WRITTEN QUESTION E-1514/98

by Helena Torres Marques (PSE) to the Commission

(13 May 1998)

Subject: Leonardo programme and women

At the 1997 meeting of the Commissioners' Working Party on Equal Opportunities, Commissioner Edith Cresson highlighted the role played by women in education and in training programmes, particularly the Leonardo programme, and announced that she intended to publish the results of an assessment of mainstreaming in these programmes in the course of 1997.

Can the Commission forward the results of that assessment?

Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission

(12 June 1998)

It should be noted that the Leonardo da Vinci programme provides funding for projects dealing with positive action in equal opportunities under two specific measures (I.1.1.d and II.1.1.d). It also encourages the mainstreaming of equal opportunities, through the stimulation of equal opportunity aspects in other projects. In 1997, 24 equal opportunities projects were funded under these measures for a total of 3.5 MECU. Another 8 projects financed under other measures include a strong equal opportunities element.

The content of the projects can be summarised under four main areas:

- Training for female jobs-seekers. These projects focus on the development of training materials designed to deliver either core skills or an appropriate vocational qualification;

- Training for women in employment. The majority of these projects address cross-sectoral issues like career-planning and design of gender-sensitive training methodologies;

- Training for young women. Most of these projects address women in initial vocational training and focus on career guidance and on encouragement to enter into new professional areas;

- Projects geared to training and work structures. These projects aim to incorporate equal opportunities policy into both vocational training processes and companies. They therefore mainly address the managers of these processes.

In other words, there is an emphasis on awareness-raising and skills development amongst trainees, trainers and management.

In addition to the two specific equal opportunities measures, the concept of mainstreaming which has gradually been gaining importance in all Community policy areas is consistently reflected in the Leonardo da Vinci programme. In the annual call for proposals promoters are asked to specify in their applications the expected impact of their projects in terms of equal opportunities between men and women. Additional attention has been drawn to mainstreaming equal opportunities in the current Leonardo da Vinci call for proposals, paragraph II.E: "... the Commission will particularly favour good quality proposals focusing on equal opportunities (over and above the specific measures in the programme) ..."(1). In all active monitoring and promotional activities the issue is highlighted both orally and in writing. A transnational seminar on equal opportunities in vocational training was held in Finland from 16-17 January 1998, bringing together promoters and experts active in this field from all over Europe. One of the mainstreaming issues discussed concerned ways in which business support agencies could recognise the distinctive potential of women to be business owners.

Proposals are now being systematically evaluated for gender impact, but despite all efforts it is obvious that the concept of mainstreaming is still not well understood by promoters as a whole. This means that it is difficult to provide relevant statistics on the uptake of mainstreaming in the programme. A similar conclusion can also be drawn from an examination of the recently submitted national action plans for employment where there is still little evidence of concrete applications of the concept of mainstreaming. Preparations for the follow-up to the Leonardo da Vinci programme do, of course, take into account the need to develop further understanding of this issue.

(1) OJ C 372, 9.12.1997.