Council Resolution of 15 November 2007 on the new skills for new jobs
Date: 2007-11-15
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: economic and social cohesion, education policy, new type of employment, professional qualifications, vocational training

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I

(Resolutions, recommendations and opinions)

RESOLUTIONS

COUNCIL

COUNCIL RESOLUTION

of 15 November 2007

on the new skills for new jobs

(2007/C 290/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

RECALLING in particular:

(5) The proposed Recommendation establishing the European
Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning which is
close to being adopted by the European Parliament and the
Council.

(1) The Lisbon European Council

in March 2000 which
launched a strategy aimed at sustainable economic growth
with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion, with
long term employment targets.

(6) The Commission Communication ‘E-Skills for

the 21st
fostering competitiveness, growth and jobs’ of

century:
7 September 2007 (4).

(2) The

for

and

growth

Integrated Guidelines

jobs
(2005-2008) (1), in particular those addressing the need to
improve matching of labour market needs, to expand and
improve investment in human capital, to adapt education
in response to new competence
and training systems
requirements, and to ensure adequate human resources for
Research & Development (R&D) and innovation.

(3) The Conclusions of the Council and of the Representatives
of
the Member States meeting within the Council of
14-15 November 2005 on the role of the development of
skills and competences
in taking forward the Lisbon
goals (2).

(4) The Recommendation of the European Parliament and of
the Council of 18 December 2006 on key competences for
lifelong learning (2006/962/EC) (3).

(1) Council Decision 2005/600/EC of 12 July 2005 on Guidelines for the
employment policies of the Member States and Council Recommenda-
tion 2005/601/EC of 12 July 2005 on the broad guidelines for the
economic policies of the Member States and the Community (2005 to
2008) (OJ L 205, 6.8.2005, p. 21).

(2) OJ C 292, 24.11.2005, p. 3.
(3) OJ L 394, 30.12.2006, p. 10.

AWARE that:

(1) Education and training, in the context of a lifelong learning
perspective, are an indispensable means for promoting
adaptability and employability, active citizenship, personal
and professional fulfilment. They facilitate free mobility for
European citizens and contribute to the achievement of the
goals and aspirations of the European Union, as it seeks to
respond to the challenges posed by globalisation and an
ageing population. They should enable all citizens to acquire
the necessary knowledge to take an active part
in the
knowledge society and the labour market.

(2) The objectives of

job quality,

labour
full employment,
productivity and social cohesion can better be reached if
they are reflected in clear priorities: to attract and retain
more people in employment, to increase labour supply; to
improve the adaptability of workers and enterprises; and to
increase investment in human capital through better educa-
tion, and the development of skills and competences.

(4) COM(2007) 496 final.

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STRESSES the need:

(1) To provide all European citizens with new opportunities to
improve their knowledge, skills and competence levels, to
adapt to new requirements and to move to new and better
jobs, by combining the instruments which already exist at
European and national level.

(2) To anticipate the skills needs — and also the skills gaps —

which are emerging in the European labour markets.

(3) To improve the matching of knowledge, skills and compe-
tences with the needs of society and the economy as a
means to increased competitiveness and growth, as well as
to greater social cohesion, in Europe.

THEREFORE INVITES THE MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION
TO:

(f) disseminating information on the skills and compe-
tences needed for new jobs through EURES, the national
employment services and the European and national
networks on guidance.

(2) Continue work on the validation of learning outcomes
and the transparency of qualifications, in particular by:

(a) developing the validation of learning outcomes acquired
learning at
through formal, non-formal and informal
the national level in line with the Council conclusions
of May 2004 (1), the implementation of the European
Qualifications Framework (EQF) and the existing or
future European systems for credit transfer and accumu-
lation in higher education and vocational education and
training;

(b) further developing Europass as an instrument for the
implementation of
the EQF and taking into account
progress made in the setting up of national systems for
the validation of non-formal and informal learning.

(1) Equip people for new jobs within the knowledge

society, in particular through:

(3) Address funding and quality issues through:

(a) the raising of overall skills levels, giving priority to the
education and training of
those with low skills and
other people most at risk of economic and social exclu-
leavers and young people
sion including early school
with low levels of
attainment, older
workers,
long term unemployed, women trying to
return to the labour market, migrants and people with
disabilities;

educational

(b) providing and encouraging initial and continuing educa-
tion and training for skills and competences of
the
in order to maintain
highest quality, even excellence,
and strengthen their capacity for innovation and utilisa-
tion of research, which is required for greater competi-
tiveness, growth and employment;

(c) the promotion of excellence as regards skills in R&D
and innovation, through inter alia the development of
innovation clusters,
involving enterprises as well as
education and training and research institutions, and the
Euroskills 2008 initiative;

(d) the implementation of measures which aim at matching

identified skills needs and filling potential gaps;

(e) supporting jobseekers by providing them with voca-
tional guidance and a personal
training plan, which
should identify the competence modules required to
move to new jobs where there are skills gaps;

(a) the use of structural funds in support of this initiative,
as well the Lifelong Learning Programme, the Competi-
tiveness and Innovation Framework Programme and the
Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Tech-
nological Development;

(b) the improvement of the quality and relevance of voca-
tional education and training at all levels through the
implementation of the quality assurance principles set
out in European reference tools and the involvement of
social partners.

THEREFORE INVITES THE COMMISSION TO:

(1) Analyse,

in the context of

the Copenhagen process and
cooperation in higher education, the need for added-value
advisory mechanisms to strengthen the identification of new
types of jobs and skill needs at the European level, making
use of existing sectoral skills activities and projects under
lifelong learning, entreprise and social dialogue policies.
These mechanisms should aim to develop regular foresight
of medium-term skills needs and identify short term skills
gaps, defined in terms of occupational functions, reference
levels (EQF) and key competences.

(1) Conclusions of

the Council and of

the
Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on
Common European Principles for the identification and validation of
non-formal and informal
learning (adopted on 28 May 2004),
doc. 9600/04.

the representatives of

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The mechanisms should build on:

— expertise from inter alia enterprises, education and
and

employment

institutions,

services

training
researchers, and

— existing labour market

forecasts and the results of
sectoral
and
regional, national
at
European level, as well as of major studies launched on
future skills needs at the national and European level;

strategies

skills

(2) Strengthen the European network for the early identification
and forecast of skills needs (Cedefop's Skillsnet) and the
European forecasting system on employment trends.

(3) Report on the follow-up to this Resolution at the European
and national levels in the framework of the Education and
Training Work Programme, taking into account Member
States' biennial national reports.