Communication from the Commission - Making a European Area of Lifelong Learning a Reality - "When planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When planning for life, train and educate people." Chinese proverb: Guanzi (c. 645BC)
Date: 2001-11-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU action, European citizenship, European social policy, continuing education, education, teaching, vocational training

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 21.11.2001
COM(2001) 678 final

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION

Making a European Area of Lifelong Learning a Reality

“When planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When
planning for life, train and educate people.” Chinese proverb: Guanzi (c. 645BC)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................... 3

1.

1.1.

1.2.

1.3.

1.4.

1.5.

2.

3.

3.1.

3.2.

3.3.

3.4.

3.5.

3.6.

4.

4.1.

4.2.

4.3.

4.4.

5.

Introduction.............................................................................................................. 6

The context .............................................................................................................. 6

The European-wide consultation............................................................................... 7

A European area of lifelong learning ........................................................................ 8

What do we mean by lifelong learning?.................................................................... 9

Structure of the document......................................................................................... 9

Coherent and comprehensive lifelong learning strategies ........................................ 10

Priorities for action................................................................................................. 15

Valuing learning ..................................................................................................... 15

Information, guidance and counselling ................................................................... 17

Investing time and money in learning ..................................................................... 18

Bringing together learners and learning opportunities ............................................. 20

Basic skills ............................................................................................................. 22

Innovative pedagogy .............................................................................................. 23

Driving forward the agenda .................................................................................... 25

A lifelong learning framework................................................................................ 25

Building on achievements at European level........................................................... 26

Indicators ............................................................................................................... 27

Maintaining the momentum.................................................................................... 28

Next steps............................................................................................................... 29

Annexes

Annex 1 – Proposals in relation to research and evaluation

Annex 2 – Glossary

2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Feira European Council in June 2000 asked the Member States, the Council and
the Commission, within their areas of competence, to “identify coherent strategies and
practical measures with a view to fostering lifelong learning for all”. This mandate
confirms lifelong learning as a key element of the strategy, devised at Lisbon, to make
Europe the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based society in the world.

People are at the heart of this Communication. Over 12,000 citizens contributed to the
consultation which was initiated by the Commission’s Memorandum on Lifelong
Learning, issued in November of last year. The feedback highlighted only too clearly
the enormity of the challenges ahead. Economic and social changes associated with
the transition to a knowledge-based society present the European Union and its
citizens with both benefits – in terms of increased opportunities for communication,
travel and employment, and risks – not least relating to higher levels of inequality and
social exclusion. The scale of such changes calls for a radical new approach to
education and training. Moreover, the current uncertain economic climate places
renewed emphasis and importance on lifelong learning. Traditional policies and
institutions are increasingly ill-equipped to empower citizens for actively dealing with
technology and
the consequences of globalisation, demographic change, digital
environmental damage. Yet people, their knowledge and competences are the key to
Europe’s future.

A European area of lifelong learning

This Communication contributes to the establishment of a European area of lifelong
learning, the aims of which are both to empower citizens to move freely between
learning settings, jobs, regions and countries, making the most of their knowledge and
competences, and to meet the goals and ambitions of the European Union and the
candidate countries to be more prosperous, inclusive, tolerant and democratic.

This development will be facilitated by bringing together within a lifelong learning
framework education and training, and important elements of existing European level
processes, strategies and plans concerned with youth, employment, social inclusion,
and research policy. This does not imply a new process, nor can it involve the
harmonisation of laws and regulations. Rather,
it calls for more coherent and
economical use of existing instruments and resources, including through the use of the
open method of coordination. In order to achieve the Lisbon aim of a knowledge-
based society, close links will be established between the European area of lifelong
learning and the European research area, particularly with a view to raising the
interest of young people in science and technology careers.

What is lifelong learning?

Responses to the consultation on the Memorandum called for a broad definition of
lifelong learning that is not limited to a purely economic outlook or just to learning
for adults. In addition to the emphasis it places on learning from pre-school to post-
retirement, lifelong learning should encompass the whole spectrum of formal, non-
formal and informal learning. The consultation also highlighted the objectives of
learning, including active citizenship, personal fulfilment and social inclusion, as well
as employment-related aspects. The principles which underpin lifelong learning and

3

guide its effective implementation emphasise the centrality of the learner,
importance of equal opportunities and the quality and relevance of
opportunities.

the
learning

Coherent and comprehensive lifelong learning strategies

coherent

to develop and implement

Member States agreed at the Feira European Council, and in the context of the
and
European Employment Strategy,
comprehensive strategies for lifelong learning. The building blocks of such strategies
are set out here in order to assist Member States and actors at all levels. The
implication of the building blocks is a gradual
learning
environments with a view to making quality learning opportunities accessible for all,
on an ongoing basis. The clear message is that
traditional systems must be
transformed to become much more open and flexible, so that learners can have
individual learning pathways, suitable to their needs and interests, and thus genuinely
take advantage of equal opportunities throughout their lives. The building blocks are
consistent with the lifelong learning assessment criteria used in the Joint Employment
Report 2001.

integration of formal

A partnership approach is stipulated as the first building block. All relevant actors, in
and outside the formal systems, must collaborate for strategies to work ‘on the
ground’. Gaining insight into the needs of the learner, or the potential learner, along
with learning needs of organisations, communities, wider society and the labour
market is the next step. Adequate resourcing, in terms of financing and the effective
and transparent allocation of resources, can then be addressed. The analysis then
proceeds to how to match learning opportunities to learners’ needs and interests and
how to facilitate access by developing the supply side to enable learning by anyone,
anywhere, at any time. There is a clear need here for the formal sector to recognise
and value non-formal and informal learning. Creating a culture of learning depends
ultimately on increasing learning opportunities, raising participation levels and
stimulating demand for
for quality assurance,
learning. Finally, mechanisms
evaluation and monitoring are suggested, with a view to striving for excellence on an
ongoing basis.

Priorities for action

Action is proposed which builds on the European dimension to lifelong learning,
while also supporting strategies at all levels. The priorities are presented under the six
key messages, which were the basis of, and endorsed by,
the European-wide
consultation.

A comprehensive new European approach to valuing learning is seen as a pre-
requisite for the area of lifelong learning, building on the existing right of free
movement within the EU. Proposals focus on the identification, assessment and
recognition of non-formal and informal learning as well as on the transfer and mutual
recognition of
Information, guidance and
counselling is addressed mainly at European level, with proposals that aim at
facilitating access to learning through the availability of quality guidance services.

formal certificates and diplomas.

Investing time and money in learning, particularly in the context of the call for
Member States to raise overall levels of investment in education and training in the

4

Lisbon conclusions and in the European Employment Strategy, is a condition of
bringing about the kind of fundamental changes which lifelong learning implies.
There are no easy solutions to how this is to be achieved. Increased investment and
targeted funding are called for, along with mechanisms for increasing private
investment. Proposals to encourage and support learning communities, cities and
regions as well as enabling workplaces to become learning organisations are seen as
key ways to bring learning and learners closer together. Importance is also attached to
the development of local learning centres.

Complementing the work initiated at Lisbon and Stockholm on the ‘new’ basic skills,
proposals are developed to ensure that
the foundations of lifelong learning are
accessible to all citizens, at all stages of their lives and not just within compulsory
education. Finally, proposals for innovative pedagogy address the shift in emphasis
from knowledge acquisition to competence development, and the new roles for
teachers and learners that this implies.

Driving forward the agenda

the
All actors are invited to work in partnership to drive forward the agenda:
Commission and the other European Institutions, the Member States, the EEA and
candidate countries, the social partners, NGOs and international organisations (e.g.
the Council of Europe, OECD, UNESCO). Implementation will be through existing
processes, programmes and instruments, taken forward within the framework of
lifelong learning. This framework will support the exchange of good practice and
experience and thus the identification of shared problems, ideas and priorities. To
facilitate this, the Commission will develop a database on good practice, information
and experience concerning lifelong learning at all levels.

The Follow-up to the Report on the Concrete Objectives of Education and Training
Systems will be one of the main means for cooperation in this field, while the
European Employment Strategy will continue to focus on the employment-related
aspects of lifelong learning. The Community programmes – Socrates, Leonardo da
Vinci and Youth – will be strengthened in the light of this Communication. Increasing
the potential of the European Social Fund (ESF) and the ESF Community Initiative
EQUAL to support implementation will also be examined.

Progress will be measured and monitored through the use of a limited number of
indicators – those in existence or development, as well as a small number of new
indicators. Implementation will also be overseen by networks and structures: those
already established, for example, as part of the consultation process, and a high level
group of representatives of Ministries bearing the main responsibility for lifelong
learning. This group will help to ensure the complementarity of measures developed
in the field of lifelong learning, including the implementation of the work programme
for the Follow-up of the Report on the Concrete Objectives of Education and Training
Systems, with related processes, strategies and plans at European level. The next steps
will be an endorsement of the main principles and proposals by the Council
(Education and Youth Council, and the Employment and Social Policy Council),
during the Spanish Presidency. There will also be a contribution by the Commission
on lifelong learning to the Barcelona Spring Council of 15-16 March 2002.

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1.

INTRODUCTION

The Lisbon European Council in March 2000 set the European Union the strategic
goal, reaffirmed at the Stockholm European Council in March 2001, of becoming the
most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based society in the world. Key elements
of the strategy to achieve this were the adaptation of education and training to offer
tailored learning opportunities to individual citizens at all stages of their lives; the
in citizens’
promotion of employability and social inclusion through investment
knowledge and competences; the creation of an information society for all; and the
fostering of mobility.

1.1.

The context

The knowledge-based society, along with wider economic and societal trends such as
globalisation, changes in family structures, demographic change, and the impact of
information society technologies, presents the European Union and its citizens with
many potential benefits as well as challenges. Citizens have vast new opportunities in
terms of communication,
these
is reliant on the ongoing
opportunities, and actively participating in society,
acquisition of knowledge and competences. At the same time, competitive advantage
is
in human capital. Knowledge and
competences are, therefore, also a powerful engine for economic growth. Given the
the more
current uncertain economic climate,
important.

travel and employment. Taking advantage of

increasingly dependent on investment

investing in people becomes all

On the downside, there are considerable risks and uncertainties associated with the
knowledge-based society, as it threatens to bring about greater inequalities and social
exclusion. The seeds of inequality start early in life with participation in initial
education a key factor. In 2000, the proportion of 25-64 year olds in the EU having
least upper secondary level education was just 60.3%.1 Significant
attained at
disparities between Member States may be closing due to better schooling for
successive cohorts of young people, but almost 150 million people in the EU without
this basic level of education face a higher risk of marginalisation.

Lifelong learning has been the subject of policy discussion and development for many
years now. Yet today there is a greater need than ever for citizens to acquire the
knowledge and competences necessary both to tap into the benefits, and to meet the
challenges of the knowledge-based society. This is why the Lisbon European Council
confirmed lifelong learning as a basic component of the European social model.

In economic terms, the employability and adaptability of citizens is vital for Europe to
maintain its commitment to becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-
based society in the world. Labour shortages and competence gaps risk limiting the
capacity of the European Union for further growth, at any point in the economic
cycle. Lifelong learning, therefore, has a key role to play in developing a coordinated
strategy for employment and particularly for promoting a skilled,
trained and
adaptable workforce. This means removing the barriers that prevent people from
entering the labour market and limit progression within it. Tackling inequality and
social exclusion is part of this.

6

Lifelong learning is, however, about much more than economics. It also promotes the
goals and ambitions of European countries to become more inclusive, tolerant and
democratic. And it promises a Europe in which citizens have the opportunity and
ability to realise their ambitions and to participate in building a better society. Indeed,
a recent OECD report refers to the growing evidence that learning and investment in
human capital is associated not just with increased GDP, but also with greater civic
participation, higher reported well-being and lower criminality.2

Higher levels of education and continuous learning, when accessible to all, make an
important contribution to reducing inequalities and preventing marginalisation. This,
however, raises fundamental questions about how well equipped traditional education
and training systems are to keep pace with the developments outlined above. The
scale of the challenge is highlighted by data on participation: albeit limited in terms of
the age range and types of learning covered, it is nevertheless indicative that the
Labour Force Survey in 2000 found only 8% of EU 25-64 year olds participating in
education and training – some way off the vision of lifelong learning for all.3 In this
context, there is an increasing recognition across Europe that a fundamentally new
approach to education and training policies should be developed and implemented
within the framework of lifelong learning. Whereas traditional policies have tended to
focus too strongly on institutional arrangements, lifelong learning places the emphasis
on people and on collective aspirations to create a better society. Lifelong learning
takes a comprehensive view of the supply and demand for learning opportunities. It
values knowledge and competences gained in all spheres of modern life, and which
are therefore relevant to coping with modern society. The effective implementation of
lifelong learning in the EU requires more, better and more equitably distributed
investment, especially given that few Member States match the overall expenditure
rates of Canada, South Korea, Norway and the United States4.

This is why the Feira European Council in June 2000 invited the “Member States, the
Council and the Commission ... within their areas of competence, to identify coherent
strategies and practical measures with a view to fostering lifelong learning for all”.5
This Communication takes up that mandate.

1.2.

The European-wide consultation

In November 2000, based on the conclusions of the 1996 European Year of Lifelong
Learning6 and subsequent experience gained at European and national levels, the
Commission issued a Memorandum on Lifelong Learning. This formed the basis for a
European-wide consultation, organised as close to the citizens as possible,
in
accordance with the Commission’s aim of reforming European governance. The
Member States, the EEA, and candidate countries each conducted their own inclusive
and wide-ranging consultation involving relevant national bodies. The candidate
countries have been fully involved in, and have made a significant contribution to the
consultation process, and will continue to contribute to the development of lifelong
learning.

At European level, the Commission consulted the social partners, the European
Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions,
and also organised a consultation of European civil society, which culminated in a
conference held in Brussels on 10 September 2001. The Commission also consulted

7

various international organisations, in particular the Council of Europe, the OECD
and UNESCO.

In all, some 3,000 individual submissions were sent to the Commission, the Member
States, the EEA and candidate countries, and to European institutions and bodies
representing civil society and the social partners. Some 12,000 citizens participated in
meetings and conferences organised as part of the process.7 The results of this wide-
ranging consultation therefore form a solid basis for the present Communication.

1.3.

A European area of lifelong learning

The consultation stressed that cooperation and coordination in this field at European
level
is essential. This is already taking place through several distinct but
complementary processes, strategies and plans. The theme of lifelong learning runs
through all these initiatives, each time addressed from a specific angle. Following the
request by the Lisbon European Council, the Education Council adopted a Report on
the Concrete Future Objectives of Education and Training Systems.8 The Commission
then adopted in September 2001 a report containing a draft detailed work programme
on the Follow-up to the Objectives Report,9 which will form the basis of a joint report
to be presented, on the invitation of the Stockholm Council10, to the Spring European
Council in 2002. The European Employment Strategy11 features a horizontal objective
on lifelong learning and specific guidelines that focus on the employment-and labour
market-related aspects of lifelong learning. The European Social Agenda12 aims to
reduce inequalities and promote social cohesion, including through lifelong learning.
The Skills and Mobility Action Plan13 will aim to ensure that European labour
markets are open and accessible to all by 2005. The eLearning initiative14 part of the
eEurope Action Plan, seeks to promote a digital culture and wider use of information
and communication technologies (ICT) in education and training. Finally, the White
Paper on Youth provides the Community with a framework for cooperation in the
field of youth policy, focusing on participation of young people, their education,
employment and social inclusion.

While each of these strands has its own specificity and objectives, taken together they
contribute to the realisation of a European area of lifelong learning. To facilitate this
development, education and training will be brought
together within a lifelong
learning framework in synergy with the relevant elements of the other processes,
strategies and plans. In particular, in order to achieve the Lisbon aim of a knowledge-
based society, the European area of lifelong learning will be closely linked with the
European research area, notably in relation to the Communication on a mobility
strategy for this area15. An important component of this strategy for developing
human capital could be the fostering of trans-European networks for knowledge and
science.

The objectives of a European area of lifelong learning must be both to empower
the challenges of the knowledge-based society, moving freely
citizens to meet
between learning settings, jobs, regions and countries in pursuit of learning; and to
meet the goals and ambitions of the European Union and the candidate countries to be
more prosperous, inclusive, tolerant and democratic. In concrete terms, this means
that Member States must develop and implement coherent and comprehensive
strategies for lifelong learning; and it requires concerted action initiated at European

8

level, in accordance with agreed priorities. Such action should both support and add
value to Member States’ efforts.

1.4.

What do we mean by lifelong learning?

The Memorandum on Lifelong Learning cited the definition of lifelong learning
established in the context of the European Employment Strategy, as a starting point
for debate during the consultation.16 The consultation particularly welcomed the idea
that lifelong learning should comprise all phases and forms of learning from pre-
school to post-retirement. There were, however, concerns that the employment and
labour market dimensions of
lifelong learning were too dominant within the
in relation to specifying the objectives of lifelong learning,
definition. Indeed,
responses tended to echo the Memorandum as well as citing wider aspects such as the
spiritual and cultural dimensions of learning. Overall, consensus can be surmised
around the following four broad and mutually supporting objectives: personal
fulfilment, active citizenship, social inclusion and employability/adaptability. That
lifelong learning promotes this wide range of objectives is reflected in the extended
definition below, in the light of which all references to lifelong learning in this
document should be understood.

learning activity undertaken throughout

life, with the aim of

skills and competences within a personal, civic,

“all
knowledge,
employment-related perspective”.

improving
social and/or

The breadth of this definition also draws attention to the full range of formal, non-
formal and informal learning activity.17

The consultation also saw considerable debate on the fundamental principles
underpinning lifelong learning. A key characteristic is the centrality of the learner
within formal, non-formal and informal learning experiences. Equality of opportunity,
both in terms of gender mainstreaming and making learning genuinely available for
all, without discrimination, is a crucial concern, not least because of the way in which
knowledge and competences impact on citizens’ life opportunities. Consultation
responses also stressed the importance of high quality and relevance, as investments
of time and money in learning are fully effective only if the learning conditions and
the underlying policy planning and systems are of high quality. These principles
broadly reflect the points set out in the Council conclusions following the 1996
European Year of Lifelong Learning and the OECD’s 2001 Education Policy
Analysis18. They inform the
its
implementation.

lifelong learning and shape

concept of

1.5.

Structure of the document

The following sections focus specifically on practical measures to implement the
European area of lifelong learning at all levels. In section 2, in order to assist policy
making, the building blocks for coherent and comprehensive strategies are specified.
In section 3, priorities for action in support of these strategies are proposed. Section 4
concerns driving forward the agenda through the strengthening of existing processes,
instruments and programmes and through the development of indicators. Finally,
section 5 sets out the next steps.

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2.

COHERENT AND COMPREHENSIVE LIFELONG LEARNING STRATEGIES

Following the Feira European Council, and in the context of
the European
Employment Strategy, Member States have agreed to develop and implement
coherent and comprehensive national strategies for lifelong learning. Although such
strategies are in place in half of the Member States, they remain at early stages of
implementation; in Member States without overall strategies, measures tend to be
piecemeal19. This
for developing and
implementing such strategies. The analysis is made in the light of consultation
responses to the Memorandum, together with Member States’ Employment and Social
Inclusion National Action Plans and other inputs. The building blocks have been
formulated according to the four objectives of active citizenship, personal fulfilment,
employability and social inclusion, as well as the principles of lifelong learning as set
out in section 1.4.

the building blocks

section presents

These building blocks are consistent with the criteria used in the Joint Employment
Report 2001 for assessing the coherence and comprehensiveness of Member States’
lifelong learning strategies. Partnership working, Creating a learning culture, and
Striving for excellence are about achieving coherence, while Insight into demand for
learning, Facilitating access and Adequate resourcing ensure that the approach is
comprehensive.

The building blocks apply principally to the national level, and are thus designed to
assist Member States meet their commitment to develop and implement coherent and
comprehensive strategies. The approach recommended here is, however, relevant to
all levels. Indeed, if strategies are to be coherent, complementarity between the
the building blocks
various levels of implementation is critical. In this sense,
incorporate the European dimension. For instance, under the Insight into demand for
learning block, the assessment and forecasting of competence needs across European
labour markets – to be addressed concretely in the forthcoming Skills and Mobility
Action Plan – will be relevant to the national and sub-national levels. Similarly,
partnership working will inevitably include cooperation between actors at national
and European level; European funds will have an impact on adequate resourcing at all
levels; and the evaluation of national strategies will continue to take place in the
context of the European Employment Strategy.

Sharing of roles and responsibilities

The following description is indicative only: actors’ roles and responsibilities vary
according to different national and other practices, systems and contexts. Lifelong
levels should consider and develop such roles and
learning partnerships at all
responsibilities in the light of circumstances.

Public authorities are responsible for providing the necessary resources for, and
ensuring access for all citizens to compulsory education and training and post-
compulsory basic skills provision, as well as ensuring that pre-school and adult
learning opportunities are available. In addition, they must take the lead in developing
and implementing lifelong learning strategies at all levels. This includes ensuring the
rights of citizens to have access to opportunities for acquiring and updating
knowledge and competences throughout
in the preamble to the
Amsterdam Treaty), with the assistance of guidance services. Public authorities are

life (as set out

10

also responsible for active labour market measures for the unemployed and promoting
learning for all, both in- and outside the labour market. Employers have the main
responsibility to provide for developing the competences of their workforce and are
increasingly taking on wider corporate social responsibilities, for example when they
open up their training opportunities and resources to a wider public20. Trade unions
increasingly deliver learning to their members, and participate in activities to promote
and facilitate learning amongst members and non-members alike. Together, the social
partners conduct social dialogue at all levels, and negotiate and implement agreements
in respect of education and training in the workplace. Learning providers of all kinds
have a responsibility for the quality and relevance of their learning provision, as well
as its coherence within the overall learning offer. Community and voluntary groups
have unique opportunities to deliver targeted learning, to promote learning amongst
(potential) learners and to articulate their needs and interests. All actors share a
responsibility to work together on lifelong learning – as reflected in the ‘partnership
working’ building block below – and to support individuals in taking responsibility
for their own learning.

A prominent conclusion from the consultation, and one which cuts across all the
building blocks, was that Member States must fundamentally transform learning
systems,
including initial education, with a view to making quality learning
opportunities accessible to all on an ongoing basis. The feedback confirmed the need
for the gradual integration of formal learning environments, in order to make them
much more open and flexible, so that learners can haveindividual learning pathways,
suitable to their needs and interests, and thus take advantage of equal opportunities
throughout their lives.

Partnership working across the learning spectrum

Partnerships reflect the shared benefits of, and responsibility for, lifelong learning.
Joint/coordinated action is often also the most responsive to different circumstances
and the most effective, building on diverse expertise, strengths and resources.
Lifelong learning strategies must bring together, and be supported by, all actors:21
• As well as promoting partnership at all

levels, national, regional and local,
Governments should lead by example by ensuring effective coordination and
coherence in policy between ministries;

• Local level partnerships are essential for strategies to work ‘on the ground’. These
should include local authorities, schools, universities, other learning providers and
related services such as information, guidance and counselling, research centres,
enterprises (as part of their corporate social responsibility), public employment
level (e.g. voluntary and community
services, NGOs working at
organisations), representatives of particular groups of (potential) learners22, and
actors dealing with gender equality issues;

the local

• The social partners should also be actively involved, whenever relevant, given their
multiple role as ‘consumers’, investors, negotiators and promoters of learning;

• Efforts to make a reality of lifelong learning must be supported at European level
including through the sharing of ideas, experiences and good practice and actions
to establish the European area of lifelong learning (see sections 3 and 4).

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Insight into demand for learning

An understanding of the needs for learning amongst citizens, communities, wider
society and the labour market should be the basis of any strategy for lifelong learning.
Such an understanding must be grounded in evidence from the local level. This is a
prerequisite for ensuring an effective learner centred approach and equality of
opportunity. Work should focus on:
• Literacy, numeracy, ICT and other basic skills23 needs: the foundation for further
learning, which will often need to be updated throughout life. Citizens/groups most
alienated from learning, whose needs and interests are varied, may require tailored
measures;

• Addressing the impact of lifelong learning on learning facilitators24 such as
educators and guidance workers. Strategies and

teachers,
partnerships must address their role and support their adaptation;

trainers, adult

• The needs of employers in general, as well as the particular needs of SMEs, who
employ a significant proportion of the EU’s workforce, yet who often encounter
difficulties in making finance or time available for training or in finding training
which is relevant to their needs. Motivating employers is important in this respect;

• Understanding (potential) learners’ interests, reflected in surveys, evaluations,
feedback from guidance surveys and consultations, data on imbalances in learning
participation (e.g. gender mix in ICT learning);

• Taking into account the implications of the knowledge-based society for the needs
of learners (new basic skills, including entrepreneurship, science and technology),
and labour markets (for example the importance of competence forecasting to
avoid shortages, upskilling those inside the labour market to ensure they do not
become excluded).

Adequate resourcing

Achieving the vision of lifelong learning for all, with the fundamental changes in
thinking, systems, structures and working which this implies, calls for higher levels of
investment, as the Lisbon conclusions and the European Employment Strategy
require. These should be allocated effectively and efficiently.25 In particular, this
means that:

• Overall rates of public and private investment must be raised. Such increases
should be based on shared responsibility between government, public authorities,
employers, social partners and individual citizens;

• Adequate resources must be made available and/or existing resources must be
rechannelled across the spectrum of formal, non-formal and informal learning,
including pre-school learning. At the same time, transparency in the allocation of
resources is essential if declared priorities are to be respected in terms of funding;

• New approaches to investment are needed to account for the new types of
knowledge and competences that are required by the development of
the
knowledge-based society, both in respect of (potential) learners and learning

12

facilitators. Fiscal and other incentives for learning are approaches which should
be developed for all citizens, in and outside the labour market;

• Increased levels of investment must be properly integrated with strategies at the

local level in order to have maximum impact;

• New tasks and roles, recruitment and retention in the teaching and training
professions at all levels must be addressed, particularly given projected recruitment
needs.

Facilitating access to learning opportunities

There should be a dual approach to access to learning: making what is already on
offer more visible, flexible,
integrated and effective, while also developing new
learning processes, products and environments.26 Strategies must also address issues
of equality of opportunity (e.g. gender equality) and of targeting specific groups, in
order to ensure lifelong learning opportunities are genuinely available to all,
especially those at particular risk of exclusion such as people on low income, disabled
people, ethnic minorities and immigrants, early school
lone parents,
unemployed people, parents returning to the labour market, workers with low levels
of education and training, people outside the labour market, senior citizens (including
older workers), and ex-offenders. Such targeting should address the needs not only of
people in deprived urban areas, but also those in rural areas who may have particular
learning needs. Key points include:
• Removing social, geographical, psychological and other barriers, for example by
promoting ICT, workplace learning and local learning centres to bring learning and
suited to people’s other
learners
commitments;

times/paces and in places

together at

leavers,

• Within the formal sector, adapting entry, progression and recognition requirements

to take account of non-formal and informal learning;

• Complementing mainstream provision with tailored measures, especially for basic
skills, targeted at specific individual needs. Ensuring availability of specialist
provision to meet any unmet demand,
for example by encouraging higher
education establishments to work with those at risk of exclusion;

• Social partners should work together and with other actors to ensure the trend
towards greater flexibility in the organisation of work is accompanied by adequate
investment by employers in their workforce – a key dimension of quality in
work;27

• Recognising information, guidance and counselling services as a key interface
between learning needs and the learning on offer. They are also crucial in helping
learners find their place in increasingly complex learning systems.

Creating a learning culture

For strategies to foster a learning-for-all culture, direct measures are needed to
motivate (potential) learners and raise overall participation levels by making learning

13

active

in terms of

more desirable
employability. Such measures should include:
• Valuing and rewarding learning, especially non-formal and informal learning in all
thereby recognising its intrinsic worth. Rewarding learning can also

sectors,
encourage those who are most alienated to return to learning;

citizenship, personal

fulfilment

and/or

• Promoting more positive perceptions of learning and raising awareness of any
entitlements and the benefits of learning, e.g. through media campaigns, from the
earliest age – at pre-school, school, and higher education levels, as well as in youth
organisations and among the adult population;28

• Making appropriate use of targeted funding, promotional activity and other

methods, such as reaching out to (potential) learners;

• Promoting the role of information, guidance and counselling providers working
directly with voluntary/community organisations to raise awareness of
the
individual/social/economic benefits of learning, and to encourage diversification of
studies and non-traditional career/learning choices;

• Enterprises should be facilitated to become learning organisations, where everyone
learns and develops through the work context, for the benefit of themselves, each
other and the whole organisation, with such efforts being publicised and
recognised;

• Encouraging public service providers, voluntary and community groups,
employers and trade unions to develop and/or promote learning opportunities
tailored to their particular constituencies and, e.g. disabled people.

Striving for excellence

Strategies must adopt mechanisms to maximise the quality of the learning experience
itself and also of the policy/implementation processes and services associated with
learning. Quality is not just an obligation but also a motivating factor in decisions by
individuals, employers and others to invest in learning. Mechanisms should include:
• Ambitious targets for, among others, participation, resourcing, retention and
learning outcomes. Progress against these targets should be monitored by reference
to pre-defined indicators. Data should be broken down by gender and other socio-
economic factors;

• Robust quality assurance tools

learning (e.g.
international and national standards and guidelines, inspection systems, quality
awards, financial instruments);

formal and non-formal

for

• Evaluation exercises in which strategies themselves are assessed against criteria for
comprehensiveness and coherence and against national/common targets and agreed
indicators;29

• Regular assessment/revision of strategies to maintain relevance, effectiveness and

complementarity with strategies at other levels.

14

3.

PRIORITIES FOR ACTION

Each ‘priority for action’ relates closely to a number of the strategic building blocks
set out in the previous section, and each contributes to fulfilling the broad objectives
and principles set out in section 1.4. They have been developed according to feedback
from the consultation, results and evaluation of existing policies and instruments at
European level and the Commission’s own policy analysis. They are presented under
the six 'key messages', which were at the heart of the Memorandum. The messages –
modified slightly to take account of detailed comments – were endorsed by the
consultation. The order in which the priorities are presented reflects the level of
implementation they are intended to support: the first three principally concerning the
the second three requiring greater
European dimension of
involvement of actors at the national, regional and local level, with adequate support
at European level. Annex 1 sets out further supporting proposals in relation to
research and evaluation.

lifelong learning,

3.1.

Valuing learning

These proposals principally contribute to or involve ‘creating a learning culture’,
‘facilitating access to learning opportunities’ and ‘striving for excellence’.

Creating a culture of learning requires that the question of how to value learning in
formal, non-formal and informal settings, must be addressed in a coherent way.30
Enabling citizens to combine and build on learning from school, universities, training
bodies, work, leisure time and family activities presupposes that all forms of learning
can be identified, assessed and recognised. A comprehensive new approach to valuing
learning is needed to build bridges between different learning contexts and learning
forms, and to facilitate access to individual pathways of learning. All contributions to
the consultation stressed that progress in this field, particularly in relation to non-
formal and informal learning, will be a crucial step towards a European area of
lifelong learning, building on the existing right of free movement within the European
Union and making the concept of citizenship more concrete.

Substantial work has already been done at national and European level to facilitate the
transfer and mutual recognition of formal qualifications. For example, the Council
and the European Parliament have adopted a Recommendation on mobility for
students, persons undergoing training, teachers and trainers, and Member States have
agreed to an action plan31. In addition, a set of Directives has been produced, designed
to guarantee the recognition of qualifications to ensure access to regulated professions
in different Member States. This has not, however, led to a comprehensive framework
supporting the overall transfer of qualifications and competences, either between
levels of formal education and training or across institutional, sectoral and national
borders. It is essential that learning providers, employers and social partners are
involved in the development of instruments for valuing learning, and that all those
involved, including individual users, find methodologies and systems valid, reliable
and legitimate. Instruments should also be introduced to help citizens – young people
as well as adults – present their qualifications and competences anywhere in Europe
in a transparent manner.

15

Valuing formal diplomas and certificates

• The Commission, the Member States and the social partners will jointly examine
the role and character of voluntary minimum quality standards in education and
training. The development of such standards, accompanied by a peer-review
approach, would increase the transparency and coherence of national education and
training systems, creating a stronger basis for mutual trust and recognition of
qualifications32.

• The Commission will develop by the end of 2002, a guide to, and glossary of, the
Community instruments related to transparency of diplomas and certificates to
make it easier to find and make use of them. (E.g. the European Credit Transfer
System, Diploma and certificate supplements, Europass, the European CV-format,
various Internet services).33

• The Commission is proposing, by the end of 2001, a more uniform, transparent and
flexible regime for professional recognition (in the field of regulated professions).
Member States should, in co-operation with the Commission, ensure that citizens
information on these directives and on
have access to updated and relevant
questions of recognition in general. European networks involving national contact
points on professional recognition, such as NARIC34 and NRCVG35, should play a
central role here.

• The Commission will,

in co-operation with the Member States and higher
education institutions, actively support the ‘Bologna process’ in the field of Higher
Education. Experiences from this process will be used as a basis for promoting
closer co-operation within other areas, such as vocational education and training.

• The Commission will,

in close co-operation with the Member States, higher
education institutions, professional associations and the social partners, support the
voluntary development and implementation of European diplomas and certificates,
and criteria to be met by them. This applies both to initiatives in higher education
and to initiatives from industry.

Valuing non-formal and informal learning; Exchange of experience

• The Commission will

initiate by the end of 2002 a systematic exchange of
experience and good practice in the field of identification, assessment and
recognition of non-formal learning. The European Forum on the Transparency of
Qualifications, managed by the Commission and Cedefop, should co-ordinate this
process, in close co-operation with the Member States, the social partners, non-
governmental organisations, OECD, Cedefop, Eurydice and the European Training
Foundation (ETF).

including providers of non-formal

• Parallel to action at European level, Member States should involve all relevant
players,
the social partners,
representatives of formal education (vocational as well as higher), and NGOs
in developing methodologies and standards for
representing excluded groups,
valuing non-formal and informal learning.

learning,

16

• The Commission will establish by the end of 2003, based on the systematic
exchange of experience, an inventory of methodologies, systems and standards for
the identification, assessment and recognition of non-formal and informal learning.
levels, as well as
It should target
enterprises. The Commission will use this inventory to support and stimulate the
development of high quality assessment methodologies and standards at European,
national and sectoral levels.

the international, national, and sectoral

• Members States will be encouraged to provide the legal framework to implement
more widely the identification, assessment and recognition of non-formal and
informal
to
learning. Member States should consider an individual
assessment.

right

• Member States should encourage Universities, education/training institutions and
other relevant organisations (e.g. research institutions) to systematically implement
measures aimed at the assessment and recognition of non-formal and informal
learning.

New instruments at European level to support valuing all forms of learning36

• The Commission will develop, by the end of 2002, a ‘portfolio’ system which will
enable citizens, at all stages of education and training, to group together their
qualifications and competences and present them. This will be built on existing
experience,
including the European CV (which serves as a ‘summary’ of
qualifications and competences) requested by the Lisbon European Council.

• The Commission will by 2003, in co-operation with the Member States, develop a
‘modular’ system for the accumulation of qualifications, allowing citizens to
combine education and training from various institutions and countries. This will
build on the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) and Europass37.

3.2.

Information, guidance and counselling

These proposals principally contribute to or involve: ‘facilitating access to learning
opportunities’, ‘creating a learning culture’ and ‘ partnership working’.

learners. Open dialogue between guidance systems,

The consultation feedback confirmed the crucial role that information, guidance and
counselling should play both in facilitating access to learning and in motivating
potential
lifelong learning
provision at all levels and labour market actors is a prerequisite for fulfilling this role.
Guidance services should promote equal opportunities by being accessible to all
citizens, especially those at risk of exclusion, and tailored to their needs through
systems that are coherent, cohesive, transparent, impartial and of high quality. ICT
based services, in partnership with other local level services, e.g. libraries, may serve
as access points. Systems must also be flexible, and adaptable to the changing needs
of the individual learner – bearing in mind the value of guidance for personal
fulfilment, as well as the needs of the labour market and the wider community. To this
end, existing resources should be evaluated in order to ensure transparency and
coherence of provision, and networks of services should also be developed in order to
overcome existing boundaries. The consultation recommended partnership at

17

European level to improve the exchange of ideas and good practice in this field.
Promoting real active citizenship and mobility assumes that counsellors are able to
deal with other countries’ education, training and guidance systems, labour market
systems and programmes.

Strengthening the European dimension of information, guidance and counselling

• The Commission will launch by 2002 an Internet portal on learning opportunities,
providing information on lifelong learning in Member States and candidate
countries. The Commission invites the Member States to ensure the availability of
relevant national online databases, which can be interconnected through the
portal.38

• The Commission will set up by the end of 2002 a European Guidance Forum,
involving representatives of all relevant players, to encourage dialogue, exchange
of good practice and the identification of solutions to common problems. Building
on the review on guidance, which is taking place in the Member States and
candidate countries, and in cooperation with the OECD, the Forum should develop
a common understanding of basic concepts and underlying principles of guidance.
It should then focus on specific issues such as the definition of principles, quality
of delivery, consumer
tools and
practices, the training of guidance workers, and how best to meet the needs of
groups at risk of exclusion. The Forum will also undertake reflection on the quality
of guidance provision, with a view to developing common guidelines and quality
standards for guidance services and products.

the effectiveness of

interest/involvement,

• The Commission will, by the end of 2003, examine existing European networks
information, guidance and counselling (e.g.
and structures in the field of
Euroguidance, EURES, Eurodesk, Fedora, EQUAL, Mobility Centres
for
Researchers) for both education and training, with a view to establishing a coherent
and cross-sectoral lifelong learning framework for the scope and activities of these
networks.39

3.3.

Investing time and money in learning

These proposals principally contribute to or
‘facilitating access to learning opportunities’ and ‘striving for excellence’.

involve:

‘adequate resourcing’,

A strong consensus emerged from the consultation that overall investment levels need
to be raised significantly in order to respond to the transition to the knowledge-based
society, and that spending on learning should be highlighted and reported in the same
way as spending on more tangible forms of capital. Clearly, a key aspect of
investment in lifelong learning will continue to be that of public expenditure, since
formal provision in the school, vocational, adult and higher education sectors, as well
as increasingly in the pre-school sector, must remain vital cornerstones of any lifelong
learning strategy. Responsibility for raising investment is also shared by the social
partners, for instance in respect of employers providing suitable access to learning. 35
hours of learning per year for every employee might be an attainable benchmark.
Ensuring value for money and quality in terms of outputs is as important as ensuring
adequate resourcing. The need to facilitate access to individual pathways of learning

18

and to foster a culture of learning implies that more resources should be directed
towards guidance and counselling, new ways of valuing learning and making learning
available in a wider range of environments, with appropriate facilities (e.g. for
childcare). Likewise, more resources are called for in respect of non-formal learning,
especially for adult and community learning provision. Respondents underlined the
need to give priority in resource allocation to learning for children in pre-school
education (to reduce inequalities later on and to lay a solid basis for further learning),
to teachers, trainers and other learning facilitators (to prepare them for their evolving
roles – see section 3.6), and to senior citizens, including older workers, (to give them
opportunities to participate more actively in society and in the labour market,
including the role they can play in intergenerational learning)40. There is certainly no
top-down solution on how to bring about fundamental reform, while reconciling the
need both to increase overall levels of investment and, at the same time, reduce
inequalities in resource allocation. Hard choices will have to be made.

Raising levels of investment and making investment more transparent

• The Commission calls on

• the European Investment Bank, in the framework of its policy directed to
the promotion of human capital development, to seek to support the
implementation of lifelong learning as described in this Communication,
e.g. through funding infrastructure for teachers’ training and local learning
centres, multimedia
and training
programmes developed by enterprises;41

learning software

and content

• the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the
in the development of lifelong
in the candidate

European Investment Bank to invest
learning, for example of infrastructure and SMEs,
countries of Central and Eastern Europe;

• the European Investment Fund to examine how best to use its instruments
to promote the emergence of venture capital funds dedicated to supporting
the development of human capital aiming e.g. to favour SMEs’ access to
learning.

• Member States should set national targets to raise overall investment levels in
human resources, in line with the Lisbon European Council conclusions and the
Employment Guidelines42. Such target setting should be carried out
in a
transparent manner, in relation to how resources are allocated. This should also
take into account the respective roles to be played by government, employers,
individuals and other actors. In addition, Member States should set targets to
increase participation in further education and training, indicating the increase in
participation that
to achieve by gender, age group, educational
attainment and target groups.

they expect

• Member States are invited to develop further their use of the European Social Fund
(ESF) – already the main Community instrument for the funding of lifelong
learning, and the EQUAL Community Initiative to support the implementation of
lifelong learning, in particular for the development of local learning partnerships
and centres, and to support learning opportunities at work, access to basic skills

19

(including through ‘second chance provision’), and training of teachers, trainers
and other learning facilitators43.

• The Commission will develop indicators and other tools to measure the impact of
ESF programmes on lifelong learning and will support the evaluation of the
implementation of lifelong learning activities funded by the ESF, as part of the
mid-term review of the Fund, which is due at the end of 2003.

• The social partners are invited to negotiate and implement agreements at all
appropriate levels to modernise the organisation of work44, with a view to
increasing investment in lifelong learning and to providing more time for learning.
For example, they should work towards the recognition of all learning activities,
including non-formal and informal learning, and integrate this into all aspects of
human resource policies and practices at the enterprise level.

Providing incentives and enabling investment

• The Commission will evaluate various models of individual funding schemes (e.g.
‘individual learning accounts’) to assess their impact on investment, participation
in learning and on learning outcomes. This evaluation will take full account of the
work done by the OECD in this field and an evaluation report will be presented by
the end of 2002.

• The Commission will propose that research into the benefits, costs and returns of
investing in learning, building on current research45, be supported under the 6th
Research Framework Programme46.

• The Commission will produce, based on information provided by the Member
States, an overview of fiscal
learning financed by
individuals and companies with a view to the identification and adoption of good
practice.

incentives available for

Ensuring high quality returns and outcomes of investment

• The Commission will, by the end of 2003, in cooperation with the Member States,
develop guidelines and indicators on quality aspects of lifelong learning47, and
support policy development in Member States through exchanges of good practice
and peer review.

3.4.

Bringing together learners and learning opportunities

These proposals principally contribute to or involve: ‘creating a learning culture’,
‘partnership working’ and ‘insight into demand for learning’.

The consultation feedback emphasised the importance of adequate levels of open and
flexible education and training provision at the local level for bringing learning and
(potential) learners together, and the role of local guidance services in mediating this.
Here the need to promote a balance between non-formal learning in the workplace
and in social surroundings/environments is particularly relevant, reflecting the balance
of objectives of lifelong learning between active citizenship, personal fulfilment,
employability and social inclusion. Many reports referred to the value of learning

20

opportunities (often non-formal or informal), provided by adult education or the
voluntary sector, including NGOs and local community organisations. Non-formal
education projects in the youth field, for example, increase the chances of young
people participating in society, and acquiring tolerant and democratic values. To
promote a culture of learning across Europe, there is a need to develop learning
communities, cities and regions and to establish local multifunctional
learning
centres.48 Consultation feedback also often focused on innovative learner-centred
learning and teaching methods and the potential for ICT, with appropriate support, to
help bring learning to the learner. For the purposes of this document, ICT-related
issues are addressed under section 3.6.

Encouraging and supporting learning communities, cities and regions and setting
up local learning centres

• Member States are invited to use the resources of schools, adult education and
higher education institutions, research institutions and other public facilities such
as libraries, as multipurpose centres for lifelong learning.

• Youth organisations should regularly make visible and publicise the outcomes of

non-formal and informal education that result from their activities.

• Member States are invited to develop further their use of the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF) and the ESF to support the implementation of lifelong
learning, as an integral part of local and regional development programmes, and to
support the improvement of ICT skills by workers, especially those in SMEs.

• The Commission invites the Committee of the Regions, possibly with the
involvement of European and national associations of local and regional levels, to
promote the implementation of lifelong learning at the local and regional levels, in
particular to:

• develop links between local and regional learning centres across Europe
through twinning agreements, and the use of ICT with a view to
forms of
exchanging experience and building bridges between all
learning;

• organise, together with the Commission, a campaign at local and regional
level in order to promote and publicise the most effective approaches to
lifelong learning.

• The Commission will support

through its programmes the establishment of
networks between those regions and cities with well-developed lifelong learning
strategies, to facilitate the exchange of experience and good practice.

It is essential to promote more actively the development of learning at the workplace
and for enterprises and other organisations to become learning organisations. The
social partners have a key role to play to make this vision a reality, as well as to
ensure equal opportunities and access to learning at enterprise level for all employees,
taking into account the need to facilitate the reconciliation of work, family life and
other caring responsibilities. Gaining insight into the learning needs of SMEs, where
learning typically takes place in a non-formal or informal context, is particularly

21

important49. Provision has to be flexible, high quality, and tailored to individual firms.
Learning providers, e.g. higher education institutions, should offer courses tailored to
their specific needs. SMEs themselves also need to explore fully how to facilitate
access to learning (e.g.
in partnership with other enterprises through learning
networks and competence sharing, and in cooperation with guidance services). The
Commission Communication “Helping SMEs to GoDigital” is,
in this context,
contributing to providing ICT skills for SMEs 50.

Encouraging and supporting learning at the workplace - including in SMEs

• The social partners, at all levels, are invited to agree that each employee should
have an individual competence development plan, based on an assessment of
his/her
individual competences, and in accordance with overall competence
development plans at the enterprise level. Such schemes should fully take into
account the particular needs and circumstances of SMEs and should provide expert
advice on how to assess competence and learning needs. The social partners should
also help to raise awareness about the importance of learning and encourage and
train employees and managerial staff to act as learning facilitators or mentors for
others.

• The Commission encourages the European social partners to finalise, under the
social dialogue process, a framework,
in order to
promote lifelong learning at all levels and especially at enterprise level. The
Commission invites the social partners to promote such a framework at national
level through their respective organisations, according to national practices.

including common goals,

• The Commission will, by the beginning of 2003, launch an award for enterprises
that invest in lifelong learning, in order to reward and publicise good practice in
this area51.

3.5.

Basic skills

These proposals principally contribute to or involve: ‘insight
learning’,
opportunities’.

‘creating a learning culture’ and ‘facilitating access

into demand for
to learning

The European Councils in Lisbon and Stockholm underlined the importance of
improving basic skills through adequate education and lifelong learning policies.
Basic skills include the foundation skills of reading, writing and mathematics, as well
as learning to learn and the new skills set out at Lisbon – IT skills, foreign languages,
technological culture, entrepreneurship, social skills. The consultation feedback
underlined the fundamental importance of basic skills acquisition in allowing people
to engage in further learning and as a basis for personal fulfilment, active citizenship
and employability, particularly given the demands of the developing knowledge-based
society. The foundations for lifelong learning must be provided by Governments
through compulsory schooling, but adults who left school with ongoing literacy,
numeracy and other basic skills needs should also be encouraged to participate in
compensatory learning.

22

Identifying what the basic skills package should be

• The Commission will invite the 'Sub-Group' set up following the Report on the
Concrete Objectives of Education and Training Systems also to address basic skills
provision outside the formal education and training systems as well as basic skills
acquisition by adults, motivation to learn and how to include basic skills,
particularly social, personal, ICT and scientific skills provision,
in curricula
without overloading them52.

Making basic skills genuinely available to everyone and in particular to those less
advantaged in schools, early school leavers and to adult learners53

• The Charter of Fundamental Rights recognises the right to education, including the
right to receive free compulsory education, and access to vocational and continuing
training54. To make this right more concrete, Member States should consider
extending the right to compulsory education so that it covers free access to basic
skills for all citizens, regardless of age.

• Member States should ensure that young people acquire basic digital literacy as
part of compulsory education, and should also expand digital literacy initiatives to
citizens at risk of exclusion55. Member States should provide the opportunity for
unemployed people to get a recognised certificate of basic ICT skills.

• The social partners are invited to conclude agreements on the promotion of access
to learning opportunities, in particular for workers with low levels of skills and
older workers, to meet the objective of giving every worker the opportunity to
achieve information society literacy by 200356.

• The Commission invites NGOs at European level to identify factors that prevent or
promote the acquisition of basic skills and participation in mainstream lifelong
learning for citizens at risk of exclusion. This should serve as a basis for
developing adequate policy responses, at the appropriate level, including ‘flexible
for community education
learning’,
projects for people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods and groups, and the
provision of care services for children and other dependants.

targeted learner-centred actions, support

3.6.

Innovative pedagogy

These proposals contribute to or
‘partnership working’ and ‘striving for excellence’.

involve:

‘insight

into demand for learning’

The consultation feedback emphasises a shift from ‘knowledge’ to ‘competence’ and
from teaching to learning, placing the learner at the centre. Such a shift implies that as
early as the pre-primary stage people ‘learn how to learn’. Learners should, as far as
possible, actively seek to acquire and develop knowledge and competences. Different
methods are called for depending on the situation of the learner,
the learning
facilitator and the setting (e.g. community centres, workplace, the home). Work-based
learning, project-oriented learning and learning organised as ‘study circles’ are
particularly useful approaches. New teaching and learning methods challenge the
learning
traditional

roles and responsibilities of

trainers and other

teachers,

23

facilitators. There is, therefore, a strong need to develop their training, including in
multi-cultural competences, to ensure that they are ready and motivated to face the
new challenges, and therefore to promote tolerance and democratic values. This
should also include further reforming and improving pedagogical approaches in
formal, as well as non-formal learning. The exchange of experience between schools,
adult education and voluntary organisations, ethnic minority centres, universities and
companies should provide insight into learning needs in this area. Higher education,
and research institutions, for example, should introduce or increase research and
training in the field of lifelong learning. All contributions recognise that ICT-
supported learning offers great potential for rethinking and redesigning learning
processes, whilst also recognising the risk of new technology creating a ‘digital
divide’. The eLearning initiative and the eLearning Action Plan address a number of
important issues in this area, in the context of coordinating Member States’ efforts to
adapt education and training systems to the information society57. Many reports stress
that ICT based learning should be combined with other, more social modes of
learning (e.g. learning groups, family learning, tutoring or collaborative learning at
work) and regular individual and technical support services. In a rapidly growing
market, quality and relevance of learning material, services and learning processes is
important, particularly in terms of consumer protection, motivation and effective use
of resources58.

New teaching and learning methods and the new role of teachers, trainers and
other learning facilitators

• The Commission will support,

through the Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci
the development of a network for the training of teachers and
programmes,
trainers. Based on existing networks, e.g. in Cedefop, this will aim to analyse and
exchange innovative experience in formal and non-formal contexts, while creating
the conditions for transfer within the Community. It will also contribute to the
construction of a common framework of reference for the competences and
qualifications of teachers and trainers and respond to the challenges of ICT based
learning. Member States,
learning providers,
teachers’ representatives and NGOs, including those active in non-school youth
education, should contribute to this by making development opportunities
accessible to learning facilitators from other Member States and candidate
countries. Particular attention will be given to improving training in sectors such as
adult education, where formal training of teachers is not yet a requirement in all
Member States and where the need to improve teaching quality is, therefore, a
particular priority.

local and regional authorities,

• Given the importance attributed to non-formal and informal learning, the role of
learning facilitators must be supported. Social partners, NGOs (e.g. youth
organisations), and others, should, in cooperation with the Commission and the
Member States, initiate the systematic exchange of experiences in this field.

• The Commission will propose that research and experimentation into how we learn
in the contexts of formal, non-formal and informal learning, and how ICT can be
integrated into these learning processes, be supported under the 6th Research
Framework programme,
through the Leonardo da Vinci, Socrates and Youth
programmes and the eLearning pilot actions, the Information Society Technologies

24

Programme59 and through the EQUAL Community Initiative. This should promote
the development of efficient and effective pedagogic approaches for various
groups of learners, including underrepresented groups/non-traditional learners.60

• The Commission will, by 2003, in cooperation with the Member States, social
partners and international NGOs, develop European quality recommendations
aiming at learning organisations outside formal education and training, to be used
on a voluntary basis. A European label should be given those organisations
complying with these recommendations.

ICT enabling and supporting lifelong learning

• The Commission, in close cooperation with the Member States, will examine
approaches at national level to developing seals of quality for ICT based learning
and teaching material, in particular learning software, with a view to their possible
development at European level to ensure coherence and consumer protection.

• The Commission will continue to support projects under

the Socrates and
Leonardo da Vinci programmes, and the eLearning initiative, to develop ICT based
learning with a European dimension, e.g. through the setting up of transnational
‘virtual study circles’.

4.

DRIVING FORWARD THE AGENDA

4.1.

A lifelong learning framework

Member States are fully responsible for the content and organisation of their own
education and training systems61, and it is not the EU’s role to harmonise laws and
regulations in these fields. At the same time, however, there are specific policy
functions relating to lifelong learning, which are dealt with at European level. In
addition to implementing a vocational training policy62 the Treaty provides for a key
role for the Community in enhancing the quality of education through European
cooperation in this field. The European Union has a particular role to play in relation
to: citizenship, freedom of movement, whether for the purposes of learning or
employment, the development of European labour markets63 and the coordination of
employment and social
training and
working are, for some citizens, already a reality. Despite this, obstacles still remain to
learning, working and living in Member States other than one’s own.

inclusion policy. Transnational education,

There is, therefore, a substantial role to be played by the European Union and by
cooperation between the Member States
in supporting and stimulating the
implementation of lifelong learning across the Community. At the same time, policy
interventions need to be adapted to local and national circumstances, given the
diversity in education, training and labour market systems across Europe. The key
challenge, therefore, is to ensure that Member States remain free to develop their own
coherent and comprehensive strategies, and to design and manage their own systems,
while moving broadly in the same direction. This must be done in a coherent,
coordinated and economical manner. Where the EU has no legislative competence
and where Treaty objectives are not covered by existing Treaty-based processes, the
following methods, which include the open method of coordination, will be used:

25

• the identification of shared problems, ideas and priorities, through the exchange of
knowledge, good practice and experience and through peer review, to enable
actions to be developed across all or certain Member States and/or by European
instruments and processes;

• increasing the transparency of policies and systems, enabling citizens to access and

make full use of the institutions and services at their disposal;

• ensuring complementarity and synergy at European level between the various

processes, strategies and plans involved in implementing lifelong learning;

• developing synergy between Member States’ policy in the field of lifelong

learning.

The Commission will develop by the end of 2003 a database on good practice,
information and experience concerning essential aspects of lifelong learning at all
levels to support the implementation of lifelong learning. Cases will be selected in
accordance with clear criteria and structured on a thematic basis and by actor. The
database will not only include cases emanating from Community instruments
(education, training and youth programmes, ESF, ERDF and Community Initiatives)
but also from the national, regional, local and sectoral levels, non-Member States,
international organisations, social partners and civil society. This database will be
built on existing initiatives, based on dialogue with all actors, accessible on the
Internet and kept fully up to date and relevant to current needs.64

4.2.

Building on achievements at European level

The implementation of lifelong learning, including the priorities for action identified
in section 3, will be through existing processes, instruments and programmes65:

• The work programme on the Follow-up to the Report on the Concrete Objectives
of Education and Training Systems will be one of the principle means for the
strengthening of cooperation and exchange of good practice among Member States
in the field of lifelong learning;

• The priorities for action in this Communication that relate to employment-related
aspects will be taken into account in the negotiations of future rounds of the
European Employment Strategy and will also be addressed in the Action Plan on
Skills and Mobility. Similarly, the priorities for action relating to social inclusion
and equal opportunities aspects of lifelong learning will be taken into account in
the development of the European Social Agenda;

• A wide range of projects and other actions focused on lifelong learning will be
promoted and supported through existing Community programmes and actions.
The Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and Youth programmes have a major role to play
here. The Commission will substantially reinforce and expand the joint actions that
support projects coming within the scope of more than one of these programmes,
and will facilitate the more active participation of NGOs and SMEs under the
programmes. Certain priorities will also be implemented as part of the eLearning
Action Plan;

26

• The European Social Fund is the main Community instrument for funding lifelong
learning. The European Regional Development Fund is also an important funding
stream. The Commission, working with the Member States, will ensure that the
2003 review of both streams of funding, as far as lifelong learning is concerned,
text. The EQUAL
takes account of the priorities identified in the present
Community Initiative will also play a crucial role in developing new approaches to
lifelong learning;

• The 6th Research Framework Programme will provide new opportunities to
reinforce research in the area of lifelong learning, and thus build on the insights
gained in this field under previous programmes. This research will be undertaken
primarily under Priority 7 (‘Citizens in an Evolving Knowledge Society’)66 .
(Priorities for research as well as further evaluation are listed in Annex 1).

4.3.

Indicators67

Comparable information and statistical measures are essential to the development and
implementation of coherent and comprehensive lifelong learning strategies. Statistics
and indicators already form an essential part of existing initiatives in the field of
lifelong learning with a view to monitoring progress both in achieving identified
targets and in implementing policy objectives.

Some key indicators are already available. The 2001 Communication on Structural
Indicators68 proposes three indicators related to lifelong learning. These concern69
investment, participation and early school leavers. Together with these, another five
existing indicators70 provide measures to monitor progress within three of the above
‘priorities for action’ areas concerning investing time and money in learning, basic
skills and innovative pedagogy (eLearning71 is particularly relevant to this priority).

Additional indicators72 are currently being developed in the context of the European
Employment Strategy73,
the European Social Agenda74,
the Communication on
quality in work75 and the Follow-up to the Concrete Objectives Report. Moreover, the
Task Force on Measuring Lifelong Learning76 established an overall framework for
extending the statistical information in the field of lifelong learning and launched a
process aimed at revising statistical methodologies in order to identify the additional
sources in this field that need to be developed at EU level in the short- and medium-
term. In addition, following consultation of experts from 36 European countries77,
some areas have been identified for developing indicators on the quality of lifelong
learning.

The development of a limited number of new indicators will be based on the learner-
centred approach in relation to formal, non-formal and informal
In
particular, this work will aim to fill the gaps on several aspects of lifelong learning, by
proposing quantitative information collections directly from learners. It will also
promote the development of qualitative information sources, in particular in the fields
of assessment and recognition; information, guidance and counselling; and training of
teachers and trainers78. This work will complement the development of indicators on
lifelong learning related to employability, adaptability and social inclusion, in the
context of the European Employment Strategy and the European Social Agenda.

learning.

27

The overall coordination and coherence of the development of new indicators will, in
principle, be overseen through the network of 'sub-groups' formed to follow up the
Report on the Concrete Objectives of Education and Training Systems. The sub-
groups will also play a valuable role in the identification of good practice for
dissemination among Member States.

The Member States and other European countries are invited to support this work. In
particular, in the context of their cooperation within the European Statistical System
(ESS), Member States and other European countries should aim to make their own
statistics and indicator systems as comparable as possible. In developing new
indicators, the Commission will draw on existing national and international sources,
particularly in collaboration with the OECD. Maximum use will be made of existing
sources and structures within the ESS, as well as other available resources, including
the Working Party on Education and Training Statistics, which will have
responsibility for technical aspects, as well as other available resources.

4.4.

Maintaining the momentum

The creation of a European area of lifelong learning will need to be supported by
innovative forms of partnership, cooperation and coordination at all levels between
the actors involved in implementation. The wide-ranging consultation on the
Memorandum provided the opportunity to set up for the first time a whole series of
the broad spectrum of
coordination and consultation structures. These represent
lifelong learning sectors and interests not only at European level but also in the
Member States, in the EEA and candidate countries, at the regional level and within
and between European NGOs, other representatives of civil society and the social
partners. The Commission proposes that, in accordance with its White Paper on
Governance, these innovative and dynamic structures be built upon in order to ensure
that the momentum created since the Memorandum is maintained at all levels:

• The development of policy at European level and the coordination of national
policies requires the establishment of a high-level group of senior representatives
of Ministries bearing the main responsibility for lifelong learning. This group will
help to ensure the complementarity of measures developed in the field of lifelong
learning, including the implementation of the work programme for the Follow-up
of the Report on the Concrete Objectives of Education and Training Systems, with
related processes, strategies and plans at European level. As such, the scope of its
responsibilities will need to span all aspects of lifelong learning (schools, higher
education, adult education, vocational training, non-formal youth learning etc.).
The group of national lifelong learning coordinators set up for the European wide
consultation, and the ‘sub-groups’, that were set up as part of the Concrete
Objectives Follow-up, will provide support to the high level group.

• Member States, the EEA and candidate countries should prolong and, where
strengthen and expand established interministerial coordination
necessary,
structures to promote internal policy coherence. In general, consultation networks
on lifelong learning should be built on at all levels, national, regional and local, to
support implementation.

• The Commission will develop further its consultation of the social partners in the
field of lifelong learning. In addition, the Commission would welcome further

28

reflection and contributions from the social partners on the priorities set out in this
Communication, through the social dialogue process.

• The Commission will also develop the existing consultation platform with civil
society and the NGOs concerned by lifelong learning. It will verify that the
composition of this consultation platform is sufficiently representative of the
various actors as well as groups at risk of exclusion.

• The working platforms provided by the European Forum on Transparency, the
European Forum on Quality and the proposed European Forum on Guidance
should define the scope of their respective areas with a view to working together,
and with the sub-groups set up as part of the Concrete Objectives Follow-up, in the
future.

• The Commission will encourage Cedefop, Eurydice and ETF to build upon their
existing cooperation in relation to lifelong learning, in particular to support the
development of the lifelong learning database (see section 4.1).

• The Commission will continue

actively with international
organisations such as the OECD, the Council of Europe and UNESCO when
developing lifelong learning policy.

to cooperate

5.

NEXT STEPS

The next stages along the path towards a European area of lifelong learning will be:

• An examination and discussion of this document by the European Parliament, the
Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, leading to an
Opinion from each institution;

• Endorsement of the main principles and proposals of this Communication and the
approach suggested in respect of a European area of lifelong learning by the
Council (Education and Youth Council and the Employment and Social Policy
Council) during the Spanish Presidency;

• A contribution by the Commission on this subject to the Barcelona Spring Council

of 15-16 March 2002;

• A report by the Commission to the European Council and the European Parliament
on progress towards implementing the lifelong learning framework by the end of
2003.

29

ANNEX I: PROPOSALS IN RELATION TO RESEARCH AND
EVALUATION (BY THE END OF 2003)

• The Commission will propose that research into the benefits, costs and returns of
investing in learning, building on current research79, be supported under the 6th
Research Framework Programme80.

• The Commission will propose that research and experimentation into how we learn
in the contexts of formal, non-formal and informal learning, and how ICT can be
integrated into these learning processes, be supported under the 6th Research
Framework programme,
through the Leonardo da Vinci, Socrates and Youth
programmes and the eLearning pilot actions, the Information Society Technologies
Programme81 and through the EQUAL Initiative. This should promote the
development of efficient and effective pedagogic approaches for various groups of
learners, including underrepresented groups.82

• The Commission will launch a feasibility study on a framework for the recording
of public and private levels of investment in lifelong learning, at the national,
regional and enterprise levels, with a view to enhancing transparency. This will be
based on data provided regularly, for example on the resource allocation between
formal, non-formal and informal learning and between various sectors of learning
provision (broken down by gender, age group, previous educational attainment and
target groups).

• The Commission, in cooperation with the social partners at European level, will
launch a survey on learning in SMEs with particular focus on non-formal and
informal learning, including quality and output aspects.

• The Commission will support an evaluation, based on case studies, of what factors

are likely to make lifelong learning partnerships efficient and sustainable.

• The Commission will undertake a feasibility study on an EU-wide approach to the
development of a basic skills and adult literacy survey to be carried out on a
regular basis.

• The Commission will evaluate existing mechanisms providing individual rights to
basic skills and/or lifelong learning and their impact on participation in learning
opportunities.

• The Commission will, building on existing evidence,83

identify barriers to
participation in lifelong learning for under-represented groups (resource-related or
financial barriers,
including lack of childcare, transport or access to learning
support material) and key factors contributing to eliminating such barriers.

• In addition to the above proposals, the Commission will support broader research
across the field of lifelong learning, including through the Information Society
Technologies Programme of the 6th Research Framework Programme.

30

ANNEX II : GLOSSARY

This glossary provides explanations of some of the key terms used in this
Communication

active citizenship

The cultural, economic, political/democratic and/or social participation of citizens in
society as a whole and in their community.

adaptability84

The capacity to adapt to new technologies, new market conditions and new work
patterns of both enterprises and of those employed in enterprises.

assessment

A general term embracing all methods used to appraise/judge the performance of an
individual or a group.

certificate/diploma

An official document, which formally records the achievements of an individual.

certification

The process of issuing certificates or diplomas, which formally recognise the
achievements of an individual, following an assessment procedure.

civil society

A ‘third sector’ of society alongside the state and the market, which embraces
institutions, groups, and associations (either structured or informal), and which may
act as mediator between the public authorities and citizens.85

compensatory learning

The provision of learning which should have been acquired during compulsory
schooling.

competence

The capacity to use effectively experience, knowledge and qualifications.

corporate social responsibility

The commitment of a corporate organisation to operate in a socially, economically
and environmentally sustainable manner, while acknowledging the interests of
internal and external stakeholders.

31

digital divide

The gap between those who can access and use information and communication
technologies (ICT) effectively, and those who cannot.

digital literacy

The ability to use ICT proficiently.

eLearning

Learning that is aided by ICT.

employability86

The capacity for people to be employed: it relates not only to the adequacy of their
knowledge and competences but also to the incentives and opportunities offered to
individuals to seek employment.

empowerment

The process of granting people the power to take responsible initiatives to shape their
own life and that of their community or society in economic, social and political
terms.

European governance

The administration of European affairs through the interaction of the traditional
political authorities and ‘civil society’, private stakeholders, public organisations,
citizens.

formal learning

Learning typically provided by an education or training institution, structured (in
learning time or learning support) and leading to
terms of learning objectives,
certification. Formal learning is intentional from the learner’s perspective.

guidance

A range of activities designed to assist people to make decisions about their lives
(educational, vocational, personal) and to implement those decisions.

identification (of competences)

The process of specifying and defining the boundaries and nature of competences.

informal learning

Learning resulting from daily life activities related to work, family or leisure. It is not
structured (in terms of learning objectives, learning time or learning support) and
typically does not lead to certification. Informal learning may be intentional but in
most cases it is non-intentional (or “incidental”/random).

32

intergenerational learning

Learning that occurs through the transfer of experience, knowledge or competences
from one generation to another.

knowledge-based society (or knowledge society)

A society whose processes and practices are based on the production, distribution, and
use of knowledge.

learning community

A community that widely promotes a culture of learning by developing effective local
partnerships between all sectors of the community and supports and motivates
individuals and organisations to participate in learning.

learning facilitator

Anyone who facilitates the acquisition of knowledge and competences by establishing
a favourable learning environment, including those exercising a teaching, training or
guidance function. The facilitator orientates the learner by giving guidelines, feedback
and advice throughout the learning process, in addition to assisting the development
of knowledge and competences.

learning organisation

An organisation that encourages learning at all levels (individually and collectively)
and continually transforms itself as a result.

learning region

A region in which all stakeholders collaborate to meet specific local learning needs
and implement joint solutions to common problems.

lifelong learning

learning activity undertaken throughout

life, with the aim of

skills and competences within a personal, civic,

All
knowledge,
employment-related perspective.

improving
social and/or

lifewide learning

All learning activity whether formal, non-formal or informal. Lifewide learning is one
dimension of lifelong learning as defined in this Communication.

non-formal learning

Learning that is not provided by an education or training institution and typically does
not lead to certification. It is, however, structured (in terms of learning objectives,
learning is intentional from the
learning time or learning support). Non-formal
learner’s perspective.

33

recognition of competences

1) The overall process of granting official status to competences, (this is formal
recognition), gained either

- formally (by awarding certificates) or

- in a non-formal or informal setting (by granting equivalence, credit units, validation
of gained competences);

and/or

2) The acknowledgement of the value of competences by economic and social
stakeholders (this is social recognition).

social inclusion

When people can participate fully in economic, social and civil life, when their access
to income and other resources (personal, family, social and cultural) is sufficient to
enable them to enjoy a standard of living and quality of life that is regarded as
acceptable by the society in which they live and when they are able fully to access
their fundamental rights.

valuing learning

The process of recognising participation in and outcomes of (formal, non-formal or
informal) learning, so as to raise awareness of its intrinsic worth and to reward
learning.

34

1

2

Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2000

“The well-being of nations: the role of human and social capital” (p. 33) Tom Healy, Sylvian

Côté; OECD 2001.

3

For most Member States, LFS participation refers to education and training participation by
25-64 year olds in the four weeks prior to the survey. For Portugal, France and the Netherlands,
however, data are collected only if participation is on-going at the time of the survey.

4

Source: OECD; direct and indirect expenditure on educational institutions from public and

private sources, 1998

5

6

7

Feira European Council conclusions para. 33

Council Conclusions of 20 December 1996 on a strategy for lifelong learning (97/C 7/02).

Summary and analysis reports of the feedback from the Member States, EEA countries,

candidate countries and civil society are available.

8

Education Council Decision of 14 February 2001 based on a Commission proposal
(COM(2001) 59 final). The Objectives Report was endorsed by the Stockholm European Council in
March 2001.

9

Communication from the Commission: Draft detailed work programme for the Follow-up of

the Report on the Concrete Objectives of Education and Training Systems COM(2001) 501 final.

10

Stockholm European Council conclusions: para. 11.

11

In accordance with the Amsterdam treaty, which introduced a new title on employment, this
strategy is built on thematic priorities, grouped in four pillars and described in Employment Guidelines.
Cf. Joint Employment Report 2001 COM(2001) 438 final. Employment Guidelines 2001: Official
Journal of the European Communities 24.1.2001 L 22/18.

12

The Nice European Council in December 2000 approved the European Social Agenda. Cf.
Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and
Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions COM(2000) 379 final.

13

The Stockholm European Council in March 2001 endorsed the Commission’s intention to
create a high level Task Force on Skills and Mobility with a view to presenting an action plan to the
Barcelona Spring Council in March 2002. Cf. Communication from the Commission to the Council:
‘New European Labour Markets, Open to All, with Access for all’ COM(2001)116 final.

14

As part of the eEurope Action Plan, the eLearning initiative follows up the conclusions of the
Lisbon European Council. Cf. Communication from the Commission: eLearning, designing
tomorrow’s education COM(2000) 318 final.

15

See Communication from the Commission: Towards a European research area. COM(2000) 6
final; and Communication from the Commission: Mobility Strategy for the European Research Area,
COM (2001) 331 final.

16

The definition of lifelong learning used in the Memorandum was: "all purposeful learning
improving knowledge, skills and

activity, undertaken on an on-going basis with the aim of
competence".

35

17

18

Cf. Glossary (Annex II)

The OECD 2001 Education Policy Analysis also examined the distinguishing features of the

lifelong learning approach.

19

The Joint Employment Report 2001 indicates that such strategies are in place in some seven

Member States. Joint Employment Report 2001 COM(2001) 438 final.

20

Cf. Commission Green Paper “Promoting a European framework for Corporate Social

Responsibility.” COM(2001) 366 final.

21

Cf. Objective 3.1 of the Follow-up to the Objectives Report: ‘Strengthening Links with

Working Life and Society at Large’.

22

The term ‘potential’ learner is used to denote those who may not be actively engaged in
learning, for example those for whom access is a problem e.g. disabled people, or people who may
have become alienated from learning, e.g. older people. It may also refer to people who do not
capitalise on informal learning, which takes place in everyday activity.

23

24

See section 3.5.

The term learning facilitator is used throughout the document to refer to teachers, trainers and

others who help people learn in non-formal and informal environments.

25

Cf. Objective 1.5 of the Follow-up to the Objectives Report: ‘Making the Best Use of

Resources’.

26

27

Cf. Objective 2.1 of the Follow-up to the Objectives Report: ‘Open Learning Environment’.

See Communication from the Commission: ‘Employment and social policies: a framework for

investing in quality’ COM(2001) 313 final.

28

Cf. Objective 2.2 of the Follow-up to the Objectives Report: ‘Making Learning More

Attractive’.

29

30

This approach is taken at European level – see the Joint Employment Report 2001.

Cf. Objective 2.2 of the Follow-up to the Objectives Report: ‘Making Learning More

Attractive’.

31

32

Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council (2001/613/EC).

Work in this area will include the activities of the European Forum on the Transparency of

Qualifications and the European Forum on the Quality of Vocational Training.

33

The relevance of this priority for action with more specific regard to the new European labour

markets will be outlined in the Commission’s forthcoming Skills and Mobility Action Plan.

34

35

36

National Academic Recognition and Information Centres

National Resource Centres for Vocational Guidance

The relevance of these priorities for action with more specific regard to the new European

labour markets will be outlined in the Commission’s forthcoming Skills and Mobility Action Plan.

36

37

This will take account of experiences resulting from the ‘Tuning’ project (April 2001-June
2002) and the Joint Action project ‘Construction of bridges between qualifications: a system of transfer
and accumulation of training credits for lifelong learning’ (November 2001-February 2003).

38

The Commission is also creating a one stop information mobility site, which will serve as the
access point to the portal on learning opportunities, as well as the EURES database and the proposed
Internet portal on youth policy. The relevance of this priority for action with more specific regard to the
new European labour markets will be outlined in the Commission’s forthcoming Skills and Mobility
Action Plan.

39

The relevance of this priority for action with more specific regard to the new European labour

markets will be outlined in the Commission’s forthcoming Skills and Mobility Action Plan.

40

Employment Guidelines 2001: Guideline 3.

41

The “Innovation 2000 Initiative”, implemented by the EIB after Lisbon through the setting-up
of a dedicated lending programme of EUR 12-15 billion, should be a significant support to the
implementation of lifelong learning.

42

Lisbon European Council conclusions para. 26, and Employment Guidelines 2001, horizontal

objective on lifelong learning.

43

During the current programming period (2000-2006), the European Social Fund (ESF) will
contribute at least EUR 12 billion towards the development of lifelong learning. In addition, the ESF
Community Initiative EQUAL has lifelong learning as one of its eight thematic priorities, towards
which Member States have allocated the second largest thematic budget.

44

45

Employment Guidelines 2001: Guideline 13.

E.g. Research undertaken in the Member States and by the OECD.

46

COM(2001) 94 final. Proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council
concerning the multiannual framework programme 2002-2006 of the European Community for
research, technological development and demonstration activities aimed at contributing towards the
creation of the European research area. Priority thematic area: ‘Citizens and governance in the
European knowledge-based society’. The results of research projects already financed by the
Commission under the 5th Framework Programme should be taken into account.

47

Based on the Report by the Commission Task Force on Measuring Lifelong Learning, the
Report on the Quality of School Education, the Progress Report by the Expert Group on Indicators on
Quality of Lifelong Learning and the work done by the Forum on the Quality of Vocational Training.

48

Lisbon European Council conclusions, para. 26; Employment Guidelines 2001; eLearning

Action Plan COM(2001) 172 final, p. 11

49

In the EU, out of a total of 112 million employed people, 74 million are in SMEs; of these, 38
million are in companies of less than 10 employees. Source: “Enterprises in Europe, 2001 edition,
Eurostat”

50

See the third action line of the Commission Communication “Helping SMEs to GoDigital”

(COM(2001) 136 final).

51

This follows up a request in the Lisbon European Council conclusions, para. 29.

52

The Commission also established in September 2001 an ICT Skills Monitoring Group with
representatives from Member States to analyse and monitor the demand for, and availability of, ICT

37

skills, based on the requirements of industry. See http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/policy/ict-
skills.htm.

53

This priority corresponds exactly to one of the issues identified in the Follow-up to the

Objectives Report under objective 1.2.

54

55

Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2000/C 364/01)

Employment Guidelines 2001; the ESDIS e-inclusion report; the Commission and Member

States’ High Level Group on the Employment and Social Dimension of the Information Society.

56

Employment Guidelines 2001, Guidelines 3, 15; eEurope; eLearning initiative (2001/C

204/02) and the eLearning Action Plan COM(2001) 172 final

57

The eLearning initiative (2001/C 204/02); the eLearning Action Plan COM(2001) 172 final.

58

These issues will be addressed, at the European level, through the Follow-up to the Objectives
Report. Under its Objective 1.5 “Making the best use of resources” one of the four main issues is
defined as “Supporting quality evaluation and assurance systems using indicators and benchmarking” –
building on results of the Bologna process and the Forum on the quality of vocational training.

59

Part of the 5th Research Framework Programme. Research Projects of the IST Programme
address several issues in the field of lifelong learning, covering technologies, systems and services,
infrastructures and applications for schools, universities, training settings and non-formal learning.

60

The results of research projects already financed by the Commission under the 5th Framework

Programme should be taken into account.

61

TEC Article 149 states that “the Community shall contribute to the development of quality
education by encouraging cooperation between Member States and, if necessary, by supporting and
supplementing their action while fully respecting the responsibility of the Member States for the
content of teaching and the organisation of education systems…”.

62

63

See Treaty Article 150.

See Treaty Article 125.

64

A document giving examples of lifelong learning practice in various European countries, as
well as further details on indicators for lifelong learning, is available (Commission services document
“Lifelong learning practice and indicators”).

65

The implementation of the activities to be carried out at community level in the framework of
lifelong learning will be financed through programmes and processes that are already proposed or
adopted and therefore do not require additional resources (financial or human) at this stage.

66

Research on education and training will be undertaken primarily under Priority 7 (‘Citizens in
an Evolving Knowledge Society’); access to education and training is also included in the research
priorities under the sub-theme ‘Knowledge-based European Society’.

67

A document giving examples of lifelong learning practice in various European countries, as
well as further details on indicators for lifelong learning, is available (Commission services document
“Lifelong learning practice and indicators”).

68

Commission Communication on Structural Indicators, presenting 35 indicators as a basis for

the Synthesis Report. COM (2001) 619. See also COM (2000) 594

38

69

Public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, source: Unesco-OECD-Eurostat
UOE; Percentage of population, aged 25-64, participation in education and training, source: Labour
Force Survey (LFS); Share of the population aged 18-24 with only lower-secondary education and not
in education or training, source: Labour Force Survey (LFS).

70

Expenditure on education/training in enterprises as a percentage of labour costs, source
Continuing vocational training survey (CVTS); household expenditure on education as a percentage of
total expenditure, source Household Budget Survey (HBS); participation in education/training by field
of study, source UOE and learning in enterprises by form of learning (CVTS); Average number of
pupils per on-line computer in schools, source: Eurobarometer.

71

eLearning, source the 2001 Communication on Structural Indicators COM (2001) 619:

indicator in development.

72

More technical details on lifelong learning indicators to be developed can be found in the

Commission services document “Lifelong learning practice and indicators”.

73

The EMCO Indicators Group develops common indicators to monitor implementation of the

Guidelines under the European Employment Strategy.

74

The Social Protection Committee Indicators Subgroup is preparing a report for the European

Council of Laeken with a list of commonly agreed indicators on social inclusion.

75

quality”

76

COM(2001) 313 of 20.6.2001 “Employment and Social Policies: a framework for investing in

See the report of the Task Force and the proceedings of the Parma conference on measuring

lifelong learning at
http://forum.europa.eu.int/Public/irc/dsis/ceies/library?l=/seminars/measuring_lifelong&vm=detailed&
sb=Title

77

shortly.

A report was presented to the conference in Riga on 28 and 29 June and will be published

78

Key issues, which apply equally to both qualitative and quantitative indicators are: how
people learn; fields of learning; motivation, obstacles and effectiveness. The three most important steps
will be the preparation of the 2003 ad-hoc module on adult learning, the 2005 Adult Education Survey
proposed by the Commission and a planned third survey of learning in enterprises (CVTS). The
Commission will aim to harmonise several other surveys with a view to developing a coherent
collection system.

79

E.g. Research undertaken in the Member States and by the OECD.

80

COM (2001) 94 final. Proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council
concerning the multiannual framework programme 2002-2006 of the European Community for
research, technological development and demonstration activities aimed at contributing towards the
creation of the European research area. Priority thematic area: “Citizens and governance in the
European knowledge-based society”. The results of research projects already financed by the
Commission under the 5th Framework Programme should be taken into account.

81

Part of the 5th Research Framework Programme. Research Projects of the IST Programme
address several issues in the field of lifelong learning, covering technologies, systems and services,
infrastructures and applications for schools, universities, training settings and non-formal learning.

82

The results of research projects already financed by the Commission under the 5th Framework

Programme should be taken into account.

39

83

For example the study of barriers to the participation of adults in higher education, undertaken

within the Research Framework Programme.

84

See the Commission Communication endorsed by the Special Jobs Summit which launched

the European Employment Strategy:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/elm/summit/en/papers/guide.htm

85

See also the definition drawn up by ECOSOC in its Opinion of 22 September 1999 which will
be used in forthcoming guidelines on consultation and dialogue with civil society (following up the
European Governance White Paper): Official Journal of the European Communities (1999/C329/10)

86

See the Commission Communication endorsed by the Special Jobs Summit which launched

the European Employment Strategy:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/elm/summit/en/papers/guide.htm

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