Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on The contribution of IT-supported lifelong learning to European competitiveness, industrial change and social capital development
Date: 2006-09-13
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: competitiveness, continuing education, continuing vocational training, industrial restructuring, information technology, new technology

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Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on The contribution of IT-supported life-
long learning to European competitiveness, industrial change and social capital development

(2006/C 318/03)

On 19 January 2006 the European Economic and Social Committee, acting under Rule 29(2) of its Rules of
Procedure, decided to draw up an opinion on: The contribution of IT-supported lifelong learning to European
competitiveness, industrial change and social capital development.

The Consultative Commission on Industrial Change, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's
work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 31 August 2006. The rapporteur was Mr Marian Krzaklewski.
The co-rapporteur was Mr András Szücs.

At its 429th plenary session, held on 13 and 14 September 2006 (meeting of 13 September), the European
Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 181 votes to six with eleven abstentions.

1. Proposals and recommendations

sional knowledge in this field. This will ensure the application
of consistent approaches and help to realise the added value of
e-learning.

The European Economic and Social Committee

1.1
is
convinced that the use of electronic media in teaching and
training — (e-Learning) (1) should help the European Union to
carry out activities aimed at increasing the effectiveness and
quality of education, including job-based education and training.
This, together with other measures, will reduce staff training
costs, substantially improving the competitiveness of businesses,
especially small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Committee believes

1.2
learning and training
supported by information and communications technologies
(ICT) are still inconsistent in the EU. This is caused by linguistic
and cultural diversity and the immaturity of
the relevant
markets.

that

In order to change this, all educational

1.2.1
institutions,
including those active in the field of lifelong learning (LL) (2),
should be more open to new forms of learning and be ready to
use them on an ever wider scale, supporting the integration of
knowledge and experience with a view to achieving synergy
with the planned technological and economic development.

1.2.2
The Committee believes that the European Commission
is best placed to establish a new policy in this context. The issue
of communication and coordination is therefore particularly
important for the Commission services, especially in the fields
of education and the information society.

The time has come to acknowledge that e-learning has
1.2.3
moved into the mainstream and the consolidation of profes-

(1) e-Learning — The use of new multimedia technologies and the Internet
to improve the quality of learning by facilitating access to resources and
services as well as remote exchanges and collaboration.

(2) Lifelong learning (LL) — An expression used to indicate that acquiring
new knowledge is now considered a continuous process which does
not end when one leaves school or university, but continues uninter-
rupted throughout one's professional life and even after retirement,
spreading to embrace all stages of life and all social groups thanks, to a
large extent, to the possibilities offered by e-learning (source: www.
elearningeuropa.info).

1.3
The EESC is convinced of the need for a greater aware-
ness in the EU of ICT, in particular of the way these technolo-
gies can support training in industry and lifelong learning, e.g.
through:

— training provided mainly in the workplace, geared towards

solving existing problems in a particular context;

— methods and approaches recognising prior learning achieve-
ments — including those obtained through work and
experience — and encouraging active involvement
in
learning activities, both independent and collaborative.

to

remember, when

The EESC appeals to the EU institutions and the Member
1.4
States
development
programmes connected with the establishment of the informa-
tion society, that these processes must not lead to any form of
exclusion. In other words, there should be no social, economic
or regional barriers to access to electronic infrastructure as a
learning tool.

implementing

The Committee stresses that

1.4.1
the key condition for
using ICT in lifelong learning, particularly in the Community's
rural areas and small towns, is support from the EU and the
governments of Member States for broadband internet connec-
tions (3) that provide access to e-learning systems. The situation

(3) Broadband Internet access — Communications channel with high capa-
city, enabling quick, easy access to information and e-learning systems
(source: www.elearningeuropa.info).

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is exceptionally difficult for such areas in the new Member
States. This adds even more weight to the argument that there
can be no place for any kind of barrier as far as access to broad-
band connections is concerned.

measures that will significantly increase the number of people
taking up e-learning. Such a development has the potential to
make a considerable contribution to the competitiveness and
productivity of industry.

1.4.2
In this context, the EESC appeals to the Commission to
recognise access to broadband as part of a wider strategy aimed
at ensuring that eAccess is accorded the status of general
interest.

1.11
The EESC calls on the EU institutions to pay particular
attention to the needs of SMEs, their networks and representa-
tive organisations with a view to ensuring they make the most
of ICT for training purposes.

The Committee believes that, as far as e-distance learning
1.5
and training are concerned, special consideration must be given
to the risk of a generation gap emerging, especially since an
increasing number of activities in the field of adult lifelong
learning will be undertaken using ICT.

The Committee believes that teachers of modern tech-
1.12
nology and methodology (IT education) should be given long-
term, systematic support through comprehensive programmes
and incentives.

1.6
In addition, the EESC would like to draw attention to the
fact that e-learning should also be designed in a way that meets
the needs of blind people. Given that the technical solutions in
this area are well known, the authors of e-learning textbooks
should take as a basis the set of rules drawn up by organisations
representing the blind community.

1.7
The EESC is convinced that e-learning should be an effec-
tive tool for improving the competitiveness of enterprises and
increasing their business potential, especially the potential of
small and medium-sized enterprises, which have a key role to
play in generating economic growth and creating jobs.

1.8
The Committee believes that broadening the scope of
ICT-supported lifelong learning in the EU will have a major
influence not only on increasing the competitiveness of busi-
nesses but also on enhancing the social capital of the people
they employ, which should increase the value of European busi-
ness capital.

The EESC would like to stress that

1.13
the European
Commission should also pay special attention to the question of
intellectual property rights in the field of IT education.

1.14
In the final conclusion of its proposals and recommen-
dations, the Committee suggests following the example of terms
already in use in the EU such as e-Europe, e-learning, e-skills etc.
by introducing the term — e-LL (e-lifelong learning), thereby
stressing the role of this form of
learning and the need to
develop and extend it within the eEurope action plan and the
subsequent i2010 initiative.

2. Introduction and reason for opinion

2.1
ICT-
This opinion will examine the contribution of
supported lifelong learning to competitiveness, industrial change
and social capital development in the European Union.

1.9
The EESC notes that there is an urgent need to define a
new role for civil society and for dialogue among the social
partners as regards the promotion and establishment of
IT-
assisted lifelong learning in the EU's labour markets. Preparing
all European societies for ICT-supported lifelong learning will
help to build a European Knowledge Area as well as a knowl-
edge-based society (4).

2.2
In connection with the implementation of the Lisbon
Strategy, lifelong learning is becoming one of the most impor-
tant concepts in the EU's education policy and new educational
programmes for the period 2007-2013 (5). Flexible and open
methods of learning and training using ICT will certainly play a
key role in the development of the knowledge-based economy.

1.10
The Committee notes that less progress than expected
has been made in the integration of ICT into learning and the
professional consolidation of e-learning. Therefore, the compe-
tent authorities at EU and national level are called upon to take

(4) Knowledge-based society — A society whose processes and practices are
based on the production, distribution, and use of knowledge for the
continued improvement of skills and full involvement in family and
professional life and in society, COM(2001) 678 final.

2.3
Following the groundbreaking eEurope programme and
measures to introduce e-learning, which have already led to
some promising developments, there must be consideration of
how to build on these accomplishments in terms of changes in
industry, how to develop opportunities related to these accom-
plishments and how to sketch out future prospects.

(5) An integrated action programme in the field of

lifelong learning, COM

(2004) 474 final, 14.7.2004.

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3. General comments

3.1
The importance of information technology in developing
human resources was recognised by the European Parliament
and the Council of the European Union (6), which approved a
multi-annual programme (2004-2006) for the effective integra-
tion of ICT in education systems in Europe. The basic aim of
this programme is to use ICT to facilitate high-quality education
and training in the context of lifelong learning.

Open, flexible distance learning, together with e-learning,
3.2
dominated the last decade, but it is now being looked at once
again, this time in a broader context. ICT-supported learning or
e-learning make our lives, education and work more flexible
and are regarded as one of the main paths to achieving the
the Lisbon Strategy. Non-formal (7) and informal
goals of
learning (8) and also job-based training are becoming more
important.

Rapid technological progress, increased economic pres-
3.4.2
sures and the different pace of government policy measures
over the past few years, which were supposed to introduce ICT
into education and training, have not done enough to promote
the development of vocational skills.

3.5
It is planned that in 2010, 12.5 % of adults in the EU
lifelong
aged 25-64 will be involved in various forms of
learning, compared with a current average of 10 % (10). Only by
stepping up the expansion of ICT-assisted education and training
can these objectives be achieved.

The challenges

3.5.1
facing the education and training
programmes of the Commission and the Member States are all
the greater, given that over the next five years only 15 % of new
jobs will be for unskilled workers while 50 % will require highly
qualified staff (11).

3.3
The EESC opinion of 2004 on Improving the implementa-
tion of the Lisbon Strategy (9) highlighted the need to examine the
new opportunities provided by the knowledge-based economy
and the importance of the increased expansion of information
technologies and innovation processes.

3.6
A new EU initiative undertaken in connection with the
i2010 Commission communication (12) is the e-Inclusion initia-
tive. The term e-Inclusion refers to both the inclusion of ICT and
the use of ICT as a means of achieving inclusion (13). The e-Inclu-
sion policy aims to remove barriers to ICT use and to promote
ICT usage with a view to preventing exclusion,
improving
economic productivity and employment opportunities.

3.3.1
It also drew attention to shortcomings in education
systems and to the need for better integration of the social
dimension.

3.4
Some of the initiatives taken by the Union in the last
decade in the field of ICT-assisted learning produced exceptional
results, while others demonstrated a lack of consistency and did
not have the intended outcome in terms of numbers and
quality.

3.4.1
Early models for e-learning were focused on individuals
and the transfer of predetermined knowledge. They included
virtually no tutorial support or assessment and were something
of a disappointment to those who made early attempts to adapt
to this form of learning.

(6) Decision of

the Council, No

the European Parliament and of
2318/2003/EC on the eLearning Programme of 5 December 2003.
(7) Non-formal learning takes place alongside the mainstream systems of
education and training and does not typically lead to formalised certifi-
cates. Non-formal learning may be provided in the workplace and
through the activities of civil society organisations and groups (such as
in youth organisations, trades unions and political parties). It can also
be provided through organisations or services that have been set up to
complement formal systems. EU Commission, SEC(2000) 1832.

(8) Informal learning — Learning based on everyday situations at work,
in the family and during leisure time. It is neither organised nor
formal (in terms of set goals, duration or resources). For the learner,
non-formal
learning often takes place unwittingly and does not
usually lead to a certificate.
EU Commission, SEC(2000) 1832.

(9) Improving the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy.

3.6.1
An important aspect of e-Inclusion is e-distance learning,
which is aimed at reducing or preventing the social marginalisa-
tion of occupational groups with limited access to traditional
forms of education owing to their geographical location, social
situation or special educational needs.

3.6.2
The benefits of distance learning are: not being tied to
a fixed place of learning, the possibility of adapting the pace of
learning to meet individual learning needs, the opportunity to
make use of modern information technologies, the possibility
for people from disadvantaged groups to improve their skills,
etc.

In its recent opinion (14), the EESC called upon repre-
3.6.3
sentatives of governments and business sectors to draw up and
support measures on the subject of ICT education and training
for the various social groups facing e-exclusion (15).

(10) Modernising education and training: a vital contribution to prosperity
and social cohesion in Europe, COM(2005) 549 final 30.11.2005.
(11) Conclusions of the Council on education, youth and culture of

21.2.2005.

(12) COM(2005) 229 final.
(13) Ministerial Conference ‘ICT for an inclusive society’, Riga, 11.6.2006.
(14) eAccessibility.
(15) e-exclusion — exclusion from participation in electronic communica-

tion.

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The implementation of the e-Inclusion programme is
3.6.4
also linked to the promotion of digital literacy (16), which has
become synonymous with the modern knowledge-based society.
The recognition in the near future of digital literacy as one of
the key skills in lifelong learning in the context, inter alia, of the
recent EESC opinion (17), seems not only necessary but indispu-
table, too.

The promotion of e-skills (18)

3.7
is having an important
influence on various aspects of industrial change. The term e-
skills covers ICT practitioner,
ICT user and e-business skills.
Within the framework of the promotion of a wide-ranging e-
skills agenda, the Commission recently proposed a series of
measures, many of which were concerned with industry and
boosting e-skills in the labour market as well as developing and
promoting new e-competences (19).

The expansion of broadband Internet access is of central
3.8
the i2010
importance to the achievement of
Strategy and those of
It cannot be
limited exclusively to large towns and cities, but should also be
available to the inhabitants of less developed regions (20).

the e-Inclusion projects.

the goals of

3.8.1
It is worth considering that in the EU 15 some 90 %
of businesses and households in urban areas have access to a
broadband connection, but only 60 % in rural and remote
areas; these differences are much greater in the new Member
States.

Broadband is vitally important not only for enhancing
3.8.2
business competitiveness and for
the economic growth of
regions, but also for the education and training sector, especially
where e- learning is used in training programmes.

3.7.1
The partnership between stakeholder representatives
plays a key role in measures relating to both e-skills and the
body of issues linked to the introduction of ICT-supported life-
long learning. Such stakeholders include:

3.9
A policy discourse on this matter would currently be
highly advisable if we are to improve the practice of lifelong e-
learning and thus make this form of training more effective. The
EU is best placed to give policy in this area a new direction.

— trade unions;

— representatives of businesses (as ICT users) who are depen-

dent on a skilled workforce;

— representatives of various industries who are responsible for
introducing new technologies and are better informed about
what type of qualifications are required;

3.9.1
Current policies give de-facto priority to introducing
ICT into formal education institutions, notably schools and
universities; far less attention is devoted to ICT and far fewer
resources are allocated to promoting ICT usage in lifelong
learning and non-formal/informal learning among adults.

— representatives of the ICT industry;

4. Specific comments

— researchers in the field of ICT and developers in this area;

The contribution of IT-supported lifelong learning to European compe-
titiveness and productivity

— researchers of the quantitative and qualitative aspects of e-

skills;

— policy makers in the field of education, research, business,

innovation and the information society;

— forecast specialists with a broad view of changes in society

and the interaction between society and technology.

(16) Digital literacy — one of the basic skills required to actively participate
in the information society and the new media culture. It focuses on the
acquisition of skills and abilities linked to new technologies, increas-
in everyday life. E-Learning Programme, 5 December
ingly essential
2003.

(17) Opinion — Key competences for lifelong learning, May 2006.
(18) Report — RAND Europe,

‘The Supply and Demand of E-skills in

Europe’, IX 2005.

(19) E-competences — competences in the field of ICT and skills and atti-
tudes relating to ICT usage, which make it possible to carry out profes-
sional tasks at the appropriate level.

4.1
In keeping with the general thrust of the Commission
communication of 2002 (21) and the EESC opinion on Training
and Productivity, productivity can be said to be the key to making
businesses and the European economies more competitive and
also to economic growth. Improved productivity is to a large
extent dependent on progress in ICT usage by businesses and on
the ability of the workforce to adapt to the requirements of
modern industry.

4.1.1
Despite the fact that electronic technology, which was
the subject of much hype, failed to meet expectations in the
initial stages of development, the e-sectors of society and the
economy are actually showing unprecedented development and
still have great potential.

(20) Communication of the European Commission: Bridging the Broad-

band Gap of 21.3.2006.

(21) COM(2002) 262 final.

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In this context,

the European Commission rightly
4.1.2
recognises and values the importance of modern ICT in stimu-
lating competitiveness and innovation and in the knowledge-
based economy, especially in small and medium-sized enter-
prises.

A high level of social capital has a direct impact on the
4.4.1
ability to form a knowledge-based society that is creative, inno-
vative, open to change and capable of
forging long-term
economic and social ties. One of the cornerstones of such a
society is investment in research, education and training.

education,

4.2
The path to improving the competitiveness of the Euro-
through
to be vocational
pean economy has
programmes and training that make use of ICT. The creation of
cohesive, mobile and flexible education and training systems for
job seekers, those preparing for work as well as for people
employed in industry will increase the growth rate of knowledge
and lead to important technological changes and innovations in
manufacturing enterprises, which will increase their competitive-
ness.

4.2.1
In this context, the introduction of IT-supported life-
long learning in businesses and related areas should make them
more competitive and help to enhance the social capital of the
people they employ, and in so doing increase the value of Euro-
pean business capital.

4.3
Around 1994, there was a breakthrough in the imple-
mentation and use of e-learning when the industry — chiefly
large corporations — started using this method on a wider scale
in their in-company training and human resource development.
This was a sign of maturity, when e-learning demonstrated the
ability to deliver consolidated and sustainable solutions, over-
coming the earlier period of
simplistic promotional and
marketing messages. In the meantime, SMEs have, for a number
of reasons, come to represent a practically disadvantaged group
of users of e-learning, where the application of this training
method — and frequently, that of ICTs as well — is limited, and
most SME employees risk being excluded from opportunities in
the field of continuing education. Greater e-learning uptake
could be a considerable boost to the competitiveness of SMEs
and help to make them more effective. Competent authorities,
both at EU and national level, should raise awareness of this
and implement measures to promote the use of ICTs for training
purposes in the SME sector.

The contribution of IT-assisted lifelong learning to the development of
social capital

4.4.2
Social capital may be increased through the ability of
the relevant stakeholders (see 3.7.1) to cooperate in the form of
a partnership in all programmes and activities relating to ICT-
assisted education and training, especially lifelong learning.

The contribution of IT–assisted lifelong learning to industrial change,
with particular reference to investment in employee skills, the develop-
ment of human resources and tackling unemployment.

learning

E-distance

4.5
the
and
systematic, faster and cheaper transfer of knowledge that is of
key significance particularly in industry where it
forms an
important element of
its human capital and facilitates the
transfer of knowledge from research institutes to industry.

can enable

training

4.5.1 Well-educated workers who continually improve their
qualifications are an important factor in determining the value
of a particular firm or enterprise. They facilitate changes in
production technology, its profile and adaptation to meet the
needs of the labour market.

The European Commission has stressed (22) that, given
4.6
rapid technological development and changing economic condi-
tions, there is a need for long-term investment in the develop-
involving private individuals, busi-
ment of human resources,
nesses, social partners and public authorities. Unfortunately, EU
countries show no clear trend towards greater public expendi-
ture on education, which averages around 5 % of GDP, with
significant and sometimes even dramatic differences between
individual States.

4.7
Investment in the development of human resources has a
direct impact on productivity growth and is also an attractive
form of investment on both a microeconomic and a social level.
Studies (23) show that each year of learning directly increases
economic growth by around 5 % in the short term and by
around 2.5 % in the long term. This is confirmed in the propo-
sals of the European Council (24), which stressed that investment
in education and training brings considerable benefits which far
outweigh the associated costs.

Social capital covers skills, information, culture, knowl-
4.4
edge and individual creativity as well as relations between
people and organisations. The importance of these resources for
economic growth and its accompanying industrial changes
should be assessed by examining the relationship between the
development, promotion and use of such resources and the
added value they create.

(22) Commission communication: Investing efficiently in education and
training: an imperative for Europe COM(2002) 779 of 10 January
2003 (5269/03).

(23) De la Fuente and Ciccone: Human capital in a global and knowledge-
based economy. Final report for the Directorate General for Employ-
ment and Social Affairs, European Commission, 2002.

(24) Conclusions of the Presidency, European Council 23-24 March 2006

(7775/06).

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Unemployed people have little motivation to learn
4.9.1
independently as they still have too few opportunities to apply
the knowledge they have acquired. The best motivation is the
real possibility of a new job resulting from a specific form of
training or retraining, ideally provided by the company offering
the employment.

This

could create favourable

4.9.2
ICT-
supported lifelong learning, but in the areas where this would
be most appropriate (agricultural areas with bankrupt produc-
tion businesses, which is becoming common in the new
Member States), the infrastructure is inadequate.

conditions

for

4.9.3
Infrastructure in these areas requires government and
Union support, since IT companies are unwilling to cover the
costs of Internet access for poor areas (small towns and rural
areas).

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Anne-Marie SIGMUND

Rapid technological development is leading to the emer-
4.8
gence of modern production equipment
that often has IT
systems that can only be operated by ICT-literate staff. It is not
always possible to recruit such staff immediately, but thanks to
the large scale use of ICT in teaching and training, particularly
in lifelong learning, it will certainly be easier to find such staff
in the labour market.

For

the reasons mentioned above, given the current
4.9
changes in industry, it would be worth taking active steps to
introduce ICT into lifelong learning without delay. This action
should enable employees of European manufacturing firms and
unemployed persons undergoing training to acquire new knowl-
edge and skills more quickly. Unemployed people in particular
should be guaranteed access to State-funded ICT training (25).

Brussels, 13 September 2006.

(25) Opinion: i2010 — A European Information Society for Growth and

Employment.