­
outlife ,andthus enabling individuals tocompensate forand
overcome social andeconomic disadvantages which mayhave marked
their early preparation foradult life ;
-asaninstrument forthepromotion ofequal opportunities formen
andwomen andtheir participation insocial ,economic andpolitical
life .

-9-
15.Policies foryoung people need tobesetfirmly asanintegral part of
atraining policy foralladults ;present political concern with the
employment andtraining needs ofyoung people runs therisk ofgiving
such high priority tothese needs attheexpense ofthetraining needs
ofolder adults ,implying asecond-class status andless priority for
theresources required fortheir needs .
16.TheCommission has taken into account the specific characteristics and
variety oftraining systems inthedifferent Member States .Theactions
proposed "bytheCommission inthis communication have "been designed to
encourage innovation andthequalitative improvement oftraining systems
inMember States ,bycomplementing andsupporting national policies and
initiatives onaCommunity-wide basis ,inthefollowing ways :
(a)bysetting certain common goals orguidelines inorder torespond
totheneed forgreater convergence ofpolicies inthis field whilst
atthe same recognising thediversity oftraining situations inthe
Member States ,andtheneed forflexible Community action ;
(b)bycontributing toraising thequality oftraining provisions by
setting aframework which could serve asapoint ofreference for
relevant activities oftheEuropean Social Plind ;
(c)byfostering experimentation which canhelp illuminate national
policies andpractices through amore organised process for
exchanging andanalysing experience atCommunity level ;
(d)byextending thearrangements forthedissemination ofinformation
andexperience between Member States forthebenefit ofboth policy­
makers andpractitioners ,asameans ofdrawing attention tothe
quality ofpromising training initiatives forwider application .
17.Inthelight ofthese overall guidelines ,theCommission proposes that
theCouncil should adopt afive-year programme ofaction which focuses
onthefollowing three broad priority spheres ofcommon concern ,designed
tocomplement andstrengthen theefforts ofindividual Member States ?
(a)thesocial andvocational preparation ofyoung people foradult
life andforentry into thelabour market intheperiod following
theendoffull-time compulsory education (which inmost Member
States occurs at16years ofage)uptotheageof18,coupled with
theintensification oftraining measures foryoung people upto
\
25years ofageasanintegral part ofanoverall social and
employment policy ;

-10-
(b)trainingaspectsofstrategiesforgreaterequalityofopportunity,
withparticularreferencetotheimprovement ofbasicskillsandto
thedesegration ofthelabourmarketthroughpositiveactionto
promotetheparticipation ofwomenintrainingprogrammes ;and
(c)theplanningandharnessingoftrainingmeasurestosupportsocial
andeconomicdevelopment ,andinparticulartheprocessofjob
creation,atlocalandregionallevels,andtheimprovementof
guidanceandsupportforallworkersfacingtheproblemsofchange
andtransitionincludingthoseapproaching theperiodofretirement.
18.Itshould,moreover,beemphasisedthattheCommissionhasalready
transmittedtotheCouncil^)acommunicationregardingtheimplications
andpotentialofnewinformation technologies onvocationaltrainingsystems,
incorporating asetofactionproposalsfortheperiod1983-1987.The
Commissionrecognisestheneedforclosecoordination oftheseinitiatives
withtheactionproposalssetoutinthiscommunication ,andfortraining
inrelationtonewinformationtechnologies tobetreated&sahighpriority
withinthisoverallframeworkoftrainingpolicy.Theneedtoadjust
trainingtotechnological changeandtheirimpactonemploymentandqualifi­
cationsshouldnotbelimitedtothesetechnologies-aspowerfuland
pervasiveastheymaybe-butalsotakeintoaccountotheremergingtech­
nologiessuchasbio-technology ,rawmaterialswhichcanhavesignificant
impactinthefutureonproductionprocedures ,jobdesignandskillrequire­
ments.InthisrespecttheCommissionstressesthatstrategiesofcontinuing
educationandtrainingshouldbedesignedtofacilitate andreinforce
industrialinnovationandrestructuring policiesratherthanbeinglimited
toshorttermadjustmentsrelatedtotheimmediateneedsofthelabourmarket.
A.TRAININGPOLICIES FORYOUNGPEOPLE
19.Theeconomicrecessiontodayhasservedtohighlighttheproblemsfacing
youngpeopleattemptingtofindafootholdintheadultworld,butthedepth
oftherecessionhasweakenedthecapacityofMemberStatestofindsatisfac­
torysolutionswhichcanbeadoptedforthelongterm.Youngpeopleare
subjecttotheinherentweaknessofsocialsystemswhichassumeanabrupt,
immediatetransition fromthechild'sstateofdependencetotheadultpos­
itionofresponsibility signifiedbythesuccessfulentryoftheschool-leaver
intothelabourmarket.Theofficialschool-leaving age,whether16or
earlier,shouldnotberegardedasthesinglepointoftransitionforyoung
peopleintoworkinglife.Astheunemploymentsituationhasdegenerated ,
notonlyhastherebeenadisproportionate increaseinyouthunemployment ,
butmoreandmoreyoungpeoplearebeingforcedintoacceptingarangeof
precariousunskilledjobswhichdolittletoencouragetheircapacity
(1)C0M(82)296Final,3June1982

-11-
tointegrate into thelabour market .They experience long orrepeated
BpellB ofunemployment which lead them into aspiral ofdependence on
social security ifnot into amarginal existence "beyond thereach of
thewelfare systems .Young people now face several years of "bewildering
uncertainty about thefuture prospects ofsecuring ajob .
20.Themore fundamental economic causes ofyouth unemployment should ,
quite clearly ,betackled within thecontext ofanoverall strategy
tostimulate jobcreation andtoredistribute employment opportunities
more equitably .This isafirst priority fortheCommunity ,as
confirmed inMay1982 bytheCouncil .Within this strategy anactive
policy ofsupport andguidance isrequired toassist allyoung people
preparing toenter employment ,including those ,usually with minimal
school-leaving qualifications ,whocannot secure entry into thelabour
market ,andthose whohave managed tofind ajob ,theprospects of
which areprecarious andthecontent ofwhich gives noopportunity
fortraining orpersonal development .Every effort must continue to
bemade tosupport those whowish tofind work todoso,irrespective
oftheir age .ACommission memorandum will bepresented totheCouncil ,
before theendoftheyear ,complementing this communication with an
appreciation ofthe specific measures needed topromote thecreation
ofstable employment opportunities foryoung people .
21.Itiswidely accepted inallMember States that thebasis foraneffective
training policy foryoung people must beprepared within thefinal period of
full–time compulsory education ,with themain responsibility falling on
education authorities .With thespectre ofunemployment facing somany
school –leavers ,increasingly even those whohave obtained reasonable school -
leaving qualifications ,theeducational systems have become progressively
more aware oftheneed toplace asmuch emphasis onthedevelopment of
personal andsocial competences ,especially basic language andcommunication
skills .Efforts toprovide amore balanced relationship between general
academic andvocational ortechnical education inschools have developed
inrecent years into abroader concern toensure that schools

-12-
providemoreorganisedopportunities foryoungpeopletodevelopcontact
andexperiencewithlifeandworkinthecommunitiesinwhichtheyare
located.
22.Thisgrowingemphasisontheideaofapartnership "betweenschool
systemsandparents,involvingaswellemployersandtradeunions
andsocial,youthandvoluntaryagencieswillhaverepercussions in
thelongertermonthepatternsoftrainingonofferaftertheendof
full-timecompulsoryeducation "byencouraging suchcooperationinthe
deliveryoftraininginthepost-compulsory period.Inadoptingtheir
Resolutionon24May1982,theCouncilandMinistersofEducationmeeting
inCouncilO)madeacollectivecommitmenttoexplorewaysofimproving
thequalityofthepoliciesofMemberStatesinthisperspective ,so
farasthefinalperiodoffull-timecompulsoryeducationisconcerned.
Theyalsoagreedtostrengthentheircollaboration withotherpolicy
sectors,especially employment,inattackingtheproblemsofyouth
unemployment ,andwelcomedtheCommission'sintentiontoarrangean
inter-sectoral meetingofhighofficialstoexplorewaysofintensifying
cooperation ,andtopreparethegroundforajointmeetingofLabour
andEducationandTrainingMinistersonthissubject.
23.Giventhenumberofyoungpeoplewhoattempttoenterthelabourmarket
equippedwithpractically noqualifications orknowledgeofworking
life,therehasbeenincreasinginterestintheneedtoprovidea
furtherstageofpreparation andtransition,bothsocialandvocational
incharacter,foraminimumperiodafterthepointoflegaldeparture
fromfull-timeeducation.ThisideahasbeenreferredtoastheSocial
Guaranteeforyoungpeople.Untilnow,however,thisconcepthasbeen
developedessentiallywithinthecontextofshort-termlabourmarket
measurestocombatyouthunemployment .Ithasbeenconfusedwiththe
manyadhocandemergencytrainingorworkexperiencemeasuresintroduced
inmostMemberStatessincethemid-1970s,moreoftenthannotin
parallelwith'ratherthanintegratedwithinexistingpost-compulsory
vocationaltrainingprovisions.Whilstsuchmeasuresmayhavestimulated
manyworthwhileinnovations asregardstheorganisation ,structure
andcontentoftrainingforyoungpeople,theyhavefrequently
attackedthesymptomsofyouthunemployment ratherthantheunderlying
problems:theyhavefrequentlysoughttomakeyoungpeoplemore
(1)OJC193,28July1982

-13-
employableintheeyesofindustry!withoutcontributingeithertoan
increaseinactualjobvacancies fortoarealimprovementinthe
socialskillsandvocationalqualifications ofyoungpeople.Focusing,
therefore,specifically ontheproblemofinadequacies intraining
provisions,theCommissionproposesthatasocialguaranteeforyoung
peopleshouldbedevelopedonaCommunity-wide basisasanintegral
partofamoreequitableandrationalpolicyofvocationaltraining.
Theessentialcharacteristics ofthisguaranteearedescribedinthe
nextparagraphs.
24.Thesocialguarantee
Thegeneralaimofthesocialguaranteeshouldbetoprovideallyoung
peoplewiththeopportunitytopassthroughastageoftransition,
betweentheendoffull-timecompulsoryschoolingandentryintothe
labourmarket,duringwhichtimetheyshouldbeabletochoosehowto
developtheirsocialandvocationalskillsandpreparethemselvesfor
adultworkinglife.Theimmediateaimofthesocialguaranteeshould
betoensurethatallyoungpeoplelearvingfull–timecompulsoryedu­
cationshouldbepresentedwithsomealternativetounemployment .Asa
generalprincipleallyoungpeopleshouldbeentitledtoatleast
twoyears'furthereducation,trainingorworkexperienceafter
leavingfull-timecompulsoryschooling.Fbrthoseyoungpeople\Axo
foranyreasoncannotordonotwishtocontinuetheirstudieswithin
theexistingframe-workoftheformaleducationandtrainingsystemor
throughexistingprovisionsforapprenticeships ,avarietyofadditional
opportunities shouldbemadeavailabledesignedtotakeaccountofthe
diverseneedsandaspirationsofyoungpeople.Anadequatevolumeof
trainingandworkexperienceopportunities ofthiskindshouldbe
developedtoensurethatbyagiventargetdate,forinstancewithin
aperiodoffiveyears,allyoungpeoplewhosowishhaveunconditional '
accessto:
(a)afull-timeprogrammeofsocialandvocationalpreparationfor
workinglifeduringaninitialone-yearperiodimmediatelyafter
theendofcompulsoryschooling,and
(b)anentitlementtotheequivalentofafurtherone-yearperiodof
vocationaltrainingtobeusedonafull-timeorpart-timebasis
beforereachingtheageof25.

-14-
25»Theseprovisionsshouldrepresenttheminimumtrainingentitlement
availabletoallyoungpeople.Thesocialguaranteewouldnevertheless
carrywithitnonotionofcompulsion.Bycombiningtwotypesofprovision,
itwouldbedesignedtoofferadegreeofprotectionespeciallytothemore
vulnerableordisadvantaged youngpeopleinthetwoyearperiodfollowing
theendoffull-timecompulsoryeducation,andatthesametimetodevelop
asenseofinitiativeonthepartofyoungpeoplethemselves,topromote
anawarenessoftheirresponsibility tocompletetheirinitialvocational
trainingandtoencourageatasteforlife-longlearning.
26.Theprovisionstobemadewilldependbothontheextensionofthe
existingtrainingcapacityofMemberStatestomeettheneedsofall
youngpeopleintheagegroupandaspecialefforttoraisethequality
ofthetraining.Thisshouldimplynotonlyasimpleextensionofthe
existingsupplyoftrainingplaces,especiallyapprenticeships .Young
peopleinthisagerangearenotonehomogeneous group;awide'rangeof
differenttypesoftrainingprogrammesisrequiredtomeettheir
variousneeds.Suchavarietyofprogrammes -shouldbedesignedto
motivatetheparticipation ofthosewhocannotfindwork,whoare
ill-equipped withlittleorpoorschool-leavingqualifications ,whoare
notinitiallymotivatedtotheideaofcontinuingeducationand
training,andwhothusarelikelytofindseriousbarstotheir
flexibleparticipation incommunitylifeingeneralduringadultlife.-
Irrespective ofimmediatelabourmarketneeds,thetrainingprovisions
thereforeshouldbeorganisedasflexiblyaspossiblesoastobuild
upthewidestrangeofpossibleopeningsforyoungpeopletoacquire
theskillsonwhichtobuildinlaterlife.Thegermsofthiscommit­
mentarealreadycontainedintheResolutionadoptedbytheCouncil
trainingtowhichMemberStateshavebeenrespondingwithconsiderable •
enthusiasm.Thisinvestmentintrainingforyoungpeopleisvitalas
theywillbethemuscleoftheworkforceintheCommunityoverthe
next40years;withoutittheCommunity 1scapacitytocompeteeffectively
intheinternational marketwillbeseriouslyhandicapped.
21mContent
Asregardsthecontentofthetrainingandworkexperienceopportunitiesin1979^1)whichpromotedtheideaof"alternance",orlinkedworkand
(1)OJC1,3January1980

-15-
tobeprovided,a"basicframeofreferenceiscontainedintheCouncil
Resolutiononlinkedworkandtraining(l)adoptedin1979«Awhole
varietyofcombinationsofpracticalexperienceandmoreformallearning
should "bedevelopedtotakeaccountofthevarioustypesofqualification ,
andmotivationoftheyoungpeopleconcernedontheonehandandthe
particularresourcesfortrainingandworkexperienceinthelocality
ontheother.Programmesofsocialandvocationalpreparation may,
forinstance,beestablished throughnewcoursesprovidedbythe
educationandtrainingauthorities ,onthebasisofextratraineeships
withpublicorprivateenterprise ,inthecontextofspecialemployment
projectsofutilitytothelocalcommunityorintheformoftraining/
productionworkshopsdesignedtodevelopintoself-supporting small
enterprisesorcooperatives.Allprogrammesshouldaimtoenableyoung
peopletogainsomeunderstanding ofworkinglife,andtolearnabout
theimpactoftechnicalprogressandtheimplications ofnewtechnologies .
Specialcareneedstobetakentoensurethatgirlsandyoungwomendo
notautomatically getchannelledintostereotypedsectorsoftraining
andworkexperience.Youngpeopleshouldbeencouragedtodeveloptheir
owncreativecapacitiesandmanagementskills,toshapethevarious
opportunities opentothemand,wherepossible,tolearnaboutthe
techniquesofsettingupinbusinessandrunningasmallenterprise.
28.Thetraining/productionworkshopsreferredtoabovewouldappearto.
offeramostpromisingformoftrainingwhichcanbedesignedtomeet
awholerangeofdifferentneedsandobjectivesincludingthemore
generalobjectiveofenablinganinvestmentintrainingtomakea
directcontribution tolocaleconomicdevelopment.Thistypeof
initiative,alreadytakeninsomeMemberStates,couldtaketheform
ofproductionlaboratories combinedwithtrainingworkshops,involving
thefullpartnership oflocalauthorities andsocialpartners,and
offeringwithinthesamelocationcombinations ofworkexperience
andtraining.Theselocationscouldalsoserveasfocalpointsfor
experimentation andfortrainingthetrainersinthelocalityor
region,aswellasfortheexchangeofexperiencewithneighbouring
trainingcentresinthemainstreamofthesystem.Theseproduction-
traininginitiativescouldbeestablishedtorespondtopriorityareas
selectedwithinthestrategicefforttopromoteinnovationandeconomic
growth,e.g.thedevelopmentofapplications relatedtotheexploitation
(l)OJC1,3January1980
(2)

-16-
ofthewidestrangeofnewinformationtechnologies .Theycouldalsohe
setupwithaviewtorespondingtothespecialdifficulties encountered
hyyoungwomen,particularly innon-traditional areasoffemalework.
Wherepossible,therefore,furtherexperimentation andexchangeof
information andexperienceneedstohedevelopedinthisarea,"both
withinandbetweenMemberStates.
29.Certification
Itisessentialforthevariousprogrammesofferedtoheconceivedas
anintegralpartofacomprehensive trainingplanfortheagegroup
asawhole.Itwillthenheeasiertoensurethattheintroduction
ofnewtypesofassessmentare"builtintotheoverallsystem
ofcertification foreducational andtrainingqualifications .
Thiswouldpermitprogressively theaccumulation ofexperienceand
creditsbyyoungpeopleaswellastheirrecognition asthebuilding
blocksforaccesstoandparticipation infurthertraininglaterin
life.Thisshouldnotbeallowedtodevelopasaparallelorextraneous
systemexclusivelyreservedforyoungunemployedoritwillbedoomed
tosecond-class statusandfailure.Withoutsuch-asystem
linkedintothemainstreamsystemofcertification ,therecanbelittle
guaranteeofthequalityoftheprogrammesofferedorofthewillingness
ofemployerstoacceptthevalueoftheperiodsoftrainingindetermining
recruitmentorcareerpolicies.Asregardsthedevelopmentofbroader
basedqualifications ,importantprogressisbeingmadeinsomeMember
Statestoestablishnewfamiliesorgroupsofskills,particularly in
relationtoapprenticeships .Moreover,theintroduction oftraining
componentsinvolvingnewtechnologiesisalsooccurringgraduallybut
unevenly.Itwillbeimportanttomaintainthemomentumofsuch
developments throughouttheCommunityandtotakeadvantageofsuch
changestopromotegreatercomparability ofqualifications atCommunity
level.
30.Trainersandsupportingpersonnel
Amajorinvestmentisalsorequiredinthetrainingofthosewhowill
haveresponsibility forthedesignandcontentofnewprogrammesof
socialandvocationalpreparation.Greatercooperationisrequired
betweenteachersconcernedwiththefinalperiodofcompulsoryschooling,
post-compulsory trainingforyouthandthoseconcernedwithadult

-17-
vocationaltraining,soastomultiplythe"bridges "betweendifferent
stagesoftrainingandtoimprovetheelementofcontinuityin
trainingprovisions.Sinceconstantrenewalofthecontentoftraining
isessential,witha"broadspreadofappealingoptionsavailablefor
choice "byyoungpeople,specialencouragement forthetrainingof
trainersandotherkeysupportingpersonnelisrequired.
31.Coordination guidanceandinformation
Theproliferation ofdifferentprovisionsforeducation,training,work
experience ,employmentandvoluntaryservicehasalreadygivenriseto
theneedformorecoordinated information andguidanceservicesforthe
youngpeoplewhoareintendedto"benefitfromtheprovisionsinquestion.
Moreover,asmoreandmoretrainingandworkexperience schemesare
"beingdevelopedattheleveloflocalcommunities "bymobilisingthe
resourcesofindividualemployers,localgovernmentservicesand
voluntaryorganisations ,thereisalsoanincreasingneedtoprovide
forspecialcoordinating machineryatlocallevelwhichcanactas
afocalpointandacatalystforallthoseabletoofferservicesto
youngpeople.Littleattentionhasuntilnowbeengiventothetypes
ofskillsandexperiencerequiredofthespecialisedstaffcalledupon
toprovidethisnewformoflocalanimationandcoordination whichwill
becrucialtothesuccessofanyattempttoputthesocialguarantee
fullyintooperation.Thearrangements fortheadministrative and
financialaccountability oftrainingpolicyfor
youngpeoplewillalsoneedtobereconsidered inordertoencourage
acollective commitment onthepartofallthoseatlocallevelto
expandtrainingandworkexperienceopportunities foryoungpeople,
withintheframeworkofbroadguidelinessetoutatnationallevel.
Althoughprecisearrangements mayvarybetweendifferentlocalities,
accordingtotheirparticulartraditionsandexistingstructures,it
wouldbeusefultomonitorandevaluatethecomparative experienceof
MemberStatesinthisareaofadministrative innovationatlocallevel
duringthenextfive-yearperiod.
32.Socialandmaterialstatusofyoungpeople
Asaccesstoaperiodofsocialandvocationalpreparation becomesan
automaticrightforschoolleavers,ratherthanalastresorttobe

-18 -
reserved ,forthose unable tofind employment ,itwill become increasingly
necessary toreview the social andmaterial status oftheyoung people
concerned inthe light ofprovisions made foryoung people undertaking
other types oftraining ,whether asapprentices orwithin themore formal
education sector .Young people should beencouraged tomake their choice
between different types oftraining onthebasis oftraining content and
itsrelevence totheir interests and capacities rather than beinfluenced
bytherelative material advantages ortheprestige commonly attached to
certain types oftraining .For this reason serious consideration will
need tobegiven tothepossibility ofestablishing within each Member
State acomparable status forthose young people ,inprinciple thevast
majority within the age group ,who choose tocontinue with their studies
andpreparation forworking life after the endofcompulsory schooling ,
interspersed asappropriate with spells offull-time employment .An
integrated strategy onthis issue could bebased ontheidea ofatran­
sition period during which young people would beencouraged toassume
progessively therights andresponsibilities associated with adult
working life .
33.Theprecise social andmaterial status ofsuch young people will have
tobedefined progressively over thenext five year period ,allowing
forvarying formulae between Member States inaccordance with their
distinctive social security systems .Inparticular ,more attention
will have tobepaid totheeffect ofsuch provisions onthehiring
practices ofemployers sofarasyoung people areconcerned .This
will require acollective commitment tore-examine the scope forrealloca­
ting existing budgetary headings ,such asunemployment benefits ,with a
view tomaking possible anumber ofincome transfers which cancorres­
pond tothepolicy objective ofproviding agreater incentive toyoung
people totake uptraining opportunities .Itwould bepossible for
Member States tore-direct resources toachieve more long-term objec­
tives onmore equitable basis ifMember States canmove inthis
direction .

-19-
34»Actions tobedeveloped
(a)TheCommission proposes that Member States undertake aprogressive
expansion andimprovement oftherange oftraining opportunities
inorder toensure thedelivery ofasocial guarantee foryoung
persons asdescribed inparagraph 24above .TheCommission consi­
ders that theEuropean Social Fund has aspecial responsibility
topromote developments inthisperspective .^)
(b)Theguidelines indicated above particularly inparagraphs 25-29
will beused bytheCommission asareference point inestablishing
priorities forintervention bytheCommunity insupport ofmeasures
toimprove andexpand vocational training provisions foryoung
people .Estimates regarding theshortfall inrelevant training
provisions will berequested from allMember States onaregular
basis andwill betaken into account indrawing upplans and
guidelines forCommunity support .
(c)Moreover ,inorder toencourage avariety ofimaginative responses
tothedesign ofprogrammes onoffer toyoung people ,theCommission
proposes theextension ofitsdemonstration projects onlinked work
andtraining soastoprovide asystematic Community-wide capacity
tolearn from each other' sexperiences over thenext five-year
period .These projects would bedesigned tofocus inparticular
onthefollowing priority aspects ofcommon concern :
-theextension ofguidance and support systems toprovide
continuity ofcontact with theyoung people involved andto
stimulate thecoordinated andactive provision ofinformation
andadvice onjobandfurther training opportunities ,especially
atlocal level ;
-inter-professional cooperation between teachers ,guidance specia­
lists andother agencies ,both public andprivate ,concerned with
youth questions atlocal /regional level toextend therange of
options available toyoung people ;
-training oftrainers involved inre-designing theprogrammes
(l)SeetheCommission' sOpinion onthereview oftheEuropean
Social Fund (COM (82)485)

-20-
onofferandinequippingteachersandotherspecialists
personnelforthesenewtasks;
–thedesignofassessmentsystemsfortheseprogrammes "basedon
trainingmoduleswhichmayhelinkedwiththeoverallsystemsof
certification andtherebyrecognisedasabasisforentryinto
employmentandfurthertraining.
(d)Toassistinthedevelopmentoftraining/productionworkshops,
referredtoinparagraph25,theCommissionproposestheestablish­
mentofasecondgroupofprojects,whichshouldserveaspoints
ofreferencewithineachMemberStateandforcomparative evaluation
atCommunitylevel.Specialattentionshouldbepaidtothe
trainingandmanagementskillsandexpertiserequiredofthestaff
involvedinsuchprojects,withtheaimofproducingapractical
guideormanualfortraininginstructors.
(e)TheCommissionconsidersthattheprogressiveimplementation of
thesocialguarantee,andinparticulartheimplications fornew
administrative andcoordination arrangements atlocallevel,as
describedinparagraph30above,meritscontinuousmonitoringatCom­
munitylevel.Tothisend,theCommissionsuggeststhatwitheffect
from1984MemberStatesbeinvitedtodesignateaparticularregionof
localityonwhichtheCommissionshouldfocusitsattentionandoffer
thetechnicaland/oradvisoryserviceofanexternalevaluation
unit.AreportshouldalsobeproducedjointlybytheMember
StatesandtheCommission onprogressachievedinreachingthe
objectivessetoutinparagraphs23-29andincludinganassessment
offurtherrequirements inrelationtotheallocationofresources.
Specialattentionshouldbepaidtotheparticipation ofyoung
womenintheprogressivebuild-upofthecapacityoftraining
systemsinMemberStatestocaterforallyoungpeople.
(f)Toassistinimprovingthecomparability ofqualifications ,the•
Commissionconsidersthatthereisscopeforaframeworkpolicy
tobeestablished betweenMemberStateswhichwillenable
agreementstobereachedinrelationtospecificgroupsor
familiesofskills.Proposalstothisendwillbeproducedin
1983.
(g)TheCommissionproposesthataprogrammeofexchangevisitsby
trainingspecialists shouldbeestablishedforthenextfiveryear

-21-
period,buildingontheinitialexperiencein1981and1982for
thoseinvolvedinnewschemesoflinkedworkandtraining
("alternance")*Thisprogrammeshouldbeunderpinnedbythe
furtherdevelopmentofcomparative documentation ontraining
systemsandinnovationsinMemberStates.
B.TRAINING ANDEQUALITYOFOPPORTUNITY
35.TheeconomicrecessionhasledmostMemberStatestointensifytheir
effortstodiversifyandextendtheirexistingtrainingprovisions
tohelpthosegroupsmostatrisk.
Thedifferenttrainingneedsofthevariousgroupsneedtobemet
withintheframeworkofanoverallstrategywhichavoidsnewforms
ofdifferentation inthelabourmarket.Thespecialtrainingprogrammes
tohelpthesegtowpsshouldbecoordinatedwiththewidersocial
policymeasurestakeninMemberStatesandatCommunityleveltofaci­
litatetheirsocialandeconomicintegration.Hence,inrelationto
disabledpeopleforinstance,aspecialreportontrainingwillbe
producedbytheCommissioninthecontextoftheimplementation ofthe
recentlyapprovedactionprogramme Asregardsmigrantworkers,
trainingretirements willbeincludedinthereviewbeingundertaken
bytheCommissionoftheCommunity'sfirstactionprogrammeinfavour
(2)ofmigrantworkersandtheirfamilies v.
36.Inthiscommunication theCommissionhasfocusedattentionontwomain
priorityareasofgeneralconcern:firstly,theneedtopursue
vigorouslyeffortstodevelopthebasicskillsofalargenumberof
adults,whoareunabletoread,writeorperformotherbasicskills
necessaryforadultandworkinglife;andsecondly,thespecialtraining
needsofwomen,whichareofcoursealsoconsideredinothersections
ofthiscommunication ,especiallyundermeasuresforyoungpeople.
37.Basicskillsforalladults
Theunemploymentcrisishasdrawnincreasingattentiontotheveiy
basicdifficulties experienced bymanyadultswholeftschoolnot
(1)OJCNo347of31December1981
(2)BullEC3-76

-22-
onlywithoutvocationalqualifications ,"butalsounabletoread,write
orperformthesimplestmathematical exercises.Theirdifficulties
intheserespectsrenderthemunabletocopewiththemultiplying
andprogressively morecomplexdemandsofdocumentation inrelation
"bothtoemploymentandtomostotheraspectsoftheirlives.Whilst
individuals mayleaveschoolwithnoworse(andperhaps "better)
levelsofliteracythanformerly,thedemandsuponthemhaveso
increasedthatthenumbersofadultswhoarefuntionallyilliterate
maywell"beincreasing.
38.Withthealarmingriseinlong-termunemployment ,thereisanew
dangerthatthosewhomayhavemanagedtocopeinbettertimeswill
losetheirself-confidence andmotivation sonecessarytomaintain
thebasicskillsrequiredforeffectiveparticipation ineconomic
andsociallife.Thecycleofdeprivation andtheprevalenceof
illiteracy amongthelong-termunemployedhasbeendescribedalready
intheCommission'sfinalreportontheprogrammeofactionagainst
poverty^).TheEuropeanParliamenttoohasrecentlycalledfor
specialmeasuresonaCommunity-widebasistocombatilliteracy(2).
39.Lackofbasicskillsconstituteamainhandicapinadultlifeanda
seriousbarriertoaccesstoworkandfurthertraining.Functional
illiteracyvirtuallyprecludesprogressionintovocationaltraining,
andthereforeintomostskilledwork.Traininginbasicskills
shouldberecognisedasahighpriorityandbeseenasoneofthe
mostimportantactivitiestobeassociatedwithtrainingandre­
trainingmanyolderworkers.Somenewapproachestoprovidetraining
foradultswithinadequateskillshavealreadybeendevelopedwith
thesupportoftheEuropeanSocialFund.Amassiveeffortisstill
requiredtoeradicatethesedeficiencies whichcondemnsuchadults
toacycleofcontinuingdeprivation .
40.Inthisfield,theCommissionalsoconsidersthatmultimediasystems
coupledwiththepotentialofthenewinformation technolgies should
beexploitedtothefullsoastodevelopremedialandcrashcourses
1)C0M(81;769Final,15December1981
2)OJNoC149of14June1982

-23-
andmaterialspreparedspeciallytomeettheseneeds.Thelink-up
ofnationalprovisionsvia"broadcasting withlocalagencies,"both
publicandvoluntary,workingintheirowncommunities ,offers
considerable scopeforachievingpromisingresults.OpenUniversity
andotherexperimental schemeswhichcombinethepossibilityofstudy
athomewithlocalsupportbytutorsandothersocialserviceand
trainingpersonnelneedfurtherencouragement .Counsellingspecialists
whooftencannotreachtheadultsmostindifficultyalsoneedtobe
linkedincloselywithsuchschemestoprovidecontinuingadvice.
Giventhedifficultproblemsofcontactbetweenthetargetgroupsand
thetrainingservicesavailable,itisessentialthattraining
resourcesbeallocatedforuseinthemostflexiblefashionatlocal
levelwherespecificneedsandappropriate responsescanbebest
identified.
41.Actionstobedeveloped
TheCommissionproposesthatMemberStatesmakesustainedeffortsto
expandthemeasuresrequiredtoimprovethebasicskillsofadults,
tostrengthentheircapacitytobenefitfromvocationaltraining
andthusfindmorerewardingemployment.Tosupportthedevelopment
ofappropriate newinitiatives byMemberStates,andtocontinuethe
exchangeofexperiencebasedupontheexistingactivitiesofthe
EuropeanSocialFund,theCommissionproposesthatasetofdemonstration
projectsbeestablished withparticularreferencetothedifficulties
facedbythelong-termunemployed.Pallaccountwillalsobetaken
ofthepotentialforcollaboration withMemberStates'broadcasting
organisations ,bothatnationalandlocallevels,manyofwhich
alreadyhaveorareactivelydeveloping ,educational programmesaimed
atincreasingbasicskills.TheCommissionalsoproposesthatthe
initiatorsofsuchschemesshouldhavetheopportunitytomeetand
compareexperience.Constantmonitoringoftheprogressachieved
byMemberStatesinthiswholeareawillbeimportantaswellasa
comparativeevaluationofthespecificprojectssupportedatCommunity
level.
42.Trainingofwomen
TheadoptionbytheCouncilon27May1982ofanewCommunityaction
programme^)onthepromotionofequalopportunitiesforwomenhas
(1)OJCNo186of21July1982

-24-
givenafreshimpetustothecommoneffortsinthisfield.Insofar
asthisconcernsfullaccesstoandparticipation invocational
training,theseactionswillbedesigned "bytheCommissiontocomplement
thetermsofthedirectiveadoptedin1976onequalaccesstoemploy­
ment,vocationaltrainingandpromotion,andworkingconditions^K
43*Thespecialneedsofwomenwillalso"begivenparticularattentionin
theCommission' sdevelopingworkregardingtraininginrelationtothe
introductionofnewinformationtechnologies(?).Inthiscontext,
specialattentionwill"begiven "bytheCommissiontotheneedto
promotetheintegrationofwomeninthenewareasandsectorsopened
up"bythenewtechnologies ,aswellastotheretrainingofthosewhose
jotsarethreatened "bytheintroduction ofnewtechnologies .Thiswill
alsorequirecontinuingattentiontothetechnicalpre-training
necessarytoenable\vomento"benefitonanequalfootingfromtraining
linkedtotheintroduction ofnewtechnologies .
44.Ithasto"berecognisedthatdespitethehighproportionofyoung
womenamongtheunemployed andunqualified ,anddespiteconsiderable
effortstoprovidevocationalpreparation andtrainingforthem,there
hasonlybeenmodestanddisappointing progressindeveloping new
coursestoservetheirneeds.Thevastmajorityofcoursesforyoung
womenstillconcentrateheavilyontrainingthemintraditional female,
andoftenlow-paid,low-statusactivities.
45.Trainingcanhelptobreakdownthetraditionalconcentration ofwomen
incertainsectorswhichtendtobethosemostatrisk,aswellas
requiringlittletraining,andalsotocorrectthelowparticipation
ofwomenintrainingforskilledjobs,especiallythoseinvolvinghigh
qualifications intechnological fields.Itisnecessarytotakesteps
todiversifythetypesoftrainingwhichwomenundertakeiftheyare
tobeabletosecureaccesstothoseareasofemploymentwherethey
aretraditionally under-represented .Specialattentionneedstobe
giventoencouraging andsupportingtheentrepreneurial initiativesof
womenespeciallyatthelocallevel.
46.Particularattentionalsoneedstobegiventoprovidingappropriate
trainingopportunities forwomenwhowish,duringcertainperiodsof
(1)OJNoL39of14January1982
(2)COM(82)296,3June1982

-25-
theirlifetoreceivetrainingonapart-timebasis,includingwomen
whohaveinterruptedtheirprofessionalactivitiesorwishtoimprove
theirqualifications duringtheperiodwhentheyhavetemporarily
stoppedworking.Pilottraininginitiatives have"beensetupin
variousMemberStatesoverthelastfewyearswhichshouldbepursued
andintensified withevengreatercommitmentbyMemberStates.
47.Variousresearchstudieshavenowbeencompletedandthesetoohave
helpedstimulategreaterawarenessamongstgovernments andthesocial
partnersaboutthecharacterofinnovativetrainingmeasuresonbehalf
ofwomen.However,thisworkneedstobedevelopedfurtherandthe
Commissionintendstointensifyitsownworkprogrammetobuildup
gooddocumentation andexperienceasthebasisforencouragingthe
necessarydiscussionsatalllevels,andespeciallythoseinpolicy­
makingpositions,whichcanprogressively leadnotjusttobetter
adjustedtrainingfacilitiesbutalsotochangesofattitudeamongst
thepopulationgenerally.
48.Theintroduction ofagreatervarietyoftrainingopportunities for
womenisessentialsoastoeliminateprogressively thetraditional
notionthatcertainjobsareintendedalmostexclusivelyformenand
sothatwomenmayfashiontheirownlivesaccordingtotheirown
capabilities andrequirements .Inthisperspective ,moresupport
needstobegivenwithinMemberStatestotheworkofeducating
parents,aboveallforsociallydisadvantaged groups,wheregirlshave
atwofolddisadvantage insociety,andforthosegroupswheretraining
ismorestronglygovernedbytradition(e.g.familiesinrural
communities,foreignfamilies).
49.Actionstobedeveloped
(a)Withoutprejudicetotheresponsibility ofeachMemberStateto
implement .thedirectiveonequalaccesstoemployment,vocational
trainingandpromotion,andworkingconditions,theCommission
considersthatitwillbeessentialtosupportthefurtherdevelop­
mentofpositiveprogrammesofvocationaltrainingforwomenunder
thetermsofArticle2(4)ofthedirective.TheCommissionthere­
foreproposesthat,buildingontheexperienceoftheEuropean
SocialFund,a.substantialinvestmentbemadebyMemberStatesin

-26-
trainingprogrammesforwomenwhichcanhelpchangeattitudes
andexpectations inthemediumandlongerterm.
(b)Inadditiontothewholerangeoftraininginitiativesfor
womenforoccupations wheretheyaretraditionally under
represented-initiatives whichshouldincreasingly comewithin
themainstreamofthetrainingprovisionsofMemberStates-the
Commissionproposestosupportasetofsmallscaleinnovatory
projectsparticularly designedtoprovidefurtherinsightsinto
thewaytrainingresourcesmay"beorganisedatlocallevelto
caterforparticulargroupsofwomen,forinstance,thosewhoare
homeboundorisplatedinruralareas.
(c)TheCommissionconsidersthateveryadvantageshouldbetakento
disseminatewidelytheresultsofthevariousexperiences andto
offerinformation onexamplesofpromisinginitiatives.This
materialcanthenbedrawnuponinthetrainingoftrainersand
counsellorstoenablethemtobebetterequippedtocaterforthe
specificandcareerneedsofwomen.TheCommissionproposesto
intensifytheexchangeofinformation andexperienceinthis
respect.
C.CONCEPTION ANDORGANISATION OFTRAININGATLOCALANDREGIONAL LEVELS
50.Theideaofanintegratedapproachtodevelonmentfortheregionsandlocal
areas,includingthetrainingdimension,isgaininggroundrapidlythrough­
outtheCommunity.Overthelastfewyears,moreover,therehasbeena
markedtrendinsomeMemberStatestodecentralise vocational
trainingtotheregionallevelofdecision-making ,sothatittakes
placeclosertothepointofneed.Thistrend,thoughnotcommonto 1
allMemberStates,mustbeviewedalongsidethegrowingconcernto
linktrainingpolicieswithwidersocialandeconomicstrategyto
regeneratedisadvantaged regions.However,sincegenerallyeducation,
training,employmentandeconomicstructuresstilltendtobe
organisedonacompartmentalised basis,atnationallevelinparticular ,
theeffectivedeliveryofintegratedoperationsstillremainsthe
idealratherthanpracticalrealityinmostcases.
51.Increasingly ,astheunemployment situationhasdeteriorated there
hasbeenagrowingcommitmentinMemberStatestofindwaysof
releasingandunderpinning thecreativeenergiesofthosewhowish

-27-
tocontributetosocialandeconomicdevelopmentmtheirownlocalities.
SomeMemberStateshave"beguntosupporttraininginitiativesof
varioustypesatlocalandregionallevelspecifically designedto
stimulatethecreationofneweconomicactivity,inparticular "by
mobilisinglocaleconomicandcommercialpotential.Ithasbeenshown,
forexamplethroughthe"trainingfordevelopment "activitiesofthe
EuropeanSocialRmd,thatsuchtraininginitiatives mostoftenowe
theirorigintotheactivitiesofspecialcounsellors whoseroleis
toactasadevelopment agent,animating,coordinating andsupporting
localinitiativesdesignedtopromotesmallscaleemploymentcreation.
52.Theactivitiesofsuchdevelopmentagentsfall"betweenthetraditional
areasofresponsibility oftrainingandemploymentauthorities.
Theirroleislikelytogrowinimportanceinfuture,andto
impingeincreasingly ontheresponsibilities forinstanceofvocational
guidanceadvisorsandofficialsoflocalemploymentagencies.The
trainingrequirements ofallsuchofficialswillneedtobereviewed
inordertoensuresomecommonelements,sothattheycanbeprepared
toworkinteams,irrespective oftheirlocation,"attheserviceof
thoseinneedandalsoofthosewhoareinvolvedininitiatingjob
creationschemes.Anemphasisoninter-professional trainingmayalso
helpavoidthecreationofoverlapping ,wastefulorevenconflicting
systemsofadvice,andencouragesomedegreeofmobilityandinter­
changebetweentheeducation,trainingandemploymentserviceswithout
prejudicetothepromotionandcareerprospectsofthespecialists
involved.ItwillbeequallyimportantforMemberStatestoensure
thatthetrainersareequippedtotakeaccountofthesenewdevelopments ,
andbefullyawareoftherangeofjobcreationinitiatives and
changingqualifications ,andhavesomedirectexperienceofinter-.
professional developmentsaffectingthespecialisedpersonnelinvolved
intheirtrainingprogrammes.
53.Themorethedemandgrowsforlocalemploymentinitiatives ,the
greaterwillbetheneedtodesignasystemoftrainingwhichcan
providethenecessarysupport.Intheframeworkoftheselocal
initiatives ,thereisalsoauniqueopportunity tolinktraining
withjobcreation,counteracting thecurrentdilemmathatahigh
percentageofparticipants intemporarytrainingschemesdonotfind
ajobafterthetrainingperiod.Thisraisesinturnthequestionof

-?8-
theallocation ofresources from vocational training andjobcreation
■budgets ofeach Member State ,andtheimportance oflocating those resources
where they canproduce thegreatest effect within anoverall strategy .In
promoting local employment initiatives ,further andhigher education insti­
tutions –particularly business schools ,design andtechnology departments -
canalso play akeyrole indeveloping training forentrepreneurial initiat­
ives -aspart ofastrategy forcontinuing education -thus reinforcing the
capacity ofindividuals -especially managers -toengage intheprocess of
setting upnew enterprises .Byproviding training andother services
(e.g. feasibility consultancy ,market surveys ,product design /assessment )
these institutions could contribute significantly tothestrengthening of
the economic infrastructure andthus contribute toanincreased cooperation
between training andemployment institutions .
54.Many ofthese local initiatives involve relatively small numbers of
people .These groups require guidance andtraining support atthe
various stages involved inthe launching andconsolidation oftheir
schemes .The support they require needs tobetailored totheir
specific objectives ,entailing newcontent oftraining tobemade
available intheright place attheright time from specifically
conceived newtraining structures which improve thequality of
existing training provisions onoffer .Traditional training systems
arenotgenerally geared toprovide aservice which responds tothe
specific needs emerging from grass-root level initiatives .This
mismatch between training needs andprovisions isaccentuated inrural
areas ,particularly those indecline ,where often oneadded problem
isthelocation ofthetraining services faraway from thecommunities
inwhich thenewinitiatives mayoriginate .
55*Careful consideration also needs tobegiven tothequestion ofre­
training andupdating ofskills within existing small enterprises ,
especially those where anappropriate response toathreat ofclosure
mayinvolve re-financing andre–structuring measures ,also leading to
abroadening ofmanagement participation andcontrol ,aswell asintro­
duction ofnewproducts orservices .Research conducted atCommunity
level andincertain Member States hasrevealed thefollowing training
needs ofpeople interested insetting upacooperative oralready working
inone :training should beavailable atthepre–formation andtheopera­
ting stage ofacooperative ,with training content such asjobskills ,
financing ,marketing andmanagement .Insetting uptraining programmes ,
special provision should bemade fortheneeds ofindividual target
groups ,especially women :theparticipation of

-29-
otherriskgroups,suchasmigrantsandthedisabled,shouldalsobe
givencarefulattention#
56.Theselocalinitiativesalsoprovideausefulframeworkwithinwhich
toconsidertheproblemsfaced"byanincreasingnumberofadult
workersinmid-careerandnearingtheendoftheircareerswhohave
hadto"belaidoffinrecentyears "becauseofthefallinemployment
especiallyinsectorssuchassteel-making ,shipbuilding ,automobile
production,textileandclothing.Thepersonalshockofunemployment
andtheeconomicandpsychological impactontheirfamiliesoften
increasethedifficultyfortheseolderworkersofmatchingtheir
needswitheffectivere-trainingopportunities ,whichcanleadto
viablenewrolesinlocalcommunitylifeaswellassecuring
openingstonewjobs.Thecontentandpedagogical methodsof
traditionaltrainingprogrammesaregenerallyill-suitedforthese
purposesandthereappearstobemuchuncertainty amongtrainersas
tothetypesofre-trainingtooffertorespondgenuinelytothe
socialandeconomicneedsoftheseadults.Acontinuingeffortis
neededthroughouttheCommunitytohelpretaintheaccumulated
experienceoftheseolderworkersandenablethem,withappropriate
re-training ,tofindnewopportunities foremployment.Thisdimension
intrainingprogrammesshouldreceivepositiveencouragement ,and
experienceandinformation exchangedsystematically atCommunitylevel
soastogivefurtherimpetustopromisinginitiatives.
57•Theprovisionofcontinuingaccesstoguidanceandcounsellingis
widelyrecognisedintheMemberStatesasanessentialservice,
tobeavailableatdifferentstagesoflife,linkedbothtothe
educationandemploymentsystems.Thefunctionsofguidancesystems
havebecomemorecomplexanddemandinginrecentyearsbecauseof
thecontinuinguncertainties ofthelabourmarket.Varyingpatternsof
collaboration andofallocationsofresponsibility fortheorganisation
andfinancingofcounsellingexistintheMemberStates,involving
normallybothnationalMinistriesofEducationandLabouraswellas
localandregionalauthorities.Itisclear,however,that,
irrespective ofthedifferentstructuresinMemberStates,insufficient
attentionhasbeenpaidtotheprovisionofguidanceandsupportfor
workersfacingtheproblemsofchangeandtransition,andinparticular
thoseapproaching theperiodofretirement.

-30-
58.Irrespective of"thevariousimprovementstotrainingprovisions
suggestedthroughoutthiscommunication ,itwillbenecessaryto
takefurtherstepstoremovethebarrierstoparticipation in
trainingbyindividualworkersandtoincreasethevolumeoftraining
actuallyundertaken bytheactivepopulationasawhole.Inthelast
tenyears,someMemberStateshavemadeprogresswiththedelivery
ofsystemsofpaidleaveforworkerstoparticipateintraining
programmes.Thereishoweverlittleevidenceasyetthatthedevelop­
mentoftrainingleavehasbeenconsideredadequatelyinthecontextof
policiesforthere–organisation ofworkingtime.
TheILOconvention onpaidtrainingleave,towhichfourMemberStates
aresignatories ,couldusefullyserveasapointofdeparturefor
establishing minimumstandardsintheCommunity.
Giventheincreasingnumbersofpeoplewhocannotbenefitfromexisting
trainingleaveprovisions ,consideration shouldalsobegiveninthe
broaderproblemofensuringanequitabledistribution oftrainingoppor-r
tunities.Thetrainingentitlement andparticipation ratesofyoung
peopleparticularly between18and25yearsofageisespeciallyimportant,
sincethisisthecriticalperiodformotivatingadultstoreturnto
training.
59.Actionstobedeveloped
Inassistingthere-orientation oftrainingpoliciesinMemberStates
towardstheneedsofeconomicandsocialdevelopmentatlocal
andregionallevels,theCommissionunderlinestheimportantlink
betweenthesepolicyguidelinesandthefutureapplication ofthe
EuropeanSocialPond.Thepolicydevelopments envisagedinMember
Statesshouldbeconsidered withtheCommission onanannualbasisin
liaisonwiththediscussiontotakeplacewiththenationalauthorities
inrelationtotheEuropeanSocialFund.Theresultsoftheseexchanges
couldprovidethebasisforamorecomprehensive presentation of
developingvocationaltrainingpolicieswhichtheCommissioncould
reviewperiodically withtheassistanceoftheAdvisoryCommittee
forVocationalTraining.

-31-
60.TheCommissionproposesthattechnicalassistancetoMemberStatesbe
providedfortheevaluationandplanningoftrainingprovisionswith
aparticularfocusonthoseregions,especiallyinruralareas,where
thetraininginfrastructure isweakened "bythelackofindustrial
development.Asapriority,thisactivityshould "bedeveloped
particularly inGreeceaspartoftheCommission'sresponsetothe
GreekmemorandumaswellasinPortugalandSpaininthecontext
ofthefurtherenlargementoftheEuropeanCommunity.
61.TheCommissionintendsthattheEuropeanSocialFundshouldcontinue
itsactioninsupportofexperimental andpilotschemesoftraining
fordevelopment whichhelpthoseresponsibleinalocalcommunity
todesignandcarryoutprojectsintroducing neweconomicactivities
orrevitalisingexistingactivities^).Particularattentionshould
bepaidtothecomparative evaluationofsuchschemesandthe
exchangeofexperiencewithinMemberStatesandatCommunitylevel.
62.Drawingontheexperienceoftheschemesmentionedinparagraph61
above,theCommissionwillanalysetheemergingtrainingrequirements
ofdevelopment agents,andothertrainingspecialists.TheCommission
willalsodrawupguidelinesforthefutureregardingthestatusand
responsibilities ofvocationalguidancespecialists ,theirconditions
ofserviceandprospectsofcareermobility.
63.TheCommissionproposesthatspecialattentionshouldbegiventothe
counselling needsofolderworkers.Inthiscontext,theCommission
willalsoreviewcurrenttrendsinthisareapayingparticularattention
toprovisionsdesignedtoencourageolderworkerstoplayanactive
roleintheircommunityfollowingretirement.TheCommissionproposes
thatitwouldbevaluabletoimprovetheavailability ofcomparative
materialonthissubject.
64.TheCommissionproposesareview,incooperationwiththesocialpartners,
ofthetrainingentitlementsforadultsinMemberStates,includingthe
presentandplannedprovisionsforpaidtrainingleave.
(l)OpinionoftheCommissionontheReviewoftheESPpage6
(3)

EXCHANGEOPINFORMATION ANDEXPERIENCE
65.AtCommunitylevel,intheperiodahead,andinadditiontothe
variousproposalsforactionsetoutearlierforeachofthethree
priorityspheresofcommonconcern,theCommissionunderlinesthe
importanceoffosteringcontinuingexchangeofideasandinformation
"between "bothpolicy-makers throughouttheCommunity.Tothiseffect,
theCommissionproposesthataspecialunitbesetuplayeachMember
State,basedasappropriate onexistingstructuresandinvolvinginter-
ministerialcooperationasnecessary,tooperatewithinaCommunity–
widenetworkforthepoolinganddissemination ofinformation on
trainingdevelopments topolicy-makers •Theseunitswouldin.
particularberesponsibleforensuringthelinkagewithregionalcentres,
whichoftensimplydonotgetaccesstoinformation aboutpromising
developments elsewhereintheCommunity.
Theseunitsshouldbelinkedwithexistingnationalmachineryforpolicy
coordination inthetrainingfield;theyshouldbeerruipt>edtoensure
thattheinformationacquiredfromthisCommunity-wide effortbeeffec­
tivelyexploitedforthebenefitofDolicy-makers intheMemberStates
atlocal,regionalandnationallevels.
66.ThisCommunity-wide networkofunits,incooperationwiththeCommission
shouldconcentrate onhandlingthepriorityobjectivessetoutinthis
communication ,viz.:
(a)thesocialandvocationalinsertionandintegrationofyoung
people;
(b)trainingaspectsofstrategiesforgreaterequalityofopportunity;
(c)traininginsupportoflocally-based jobcreationinitiatives.
(d^Thetrainingimplicationarisingfromtheintroduction ofnewinfor­
mationtechnologies .
TheCommissionproposesthatamodestprogrammeofshortstudyvisits
besetut)forvocationaltrainingspecialiststoexamineexperience
inotherMemberStates,soastopromotecloserrelationsandbetter
mutualunderstanding betweenthevocationaltrainingsystemsofMember
States.

-33-
67.CONCLUSION
TheCouncilisherebyinvitedtoadopttheproposalssetoutinthis
Communication andtotakenoteoftheirfinancialimplications within
theframeworkoftheannual "budgetaryrulesandproceduresofthe
Community.

VocationalDRAFT RESOLUTION OFTHE COUNCIL
concerning
training policies intheEuropean Communities inthe 1980' s
THE COUNCIL OFTHE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
Having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community ;
Having regard totheDraft Resolution from theCommission ;
Having regard totheopinion oftheEuropean Parliament C1);
Having regard totheopinion oftheEconomic andSocial Committee (2);
Whereas Council Decision 63/266/EEClaid down general
principles fortheimplementation ofacommon vocational training policy (3),
andtheAdvisory Committee onVocational Training hasexpressed itsviews
onthefurther development ofthat policy ;
Whereas theEuropean Council ,atitsmeeting inMarch 1982 ,indicated in
itsconclusions that inorder tocontribute totheprogressive definition
ofaEuropean social policy theMember States would take measures con­
cerning more particularly thevocational training ofyoung people and,
asafirst stepy would strive toensure over thenext 5years that allyoung
persons entering the labour market forthe first time would receive
vocational training orinitial work experience within theframework of
special youth schemes orcontracts ofemployment (4);
Whereas theEuropean Council ,atitsmeeting inJune 1982 ,asked the
Joint Council (Ministers ofFinance ,Economic Affairs andSocial Affairs )
toadopt firm decisions onaproposal from theCommission regarding
specific Community measures tocombat unemployment ,particularly inthe
case ofyoung people (5);
0J1963 ,20.4.1964 ,p.1338 /63
(2)
(3)OJNo62,30April 1963
(4)Bull EC3-1982 ,point 1.3-5 -
(5)Bull EC6-1982 ,"point 1.5.3 "

-2-
WhereastheCouncil/attheendofitsmeetingof27May1982/
adoptedaResolution onCommunityactiontocombatunemployment
underlining theprioritywhichtheCommunityshouldgivetothe
vocationaltrainingandintegrationofyoungpeople(1)/andapproved
afurther Communityactionprogrammeonthepromotionofequal
opportunityforwomen/1982-1985(2);
WhereastheEuropeanParliament on22April1982adopteda
Resolution onyouthunemployment (3),withparticularemphasison
theneedtobringtrainingintolinewithtechnological develop­
mentandongreaterinvolvement ofCommunityfinancialinstruments
.thisinjobcreationprogrammes;whereas'Resolutionreinforcesthe
Resolution onSocialPolicyPrioritiesadoptedbytheEuropean
Parliament (4)andotherResolutions/notablythoserelatingto
aCommunityprogrammeinthefieldofeducation (5)/onlinking
workandtrainingforyoungpersonsintheCommunity (6)/onthe
economic/socialandvocationalintegration ofdisabledpeoplein
theEuropeanCommunity (7)andonmeasurestocombatilliteracy (8);
Reaffirming thatvocationaltrainingisabasicelementofasocial
policydesignedtopermiteachindividualtodevelopandtorealise
hisorherpotentialthroughoutadultlifeandinparticularto
promoteequalopportunities formenandwomen;
Emphasisingtheimportanceofvocationaltrainingpolicies
inordertomasterandexploitthepotentialofthenewinformation
(9)technologies/particularly withaviewtosupportingpoliciesdesigned
topromote j0bcreation/industrialrestructuring andinnovation/
andtherevitalisationofdepressedareas.
(1)OJN°C186,21.7.1982/p.1
(2)OJN°C186,21.7.1982/p.3
(3)OJC125/17.5.1982.p.74
(4)PE74.858
(5)OJN°C87,5.4.1982/p.90
(6)OJN°C77/6.4.1981/p.71
(7)OJN°C77/6.4.1981,p.29
(8)OJN°C149/14.6.1982/p.149
_(9>COM82C296)final

-3-
Confirmingthereforethatfurtherstepsshouldbetakeninliaisonwith
bothsidesofindustry atnationalandCommunityleveltostrengthen
theimplementation ofacommonpolicyonvocationaltraining,welcoming
inthiscontexttheCommission'sCommunication "Thedevelopment of
vocationaltrainingpoliciesintheEuropeanCommunities inthe1980"
andtheguidelines containedtherein.
HEREBYADOPTSTHISRESOLUTION ;
I.Furthertotheprinciples alreadyadoptedinDecision
63/266/EEC,MemberStatesareinvitedtodeveloptheirvocational
trainingpolicies/inparticular
-asaninstrumentofanactiveemploymentpolicydesignedtopromote
economicandsocialdevelopment,
-asameansofensuringforyoungpeopleafullsocialandvocational
preparation foradultresponsibilities andworkinglife,
-asameansofpromotingequalityofopportunity .
II.Inordertoachievetheseobjectives,anincreasedeffortisrequired
byMemberStatestakingaccountoftheresponsibilities ofbothsides
ofindustry:
(i)toimproveboththequalityandthescopeofvocationaltraining
forworkersofallages.Whilstimmediateprioritymaybegiven
toyoungpeopleandthelong-termunemployed,continuingattention
shouldbegiventothetrainingandretraining needsofother
workers,especially thoseatmostriskfromchangesinthelabour
market.

-L-
(ii)Todeveloptrainingprogrammes whichareincreasingly broad-
based,enablingtherecipientstoacquireawiderangeof
practicalskillsdesignedtoassisttheiradaptability to
technological change,toimprovetheirsocialandprofessional
mobility,andtoencouragethemtoplayanactiveandinde-
pendantroleinsociety.
(iii)Toensurethattrainingprogrammesleadtorecognisedqualifi­
cations.Systemsofcertification shouldprovidemaximumflexi­
bilitytofacilitatethedevelopment ofmodularapproaches
totrainingandtomakeallowance,forinstance,fortraining
programmesbasedessentially onpracticalworkexperience.
(iv)Toestablishaneffectiverighttocontinuingvocationaltrain­
ingandretrainingtobeavailabletoallthroughouttheir
workinglife,inparticularbyenCouragingtrainingleave.
Particularattentionshouldbepaidtotheproblemsfacedby
workerslackingthebasicskillsandqualificatiorxsusually
requiredfor.admissiontotrainingprogrammes.
(v)Toexpandthenumberoftrainingprovisionsspecifically
designedtofacilitatetheaccessofwomentooccupations
wheretheyaretraditionally under-represented andtoskilled
jobswithahightechnicalcontent.
(vi)Toensurethattrainingresourcescanbeutilisedinthe
development oflocalinitiatives tostimulateneweconomic
activityandjobcreation.Traininginbusinessandmanagement
skillsandforlaunchingentrepreneurial initiatives shouldbemademore
generallyavailabletofacilitatethecreationofsmallenterprises
includingcooperatives .
(vii)Toimprovethequalityandscopeofthetrainingofinstructors
andvocationalguidancecounsellors,andtopayparticular
attentiontothetrainingneedsoflocaldevelopment agents
andadvisers.

-5-
(vni)Todevelopfurthertheactivecooperation atnationaland
locallevelofallpartiesconcernedinthefieldof
vocationaltrainingincludingpublicauthorities,bothsidesof
industryandvoluntaryagencies.Progressshouldbemade
towardsamoreintegrated conception oftrainingprovisions
atregionalandlocallevel,takingspecialaccountofthe
particular needsofdepressedareas.
III.MemberStatesareinvitedspecifically totakethenecessarymeasures
toensurethat,overthenextfiveyears,allyoungpeoplewhoso
wishmayreceive,asaminimum:
(a)afull-time programmeofsocialandvocational preparation for
workinglifeduringaninitialone-yearperiodimmediately
aftertheendoffull-timecompulsory schooling;
(b)anentitlement totheequivalent ofafurtherone-yearperiodof
vocationaltrainingtobeusedonafull-timeorpart-timebasis
beforereachingtheageof25.
Intheimplementation oftheseobjectives,MemberStateswillfollow
theguidelines regardingtheSocialGuaranteeforyoungpeopleas
setoutbytheCommission initsCommunication .TheCommissionis
invitedtoprepareacomparative reviewoftheprogressachievedby
MemberStatesintimeforpresentation duringtheInternational
YouthYear•in*1985,andafurtherreportattheendofafive
yearperiod.
IV.TheCouncilinvitestheCommission topursueitsactiondesignedto
encourageinnovation andthequalitative improvement oftraining
systemsinMemberStates:
(a)bysettingcertaincommongoalsorguidelinesinordertorespond
totheneedforgreaterconvergence ofpoliciesinthisfield
whilstatthesamerecognising thediversityoftrainingsitua­
tionsintheMemberStates,andtheneedforflexibleCommunity
action;

Cb)bycontributing toraisingthequalityoftrainingprovisions by
settingaframeworkwhichcouldserveasapointofreferencefor
relevantactivitiesoftheEuropeanSocialFund;
(c)byfosteringexperiment whichcanhelpilluminatenational
policiesandpracticesthroughamoreorganisedprocessfor
exchanging andanalysingexperienceatCommunitylevel;
(d)byextendingthearrangements forthedissemination ofinforma­
tionandexperiencebetweenMemberStatesforthebenefitofboth
policy-makers andpractitioners ,asameansofdrawingattention
tothequalityofpromisingtraininginitiatives forwiderapplication .
TheCouncilencouragestheCommissiontocarryouttheseriesofactions
setoutinitsCommunication ,regardingthefollowingthreepriority
spheresofcommonconcern:
(a)thesocialandvocationalpreparation ofyoungpeopleforadult
lifeandforentryintothelabourmarketintheperiodfollowing
theendoffull-timecompulsoryeducation (whichinmostMember
Statesoccursat16yearsofage)uptotheageof18,coupled
withtheintensification oftrainingmeasuresforyoungpeople
upto25yearsofageasanintegralpartofanoverallsocial
andemploymentpolicy;
(b)trainingaspectsofstrategiesforgreaterequalityofopportunity,
withparticularreferencetotheimprovementofbasicskillsandto
thedesegregation ofthelabourmarketthroughpositiveactionto
promotetheparticipation ofwomenintrainingprogrammes;and
(c)theconceptionandharnessingoftrainingmeasurestosupportsocial
andeconomicdevelopment,andinparticulartheprocessofjob
creation,atlocalandregionallevels,andtheimprovement of
guidanceandsupportforallworkersfacingtheproblemsofchange
andtransitionincludingthoseapproaching theperiodofretirement.
TheCommissionisrequestedtoinformtheCouncilperiodically ofprogress
madeintheimplementation oftheseactions.
ThefinancingofthemeasurestobeimplementedatCommunitylevelshall
beprovidedintheframeworkoftherulesandproceduresgoverningthe
Communitybudget.

FINANCIAL DATASHEET
TheCommunity measuressetoutintheCommunication totheCouncilshould
befullyoperational intheperiod1984-1989.Thepreparatory workwhich
willincludefinalisingdetailsoftheexperimenta I,demonstration and
pilotprojectsandestablishing theinteractive networkswillbecarried
outin1983and1984.
Itisenvisagedthatthenetworksofexperimental ,demonstration and
pilotprojectswillbefinancedwithintheframeworkoftheSocialFund
eitherundertheexistingprovisionsforESFpilotprojectsandstudies
andregularintervention (chapters60-62oftheBudget),or,subjectto
eventualdecisionbytheCouncil,underthetermsofArticle3(2)ofthe
Commission'sdraftforaCouncilDecisionrevisingthetasksofthe
EuropeanSocialFund,whichproposesthesettingupofaseparatesection
oftheFundforspecificinnovatory operations .Ontheassumption thatthe
financingwillbemadewithintheexistingprovisions oftheSocialFund,
TableA,Section 1indicatesthespecificlinesconcerned.When,however,
theCommission'sproposalsforthereformoftheFundareadoptedbythe
Council,itisassumedthatthefinancing wouldbemadefromwithinthe
specialsectionoftheFundforspecificinnovatory operations .
Sofarastheotherrelatedactivities areconcerned,expenditure willbe
carriedoutunderthebudgetheadingofArticle6330forCommunityacti­
vitiesrelatingtovocationaltrainingandguidance.
Provisional estimatesregardingexpenditure forthenetworksofexperi­
mental,demonstration andpilotprojectsaswellasfortheotherrelated
activities arepresentedhereafterinTableA(in1982ECU).TableBshows
thedistribution ofprojectsoverthedurationoftheperiod1984-1989.

?'V
'TABLEA~PROVISIONAL ESTIMATES FORTHEPERIOD1984-1989 (in1982ECU;inOOOECU)
NETWORKS OFEXPERIMENTAL ,DEMONSTRATION ANDPILOTPROJECTS
A.Extensionofdemonstration projectsonLinkedworkandtraining
(para.26-27and34(c))(Line6010)
B.EstabLishment ofagroupofprojectstoassistinthedevelopment
oftraining/production workshops (para.28and34<d))(Line620)
C.Setofdemonstration projectstoimprovebasicskilLsofadults
withparticular referencetoproblemsfacedbylong-term
unemployed (para.39and41)(line620)
D.Supportofasetofsmallscaleinnovatoryprojectsinrelation
totrainingforparticular groupsofwomen(para.45and49(c))(line 62i
E.Supportofexperiment andpilotschemesoftrainingfor
development (para.53and61)(line6100)
TOTALI0)1984
170
170
115
85
2001985 1986 1987 1988
8300850087008700
3570677067703800
830013500135006000
44255800 58002200
4200600060003500
7401989
450
200
300
200
300
287954067040770242001450
II.OTHERACTIVITIES RELATED TOTHEIMPLEMENTATION OFTHECOUNCIL
RESOLUTION (Article633)
A.ReviewsandStudiesinregardtopriorityissues
'1.Monitoring ofprogressachievedbyMemberStatesinthe
buildingupoftheircapacitytocaterforallyoungpeople
(para.34(e))
2.Examination ofthepossibleuseofmultimediasystemsto
increasebasicskilLsforadults(para.29and41)
3.Analysisoftheemergingtrainingrequirements ofdevelopment
agentsandothertrainingspecialists (para.54and62)
4.Reviewoftrendsandprovisionsforenablingolderworkersto
playanactiveroleinCommunityfollowingretirement
(para.57and63)
5.Reviewoftrainingentitlements foradultsinMemberStates
includingprovisionsforpaidleave(para.58and64)
TOTALII(A)100
60
30
40
60140
60
70
60
60190
40'170 190
>pm<
pm«
80
50pm«
■pm•200
290 390 360

-2-
198419851986 19871988 1989
II.OTHERACTIVITIES RELATEDTOTHEIMPLEMENTATION OFTHECOUNCILRESOLUTION
Β.TechnicalassistancetoMemberStatesinregardtopriorityissues
1.
(Article
633)Technicalassistancefortheevaluation andplanningoftraining
provisionswithaparticularfocusonthoseregionswherethe
traininginfrastructure isweakekened bythelackofindustrial
development (para.53-55and60) 90120150 130170 pm
(Article^*
633)Technicalassistancefortheinterprofessional trainingof
trainers,vocationalguidanceadvisorsanddevelopment agentsin
supportofsmallscaleemploymentcreation(para.51)· 50-150 150
TOTAL1KB) 90170300 280
II.C.Interchange anddissemination (Artirlp
1.
1Establishment ofaprogrammeofexchangevisitsbytraining
specialists forthoseinvolvedinnewschemesoflinkedworkand
training(para.34(g)) 5090120 140 8060 !
2.
¡Exchangeofinformation andexperienceinrelationtopromising
traininginitiatives forwomen(para.49(c)) 457090 9060 50
3.Poolinganddissemination onthemaintrainingdevelopments to
policy-makers (para.65) 120140170 170140 140
4.
IProgrammeofshort-studyvisitsforvocationaltraining
specialists (para.66) 70150200 200200 180
*
I
TOTAL11(C)285450580 600480 430
ι
TOTALII(A)+(B)+(C)66510101240

TableB:NUMBEROPPROJECTS TOBESETUPOVER
THEPERIOD1984-1989
A.Networkofprojectsonlinkedwork
andtrainingforyoungpeoplein
the18-25agegroup.
Para.26-27and34(c)1984 1985 1986 IL987 1988 1989
Preparatory
work30 30 30 30 Evaluation
B.Networkofprojectstoserveas
demonstration modelsforthe
development oftraining/produo-
tioninitiatives .II■10(Phasel)>10
,10(Phase2)10-
10Evaluation
Phase1
10 Eval.Phase2
Para.28and34(d) 10 20 20 10
C.Networkofprojectstoserveas
demonstration modelsfortheim-
provementof"basicskillstrai­
ningforadults.II30(Phasel)30
20(Phase2)30
20Evaluation
Phase1
20 Eval.Phase2
Para.39and41 30 50 50 20
D.Networkofprojectstoimprove
thetrainingandaccesstowork
ofwomen.
Para.45and49(o)II 15(Phasel)15
5(Phase2)15
5Evaluation
Phase1
'5 Eval.Phase2
15 20 20 5
Σ.Experiment andpilotschemesof
trainingfordevelopment.
Para.53and61II15 15
5(Phaee2)15
5Evaluation
5 Eval.Phase2
15 20 20 5

OifunlJniirn.iloftheF.uropeanCommunities 2$
AnnexI
MM 'OFFICIALJOURNALOFTHF.F.UHOI'F.ANCOMMUNITIES 2D.AM
COUNCILDECISION
of2April1963
layingdowngeneralprinciplesforimplementing acommonvocationaltrainingpolicy
(M/2I>6/F.FC)
IMICOI'NOI.OFTUF.FUROPF.AN ICONOMIC.
COMMUNI1Y,
t .
Il.ivin^regardtotheTreatyestablishingtheF.uro-
peanFconomicCommunity,andinparticularArticle
12Hthereof;
Havingregardtothepropos.ilfromtheCommission ;
ILivingregardtotheOpinionofthelYonomicand
SocialCommittee ;
ILivingregardtotheOpinionoftheFuropeanPar-
11.11111-111';
Whereas,inordertofulfiltheobligationimposedon
thembytheTreaty,toensurethemaintenanceofa
highlevelofemploymentthroughtheireconomic
polities.MemberStatesshouldtakeappropriateac­
tiontoadapttheskillsoftheirlabourforcesto
changesinthegeneraleconomicsituationandto.
changesinproductiontechnology;
Whereasagainstthebackgroundoftherapidim­
plementationofthecommonmarketandincon­
junctionwiththeco-ordination ofregionalpolicies
andtheprogressiveachievementofacommonagri­
culturalpolicv,thestructuralchangeswhichareat
presenttakingplaceincertaineconomicsectorsraise
urginrproblemsofvocationaltrainingandretraining;
Whereasacommonvocationaltrainingpolicywhich,
inaccordancewithArticle12XoftheTreaty,can
contributetotheharmoniousdevelopmentbothof
thenationaleconomiesandofthecommonmarket
shouldVedefinedinthelightofthegeneralobjec­
tivesoftheTreaty,andinparticularthePreamble
andArticle2thereof;
»OJNo31,26.4.m2.p.1014/62.Whereastheimplementation ofaneffectivecommon
vocationaltrainingpolicywillhelptobringabout
freedomofmovementforworkers;
Whereasthefreedomofchoiceofoccupation,place
oftrainingandplaceofworkwhichisthefundamen­
talrightofeverypersonshouldberespected;
Whereaseverypersonshould,duringthedifferent
stagesofbisworkinglife,beabletoreceiveadequate
basicandadvancedtraining,andanynecessaryvo­
cationalretraining;
Whereasthegeneralprinciplesforimplcmcntinc a
tommonvocationaltrainingpolityshouldappKto
allvocationaltrainingofyoungpersonsandadults
whomightbeoralreadyareemployedinpostsupto
supervisorylevel;andwhereasspecialimportance
shouldbeartachcdtothebasicandadvancedtraining
ofteachersandinstructors;
f . •
Whereasthe.attainmentoftheobjectivessetoutin
thefollowinggeneralprinciplesrequiresnotonlythat
actionbetakenatanationallevel,butalsothatrhe
Commission beenabledtoproposeappropriate
measures,tindertheTreaty,totheCouncilorto
theMemberStates;andwhereasthiswillentail
closeco-operationbothbetweenMemberStatesand
betweenMemberStatesandthecompetentinstitutions
oftheCommunity;
Whereasitisdesirabletoensure,inparticularbyset­
tingupanAdvisoryCommitteeattachedtotheCom­
mission,co-operationbetweenthosepublicandpri­
vatebodieswithintheMemberStateswhicharepar­
ticularlyconcernedwith'problemsofvocational
training;
Whereasthefollowinggeneralprinciplesarerelevant
topresenteconomicandsocialconditionsinthe
Community;andwhereastheymaysubsequentlybe
amplifiedprogressively inthelightofchangingre­
quirementswithintheCommunity ;

OfficialJttiirn.ilofIlieFuropcanCommunities
HASDECIDEDASFOLLOWS :
Thefollowinggeneralprinciplesforimplementing a
commonvocationaltrainingpolicyarcherebyestab­
lished:
Firstprinciple
Acommonvocationaltrainingpolicymeansacoher­
entanilprogressivecommonactionwhichentails
thateachMemberStateshalldrawupprogrammes
andshallensurethattheseareputintoeffectinac~
conlanccwiththegeneralprinciplescontainedinthis
Decisionandwiththeresultingmeasurestakentoap-
plithem.
Thegeneralprinciplesmustenableeverypersonto
receiveadequatetraining,withdueregardforfree­
domofchoiceofoccupation,placeoftrainingand
placeofwork. .t ■
Thesegeneralprinciplesmustdealwiththetraining
ofyoungpersonsandadultswhomightbeoralready
arcemployedinpostsuptosupervisorylevel.j
ItshallbetheresponsibilityoftheMemberStates
andthecompetentinstitutionsoftheCommunityto
applysuchgeneralprincipleswithintheframework
oftheTreatv.
Secondprinciple
Thecommonvocationaltrainingpolicyshallhave
thefollowingfundamentalobjectives:
(a)Tobringaboutconditionsrhatwillguarantee
adequatevocationaltrainingforall;
(b)Toorganiseinduecoursesuitabletrainingfacili­
tiestosupplythelabourforcesrequiredinthe
differentsectorsnfeconomicactiviry;
(c)Tobroadenvocationaltrainingonthebasisofa
generaleducation,toanextentsufficienttoen­
couragetheharmoniousdevelopmentoftheper­
sonalityandtomeetrequirementsarisingfrom
tCiliuK.ilprogress,newmethodsofproduction
amisocialandeconomicdevelopments ;
;d)Toenableever*persontuacquirethetechnical
knowledgeandskillnecessarytopursueagiven
occupationandtoreachthehighestpossiblelevel
oftraining,whilstEncouraging,particularlyas
regardsyoungpersons,intellectualandphysical
advancement,civiceducationandphysicaldevel­
opment;
{ejToavoidanyharmfulinterruptioneitherbetween
completionofgeneraleducationandcommence­
mentofvocationaltrainingorduringthelatter;(f)Topromotebasicandadvanced^nationaltrain­
ingand,whereappropriate,retraining,suitable
forthevariousstagesofworkinglife;
(g)Tooffertoeveryperson,accordingtohisincli­
nationsandcapabilities,workingknowledgeand
experience,andbymeansofpermanentfacilities
forvocationaladvancement,theopportunityto
gainpromotionortoreceiveinstructionfora
newandhigherlevelofactivity;
(h)Torelatecloselythedifferentformsofvocational
iraiuingjothevarioussectorsoftheeconomvso
that,ontluonehand,vocationaltrainingbest
meetsboththeneedsoftheeconomyandthein­
terestsofthetraineesand.ontheotherhand,
problemspresentedbyvocationaltrainingreceive
theattentionwhichtheydeserveinbusinessand
professionalcircleseverywhere.
.Thirdprinciple
Whenthecommonvocationaltrainingpolicyisput
intooperation,specialimportanceshallbeattached:
–■–toforecastsandestimates,atbothnationaland
Communitylevels,ofthequantitativeandquali­
tativerequirementsofworkersinthevarious
productiveactivities;
–toapermanentsystemofinformationamiguid
anccorvocationaladvice,for\oungpeopleand
adults,basedontheknowledgeofindividual
capabilities,trainingfacilitiesandemploymentop­
portunities,operatingincloseco-operation with
theproductiveanddistributivesectors'ofthe
economy,vocationaltrainingservues'and
schools;
–'totheopportunityforeverypersontohave
recoursetothesystemprovidedforaboveatany
timebefore"choosinghisoccupation,duringhis
vocationaltrainingandthroughouthisworking
life.\
Fourthprinciple
Inconformitywiththesegeneralprinciplesandinor­
dertoattaintheobjectivesstatedtherein,theCont-_
missionmayproposetotheCoumilortotheMem­
berStates,undertheTreaty,suchappropriate
measuresasmayappeartohenecessary.
Moreover,incloseco-operation withtheMember
Stares,theCommissionshallcarryoutanystudies
andresearchinthefieldofvocationaltrainingwhich
willensureattainmentofacommonpolicy,in
particularwithaviewtopromotingemployment
facilitiesandthegeographical andoccupational
mobilityofworkerswithin'theCommunity.
Furthermore,itshalldrawupalistoftrainingfacili­
tiesintheMemberStatesandcomparethemwith

OfficialJiiurii.ilofthel'uropeanCommunities
existingrequirementswithaviewtodetermining
what.111ionsinrecommendtotheMemberStates,
in.IK.inn;;anorderofprioritywherenecessary;
shouldtheoccasionarise,itshallencouragethecon­
clusionofbilateralormultilateralagreements .
TheCommissionshallfollowthedevelopmentof
Michmeasure*,compjrctheresultsthereofandbring
themtothenoticeoftheMemberStates.
Whentarryingoutthetasksassignedtoitinthefield
ofvocationaltraining,theCommission shallhe
assistedbyatripartiteadvisorycommittee,whose
compositionandrulesshallbelaiddownbythe
CouncilafterreceivingtheOpinionoftheCom­
mission.
Fifthprinciple
Inordertopromoteawiderknowledgeofallthe
f.ictsandpublicationsconcerningthestateanddevel­
opmentofvocationaltrainingwithintheCommunity,
aniltohelpkeepcurrentteachingmethodsupto
^date,theCommissionshalltalceallsuitablestepsto
inlltii.distributeandexchangeanyusefulinfor-
in.HMD,Iitt-i.itureandtc.iihingmaterialamongthe
MemberStates.Itshallensureinparticularthe
s>stem.iticdistributionofliteraturerelatingtoinno­
vationsalrcadvinuseorto-beintroduced .For
theirpart,theMemberStatesshallgivetheCom­
missionallthenecessaryhelpandsupporttocarry
outthesevarioustasksand,inparticular,shallpro­
videanyusefulinformationconcerningthe-present
stateanddevelopmentofnationalsystemsof
vocationaltraining.
Sixthprinciple
Inco-operationwiththeMemberStales,theCom­
missionshallencouragesuchdirectexchangesofex­
perienceinthefieldofvocationaltrainingasarelikely
toenabletheservicesresponsibleforvocational
trainingandspecialistsinsuchfieldtoacquaint
themselveswithandstudytheachievementsandnew
developments intheothercountriesoftheCommunity
inmattersofvocationaltraining.
Suchexchangesshallbebroughtaboutinparticular
bymeansofstud)seminarsandbyprogrammesof
'visitsandstaysatvocationaltraininginstitutions.
Seventhprinciple
Thesuitabletrainingofteachersandinstructors,
whosenumbersshouldbeincreasedandwhosetech-'
nicalandteachingskillsshouldbedeveloped,shall
heoneofthebasicfactorsofanyeffectivevocational *
trainingpolicy.
MemberStatesshall,withtheassistanceoftheCom­
missionwherenecessary,encourageanymeasureswhicharclikelytocontributetotheimprovement
anddevelopmentofsuchtraining,inparticular
measurestoensureacontinuingadjustmenttopro­
gressintheeconomicandtechnicalfields.
Thetrainingofinstructorsrecruitedamongspecially
qualifiedworkersshallbeencouraged.Harmftnis-
ationofinstructortrainingshallbesought:allex­
changesofexperienceandothersimilarappropriate
means,andinparticularthosementionedintheSixth
Principle,maybeusedtowardssuchharmonisation .
-SpecialmeasuresshallbetakenintheCommunity
countriestopromotethebasictrainingandadvanced
trainingofteachersandinstructorsforworkin«he
lessfavouredregionsoftheCommunityandindevel­
opingStatesandterritories,inparticularthoseas­
sociatedwiththeCommunirv .
/
Eighthprinciple
Thecommonvocationaltrainingpolicymust,inpar­
ticular,besoframedastoenablelevelsoftrainingto
beharmonisedprogressively .
*
Inco-operationwiththeMemberStatestheCom­
missionshall,accordingtorequirements ,drawupin
respectofthevariousoccu'pationswhichcallfor
specifictrainingastandardiseddescriptionofthebasic
qualificationsrequiredatvariouslevelsoftraining.
,Onthisbasis,harmonisation ofthestandardsre­
quiredforsuccessinfinalexaminations shouldhe
sought,withaviewtothemutualrecognitionofcer­
tificatesandotherdocumentsconfirmingcompletion
ofvocationaltraining;
.S
TheMemberStatesandtheCommission shallen­
couragetheholdingofEuropeancompetitionsand
examinations .
Ninthprinciple
Inordertocontributetoth(*achievementofanover­
allbalancebetweenthesupplyofanddemandfof
labourwithintheCommunity,andtaking'into
accounttheforecastsmadeforthispurpose,the
MemberStatesandtheCommissionmayco-opcratc
intakingadequatesteps,inparticularwhendrawing
upsuitabletrainingprogrammes .
Suchstepsandprogrammesmustaimattherapid
trainingofadultsandvocationalretraining,taking
intoaccountthesituationscausedbyeconomicex­
pansionorrecession,technologicalandstructural

OfficialJournaloftheLuropeanCommunities
changesandthetpccialrequirementsofcertainoccu­
pationsoccupationalcategoriesorspecificregions.
Tcntliprincipie
Intheapplication «»fthegeneralprinciplesolthe
commonvocationaltrainingpolicy,particularatten­
tionshallhegiventothespecialproblemsconcerning
specificsectorsofactivityorspecificcategoriesof
persons;specialmeasuresmayhetakeninthisre­
spect.MeaMtrestakenwithaviewtoattainingthe<»h|cc-
tivesofthecommonvocationaltrainingpolicymay
hejointlyfinancej.
DoneatBrussels,2April1963.
FortheCouncil
TherrcsUcnl
EugeneSCHAUS

AnnexII
OpinionoftheAdvisoryCommitteeonVocationalTrainingon
theframeworkofproposalsforactionatCommunitylevel
containedinthediscussionpaper"VocationalTrainingin
the1980's",presented "bytheCommission'sservices
TheAdvisoryCommitteeforVocationalTraining,ataplenarysession
heldon12/13May1982,
-havingregardtoArticles118,125and128oftheEECTreaty;
-havingregardtotheDecisionoftheCouncilof2April1963^^
layingdowngeneralguidelinesforimplementing acommon
vocationaltrainingpolicy;
-takingintoaccounttheconclusionsofthePresidencyofthe
EuropeanCouncilmeetingof29/30March1982^),andthe
conclusionsofthejointCouncilmeetingofMinistersof
EconomicAffairs,FinanceandSocialAffairsofJune1981(3)j
-takingintoaccounttheimportanceplaced "bytheEuropean
Parliamentonvocationaltraining^)j
-takingintoaccountthediscussionsinitsownplenarysessions
andworkinggroups;
-havingregardtotheanalysisandtheframeworkofproposalsfor
Communityactioncontainedinthediscussionpaperon"Vocational
(5Traininginthe1980's",presentedbytheCommission'sservices *
isoftheopinionthat:
(i)whereastrainingisnotapanaceaforsolvingallemployment
andsocialproblems,itmust"bedevelopedaspartofatotal
strategyinattackingtheproblemofunemployment andbe
coherentwithothersectoralpolicies#Moreover,differingcondi­
tionsintheMemberStatesmaynecessitatedifferentstrategiesand
ÔJKo63of20.4.1963 emphases
[3)BulletinoftheE.C.6/1981,point1.3*3
4)EP74.712of17.9.1982and5464/82of11.3.1982
5)V/576/62of19.4.1982

-2-
(ii)traininghasseveralfunctions *
-asaninstrumentofanintelligent andactiveemployment
policy|thuscreatingmoreefficientindustryandcommeroe
forthecreationofwealth;
-itcancontributetowardsstimulating growth
andinvestmentinareasofdecline.
Althoughtrainingmaynotdirectlycreatejots,itmay
triggeroffnewthinkingandmotivationleadingtocreation
ofjobs;
-asaninstrumentofsocialpolicytoencourageperso­
naladvancement "bytheprovisionofopportunities for
continuingeducationandtrainingjtoenablepeopletocopewith
socialandeconomicconditions,andtoensuretheirparticipation
inademocraticsociety;
(iii)trainingstrategiesshouldalsofocusontheneeds
ofspecificriskgroups:
-youngpeoplemustberegardedasavitalpriority.Inaddition,
however,industryandcommerceshouldalsoconcentrate
onotherriskgroupsandthustakeinaccountthetraining
needsofadultworkers;
-thequalityoftrainingofskilledworkersmustcon­
tinuallybeimproved;
-moreattentionisalsoneededtotrainingprovisionsforthe
long-termunemployed;
-theneedsofwomenandtheirequalrightsofaccessto
andparticipation invocationaltrainingshouldreceive
continuingspecialattention;
-abalancedandflexibleapproachisessential,especially
onaccountoftheimpactofdemographic changes,andof
thepatternofeconomicdevelopmentintheCommunityas
awholeintheyearsahead;

-3-
(iv)itisnecessarytoestablishcloserlinksbetweenthe
differentstagesofeducationandvocationaltraining!
includingthepreparationofyoungpeopleinthefinal
yearsofcompulsoryeducationforadultandworkinglife;
-"bridgesbetweenschoolandtheworldofworkandsociety
generallyneedtobemultiplied ;
-provisionshouldbemadeforaperiodoftransition
involvingthesocialandvocationalpreparationofall
youngpeople,intheperiodaftertheendofcompulsory
schoolinguptotheageof18years;
-itisalsonecessarytoencouragecooperation between
teachersconcernedwiththefinalperiodofcompulsory
education,the16-18agegroup,andthoseconcerned
withadultvocationaltraining.Practicalsupportfor
thesegroupsoftrainingpersonnelisessential.Of
greaterimportancehoweveristhecollaboration between
groupsofteacherswithexperienceinindustry,andwhoare
familiarwithitsproblems.Suchcollaboration shouldbeen­
couraged.Thereisaneedforpilotprojectsinnewformsof
training,andtheemploymentofstaffengagedinproviding
abroadlybasedvocationaltraining;
-constantrenewalofthecontentoftrainingisessential,
andonlyfeasibleifcontinuinginvestmentismadeinthe
qualityoftrainingofthetrainers;
(v)theconceptofasocialguaranteeforyoungpeopleunderthe
ageof18,withaviewtoremovingthethreatofunemployment ,
wasbroadlyaccepted,buildingonexistingprovisionsfor
combinations ofeducationandtraining,linkedworkand
training,workexperienceandotherformsofsocialservice.
Somegovernmentandemployers'representatives stressedthat
thisshouldnotimplyanylegalobligationorentitlement *
-theCommitteeunderlinedtheimportanceofyoungpeople
decidingforthemselveswhethertheywishedtotakeup
thefurthereducationandtrainingopportunities offered,
andofdecidingforthemselveswhichcombinations they
wishtofollow:\
-itisalsocruciallyimportanttodevelopaspiritof
partnership basedonconcertation betweengovernments ,

-4-
employersandtradeunions,todevelopthenecessary
provisions,inpartioular "bystrengthening thecapacity
ofvocationaltrainingsystemstocaterforallyoung
persons;
(vi)whereastheCommitteeisscepticalaboutregionalmaster
plansforthedevelopmentofvocationaltraining,itstrongly
advocatessupportingoperationalinitiativesatlocaland
regionallevels,to"bedefinedasappropriatewithineach
MemberState,aswellastheintroduction ofmeasuresto
ensurethateducationandtrainingdimensionsareintegrated
witheconomicandindustrialeffortsatregionalandlocal
levels,andcloselycoordinatedwithnationaltraining
policiesandprogrammes.TheSooialPartnersshouldbe
closelyassociatedwithsuchintegratedplanningmeasures;
(vii)thefinancingoftrainingandofnewinitiativesisof
crucialimportance.Thedispersalofscarceresourcesshould
"beavoided,soastoenabletheirconcentration onselected
priorityobjectives.TheCommitteealsoadvocatesthe
examinationofthepossibilityoftrade-offs,bytransferring
resourceswithinnationalbudgets,withaviewtoreinforcing
vocationaltrainingpoliciesandprovisions ^
(viii){lieAdvisoryCommitteewelcomedthepriorityattentionthe
Commissionintendstogivetothefollowingissues:
(a)thesocialandvocationalpreparationofyoungpeople,after
theendoffull-timecompulsoryeducationuptotheageof
18years,foradultandworkinglife;
(b)traininginsupportofjobcreationschemesaslocallevel,
aswellasinthepromotionofsocialandeconomicdevelop­
mentindisadvantaged areas;and

-5-
(c)trainingasaninstrumentinimprovingequalopportunities
insociety.
(ix.);TheAdvisoryCommitteeemphasisedthatindevelopingactions
inthesepriorityfields,theCommissionshouldreinforceits
roleinthefollowingways:
–asacatalysttofosterinnovationanddevelopment whioh
willhelptheadjustmentofnationaltrainingpolicies
totheneweconomicandsocialsituation;
-"byencouragingexperimental projectswithaviewto
speedingupthedevelopmentofeffectivemodelsfor
action;
–"byinformingandcirculatinginformation and.dataon
trainingactivities;
-"byenhanoingthevalueofexperienceandgoodpractioe "by
facilitating theexchangeandtransferofinformationto
thebenefitofall.
Inthisregard,theAdvisoryCommitteestressestheimportance
ofensuringlinkagewithnationalpoliciesandwithpromising
initiatives andmachinerysetupinMemberStates.Rirther,
theAdvisoryCommitteeunderlinestheneedoffindingmore
efficientwaysofdisseminating information on.policiesand
practicesandfacilitating exchangeswithinamutualinter­
activeprocessinrelationinparticulartotheexperiences
drawnfrompilotexperimentsatCommunitylevel.
(x)TheCommunityactionsto"bedevelopedinthevocational
trainingfield,especiallyinrespectofthesocialand
vocationalpreparationofyoungpeopleundertheageof18,
shouldbereflectedinthereformoftheEuropeanSocial
Fund,takingintoaccountalsotheimportanceofdeveloping

-6-
closerlinkswiththeoperationoftheEuropeanRegional
Development Fund,andofotherCommunityfinancialinstruments.
(xi)TheCommitteewelcomestheCommission'sintentiontokeepit
closelyinformedofdevelopments inthesefieldsandtoprovide
adviseonaregularbasisconcerningtheprogressachievedin
implementing theactionsproposed.
(xii)TheCommitteerequeststheCommissiontotakethisopinioninto
accountintheformulation ofitsproposalsforsubmissionto
theCouncil.