CELEX: 51987PC0090
Language: en
Date: 1987-03-18
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION ADOPTING AN ACTION PROGRAMME FOR THE TRAINING AND PREPARATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE FOR ADULT AND WORKING LIFE

No C 90/4                                    Official Journal of the European Communities                                   4.4. 87
95,0 at the pump. If a Member State introduces such a                   2.     Member States shall communicate to the
prohibition it shall give at least six months notice to the             Commission the texts of the provisions of national law
public'                                                                 which they adopt in the field governed by this Directive.
                              Article 2
 1.    Member States shall inform the Commission in                                                Article 3
advance of any measures they intend to take pursuant to
this Directive.                                                         This Directive is addressed to the Member States.
               Proposal for a Council Decision adopting an Action Programme for the training and
                                        preparation of young people for adult and working life
                                                           COM(87)      90final
                                    (Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 20 March 1987)
                                                              (87/C 90/04)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,                                experience and to establish coordinated programmes and
                                                                        structures making for cooperation between the various
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European                   bodies responsible;
Economic Community, and in particular Article 128
thereof,
                                                                        Whereas it is a priority objective that young people
Having regard        to Council Decision 63/266/EEC of                  should be properly prepared for working life and their
2 April 1963          laying down general principles for                responsibilities as adults, and that measures be developed
implementing a       common vocational training policy (*),             to improve the transition of young people from school to
and in particular    the Second and Tenth Principles,                   adult and working life;
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
                                                                        Whereas there is a need for all young people wishing to
Having regard to the opinion of the European Par-                       do so to receive one year or, if possible, two years
liament,                                                                vocational training in addition to their compulsory
                                                                        education, as agreed by the European Council at its
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and                        meeting in June 1985 when it adopted the report of the
Social Committee,                                                       ad hoc Committee on a People's Europe and mandated
                                                                        the Commission and the Council, acting within their
                                                                        respective powers, to ensure the implementation of the
Whereas the fundamental objectives of the common
                                                                        proposals contained therein;
vocational training policy set down in the second
principle of Decision 63/266/EEC refer in particular to
the need to guarantee adequate vocational training for
all and to avoid any harmful interruption between                       Whereas there is a need to promote further action and to
completion of general education and commencement of                     build on the achievements as well as the measures pre-
vocational training;                                                    viously taken at Community level in respect of vocational
                                                                        education and training and to complement the financial
Whereas the Tenth Principle of Decision 63/266/EEC                      interventions in support of youth training currently
states that special measures may be taken in respect of                  carried out within the framework of the European Social
special problems concerning specific sectors of activity or              Fund;
specific categories of persons;
Whereas the Council in its Resolution of 18 December                    Where there is a need to give a visible European
 1979 on linked work and training for young persons (2)                  dimension to the different policy measures designed to
 affirmed that there is a continuing need to encourage the               raise the standards of vocational education and training
 development of effective links between training and job                 for young people throughout the Community and to
                                                                         place greater emphasis on better information for young
 (') OJ No 63, 20. 4. 1963, p. 1338/63.                                  people, on active participation and on the development
 (2) O J N o C 1, 3. 1. 1980, p. 1.                                      of their entrepreneurial capacities;
 ---pagebreak--- 4.4.87                                    Official Journal of the European Communities                               No C 90/5
Whereas there is a need to give a European dimension to                 should be designed to facilitate the coordination and
the various training initiatives and to stimulate exchange              cost-effective implementation of all services and
of experience between Member States as a contribution                   policies aimed at young people by:
to the achievement of the internal market and the
elimination of barriers to the free movement of persons
in the Community,                                                       — diversifying the provision for vocational education
                                                                            and training so as to offer choice for young
                                                                            people with different kinds of ability leading to
                                                                            recognized vocational training qualifications;
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
                                                                        — allowing for more flexible approaches towards
                            Article 1                                       achieving a better balance between the need for
                                                                            breadth in the programmes on offer and the
A programme to stimulate improvements, within the                           requirements for necessary vocational special-
Community, in the training and preparation of young                         ization;
people for adult and working life is hereby adopted for a
five year period commencing on 1 July 1987.
                                                                     3. with respect to the above objectives, to encourage
This programme, in pursuance of common policies on                      partnership initiatives which aim to provide an
vocational training, is designed to assist Member States                integrated approach to the vocational education and
in ensuring that all young people in the Community                      training and guidance of young people as part of the
wishing to do so receive one year's, or if possible two                 Community's active employment policy and involve
years', vocational training in addition to their                        the social partners in the dialogue about the setting of
compulsory education.                                                   training standards;
                                                                     4. to encourage a greater use of opportunities which
                            Article 2
                                                                        have been created outside the traditional systems for a
In order to raise the standards and quality of training                 more diversified process of guidance and counselling,
provisions throughout the Community, the objectives of                  and also to promote the coordinated provision of
the programme shall be as follows:                                      guidance and counselling both during the final period
                                                                        of compulsory education and on a continuing basis
                                                                        thereafter in the light of the needs of young people,
1. to support, in cooperation with the Member States                    especially young women;
    and the social partners, the development and intro-
    duction of measures to strengthen links and
    cooperation at all levels between the vocational                 5. to promote equal opportunities and give special
    education and training systems and with all sectors of              attention to young people who are disadvantaged —
    the economy both public and private with a view to:                 whether because of their culture or race, their mental
                                                                        or physical handicap, their social or economic back-
    — adapting curricula to enhance the capacity of                     ground or because of their levels of attainment as
        young people to achieve their full potential and to             school-leavers, in particular through:
        take account of economic, technological and
        social change,                                                  — training      programmes      to   assist   long-term
                                                                            unemployed young people,
    — providing and developing a variety of learning
        opportunities which reflect working life and the
                                                                        — measures taken in the final period of compulsory
        practical realities and needs of the economy and,
                                                                            schooling to ensure the acquiring of basic skills,
    — helping young people as far as possible to develop
        an understanding of trends in the world of                      — measures taken to enable young women to par-
        industry, commerce, services and agriculture, and                   ticipate on an equal basis in vocational training
        of the further          training and       employment               programmes;
        implications and opportunities for them;
                                                                     6. to encourage the development of creativity, initiative
2. to support closer cooperation and the bridging of                    and entrepreneurial spirit to assist young people in
    gaps between the various agencies responsible for the               taking an active part in planning and shaping their
    vocational education and training and guidance of                   own futures, and to help them acquire the skills and
 . young people, including as appropriate public, private               confidence necessary to enter vocational education
    and voluntary bodies and youth organizations at                     and training programmes and/or the labour market,
    national, regional or local levels. Such cooperation,               with particular reference to the initiative and adap-
    based on the idea of shared responsibility for the                  tability required of workers in small and medium-
    social and vocational integration of young people,                  sized enterprises;
 ---pagebreak--- No C 90/6                                    Official Journal of the European Communities                                    4.4.87
7. to strengthen the Community dimension in the                            The Committee shall be chaired by a representative of
   planning and implementation of vocational education                     the Commission.
   and training strategies so as to promote greater                        The proceedings of the Committee shall be confidential.
   flexibility of response by the training systems to the
                                                                           The Committee shall adopt its own rules of procedure.
   complex challenges emerging from rapid economic,
                                                                           Secretarial services shall be provided by the Commission.
   technological and social change, so that training may
   become a more vital and integral factor in both                         3.    The Commission may consult the Committee on all
   economic and social development.                                        questions concerning the implementation of the
                                                                           programme and its coherence with national policies.
                             Article 3                                     In seeking the Committee's views, the Commission may
                                                                           specify the deadlines by which these views shall be
1.     In order to achieve the objectives stated in Article                submitted.
2, and to support and complement the work of the
                                                                           The Committee's discussions shall not be followed by a
Member States, the Commission shall carry out specific
                                                                           vote. However, every member of the Committee shall
incentive and complementary measures, as set out in the
                                                                           have the right to require that his/her opinion be
Annex.                                                                     recorded in the minutes.
2.     In performing this task the Commission shall be                                                Article 4
assisted by a Committee. The Committee shall be
composed of 26 members:                                                    1.     Regular reports on the implementation of the
                                                                           action programme shall be submitted to the Advisory
(a) two representatives per Member State, representing
                                                                           Committee for Vocational Training set up under Council
     the education and training authorities, as appro-
                                                                           Decision 63/688/EEC (') and to the Education
     priate. These members shall be appointed by the
                                                                           Committee, set up pursuant to the Resolution of 9
     Commission on the basis of proposals from the
                                                                           February 1976 of the Council and of the Ministers of
     Member States;
                                                                           Education, meeting within the Council (2).
(b) two representatives of the social partners, appointed
                                                                           2.    An interim report on the implementation of      this
     by the Commission on the basis of proposals from
                                                                           action programme shall be presented to the Council    and
     the Community-level organizations representing the
                                                                           to the European Parliament by the Member States       and
     social partners;
                                                                           by the Commission before the end of 1989, and a      final
Members of the Committee may be assisted by experts or                     report before the end of 1992.
advisers.
A representative of the Youth Forum shall participate in                   O OJ No 190, 30. 12. 1963, p. 3090/63.
the work of the Committee as an observer.                                  O O J N o C 3 8 , 19.2. 1976, p. 1.
                                                                    ANNEX
               to the draft Decision adopting an Action Programme for the training and preparation of young people for
                                                             adult and working life
                1. This action programme is designed to incorporate a range of incentive and complementary measures to
                   be pursued by the Commission in collaboration with the Member States and the social partners, to
                   encourage innovation and the qualitative improvement of vocational education and training systems in
                   the European Community.
               2. For the duration of the programme 1987-1992, support may be given for the following activities:
                   (a) Support for partnership initiatives in vocational education and training which:
                       — involve a clear commitment to mobilise the collective resources of the public, private and
                          voluntary sectors so as to develop a cooperative or an integrated approach to the vocational
                           education, training and counselling needs of young people,
                       — demonstrate a commitment to liaise with counterpart initiatives in other Member States, for
                           example through twinning agreements, and to take an active role in a Community-wide network
                           providing technical assistance, monitoring and evaluation.
 ---pagebreak---                            Official J o u r n a l of the E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i t i e s                 No C 90/7
    The financial contribution of the Community will be limited to the operational expenses incurred
    through activities with a European dimension, linked to the European network, up to a maximum of
    30 000 ECU per partnership, for a maximum of two years. Support will also be granted for specific
    projects exchanging experience, up to 50 % of the cost;
(b) Technical assistance consisting of:
    — special measures, including the sending of teams of experts, to advise on or tackle training
        problems in specific areas or regions,
    — a financial contribution to assist in the developments of the training partnerships referred to
        in (a).
    The financial contribution of the Community will consist of a maximum of 50 000 ECU per project;
(c) Support for comparative research programmes involving technical assistance for cooperation
    between designated agencies participating in the cooperative programme.
    A contribution will also be given for the synthesis of the cooperative research and for dissemination
    conferences at national and Community level.
    The financial contribution of the Community will consist of a maximum of 40 000 ECU per
    programme of comparative research. The contribution for synthesis and dissemination conferences
    will be limited to 50 000 ECU, or 50 % of the cost of the conference, whichever is the lower;
(d) Co-sponsoring of surveys of coverage of youth training measures, which
    — survey trends in the movement of young people through and between the education and training
        systems,
    — pay attention to specific problems relating to youth provision, particularly early drop outs and
        young people living in rural, peripheral and the most deprived areas,
    — break down results by sex.
    The financial contribution of the Community is limited to a maximum of 50 000 ECU per survey;
(e) Support and technical assistance for establishing the conditions for a regular review of the evolution
    of vocational qualifications, and the pooling of experience in this field;
(f) Support for youth information projects, which
    — involve the production of effective information resources to facilitate the transition of young
        people to adult and working life and actively involve young people in the gathering and pres-
        entation of information,
    — assist existing agencies in making their services more accessible to young people, especially those
        whom they normally do not reach,
    — include a commitment to exchange experience and share information at national and community
        level.
    The financial contribution of the Community will consist of a maximum of 10 000 ECU per project,
    representing not more than 50 % of the cost of the project;
(g) Support for youth initiatives, which
    — enable young people to develop skills, initiative and responsibility through training, use of the
         media and new technology and through voluntary work and community projects,
    — assist disadvantaged young people and the development of policies concerning them,
    — include a commitment to exchange experience and share information                        at national and
         Community level.
 ---pagebreak--- N o C 90/8                                 Official J o u r n a l of the E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i t i e s         4.4.87
                   The financial contribution will consist of a maximum of 10 000 ECU per initiative, representing in
                   general not more than 50 % of the cost of the initiative, but up to 80 % in the case of initiatives
                   managed entirely by young people;
               (h) The strengthening of the existing scheme for the exchange of training specialists, currently
                   organized with the technical assistance of Cedefop, giving particular attention to the selection of
                   training specialists involved in the implementation of the objectives of the Decision;
               (i) Support for regular dialogue to monitor the implementation of the Council Decision and associated
                   action programme, by means of financial contributions for a series of high-level European
                   Conferences.
                   The financial contribution of the Community will consist of 100 000 ECU per conference,
                   representing not more than 50 % of the cost.
           3. Complementary measures may be carried out by the Commission, including:
              -— dissemination of information and exchange of experience,
              — networking arrangements for partnerships, youth information projects and initiatives,
              — monitoring and analysis at Community level,
              — assistance for the organization of seminars, conferences and specific cooperation projects.