COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Rethinking Education:Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes
Date: 2012-11-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: cooperation in the field of education, economic growth, educational reform, language teaching, new technology, recognition of vocational training qualifications, student mobility, teacher training, teaching curriculum, teaching quality, vocational training

EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION 

Strasbourg, 20.11.2012  
COM(2012) 669 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Rethinking Education:Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes 

{SWD(2012) 371 final} 
{SWD(2012) 372 final} 
{SWD(2012) 373 final} 
{SWD(2012) 374 final} 
{SWD(2012) 375 final} 
{SWD(2012) 376 final} 
{SWD(2012) 377 final} 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
  
 
1. 

EDUCATION AND SKILLS – A CORE STRATEGIC ASSET FOR GROWTH  

Investment in education and training for skills development is essential to boost growth and 
competitiveness: skills determine Europe's capacity to increase productivity. In the long-term, 
skills  can  trigger  innovation  and  growth,  move  production  up  the  value  chain,  stimulate  the 
concentration of higher level skills in the EU and shape the future labour market. The massive 
increase in the global supply of highly skilled people over the last decade puts Europe to the 
test. The time when competition came mainly from countries that could offer only low-skilled 
work  has  come  to  an  end.  The  quality  of  education  and  supply  of  skills  has  increased 
worldwide and Europe must respond. 

European education and training systems continue to fall short in providing the right skills for 
employability,  and  are  not  working  adequately  with  business  or  employers  to  bring  the 
learning experience closer to the reality of the working environment. These skills mismatches 
are a growing concern for European industry's competitiveness1. 

Despite  progress  over  the  last  five  years  in  the  percentages  of  those  qualifying  from  higher 
education,  sustained  efforts  will  be  needed  to  reach  the  headline  target  of  40%  of  young 
people completing higher education. 

Though significant improvement has been made over the last five years, early school leaving 
remains  at  unacceptable  levels  in  too  many  Member  States,  such  as  Spain  with  26.5%  and 
Portugal  with  23.2%.  Targeted  action  remains  necessary  to  reduce  early  school  leaving 
through  comprehensive,  targeted  evidence-based  strategies,  as  called  for  in  the  recently 
adopted Council Recommendation. 

There remains significant evidence of underperformance in other areas: 73 million adults have 
only a low level of education; nearly 20% of 15 year olds lack sufficient skills in reading; and 
participation in lifelong learning is only 8.9%.   

By  2020,  20%  more  jobs  will  require  higher  level  skills.  Education  needs  to  drive  up  both 
standards  and  levels  of  achievement  to  match  this  demand,  as  well  as  encourage  the 
transversal skills needed  to  ensure  young people are able to be entrepreneurial and adapt to 
the increasingly inevitable changes in the labour market during their career.  

The broad mission  of  education  and  training  encompasses  objectives  such  as  active 
citizenship, personal development and well-being. While these go hand-in-hand with the need 
to upgrade skills for employability, against the backdrop of sluggish economic growth and a 
shrinking  workforce  due  to  demographic  ageing,  the  most  pressing  challenges  for  Member 
States  are  to  address  the  needs  of  the  economy  and  focus  on  solutions  to  tackle  fast-rising 
youth unemployment. In this communication, emphasis is being placed on delivering the right 
skills  for  employment,  increasing  the  efficiency  and  inclusiveness  of  our  education  and 
training institutions and on working collaboratively with all relevant stakeholders.   

The  scope  and  pace  of  reforms needs  to  be scaled up  so  high  quality  skills can  support both 
growth and jobs.  The Commission identifies here a limited number of strategic priorities to 

1  

Industrial Policy Communication Update COM (2012) 582  

2 

 
 
                                                 
be addressed by Member States, alongside new EU actions to leverage national efforts. The 
priorities  reflect  the  Country  Specific  Recommendations2  which  the  Commission  made  to  a 
number of Member States and support the Annual Growth Survey 20123. 

Among  these,  particular  attention  is  given  to  combatting  youth  unemployment.  This 
Communication  covers  four  areas  which  are  essential  to  addressing  this  issue  and  where 
Member States should step up efforts.  

• 

• 

• 

• 

Developing  world-class  vocational  education  and  training  to  raise  the  quality  of 
vocational skills 
Promoting  work  based  learning  including  quality  traineeships,  apprenticeships  and 
dual learning models to help the transition from learning to work 
Promoting partnerships between public and private institutions (to ensure appropriate 
curricula and skills provision) 
Promoting mobility through the proposed Erasmus for All programme4 

These issues are of direct relevance to the package on Youth Employment to be put forward 
by  the  Commission  before  the  end  of  2012.  The  Youth  Package  will  propose  new  tools  to 
address youth unemployment and facilitate school-work transitions.  

To  underpin  the  guidance  provided  here,  this  Communication  is  accompanied  by:  country 
fiches summarising the performance and policy reforms of the Member States in the key 
areas  covered  by  the  Communication;  the  first  edition  of  the  Education  and  Training 
Monitor, which gives a picture of current skills supply and progress towards the Europe 2020 
headline targets; and five other Staff Working Documents, showcasing policy evidence and 
good practice. 

2. 

CHALLENGES IN MEMBER STATES TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE EUROPEAN SEMESTER 

2.1. 

Building skills for the 21st century 

Transversal and basic skills 

Efforts need to be concentrated on developing transversal skills…  

Modern,  knowledge-based  economies  require  people  with  higher  and  more  relevant  skills. 
CEDEFOP  forecasts  predict  that  the  proportion  of  jobs  in  the  EU  requiring  tertiary  level 
qualifications will increase from 29% in 2010 to 34% in 2020, while the proportion of low-
skilled  jobs  will  fall  in  the  same  period  from  23%  to  18%.  Transversal  skills  such  as  the 
ability to think critically, take initiative, problem solve and work collaboratively will prepare 
individuals for today's varied and unpredictable career paths.  

…particularly entrepreneurial skills…  

2  
3  
4  

http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/index_en.htm  
Annual Growth Survey COM (2011) 815 
Erasmus for All is the proposed  EU programme for education, training, youth and sport put forward by 
the European Commission on 23 November 2011 

3 

 
 
                                                 
Attention  should  be  particularly  focused  on  the  development  of  entrepreneurial  skills5, 
because  they  not  only  contribute  to  new  business  creation  but  also  to  the  employability  of 
young people. However, at the national level only six Member States have a specific strategy 
for entrepreneurship education6. To address this, in 2013 the Commission will publish policy 
guidance  to  support  improvements  in  the  quality  and  prevalence  of  entrepreneurship 
education across the EU. Member States should foster entrepreneurial skills through new and 
creative ways of teaching and learning from primary school onwards, alongside a focus from 
secondary to higher education on the opportunity of business creation as a career destination. 
Real  world  experience,  through  problem-based  learning  and  enterprise  links,  should  be 
embedded  across  all  disciplines  and  tailored  to  all levels  of  education. All  young  people 
should  benefit  from  at  least  one  practical  entrepreneurial  experience  before  leaving 
compulsory  education.  Measuring  the  impact  of  this  work  is  important,  and  to  support 
Member  States  the  Commission  will  identify  tools  to  assess  progress  and  demonstrate  the 
acquisition  of  entrepreneurial  skills.  At  the  level  of  individual  institutions  progress  will  be 
boosted  by  a  self-assessment  framework,  carried  out  jointly  with  the  OECD,  to  guide  and 
advance  the  development  of  entrepreneurial  education  institutions  at  all  levels  including 
schools and vocational education and training (VET).  

…while the demand for STEM related skills is still high 

Scientific  subjects  are  also  important.  The  demand  for  a  qualified  workforce  in  technology 
and  research  intensive  sectors  is  and  will  remain  at  a  high  level,  with  an  impact  on  the 
demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related skills. Greater 
efforts  must  now  be  made  to  highlight  STEM  as  a  priority  area  of  education,  and  increase 
engagement at all levels. Although broad challenges are well known, such as the need to make 
it more attractive to females, it is also now important to increase understanding of the career 
pathways followed by STEM graduates.  

…but the first step must be that foundation or basic skills are achieved by all… 

Literacy,  numeracy  and  basic  maths  and  science  are  key  foundations  for  further  learning  as 
illustrated in the accompanying Education and Training Monitor 2012, and are a gateway to 
employment  and  social  inclusion.  These  skills  are  nonetheless  being  redefined  by  the  on-
going digital revolution, as new forms of reading and writing and the diversity of information 
sources are changing their very nature. 

Across  the  EU,  reforms  have  streamlined  curricula.  They  have  introduced  national 
standardised tests; established an infrastructure of literacy, maths and science centres; created 
teacher networks and continuing professional development; and stepped up action to improve 
digital  and  media  literacy.  Nevertheless,  underperformance  remains  and  addressing  low 
achievement is now urgent. The share of 15 year olds in Europe that have not acquired basic 
skills is around 20%, while five countries have over 25% low achievers in reading. Member 
States need to introduce new systemic reforms to strengthen early screening and intervention 
for  learning  difficulties  and  to  replace  repetition  or  ability  grouping  with  increased  learning 
support.   

5  

6  

For  an  overview  of  entrepreneurial  skills,  cf  Staff  Working  Document  on  the  Assessment  of  Key 
Competences 
Entrepreneurship  Education  at  School  in  Europe  –  National  Strategies,  Curricula  and  Learning 
Outcomes  (Eurydice 2012)  

4 

 
 
                                                 
These  efforts  within  compulsory  schooling  need  to  be  preceded  by  high-quality,  accessible 
and affordable early childhood education and care. They should be complemented with family 
literacy  and  numeracy  programmes  as  well  as  high  quality  adult  basic  skills  programmes, 
particularly  through  workplace  learning.  Efforts  are  necessary  to  increase  the  current 
alarmingly  low  participation  levels  in  adult  learning  in  most  Member  States7,  and  new 
evidence-based policies are needed drawing on the results of the PIAAC survey8. The average 
adult participation in lifelong learning in the EU is 8.9%. In seven Member States the adult 
participation is as low as 5% or less. 

…while language learning is important for jobs and needs particular attention 

In  a  world  of  international  exchanges,  the  ability  to  speak  foreign  languages  is  a  factor  for 
competitiveness. Languages are more and more important to increase levels of employability9 
and mobility of young people, and poor language skills are a major obstacle to free movement 
of  workers.  Businesses  also  require the language  skills  needed  to  function  in  the  global 
marketplace.  

As detailed in the accompanying Staff Working Document on Languages, the first European 
Survey  on  Language  Competences10  shows  that,  despite  investment  in  many  countries, 
education systems in a number of Member States are still not efficient enough11 to cope with 
these challenges.  In France only 14% of all pupils reach the level of an independent user of 
one foreign language at the end of lower secondary education, and in the UK this is only 9%. 
Faster reform is needed by Member States, based on new methodologies and technologies for 
teaching  both  the  first  and  second  foreign  languages,  with  a  view  to  reaching  the  target 
defined by Heads of State of 'mother tongue plus two'12. 

Vocational skills 

Increasing  the  quality  of  vocational  skills  requires  the  development  of  world-class  VET 
systems… 

Increasing  transversal  and  basic  skills  alone  will  not  be  sufficient  to  generate  growth  and 
competitiveness, and there is still too much distance between the educational environment and 
the  workplace.  Targeted  investment  in  VET,  namely  initial  and  continuous  training,  is  vital 
for  innovation,  growth  and  competitiveness.  The  value  of  VET,  and  notably  dual  training 
systems, in facilitating youth employment is now strongly acknowledged.   

Some  European  countries  already  have  world-class  VET  systems  (Germany,  Austria, 
Denmark,  the  Netherlands),  with  built-in  mechanisms  to  adapt  to  current  and  future  skills 
needs so training is more demand-driven. They report fewer problems with skills mismatches 
and show better employment rates for young people, and in these countries VET education is 
characterised  by  dual  systems  which  have  a  high  proportion  of  work-based  learning.  Many 

7 
8 

9 
10 
11 
12 

Cf. Education & Training Monitor 2012 
PIAAC - Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies: for more information see 
http://ec.europa.eu/education/literacy/resources/statistics/more-info/index_en.htm 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2011:372:0027:01:EN:HTML 
http://ec.europa.eu/languages/eslc/index.html 
Cf. Education and Training Monitor 2012 
Barcelona European Council, March 2002 

5 

 
 
                                                 
others, typically in Southern Europe, lag behind in terms of participation, quality, outcomes 
and  attractiveness.  Figure  1  illustrates  the  disparity  between  countries  of  the  percentages 
involved in VET and general education at upper secondary level. These differences are due to 
socio-cultural traditions and perceptions, diverse structures of education and training systems 
and  of  the  economy  and  labour  market,  reforms  undertaken,  the  extent  of  involvement  of 
social partners as well as the employment prospects of VET graduates, and the preferences of 
individuals.  

Figure 1 - Distribution of upper secondary (ISCED 3) students by programme orientation (general or 
vocational). %. (2010)  

  Source: Eurostat Database13, UOE data collection 

Work  based  learning  and  notably  apprenticeships  and  other  dual  models  help  facilitate 
transition from learning to work. These require a clear regulatory framework, defined roles for 
the different players and must be an integral part of the entire education system. The approach 
which  underpins  the  dual  system  –  classroom-based  education  side  by  side  with  hands  on 
experience in the workplace - has an important potential role to play at tertiary level. 

In  order  to  achieve  excellence  in  VET,  curricula  must  be  systematically  renewed,  delivery 
must be constantly modernised and businesses, especially SMEs, must be actively involved; 
as outlined in the attached Staff Working Document. VET must be able to react to the demand 
for advanced vocational skills, tailored to the regional economic context. It also needs to be an 
open door for those who want to access higher education, as well as individuals who need to 
re-enter learning to upgrade or update skills.  

… which can greatly contribute to the reduction of skills shortages… 

VET  systems  can  and  must  play  a  key  role  in  addressing  skills  shortages,  especially  for 
sectors  with  growth  potential  such  as  ICT,  health  and  care,  low  carbon  technologies, 
personalised services, business services, the maritime economy14 and green sectors, or those 
undergoing major transformation requiring a better skilled workforce. Targeted investment in 
VET to address skills shortages can support growth in these sectors. These sectors should also 
be  encouraged  to  make  use  of  existing  European  tools  for  qualifications  (EQF),  credits 
(ECVET) and quality assurance (EQAVET) to facilitate mobility of a skilled labour force.   

13  
14  

For country specific data notes refer to Eurostat website 
Blue Growth opportunities for marine and maritime sustainable growth COM(2012) 494 

6 

 
 
                                                 
…through a higher level of cooperation at European level 

Work-based  learning,  such  as  dual  approaches,  should  be  a  central  pillar  of  vocational 
education and training systems across Europe, with the aim of reducing youth unemployment, 
facilitating the transition from learning to employment and responding to the skill needs of the 
labour market. To achieve this, the Berlin meeting of EU Ministers of Education in December 
2012  will  be  the  first  step  towards  new  levels  of  cooperation  in  the  field  of  vocational 
education and training. Ministers will sign a memorandum outlining their  ambitions for VET 
across  Europe:  attractiveness  and  quality  of  vocational  education  and  training  should  be 
enhanced;  learning  pathways  must  reach  into  higher  education  levels;  social  partners  and 
other relevant stakeholders need to be actively involved in development and implementation; 
and  increased  mobility  measures  must  be  introduced.  To  support  this  cooperation,  the 
Commission  will  establish  a  new  EU-level  Alliance  for  Apprenticeships  to  drive  the  vision 
forward,  bringing  together  Member  States  and  a  wider  range  of  stakeholders  to  learn  from 
each other and take action at national level.   

2.2. 

Stimulating open and flexible learning 

Improving learning outcomes, assessment and recognition 

Achievement should be driven by learning outcomes… 

Education and training can only contribute to growth and job-creation if learning is focused 
on  the  knowledge,  skills  and  competences  to  be  acquired  by  students  (learning  outcomes) 
through the learning process, rather than on completing a specific stage or on time spent in 
school.  

While  the  learning  outcomes  approach  is  already  the  basis  of  the  European  Qualifications 
Framework  and  national  qualification  frameworks,  this  fundamental  shift  has  not  yet  fully 
percolated  through  to  teaching  and  assessment.  Institutions  at  all  levels  of  education  and 
training still need to adapt in order to increase the relevance and quality of their educational 
input to students and the labour market, to widen access and to facilitate transitions between 
different education and training pathways. 

…and the power of assessment needs to be better harnessed 

What is assessed can often determine what is valued and what is taught. While many Member 
States  have  reformed  curricula,  it  remains  a  challenge  to  modernise  assessment  to  support 
learning.  As  outlined  in  the  annexed  Staff  Working  Document  on  the  assessment  of  key 
competences, the power of assessment has to be harnessed by defining competences in terms 
of learning outcomes and broadening the scope of tests and exams to cover these. Assessment 
for  formative  purposes  to  support  the  day-to-day  skills  learning  of  pupils  also  needs  to  be 
more  widely  used.  In  this  context,  the  potential  of  new  technologies  to  help  find  ways  of 
assessing key competences needs to be fully explored.  

Outside  school,  individuals  should  also  be  able  to  have  their  skills  assessed,  validated  and 
recognised, providing a skills profile for potential employers. Information on the quality and 
quantity of skills across the population will allow authorities to better map potential shortages 
and  focus  on  areas  with  the  best  returns  on  investment.  Efforts  should  continue  to  develop 

7 

 
 
tools for individual assessment of skills, particularly in the areas of problem solving, critical 
thinking, collaboration and entrepreneurial initiative.  

Qualifications should open as many doors as possible… 

transfer  systems  (ECTS  and  ECVET), 

A  number  of  European  instruments  such  as  the  European  Qualifications  Framework  (EQF), 
Europass,  European  credit 
the  multilingual 
classification  of  European  Skills/Competences,  Qualifications  and  Occupations  (ESCO)  and 
quality  assurance  frameworks  have  been  implemented  in  the  last  decade  to  support  the 
mobility  of  learners  and  workers.  These  tools  are  improving  transparency,  for  instance 
making  qualifications  comparable  across  countries  (EQF)  and  credit  points  transferable 
(ECTS).  

These  instruments  were  not  developed  in  isolation  from  each  other;  however,  there  is  room 
for much closer coherence where the different tools and services - including transparency and 
recognition  of  qualifications,  validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning  and  lifelong 
guidance  -  are  offered  in  a  coordinated  way.  This  will  contribute  to  real  European  mobility 
where  a  person's  knowledge,  skills  and  competences  can  be  clearly  understood  and  quickly 
recognised.  The  creation  of  a  European  Area  of  Skills  and  Qualifications  will  support  this 
drive  to  achieve  transparency  and    recognition  of  academic  qualifications  across  borders, 
acquired in vocational and higher education. 

… and academic recognition can lead the way 

The  recognition  of  both  higher  education  qualifications  and  those  enabling  access  to  higher 
education  has  been  on  the  European  policy  agenda  for  some  time.  Academic  mobility  is 
steadily increasing as a result of the changing structures of higher education systems, and this 
internationalisation is complemented by the drive to promote the EU as a destination for study 
and  research15.  Nevertheless,  to  make  the  EU  more  attractive  to  students  and  researchers 
better  approaches  to  recognition  are  needed,  as  well  as  a  more  systematic  and  coordinated 
application  of  the  European  Credit  Transfer  and  Accumulation  System  (ECTS)  and 
improvements in the application and assessment of  learning outcomes.  In  addition,  this  will 
contribute to the European Area of Skills and Qualifications.  

The ongoing development of the Bologna Process provides an important contribution to the 
promotion of transparent and fair recognition of higher education qualifications in Europe and 
beyond.  As  part  of  this  and  the  recent  Bucharest  Communiqué,  countries  committed  to 
improving  academic  recognition  of  diplomas.  This  includes  screening  national  legislation 
against  the  Lisbon  Recognition  Convention  and  encouraging  assessment  of  institution 
recognition procedures for quality assurance. A Pathfinder Group of countries is testing ways 
of  achieving  the  automatic  recognition  of  comparable  academic  degrees.  Its  objective  is  to 
place  students  on  an  equal  footing,  irrespective  of  the  origin  of  their  academic  degree,  by 
shifting the focus away from the academic recognition of individual diplomas to an approach 
based on trust in the system under which the diploma was awarded. 

Tap into the potential of ICT and Open Educational Resources for learning 

The digital revolution brings important opportunities for education… 

15  

Forthcoming Commission proposal to recast Directives 2004/114/EC and 2005/71/EC 

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Technology  offers  unprecedented  opportunities  to  improve  quality,  access  and  equity  in 
education and training. It is a key lever for more effective learning and to reducing barriers to 
education, in particular social barriers. Individuals can learn anywhere, at any time, following 
flexible and individualised pathways.  

Digital  learning  and  recent  trends  in  Open  Educational  Resources16  (OER)  are  enabling 
fundamental  changes  in  the  education  world,  expanding  the  educational  offer  beyond  its 
traditional  formats  and  borders.  New  ways  of  learning,  characterised  by  personalisation, 
engagement, use of digital media, collaboration, bottom-up practices and where the learner or 
teacher is a creator of learning content are emerging, facilitated by the exponential growth in 
OER available via the internet. Europe should exploit the potential of OER much more than is 
currently  the  case.  This  requires  good  computer  skills,  but  some  Member  States  are  still 
lagging  behind  as  seen  in  the  Education  and  Training  Monitor  2012,  with  9  Member  States 
with  over  50%  of  16-74  year  olds  with  no  or  low  computer  skills.  While  the  use  of  ICT  in 
education and training has been high on the policy agenda, critical elements are not in place to 
enable digital learning and OER to be mainstreamed across all education and training sectors. 
A  coherent  strategy  at  EU  level  could  address  the  scope,  size  and  complexity  of  the 
challenges in support of actions of the Member States and the entire chain of stakeholders.  

…and it is time to scale-up use of ICT in learning and teaching… 

Recent  research17  shows  that  disparities  persist  in  the  availability  of  ICT-based  educational 
tools and content. ICT-based assessment is often recommended but it is rarely indicated how 
it should be applied. For personalised and flexible learning, the use of technologies should be 
embedded in educational practice. Large-scale pilots in real-life environments should define 
how, when and where ICT can be used effectively in pedagogical and assessment approaches. 
Turning  research  into  educational  practice  is  even  more  necessary  in  a  fast  changing 
environment. Communities of practices (e.g. eTwinning; European Institute of Innovation and 
Technology  (EIT)  Knowledge  and  Innovation  Communities)  and  hubs  of  ICT-based 
excellence should be further developed, as should faster transfer of innovation research into 
educational  practice.  In  all  of  this,  stakeholder  engagement  and  collaboration  is  a  condition 
for success. 

…to exploit freely available knowledge. 

The quality of education relies on a mix of different educational materials. To achieve this, 
wider  access  and  use  of  OER  needs  to  be  accompanied  by  clear  quality  standards  and 
mechanisms to assess and validate skills and competences acquired through it. Education and 
training  institutions  which  have  not  yet  integrated  OER  should  also  seek  cooperation  with 
technologically  more  advanced  educational  providers  in  order  to  meet  the  expectations  of 
digital-born  learners.  Teachers  tend  to  acquire  ICT  teaching  skills  through  initial  education 

16 

17 

Open Education Resources (OER), as defined by UNESCO in 2002, are "teaching, learning or research 
materials that are in the public domain or released with an intellectual property license that allows for 
free use, adaptation, and distribution". Open Education (OE) is a wider concept that refers to practices 
and organisations aiming at removing barriers to entry to education. OER are a part of OE, which has 
received  a  strong  push  through  the  use  of  ICT.  For  further  information  please  consult  the  UNESCO 
website 
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/access-to-
knowledge/open-educational-resources 
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/key_data_series/129EN.pdf 

OER: 

on 

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rather  than  through  professional  development;  it  is  essential  that  they  are  well  equipped  to 
embrace the potential of the new technologies in the way they teach, in order to stimulate and 
engage learners.  

The  educational  marketplace  is  being  transformed.  There  are  growing  numbers  of  non-
commercial  OER  providers  alongside  technological  advances  such  as  open  access,  internet 
file-sharing  and  open  source,  and  educational  publishers  and  the  wider  industry  continue  to 
adapt to these changes. They are already revising their business models in order to profit from 
new commercial opportunities.  

Supporting Europe's teachers18 

Teachers face rapidly changing demands… 

High quality and well trained teachers can help learners develop the competences they need in 
a global labour market based on ever higher skill levels, and evidence19 shows that a primary 
influence on learners’ performance is the quality of teaching and learning. However teachers 
now  face  unprecedented  challenges.  As  elaborated  on  in  the  accompanying  staff  working 
document, the increasing requirements of education, the massive retirement of teachers from 
the baby-boom generation (see figure 2) and severe staff shortages in some subject areas will 
result in an increased demand for qualified educators at all levels and call for comprehensive 
actions to boost the attractiveness of the profession. These should include both financial and 
non-financial  incentives.    The  crisis  and  the  workforce  currently  available,  also  offer  an 
opportunity to undertake skills renewal across the profession and attract new qualified staff.  

Figure 2 - Age distribution of teachers in lower and upper secondary school % (2010)  

 Source: Eurostat Database20, UOE data collection 

....which  require  a  new  set  of  competences  for  teachers,  teacher  educators  and  education 
leaders … 

However,  well-resourced  strategies  are  necessary  to  recruit,  retain  and  develop  high-quality 
teachers,  spanning  both  initial  teacher  education  and  career-long  professional  development. 

18 

19 
20  

Cf. definition in Staff Working Document on Supporting the Teaching Professions for Better Learning 
Outcomes 
Cf.. OECD Education at a Glance 2012  
For country specific data notes refer to Eurostat website 

10 

 
 
 
                                                 
Member States need to establish a competence framework or professional profile for teachers, 
including  trainers  in  initial  and  continuing  VET.  To  support  this,  the  role  of  the  teacher 
educator  should  be  clearly  defined  through  competence-based  criteria.  Along  with  quality 
assurance measures, this should be the basis for re-engineering recruitment systems to attract 
and retain high quality candidates into teaching.  

The  recruitment,  preparation  and  retention  of  the  right  staff  for  leadership  positions  at  all 
levels of education is equally important and requires further investment. These roles need to 
focus on improving teaching and learning, which remains a problem in many Member States 
due to growing administrative workloads. Leadership academies or professional development 
programmes offer models of good practice. 

...and calls for strong action to support new approaches to teaching and learning... 

Curricula,  especially  in  VET,  should  be  made  more  relevant  to  the  workplace  through 
ongoing  collaboration  with  business  and  employers,  for  example  entrepreneurs  brought  into 
the classroom to enhance learning. Reforms of teaching and learning approaches are required 
at  all  levels,  as  well  as  well-resourced  continuing  professional  development  which  should 
include  provision  of  regular  feedback  and  support  from  teacher  educators.  Teachers  need  a 
strong commitment to training: in the use of new technologies; to improve learning to learn 
competencies;  how  to  cater  for  diversity  and  inclusion;  and  to  meet  the  needs  of 
disadvantaged  learners,  such  as  Roma,  children  with  disabilities  or  those  from  a  migrant 
background. The ultimate focus of all these activities should be to improve learning outcomes.   

...and the quality of teaching is a critical issue in higher education as well 

If efforts are maintained, then the European Union is likely to achieve the headline target of 
40% completion of tertiary level education. Both research21 and teaching should be supported 
by  sound  professional  development  provision.  Yet  it  is  teaching  that  primarily  influences 
student outcomes, enhances graduate employability and raises the profile of European higher 
education institutions worldwide. Currently, only a few countries have strategies to promote 
quality  in  higher  education  teaching,  including  the  training  of  teaching  staff  in  pedagogical 
skills.  The  Commission  has  set  up  a  High  Level  Group  on  Modernisation  of  Higher 
Education, and in 2013 this group will make recommendations to policy makers and  higher 
education institutions on how to promote quality in teaching and learning.  

2.3. 

Promoting a collaborative effort 

Funding education 

Investment in education and training is key to increasing productivity and economic growth 
and is a concern for all… 

Despite  the  clear  medium  and  long-term  positive  returns  for  education,  the  economic 
downturn  and  the  associated  need  for  fiscal  consolidation  has  led  many  Member  States  to 
reduce  investment  in  education  and  training.  Starting  from  the  2009/10  school  year  and 
especially after mid-2010, quite a few countries were obliged to apply salary cuts for teachers 

21http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/pdf/research_policies/Towards_a_European_Framework_for_Research_Careers_fi

nal.pdf 

11 

 
 
                                                 
and other public employees.  In 2012, the majority of countries maintained their arrangements 
regarding  the  funding  of  support  mechanisms  for  pupils  and  students  and/or  their  families. 
From  the  countries  with  available  data  only  Spain  (central  budget),  Cyprus  and  Portugal 
reported  a  decrease  in  the  funding  of  available  schemes  for  support  of  people  in  education. 
Any under-spending today will inevitably have serious consequences in the medium to long-
term for Europe's skills base. 

While the room for manoeuvre may be greater for some Member States than others, all share 
the same double challenge: to prioritise public investment in the education and training sector, 
and  to  find  more  efficient  ways  of  deploying  available  financial  resources  which  might  call 
for  structural  reform  in  particular  education  systems.  The  main  lever  for  increasing  the 
efficiency of investment in education and training is to enhance the quality of provision and to 
focus  on  prevention  of  educational  failure.  Increasingly,  Member  States  are  developing 
models  of  cost-sharing  between  different  partners  in  the  educational  process  –  the  state, 
businesses  and  individuals,  foundations  and  alumni  –  with  public  investment  helping  to 
leverage private sector match-funding. 

…and the focus should be to maximise efficient investment at all levels of education… 

One  priority  for  more  efficient  use  of  funds  should  be  the  earlier  stages  of  education,  to 
prevent  early  educational  failure  and  its  consequences  in  adulthood  (school  achievement, 
employment  rates,  earnings,  crime  prevention,  health  etc)22.  Providing  high  quality  and 
affordable early childhood education pays off, in particular for socially disadvantaged groups. 
Although  countries  have  invested  more  since  2000  in  the  field  of  pre-school  and  school 
education, public investment per capita in the early childhood phase is still lower than at any 
other stage.  

Public investment should also be maintained in school education, but governments must seek 
ways  to  achieve  more  with  these  resources.  Important  returns  of  investment  can  be  gained 
through  more  effective  teacher  recruitment,  retention  and  professional  support  (outlined  in 
section 2.2).    

…with cost-sharing in VET and higher education an option to help meet that goal 

Public and private returns on VET, higher education and adult learning are considerable23. In 
well-established dual VET systems companies achieve long-term returns even when the costs 
for apprenticeships may first exceed the company's direct revenues from an apprentice's work. 
In  order  to  stimulate  the  provision  of  apprenticeships,  public  funds  should  be  targeted 
especially at sectors with growing labour force needs. Companies, on the other hand, should 
increase  investment  in  initial  VET  notably  through  their  involvement  in  alternate  training 
models, but also by supporting schools with adequate equipment. 

Continuous VET can be associated with substantial private returns and productivity gains for 
employers.  Research  suggests,  however,  that  current  public  funding  instruments  (individual 
learning  accounts,  subsidies  for  training  etc.)  may  not  be  efficiently  targeted,  given  that 
provisions  tend  to  favour  the  participation  of  high  skilled  workers  and  their  high  private 
returns. Public funding in this area needs to be thoroughly evaluated and focused on raising 

22 
23 

Cf. EURYDICE (forthcoming), Recent Trends in the Public Funding of Education in Europe 
Cf. OECD Education at a Glance 2012 

12 

 
 
                                                 
new  training  participation,  notably  of  disadvantaged  groups.  Public  responsibility  also 
increases in periods of economic re-structuring. Mechanisms to share the financial burden of 
training between employers, such as sectoral training funds, need to be applied more widely. 

In higher education, it is well established that investment can generate substantial returns for 
individuals  as  well  as  for  society  at  large24.  Different  models  of  funding  are  found  across 
Member States, with a growing number of countries introducing greater cost-sharing into their 
higher  education  systems,  in  the  face  of  growing  student  numbers  and  pressure  for  fiscal 
constraint.  While  choosing  the  most  appropriate  funding  mechanism  is  a  Member  State’s 
prerogative, considerations of efficiency should go hand-in-hand with concerns on equity and 
access. The degree to which students or others contribute directly to the cost of their studies25 
and  more  generally  the  effects  of  cost-sharing,  are  a  matter  of  debate  and  deserve  to  be 
supported with further research and analysis.  

Finally,  in  a  context  of  fewer  resources,  governments  also  need  to  make  effective  use  of 
available  Structural  Funds,  in  particular  the  European  Social  Fund.  Several  countries  have 
recently  reallocated  significant  funding  in  the  2007-13  programming  period  towards  key 
education  and  training  priorities.  For  the  period  2014-2020,  further  concentration  and 
prioritisation is necessary to sustain investment in education and respective infrastructure. The 
proposed  Erasmus  for  All  2014-2020,  through  mobility,  cooperation  and  policy  support 
actions, will also support transnational initiatives in these fields.  

Partnerships 

Partnerships  can  provide  a  platform  for  targeting  the  'right'  skills-  if  they  are  actively 
supported 

Partnerships of public and private institutions are not only a source of education funding but 
also of mutual learning, joint policy development and implementation. Partnerships present an 
opportunity  to  develop  skills  agendas  in  a  targeted,  innovative  and  sustainable  way  and  to 
include  those  directly  involved  in  the  provision,  application  and  updating  of  specific  skills. 
They  can  link  various  policy  areas,  education  and  training  sub-sectors,  public  and  private 
actors, and different levels of governance26.  

For education and training, a reinforced partnership approach means becoming more active in 
the  development  of  skills  strategies,  rather  than  being  just  a  'supplier'.  To  be  sustainable, 
partnerships need to be built on clear objectives and should be a systematic part of the policy 
approach.  They  must  involve  all  stakeholders,  including  representatives  from  teachers' 
organisations, social partners and student bodies.   

The  partnership  approach  is  a  key  factor  for  the  success  of  Youth  Guarantee  schemes  (see 
forthcoming Youth Employment Package). Education and training institutions need to be part 
of a concerted effort with other stakeholders to put in place such comprehensive schemes. 

24 
25 
26 

Cf. OECD Education Today, 29 June 2012 
Cf. EURYDICE (2012), National student fee and support systems 2011/2012 
For  Member  States  practices  cf.  Staff  Working  Document  on  Partnerships  and  flexible  pathways  for 
lifelong skills development 

13 

 
 
                                                 
Different  forms  of  partnerships  are  being  promoted  at  EU  level.  The  Knowledge  and 
Innovation  Communities  (KICs),  supported  by  the  European  Institute  of  Innovation  and 
Technology (EIT), pool together education, research and business to address the development 
of skills in a highly integrated manner consistent with the needs and challenges of the relevant 
economic actors.  Another example, this time sector specific, is the Grand Coalition for ICT 
Jobs.  The  Coalition  will bring  together industry,  employers,  education  and  governments  to 
address skills shortages in the ICT sector.  

The  proposed  Erasmus  for  All  funding  programme  will  also  provide  incentives  for 
partnerships.  Support  will  be  given  to  Knowledge  Alliances  to  implement  a  comprehensive 
set of activities that stimulate the sharing, exchange and flow of knowledge between higher 
education institutions and enterprises. They aim to foster excellence and innovation and create 
new multidisciplinary curricula to promote skills such as entrepreneurship, real-time problem 
solving  and  creative  thinking.  In  the  VET  arena,  funding  will  be  provided  to  Sector  Skills 
Alliances,  uniting  training  institutions,  enterprises  and  professional  organisations,  to  design 
curricula  and  training  programmes.  Both  the  Knowledge  and  Sector  Skills  Alliances  will 
benefit  from the on-going work of  social  partners  in  identifying  sector-specific  skills  needs, 
including at EU level through the European Sector Skills Councils. 

3 

PRIORITIES FOR MEMBER STATES 

The varying nature and urgency of the challenges facing Member States requires the use of 
different instruments implemented over different time scales, and joint action is needed from 
the worlds of both education and employment. Efforts to boost the supply of relevant and high 
quality  skills  must  go  hand-in-hand  with  targeted  actions  to  smooth  the  transition  from 
schools  to  work,  reduce  obstacles  to  mobility  and  improve  the  functioning  of  the  labour 
market so young people have wider access to job opportunities. 

The forthcoming Youth Employment Package will call on Member States to step up efforts 
in the area of work-based learning, mobilities and traineeships, and to promote partnerships 
(including  education)  supporting  the  implementation  of  Youth  Guarantees  as  an  immediate 
response to the youth unemployment crisis.  

In  line  with  the  actions  put  forward  in  the  2012  Country  Specific  Recommendations,  the 
European Commission invites Member States to push forward educational reforms to combat 
youth unemployment and boost skills supply through the following actions: 

1.  Promote  excellence  in  vocational  education  and  training  (VET).  Key  actions  are 
developing, according to national circumstances, high-quality dual VET systems, aligning 
VET  policies  with  regional/local  economic  development  strategies  namely  for  smart 
specialisation, enabling permeability with other educational offers, developing short cycle 
tertiary  qualifications  (2  years)  focused  on  identified  areas  of  skills  shortage  especially 
where there is growth potential such as ICT, healthcare and green skills, and strengthening 
local, national and international partnerships and networks between companies, especially 
SMEs, and VET providers.  

2.  Improve  the  performance  of  student  groups  with  high  risk  of  early  school  leaving 
and  low  basic  skills.  Key  actions  are  putting  in  place  high  quality  and  accessible  early 

14 

 
 
 
childhood  education  and  care,  reinforcing  the  learning  of  basic  skills  such  as  literacy, 
numeracy  and  basic  maths  and  science,  early  detection  of  low  achievers  in  basic  skills 
across  all  phases  of  schooling,  and  providing  individualised  support  as  well  as 
implementing evidence-based strategies to reduce early school leaving. 

3.  Strengthen  the  provision  of  transversal  skills  that  increase  employability  such  as 
entrepreneurial  initiative,  digital  skills  and  foreign  languages.  Key  actions  are  to 
ensure  that  measures  are  taken  to  introduce  transversal  skills  across  all  curricula  from 
early  stages  of  education  up  to  higher  education,  using  innovative  and  student-centred 
pedagogical  approaches,  and  to  design  assessment  tools  through  which  levels  of 
competence  can  be  effectively  assessed  and  evaluated.  All  young  people  should  benefit 
from  at  least  one  practical  entrepreneurial  experience  before  leaving  compulsory 
education. 

4.  Reduce  the  number  of  low-skilled  adults.  Key  actions  are  setting  national  targets  and 
strategies,  increasing  incentives  for  adult  training  by  companies,  validating  skills  and 
competences  acquired  outside  formal  education,  and  setting  up  access  points  (one-stop 
shops)  that  integrate  different  lifelong  learning  services  such  as  validation  and  career 
guidance offering tailored learning to individual learners. 

5.  Scale  up  the  use  of  ICT-supported  learning  and  access  to  high  quality  OER.  Key 
actions are modernising the ICT infrastructure of schools, supporting ICT-based teaching 
and assessment practices, promoting the transparency of rights and obligations of users of 
digitalised  content,  establishing  mechanisms  to  validate  and  recognise  skills  and 
competences acquired through OER and supporting education and training institutions to 
adapt their business models to the emergence of OER. 

6.  Revise and strengthen the professional profile of all teaching professions (teachers at 
all levels, school leaders, teacher educators). Key actions are reviewing the effectiveness 
as well as the academic and pedagogical quality of Initial Teacher Education, introducing 
coherent  and  adequately  resourced  systems  for  recruitment,  selection,  induction  and 
professional development of teaching staff based on clearly defined competences needed 
at each stage of a teaching career, and increasing teacher digital competence. 

Implementation  of  these  reforms  will  not  be  successful  without  increasing  the  efficiency  of 
funding in education. In order to address this complex challenge, the Commission calls on 
Member  States  to  stimulate  national  debates  on  ways  to  provide  sustainable  funding 
mechanisms  to  enhance  stability  and  efficiency,  while  channelling  support  towards  those 
who  tend  to  participate  less.  Among  these,  particular  attention  should  be  devoted  to 
developing  funding  schemes  for  VET  and  adult  learning  financed  via  shared  responsibility 
between public authorities, enterprises and appropriate individual contributions (e.g. sectoral 
training  funds,  training  levies,  etc)  and  aimed  at  attracting  large  companies  and  SMEs  to 
provide work-based VET training. 

15 

 
 
4.      EUROPEAN LEVEL COORDINATION AND CONTRIBUTIONS 

While  the  responsibility  and  the  instruments  to  address  the  issues  identified  in  this 
communication  lie  with  the  Member  States,  the  ambitious  reforms  needed  call  for  a  strong 
joint effort from both the EU and Member States. At EU level, immediate focus will also be 
given to the following key actions: 

1.  Enhanced  country-specific  focus  and  support  to  Member  States  in  their  efforts  to 

implement the identified priorities by: 

− 

− 

monitoring  progress  in  each  Member  State  in  the  context  of  the  next  European 
Semester and feeding the results of this country examination into the preparations of 
the 2013 draft country-specific recommendations; 

strengthening  the  analytical  base  of  country-monitoring  through  i)  regular  peer 
reviews  in  the  framework  of  the  Open  Method  of  Coordination  for  Education  and 
Training,  ii)  a  framework  for  cooperation  between  the  European  Commission  and 
OECD in the area of skills policies. Within the context of this framework, the public 
portal  "Education  and  Skills  Online  Assessment"  will  be  launched  in  autumn 
2013,  allowing  individuals  and  enterprises,  through  the  PIAAC  methodology,  to 
benchmark  skills  against  other  survey  users;  iii)  enhanced  monitoring  of  the 
education  and  training  benchmarks,  including  a  new  benchmark  on  language 
teaching as elaborated in the Staff Working Document on Languages. 

2.  Accelerate improvements in work-based learning, in particular by establishing an EU-

level  Alliance  for  Apprenticeships  (see  also  forthcoming  Youth  Employment  Package).  
As the first step, the Commission will support a Memorandum on European cooperation 
in  vocational  education  and  training,  bringing  together  a  number  of  Member  States  to 
learn from successful approaches and schemes. 

3.  Create  a  European  Area  for  Skills  and  Qualifications  to  promote  a  stronger 
convergence between the EU transparency and recognition tools to ensure that skills and 
qualifications can be easily recognised across borders, based on on-going evaluations and 
pursuing the learning-outcomes approach. 

4.  Funding Education for Growth to strengthen commitment to a skilled and continuously 

trained and re-trained workforce by: 

−  monitoring  actions  taken  by  Member  States  to  prioritise  growth-enhancing  expenditure 
and developing an evidence-based framework to analyse the efficiency of public spending 
for quality education and training;  

− 

initiating for the first time a debate at EU level with relevant stakeholders on the benefits 
of  investment  in  different  education  and  training  sectors  (vocational  training,  adult 
learning, higher education) and ways to increase the efficiency of spending;  

−  exploring with Social Partners at EU level the options for increasing significantly the level 
of training provision for adults working  in companies, with a view to re-skilling and up-

16 

 
 
 
 
skilling the workforce. This consultation will take place after the ongoing consultations on 
the Quality Framework of Traineeships to fully take into account its results. 

5.  Analyse  the  impact  of  providing  EU  support  to  upscaling  access  and  use  of  OER  and 
ICT, establishing quality parameters and certification processes for OER, developing ICT-
enabled teaching practices and creating a EU dimension for online education. The results 
of  this  preparatory  work  will  pave  the  way  towards  a  new  European  initiative  on 
“Opening up education”. 

6.   Entrepreneurship  education  actions  to  include:  publishing  policy  guidance  on 
entrepreneurship  education  in  2013;  establishing,  jointly  with  the  OECD,  a  guidance 
framework  for  entrepreneurial  education  institutions;  and  the  development  of  tools  to 
monitor  progress and the acquisition of entrepreneurial competences.  

7.   Partnerships  between  education,  business  and  research  such  as  the  Knowledge 
Alliances,  the  Sector  Skills  Alliances  and  the  partnership  actions  within  the  Marie 
Skłodowska-Curie  programme  will  be  promoted  through  the  proposed  Erasmus  for  All 
programme 2014-2020 and Horizon 2020 in order to adapt education and training systems 
closer to the needs of companies, especially SMEs.  

5.      CONCLUSIONS 

Europe will only resume growth through higher productivity and the supply of highly skilled 
workers, and it is the reform of education and training systems which is essential to achieving 
this.  This  Communication  and  the  country  analysis  provided  in  the  accompanying  Staff 
Working Documents are intended to give the impetus to governments, education and training 
institutions, teachers, businesses and other partners alike to pull together, in accordance with 
national circumstances, in a concerted push for reform. At national level, Member States are 
now  invited  to  pursue  their  reflections  on  this  document  through  debates  with  their 
Parliaments and relevant stakeholders in order to press ahead with reforms. 

The  Commission  will  ensure  that  the  contribution  of  education  and  investment  in  skills  to 
growth and jobs is fully reflected in the European Semester. It will use European platforms of 
dialogue such as the Open Method of Coordination in the field of Education and Training, the 
Bologna  process  for  Higher  Education  and  the  Copenhagen  process  for  VET  as  well  as  the 
funding instruments to stress the sense of urgency on the priorities identified here. 

17