CELEX: 51993PC0686
Language: en
Date: 1993-12-21
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION ESTABLISHING AN ACTION PROGRAMME FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A EUROPEAN COMMUNITY VOCATIONAL TRAINING POLICY LEONARDO DA VINCI

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COVIVIUNITIES
                                         C0M(93) 686 final - SYN 494
                                         Brussels, 21 December 1993
                         Proposal for a
                        COUNCIL DECISION
            ESTABLISHING AN ACTIOS PROGRAMME
     FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
                VOCATIONAL TRAINING POLICY
                  L E O N A R D O DAVlNQ
                 (presented by the Commission)
 ---pagebreak---                                 EXPLANATORY MEMQPANPUM
INTRODUCTION
1.         The Treaty on European Union establishes a general objective of
           contributing to the development of quality education and training and to
           the flowering of the cultures of the Member States, based on Articles 126
           and 127.
2.         As stated in the working paper on guidelines which the Commission
           adopted on 5 May 19931, the essential aim of Community action on
            education and training must therefore be the fulfilment of European
           citizens in order to enhance their capacity for initiative and creativity and
            allow them to take a fully active part in society and the building of
            Europe. This objective is based on the gradual establishment of an open
            European area for education and training.
3.          It is now widely recognised that the development of human potential is a
            precondition for attaining the economic, social and quality of life
            objectives the Community has set. The quality of human resources and the
            continuous adaptation of manpower skills are a comparative advantage for
            Europe when it comes to international competition. They are also a key
            factor in the fight against social exclusion and unemployment. Broadening
            out access to education and training should contribute to better social
            cohesion between the Member States and equality of opportunities between
     Working paper "Guidelines for Community action in the field of education and training"
     COM(93) 183 final.
 ---pagebreak--- people. AH of which contributes to building up a European culture which
is forward and outward looking, to putting flesh on the bones of European
identity and citizenship, particularly among young people, and is a
powerful factor in rallying citizens around the construction of Europe.
Education and training have new roles to play in the process of industrial
and socio-economic change which Europe has to contend with. This will
mean deep-seated changes in the education and training systems of the
 Member States. This ever greater pace and scale of change will bring forth
 the need for individuals and workers to be able to gain access to lifelong
 education and training to enable them to be part of society and remain
 competitive within the economy. These systems will therefore have to
 come up with fresh answers which are more flexible and more diversified
 to cater for this need.
 In the light of the experience gained to date, the Community's future
 policy on vocational training must consolidate and build on the solid
 achievements of the cooperation programmes in the fields of education and
  vocational training undertaken in recent years if it is to respond to the new
  challenges facing it and its Member States:
         a return to balanced growth and effective action on unemployment
         presuppose putting together a workforce which is better trained and
         better educated;
          it is crucial to improve the capacity to keep abreast of changing job
         content and qualification requirements, particularly through
          interfaces and cooperation between the different players concerned;
          better access to continuing training and proper linkage with broad-
          based initial training are essential in promoting the updating of
          workers' skills, sustaining the competitiveness of firms -
          particularly SMEs - and facilitating the organising of work in ways
          which provide opportunities for skill enhancement;
          the links between research and training have grown substantially
           and are a key factor in competitiveness and effective investment;
           and the transfer of technological innovation - particularly to SMEs
           - is of strategic importance;
           cooperation between the education and business worlds must be
           enhanced, particularly at university level, in the interests of quality
           education and training;
           the European dimension of education and training must be
           developed in order to give young people particularly, but also all
           European citizens, a sense of fitting into the political perspective
           opened up by the European Union, and to facilitate mobility so that
           they can take advantage of the opportunities opened up to them by
           the single market.
 ---pagebreak---                 On the basis of Article 127 of the Treaty, the Commission is accordingly
                putting before the Council a proposal for a decision to establish an action
                programme to develop the European Community's vocational training
                policy. The purpose of this programme is to secure the pursual of
                Community action in the field of vocational training, the general principles
                of which were laid down by the Decision of 2 April 1963 and which is
                now implemented through four action programmes: PETRA, FORCE,
                EUROTECNET AND COMETT2, to enable it to rise to the challenges of
                the 1990s and to ensure that it develops within the new legal framework
                established by the Treaty on European Union.
                This proposal is set in the general context established by the White Paper
                on Competitiveness, Growth and Employment which has just been
                examined by the European Council on 10 and 11 December 1993.
                The courses of action mapped out in the White Paper, and in particular
                action to promote employment, must be underpinned by increased
                 cooperation between the Member States to create a real European area for
                occupational qualifications which will provide a decisive push towards the
                 upgrading and evolution of skills and qualifications and a new dynamic in
                 employment systems. The action taken and the clear objectives of the
                 Community's vocational training policy can have an important catalytic
                 effect and achieve significant leverage at a time when Member States and
                 firms, in a tight budgetary environment, could be tempted to curtail their
                 investment in human resources in favour of shorter-term considerations,
                 which would be at variance with the objectives laid down in the White
                 Paper.
See the following texts:
        Council Decision 63/266/EEC of 2 April 1963 laying down general principles for implementing
        a common vocational training policy (Official Journal, English Special Edition, 1963-1964, p.25);
        Council Decision 91/387/EEC of 22 July 1991 amending Decision 87/569/EEC concerning an
        action programme for the vocational training of young people and their preparation for adult and
        working life (PETRA) (OJ L 214 of 2.8.1991, p. 69);
        Council Decision 90/267/EEC of 29 May 1990 establishing an action programme for the
        development of continuing vocational training in the EC (FORCE)"*(OJ LI56 of 21.6.1990, p. 1);
        Council Decision 89/657/EEC of 18 December 1989 establishing an action programme to promote
        innovation in the field of vocational training resulting from technological change in the EC
        (EUROTECNET) (OJ L 393 of 30.12.1989, p. 29);
        Council Decision 89/27/EEC of 16 December 1988 adopting the second phase of the programme
        on cooperation between universities and industry regarding training in the field of technology
        (COMETT IT) (OJ L 13 of 17.1.1989, p. 28).
 ---pagebreak--- I            WHAT COMMUNITY ACTION HAS ACHIEVED TO DATE
Common political concerns
8.          The Commission's intention when it published its memorandum on
             vocational training in the EC in the 1990s3 was to open the broadest debate
             possible among all the players involved on the importance and implications
             of vocational training policies in the Member States individually and at the
             Community level.
9.           The criticisms which emerged from this debate that the approach had been
             overly based on economic concerns should provide a platform for opening
             up the perspective and giving greater consideration to societal factors.
             Arguments and proposals for actions related to competitiveness and
             economic growth should be linked with those on stemming the rising tide
             of unemployment and social exclusion. Even with regard to skill and job
             content, the methodological, relational or social aspects prompt a
             reassessment of the objectives and the methods of vocational training and
             their relationship with possible changes in the configurations of work
             organisation. The interfaces to be established between education and
             training will play a capital role in this context.
  10.        The discussions prompted by the memorandum have also brought out the
              major trends which stand as pointers for defining the objectives of future
              Community action. These trends do not reflect an identity of factors but
              rather questions to which the Member States have to face jointly4:
              a - reiteiation of the fundamental importance of basic education and initial
              training as a precondition for integration into the labour market and for
              further vocational advancement. The plight of those who have failed at
              school and the economic and social marginalisation originating in the
              shortcomings of initial training, along with the need to drastically reduce
              functional illiteracy, are structural factors and account for a substantial
              share of public intervention in all the Member States to promote
              integration.
               Commission Memorandum on Vocational Training in the European Community in the
               1990s - COM(91) 397 final of 12 December 1991
               Summary report on responses to the memorandum on vocational training - TFRH - 1993
 ---pagebreak---             b - die need for training facilities to take on board the deep-seated changes
            which are taking place in skills and qualifications. Member States are hard
            pressed by the changes needed in their training systems in order to adapt
            training to the rapid and possibly increasingly radical changes taking place
             in job content. There will have to be growing emphasis on interpersonal,
             methodological and social skills and on individual potential for coping with
            ongoing change, taking charge of one's own development (learning to
             learn), and facilitating transferability of qualifications, inter alia within the
             European area.
             c - increasing the capacity to anticipate. The current economic uncertainty
             and the variable effects of factors which determine the definition of types
             of training (e.g. technological innovation) are a source of growing concern
             for all the players concerned. However, the debate is wide open as to
              which methods and instruments will really develop the capacity for
              anticipation which calls for increased cooperation at Community level.
              d - the increased role of firms and sandwich training. Strengthening the
              links between training and industry is a constant and the development of
              sandwich training is the subject of an agreement by the two sides of
              industry.
              e - customising training supply. The individual-centred approach to
              problems in terms of analysing requirements, defining learning programmes
              and syllabuses and selecting the type and method of training which is the
               most appropriate, seems to be gaining ground and elicits the question as
              to financial arrangements.
               f - the increasing recognition of the regional element In a context of
               widely differing organisational patterns of training systems, the local means
              of matching up supply and demand for training play an increasingly
               important role.
               g - recognition of the role of the social players. It is a sign of the times
               that there is increasingly widespread recognition of the plurality of
               responsibilities of the players concerned and the need for them to
               cooperate more in establishing regulations.
General principles and guidelines
11.             The Council Decision of 2 April 1963 laying down general principles for
                a common vocational training policy pursuant to Article 128 of the Treaty
                of Rome is a non-binding reference text offering common guidelines
                towards which the policies and systems of the Member States can
                converge.
 ---pagebreak--- 12   The Council decisions at the basis of the current programmes establish for
     each field of action common frameworks of objectives or guidelines
     decided by the Council and taken by the Member States as objectives to
     be attained to their own policies:
              for initial training of young people, the objective is to secure broad-
              based and recognised qualifications for all young people by
              enabling them to have one or, if possible, two years of vocational
              training after compulsory schooling5.
              as regards continuing training, the objective is to encourage a bigger
              and more effective investment input into continuing vocational
              training of employees and a better return, particularly by developing
              partnerships designed to make public authorities, firms -particularly
              SMEs - the social partners and individual workers more aware of
              the benefits deriving from investment in continuing vocational
              training6.
     -         as regards training for the transfer of technological innovation, the
               objective is to use properly structured cooperation between
               universities and industry to encourage the transfer of the results of
               R&D to firms likely to be able to create high added-value jobs with
               a strong technological content, inter alia by greater involvement of
               higher education in continuing training7.
 13.  Article 127 of the Treaty on European Union sets out five specific
      objectives for vocational training, reflecting issues of capital importance
      for the Community, and giving it specific responsibility in this connection
      to:
      - facilitate adaptation to industrial changes, in particular through
          vocational training and retraining;
      - improve initial and continuing vocational training in order to facilitate
          vocational integration and reintegration into the labour market;
      - facilitate access to vocational training and encourage mobility of
          instructors and trainees and particularly young people;
      - stimulate cooperation on training between educational or training
          establishments and firms;
       - develop exchanges of information and experience on issues common to
          the training systems of the Member States.
       see Decision 91/387/EEC of 22 July 1993, Art. 1 and Decision 87/569/EEC, Art. 2
       See Decision 90/267/EEC of 29 May 1990, Article 5
       See Decision 89/27/EEC of 16 December 1988, Article 3(1)
 ---pagebreak--- Significant operational achievements
14.            The current action programmes are not all at the same stage of
               implementation, they were launched at different dates and, more to the
               point, were allocated different levels of financing. These two factors were
               duly taken into account by the Commission in a preliminary horizontal
               assessment of the programmes and the added value they represent8. Major
               achievements can be identified with a view to the new proposal. It builds
               on them as regards networks which can be mobilised, the results of
               cooperation partnerships, exchanges, understanding and knowledge of
               systems and patterns of cooperation between the Commission and the
               Member States:
               - various types of transnational exchange and cooperation networks have
               been set up in the wake of the stimulus provided by the action
                programmes. They provide continuity in cooperation and make it possible
               to capitalise on the results.
                - the network of PETRA national coordination units which is responsible
                for the implementation and operational running of the programme in the
                Member States has become a back-up tool for transnational cooperation
                and innovation in the context of initial training and, more generally
                speaking, the social and vocational integration of young people.
                Downstream, the network of trans-European training partnerships for young
                people, or the network of national centres for vocational guidance, provide
                a preliminary Community linkup which is extremely useful in promoting
                 further cooperation.
                 - Thanks to the COMETT programme 205 University-Enterprise Training
                 Partnerships (UETP) have been set up. These UETPs are interfaces, as it
                 were, between higher education and industry. Certain UETPs have a
                 regional basis, others a sectoral basis, being specialised in one
                 technological sector in particular. They cooperate closely and provide very
                 useful instruments for identifying the best available skills in Europe in a
                 given context of training requirements for the transfer of technological
                 innovation. Through the UETPs, COMETT has helped to initiate a process
                 which was hitherto virtually non-existent: a European university-enterprise
                 dialogue in the field of education and training, thus permitting the tailoring
                  of training more closely to actual supply and requirements.
                 - The preparation, fine tuning, organisation and development of
                  transnational pilot projects have now yielded significant results in terms of
                  experience.
                  Report from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the Economic
                  and Social Committee: EC education and training programmes 1986-1992. Results and
                  achievements: an overview. COM(93) 151 final.
 ---pagebreak--- - Under PETRA, over 700 projects, 14 000 teachers or trainers and 85 000
young people have taken part in the network's activities since 1988 to
develop and try out new and innovative training products.
- The 430 FORCE projects are targeted at the training and qualifications
requirements of the firms which make up the majority of the 3 500
partners in these projects. They pursue three lines of action to adapt to
industrial change through training: training as a means of preventing
 unemployment by strengthening and diversifying employee skills, training
 as a means of developing new configurations of work organisation which
 are needed for the survival or growth of firms, and training as a means of
 development, inter alia through adaptation to new technologies.
 - EUROTECNET has boosted the development of flexible new solutions
 to the problems of training in order to disseminate them through the
 project network: conceptual developments on current and future trends as
 regards the development of technologies (capacity for self-teaching, the
 "learning organisation" of work, key qualifications/skills), case studies to
 illustrate these conceptual models, study analyses of training requirements
 based on an inter-sectoral approach and the development of tools and
 instruments to disseminate results.
 - The 7 000 training courses organised with COMETT II support in the
  most diverse technology fields should reach a public of over 200 000
  people, 140 000 of whom will come from industry. The 3000 training
  products developed or under development should reach over 500 000
  people in Europe. The courses organised under COMETT II have drawn
  a wider audience than COMETT I, particularly among women. Several
  projects have illustrated the impact of the use of new training materials,
  notably multimedia, as compared with the traditional methods.
  - The vocational training action programmes are not mobility programmes
  as such. Exchanges are aimed at strategic populations and provide a back-
  up or even a part of the training process itself.
  - 20 000 young people have benefitted from training placement or a work
  experience in another Member State in 1992 and 1993 under PETRA.
  These placements bring a real Community dimension into the training
  young people receive through the national systems.
  - The FORCE programme encourages the mobility of trainers and, more
  generally speaking, people responsible for human resources and training in
   firms, and social partners who have responsibilities in the field of
   continuing vocational training: 400 human resources directors, 430 trainers,
   130 staff representatives and 40 members of trade unions were mobile in
   1991 and 1992 through exchange programmes designed to pass on
   innovations rapidly, to establish solid partnerships and to organise
   continuing training actions.
 ---pagebreak---             - The 28 000 placements of students supported under COMETT represent
            only a small part of actual demand (which is approximately five times
            higher). These training periods are greatly sought after because they
            provide young people with an effective introduction to working life and
            considerably enhance their chances of finding a job. These training periods
            have also helped to strengthen cooperation between universities and
             industry. The 1Ô00 exchanges of staff between universities and European
             firms have also helped to improve technology transfer between the world
             of academia and that of industry, inter alia through the principle of "tacit
             knowledge", i.e. the knowledge acquired through experience.
             - In order to cope with the diversity of initial and continuing training
             systenis and understand how they work, a corpus of comparable data is
              essential to improve exchanges of information and experience between the
             Member States.
              - FORCE has compiled synoptic tables on the information available on in-
              company continuing training. A statistical survey conducted in conjunction
              with Eurostat is now in progress and will for the first time provide
              information which is comparable at the Community level on training
              actions and costs in European firms, and an objective idea of the quantity
              and quality of training which firms provide for their Employees.
               - Three sectoral surveys (the retail trade, the agri-food industry and car
               repairs) have made it possible to gauge the situation as regards training
               practices which are significant in those sectors at the European level. A
               fourth sector (road transport) is currently being launched. All these surveys
               are a start to European sectoral networks (research institutes, firms, social
               partners) which involve the players in the twelve Member States.
               - The analysis of collective bargaining practice has made it possible to
               take stock of joint actions, agreements and collective consultation by the
                two sides of industry oh continuing training. The social partners can thus
                be involved more closely as players in the vocational training of employees
                throughout'the Community.
Linkage with national actions
15.              Assessing the linkage with, and impact of, Community action on national
                 action has become a question which is central to this first phase of the
                 programmes. In addition to general considerations to do with subsidiarity,
                 this linkage could be improved by putting greater emphasis on the
                 procedures and structures set up. This trend could be gradual:
                 - The programme committees and the advisory committee have provided
                 forums for discussing the impact of Community actions and their
                 contribution to the conduct and direction of national policies. In certain
                 programmes a number of Member States have, significantly, taken it upon
 ---pagebreak--- themselves to pursue these discussions in national forums, and the
conferences organised at the time the memorandum on vocational training
was debated have increased the interest of the different players concerned
in these aspects.
- The preparation of the national reports on the implementation of the
programmes and the development of implementing machinery is the second
instrument to have thus emerged. These procedures do raise
methodological and logistic problems but they are invaluable in developing
reference instruments for assessing underlying changes and trends in the
national systems and in attuning Community actions to support them
 accordingly;
 - "The bilateral meetings" organised for planning and selecting projects
 between the Commission and national representatives (ministries, national
 technical assistance bureaux, the two sides of industry) also provide an
 ideal forum for understanding emerging trends and the degree of
 concordance between transnational projects and national priorities.
                               10
 ---pagebreak--- II             A NEW CONTEXT
The competences established by the Treaty
16.            In a context of shared responsibility between the Community and the
               Member States, Article 127 of the Treaty brings radical changes in relation
               to the legal situation defined in Article 128 of the Treaty of Rome:
               - the text stipulates that the Community is responsible for implementing
               a vocational training policy which supports and complements the policies
               of the Member States, while the Community's role hitherto was to establish
               the general principles for a common vocational training policy;
               - the decision-making system has been changed, for henceforth the Council
               will decide in this context on the basis of a qualified majority, and no
                longer by simple majority, after a cooperation procedure with the European
                Parliament;
                - the text stipulates explicitly that Community action excludes
                harmonisation of legal and statutory provisions in the Member States and
                confirms their responsibility for the content of programmes and the
                organisation of their systems. The diversity of the systems and the
                responsibility of the Member States for the organisation and content of
                training are thus recognised as the mainstays of Community policy which
                 must permit increased cooperation and convergence of action freely taken
                by the different players concerned.
 17.             The Treaty is based on acknowledgement of the fact that the main role in
                 the financing and implementation of vocational training is a matter for the
                 public authorities in the Member States and the two sides of industry. The
                 Community's role is to provide impetus and innovation. Community action
                 must encourage voluntary convergence and enhance the effects of quality
                 and the capacity for innovation on the systems. The Community can, using
                 a common framework of objectives, provide support for the development
                 of transnational actions to promote the coherent development of training
                  policies in the Community.
  The link with other policies
   18.            The analysis of the challenges of the 1990s which the Commission carried
                  out in its memorandum has illustrated the complexity and complementarity
                  of the factors at work. The vocational training policy must therefore be
                  linked with other levels of Community action when it is implemented.
   19.            Vocational training must be seen in conjunction with the labour market
                  policy (Article 123), and particularly adaptation to industrial changes - an
                  objective which is common to Articles 123 and 127, cooperation on
                                               11
 ---pagebreak---             education (Article 126), action on the competitiveness of industry
            (Article 130), research and technological development policy (Article 130h)
            and freedom of movement (Article 57). It must help to achieve combined
            action and coherence between measures which depend on the policies
            concerned, for training must be linked with the objectives of these different
            contexts if it is to be effective.
20.         There is a special need for operational synergy with the Structural Funds,
             including Community initiatives, and also with the socio-economic chapter
            of the 4th framework programme for research and technological
             development.
Complementarity between education and training
21.          The new elements to do with vocational training policy and the
             introduction of a specific article on education (Article 126) for the first
             time call for an integrated approach to education and training at the
             Community level, even if the levels of competence and the procedures
              remain different. The link between these two fields is as important as the
             definition of the specific measures for each of them; it must make it
              possible to transcend the previous debates on the border between education
              and training and to develop the new political concept of "lifelong learning"
              as a prospect for the Community in conjunction with the construction of
              a European citizenship.
 22.          This complementarity of the two contexts must be reinforced and be given
              tangible expression in the arrangements and actions proposed.
              Operationally speaking, Community-backed actions must strengthen cross-
              fertilisation of education and training arrangements through the approaches
              of the institutions concerned. Coordinated actions could be pursued for this
              purpose on themes of common interest to both fields, e.g. language
              training, open and distance learning, career guidance, lifelong learning and
              the monitoring of occupations and skills.
 23.          The universities are players in the development of continuing training and
               main players for the transfer of technological innovations, and for the
               objective of quality in vocational training and cooperation with the
               business community. Complementarity must be pursued ai other levels in
               the education systems, whether we are talking about occupational and
               social integration of young people or the continuing training of adults.
 24.           As regards vocational guidance, the programme must serve as a vehicle for
               introducing a European dimension. It will cover all areas of vocational
               training and permit significant broadening of the Community actions
               pursued so far in this field. This action is presently based essentially on the
               PETRA programme which concerns young people and sets an age limit of
                27 on participants. The new programme will make it possible to extend
               this action to all target groups: young people and adults, employees and
                                              12
 ---pagebreak---               job-seekers. It will then be possible to develop career guidance measures
              to accompany individuals throughout their occupational lives and not only
              during the first phase, and to help them to choose the most appropriate
              training channels in the light of labour market requirements and.their own
              occupational progress, and of the emergence of a European training
               market.
25.            By implementing this programme the Community will also help to
               encourage open and distance learning (ODL), as advocated in the
               Commission Memorandum of December 1991, the conclusions of the
               Ministers of Education meeting within the Council in June and December
               1992, and the Resolution adopted by the European Parliament in July
               1993. This encouragement will focus on the specific advantages distance
               learning brings in the pursuit of the objectives laid down in the Treaty,
               with particular emphasis on the flexibility it gives training, its capacity to
               reach many users - especially those who have problems of access to
               vocational training -, the enhancement it brings by extending and blending
               in with traditional methods, the guarantee of quality it offers, and the
               establishment of training networks enabling citizens to avail themselves of
               the opportunities it offers in terms of customised training. Which is why
               all actions may include measures to encourage and promote the use of
               ODL as a method which is particularly suited to the programme's objective
               of disseminating its results as widely as possible.
 26.           The problem of anticipating needs also warrants specific attention and a
                transversal approach within the programme. Identifying changes in skills
                and occupations is today a necessity and the single market is the reason
                why this requirement is a reality not only within each country but at
                European level as well. Implementation of the programme will accordingly
                be made easier by work on the evolution of occupations and occupational
                qualifications in the Community in conjunction with CEDEFOP in order
                to ensure a better knowledge and better circulation of information on
                changing occupations. One of the tasks will also be to identify needs, to
                build up a system of technology monitoring to warn of changes under way
                 in job content and their consequences for training, and to facilitate the
                 transfer of forecasting methods and know-how between the Member States
                 and the different players concerned.
 Subsidiarity
  27.            The subsidiarity issue broached by the memorandum is dealt with firstly
                  in Article 127 of the Treaty on European Union, which rules out the
                  harmonisation of national systems, recognises that the Member States
                  themselves are fully responsible for the organisation and content of
                  training, and gives the Community the responsibility for implementing a
                  vocational training policy which supports and supplements action by the
                  Member States. Implementation of these provisions must provide better
                  linkage between the Community's innovatory and catalytic action and the
                                               13
 ---pagebreak---     national systems, particularly by bringing about a greater degree of linkage
    between Community actions and the fundamental elements and determining
    factors of change in the Member States' systems.
28. Moreover, Community action must accordingly be centred on the
    development of transnational cooperation at all relevant levels in order to
    bring visible added value to action undertaken by the Member States and
    by the players involved in the training market. The added value of
    Community action must be consolidated and strengthened to keep step with
    the open European area for vocational training and qualifications which
    will gradually emerge from the completion and operation of the single
    market. The measures proposed support and supplement actions pursued
    by and in the Member States and enable them to use the input from
    transnational operations in order to improve the quality and effectiveness
    of their systems and arrangements.
29. Future actions must demonstrate a "positive" linkage between the
    complementary action of the Community and national training policies.
     Furthermore, at the appropriate levels in the field of training due account
     must be taken of the links between the public authorities' mechanisms of
     intervention and the contribution of the two sides of industry.
                                    14
 ---pagebreak---  30.            This approach makes it possible to optimise the effectiveness of the actions
                and policies implemented, including those at Community level. The
                 discussions on the Council Recommendation on access to continuing
                 training9 have shown that by taking account of the responsibilities which
                 the two sides of industry can assume and, more broadly speaking, of
                 vocational training action by the social players (firms, training
                 organisations) both at Community and national levels, Community action
                 can achieve a broader, more realistic and more effective impact, improving
                 complementarity and achieving synergy between public action and
                 collective bargaining.
 The institutional process
 31.              The decision-making procedure as regards the instruments to be
                  implemented will be that stipulated in Article 189 C of the Treaty. This
                  gives the European Parliament a bigger say in the adoption of texts under
                  the procedure for cooperation between the Council and European
                  Parliament for proposals based on Article 127.
  32.             The Economic and Social Committee must be consulted on proposals on
                  vocational training and in most cases it will also be useful to obtain the
                  opinion of the new Committee of the Regions in view of the
                  responsibilities of local authorities in matters concerning vocational
                  training.
  33.              The Advisory Committee on Vocational Training (ACVT), a tripartite
                   statutory committee, could fulfil a dual function of monitoring the
                   coherence of the overall Community policy on vocational training, in view
                   of the broad spectrum of action it entails, and of monitoring subsidiarity,
                   inter alia in order to improve the linkage between Community policy and
                   national action. The Commission will therefore regularly inform the
                   ACVT of developments in the programme, particularly regarding:
                        (a) general policy guidelines in the field of vocational training
                        (b) general monitoring of the common framework of objectives
                        (c) the general report on vocational training and
                        (d) the general assessment of the programme
34.            The creation of a Social Dialogue Committee should make it possible to
               pursue and extend the very profitable work carried out by the two sides of
                industry within the education-training group which started up in 1989 and
                considerably improve the consistency of Community action with the
                process of agreements between the two sides of industry at European level,
                in tine with their agreement of 31.10.1991.
                      Council Recommendation on access to continuing training. 93/404/CEE of 30 June 1993.
                                                  15
 ---pagebreak--- m     PRESENTATION OF THE PROPOSAL
35.   On the basis of experience in implementing the existing Community
      vocational training programmes (COMETT, PETRA, FORCE,
      EUROTECNET) and of other actions and pilot projects in the same area,
      the main aim of the programme is to ensure the implementation of a
      vocational training policy which will support and supplement the action of
      the Member States, and to foster cooperation between Member States so
      that an open European area for vocational training and qualifications can
      be gradually achieved. To this end, the programme will aim to:
           - contribute to the improvement of the effectiveness and quality of
              systems;
           - promote quality in methods and products;
           - support innovation in vocational training;
           - use vocational training as a vehicle for promoting and
               disseminating technological innovation;
           - develop the European dimension throughout all levels of training;
           - encourage the intellectual mobility of knowledge, in particular
               through distance learning.
 36.   The draft proposal for a Council Decision respects the principle of
       subsidiarity and includes two complementary parts:
       -    a common framework of objectives to promote the coherent
            development of vocational training in the Community.
       -    a set of Community measures to support and supplement action taken
            by and in the Member States.
 37.   The common framework of objectives is designed to promote greater
       cooperation between the Member States so that a Community vocational
       training policy can gradually be introduced and so that coherent
        development of vocational training in the Community can be ensured. The
        Member States will, on their own initative, refer to this common
        framework of objectives in implementing their vocational training policies.
        The guidelines of the COMETT, PETRA, FORCE and EUROTECNET
        programmes are incorporated into the common framework of objectives set
        out in the proposal.
  38.   With regard to the Community measures, the Commission's proposal is
        intended to simplify the multiplicity of current actions, to ensure better
        transparency and better targeting of Community action, and to improve its
        impact.
                                      if
 ---pagebreak---      The programme concerns all the players in the field of vocational training,
     be it public authorities, private training bodies, firms or social partners.
     Its aim is to enable these players, whether in terms of policy orientation,
     definition of needs or design of measures, to improve their methods and
     practice on the basis of the results of transnational cooperation.
     Three strands of action, each with its specific objectives, are foreseen for
     the implementation of the programe's general objectives, leading to the
     gradual emergence of an open area for training and qualifications in the
     Community:
     Strand 1: measures to sustain the quality of Member States' systems,
                 arrangements and policies;
      Strand 2: measures to support innovative capacity in actions on the
                 training market;
      Strand 3: network and accompanying measures - promotion of the
                  European dimension.
39.   The first strand is intended to provide Community support for projects
      which have a direct impact on national vocational training systems and
      arrangements. If the quality of the services dispensed by these systems is
      to be improved, there must be greater efficiency of investment and public
      expenditure committed. Experience of the previous programmes, and in
      particular PETRA for initial training systems, has shown that transnational
      cooperation can help national systems to evolve towards greater efficiency.
      In the context of a tight squeeze on national public budgets, the economies
      of scale and the transfer of innovation made possible through Community
      action have an increasingly important role to play.
      On themes such as qualifications or vocational guidance, which should be
       regarded as central to this first strand, the transnational cooperation
      developed by the programme makes it possible to introduce a real
       European dimension which is essential from the point of view of free
       movement and the mobility of individuals for the purposes of training and
       employment.
 40.   The second strand caters for the providers of training activities or products
       on the market. All categories of players are concerned: training bodies,
       firms, social partners, universities.
       Projects will aim on the one hand to promote and develop innovation in
       vocational training activities so as to increase their effectiveness and, on
       the other hand, to promote and facilitate the transfer of technological
       innovations.
                                             H-
 ---pagebreak--- 41.  The third strand is aimed at developing the European dimension in
     vocational training by means of Community support for the rationalisation
     and coordination of the national bodies and operational structures which
     underpin the construction of transnational pilot projects and placements in
     another Member State; this will make it possible to improve and extend
     the European network for the promotion of transnational cooperation,
     ensure that the programme is transparent and increase its induced effects
     by enhancing the dissemination of products and the results of pilot projects
     to other operators, in particular through the activities of the European
     network.
     This third strand also incorporates the aspects of language audit and
     transnational language projects for firms and socio-economic circles,
     corresponding to the old Action III of the LINGUA Programme.
42.  Special attention will go to balancing resources and disseminating results
     between the two strands of the programme. It would indeed be particularly
     counter-productive for there to be a rigid barrier between strands I and II
      or for a marked imbalance to emerge in the number of projects backed and
      therefore of practitioner interest. Whatever the organisation of national
      systems, there is reason to believe that dynamism and innovation depend
      on complementarity between the two pillars, i.e. public systems and the
      market. Community action must therefore endeavour to encourage this
      overall dynamism and lower the barriers which have emerged on occasion
      and restricted the scope of transnational cooperation.
 43.  The measures to be supported under the vocational training programme
      deal essentially with the preparation of training activities, the development
      of innovative methods and products and the dissemination of results. The
      programme only marginally aims to support the implementation of training
       activities as such. As a result, expenditure eligible for Community support
       mainly relates to the cost of design and preparation of measures and not
       the cost of providing training (payment of trainers or beneficiaries, training
       expenses). This aspect increases the complementarity between the action
       programme and financing from the Structural Funds, including the
       Community Initiatives which are mainly centred on costs linked to the
       implementation of training activities logically following the preparation
       and design stages.
 44.   The Community's additional specific actions on vocational training will be
       all the more effective insofar as increased transparency, easier access and
       greater dissemination of results can be secured between the different
       vocational training systems, organisations and practitioners in the Member
        States and action taken by the Community. It is up to the Member States
        within the proper exercise of their responsibilities to ensure that this
        linkage is achieved by taking the necessary rationalisation and coordination
        measures in the light of the experience of the national promotional bodies
        and operational structures already set up within the framework of
                                      18
 ---pagebreak---      Community vocational training programmes. At operational level and on
     the ground, it will also be necessary to ensure active complementarity
     between the structures of the network and operators covered by the
     programme and those responsible for the implementation of the Structural
     Funds.
45.  The European vocational training network made up of the national bodies,
     the operational support structures for projects and operators themselves is
     a key element of the added value of Community action. By going beyond
      support for innovative but isolated operations, the dynamic resulting from
     the networking of activities and partnerships should be a leading criterion
      for Community support, taking due account of the responsibility of
      Member States for the organisation and coordination of operational
      structures and authorities. The impact of the transnational nature of
      operations is reinforced by the fact that innovative action and partnerships
      are integrated in a European network which provides fruitful opportunities
      for dissemination, visibility and impact.
46.   The Commission will be assisted for the implementation of this vocational
      training programme by a programme committee comprising two
       representatives chosen by each Member State and six representatives each
      from two sides of industry as observers. This committee is an advisory
      committee and will assist the Commission as regards:
       (i)     priorities for Community action and the resulting annual work
               programme;
       (ii)    the financial assistance to be provided by the Community for the
                different measures (amount, duration and beneficiaries),
       (iii)    the breakdown between the different actions;
       (iv)     the arrangements for selection, assessment methods and
                arrangements for dissemination and transfer of results.
 47.   In partnership with the Member States, the Commission will support
       operational complementarity between action under the programme and the
        Structural Funds, including the Community initiatives in the field of
       human resources in areas such as dissemination of relevant comparative
        information, dissemination of methodologies, instruments, products and
        experience, conduct of transnational training actions, etc. The Commission
        will also support operational synergy with the fourth framework
        programme for research and technological development particularly in
        order to promote the transfer of technological innovation and to enhance
        the capacity of training and qualification systems to take on board the
        results of R&D, particularly with a view to :
                 promoting comparative research on vocational training systems and
                 arrangements;
                 encouraging the transfer of technological innovation through high-
                 quality vocational training;
                                             n
 ---pagebreak---              enhancing the capacity of training and qualification systems to
             respond to research findings;
             developing innovation in open and distance learning and training
             approaches.
48. In order to further the social dialogue between the social partners at the
    Community level, the Commission will establish in partnership with them
    appropriate operational links with the programme in order to enable them
    to make better use in their dialogue of the outcome of the different
    measures.
49. An overall information drive on the actions and results of the programme
    will be carried out in partnership between the Commission and the
    Member States in order to meet the need for greater transparency and
    impact of Community action. To this end also, the Member States will at
    the halfway stage and at the close of the programme forward a report on
    the activities undertaken under the programme. The social partners, in
    accordance with national practice, will be fully associated in the activities
    of monitoring, preparation of reports and assessment of the programme.
    The Commission will on this basis submit to the European Parliament, to
    the Council and to the Economic and Social Committee an interim report
    by 31 December 1997 and a final report by 30 June 2000.
50. In accordance with the agreement on the European Economic area (and its
    additional protocol, and in particular Protocol 31) concluded between the
    European Communities and their Member States and the countries of
    EFTA, Community initiatives, activities, cooperation and programmes in
    the field of vocational training will be open from 1 January 1995 to
    participation by EFTA countries which accede to the EEA.
51. The Commission will reinforce its cooperation with the OECD, the
    Council of Europe, the ILO and UNESCO, in particular within the
    framework of the development of the exchange of information and
    experience on issues common to the Member States' training systems.
52. To assist it in the implementation of the programme, the Commission will
    secure the support of the European Centre for the Development of
    Vocational Training under the conditions laid down in the Regulation10
    establishing that Centre, and that of the European Training Foundation11
    so as gradually to develop appropriate cooperation with the countries of
    central and eastern Europe.
10
    Council Regulation (EEC) N° 337/75 of 10 February 1975 establishing a European centre
    for the development of vocational training (OJ N° L39, 13 February 1975)
    Council Regulation (EEC) N° 1360/90 of 7 May 1990 establishing a European Training
    Foundation (OJ N° L131, 23 May 1990)
                                    20
 ---pagebreak--- Conclusions
53.         Community action in the field of vocational training through programmes
            due to end at the close of 1994 has already borne fruit in terms of
            partnerships, pilot projects, exchange of experience and networking. These
            encouraging results have illustrated the worthwhile nature and added value
            of broader and more systematic cooperation. The rationalisation advocated
            by the Commission in its proposal in terms of both objectives and actions
            should significantly increase the impact and understanding of Community
            action in this field and its complementarity with other Community action.
            This approach is all the more important as vocational training must play
            a greater part in giving a fillip to European competitiveness and in
            reversing the rising tide of unemployment. The boost to the quality of
            systems and to the capacity for innovation which Community action will
            provide must be the driving force in a context dominated by severe
            budgetary constraints in the Member States.
                                                1\
 ---pagebreak---                        LINKS BETWEEN CURRENT PETRA, FORCE, IRIS, EOROTECNET AND COMETT AND
                            THE THREE STRANDS OF THE NEW VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMME
                                         PETRA             FORCE           IRIS      EUROTECNET    COMETT
   STRAND I
* Design projects                   Joint modules                       Projects     Projects
* Multiplier effect projects
* Placements for young people       Placements
   undergoing initial training
* Placements for young workers      Placements
* Exchanges for decision-makers     Study visits      Study visits    Study visits Study visits
* Surveys, analyses, exchange       Studies-Research  Stat. Survey
   of comparable data               Strands           Cont. Training
                                    IVT Reports        (CVTS)
                                                      CVT Reports
  Strand II
* "Innovation" design projects                         Pilot projects                           Pilot projects
* "Transfer of innovation"                                                                      Pilot projects
   design projects
* Multiplier effect projects                           Pilot projects                           Continuing
                                                                                                training course
* Placements in firms for young
   people undergoing initial                                                                    Placements
    training
 * Placements in firms for young                                                                Placements
    university graduates
 * Exchanges for decision-makers                       Exchanges
 * Surveys, analyses, exchange of                      Sect, surveys Studies       Applied
    comparable data                                    Ana. contract.               research
                                                       policy
  STRAND III
 * National network                  NCU               NCU            NADU          NADU        Info. Centre
 * Regional or sectoral network                                                                 Regional or
                                                                                                sectoral UETPs
                                                      J.X
 ---pagebreak---                                          Proposal    for a
                                       COUNCIL DECISION
                      ESTABLISHING AN ACTION PROGRAMME
             FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
                             VOCATIONAL TRAINING POLICY
                                 L E O N A R D O DA VINO
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular
Article 127 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission1,
In cooperation with the European Parliament2,
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee3,
1.   Whereas the Treaty gives the Community the responsibility of implementing a
    vocational training policy which supports and supplements the action of the Member
     States;
2.  Whereas this policy needs to be implemented while fully respecting the responsibility
    of the Member States for the content and organisation of vocational training, and
    excludes any harmonisation of the laws and regulations of the Member States;
3.  Whereas the Council, in its Decision 63/266/EEC, adopted the general principles for
    implementing a common vocational training policy, and application of those general
    principles is the responsibility of the Member States and the competent institutions
    of the Community4;
       OJ
       OJ
       OJ
       OJ, English Special Edition 1963-1964, p. 25.
                                                 21
 ---pagebreak--- 4.   Whereas the Council, by Decisions 86/365/EEC5 and 89/27/EEC6, adopted the two
     phases of the COMETT programme designed to strengthen cooperation between
     universities and industry regarding training in the field of technology;
 5.  Whereas the Council, by its Decision 89/657/EEC7, adopted the EUROTECNET
     action programme to promote innovation in the field of vocational training resulting
     from technological change in the European Community;
6.   Whereas the Council, by its Decision 90/267/EEC8, adopted the FORCE action
     programme for the development of continuing vocational training in the European
     Community;
7.   Whereas the Council, by its Decision 87/569/EEC9 amended by its Decision
     91/387/EEC10, adopted and then amended the PETRA action programme for the
     vocational training of young people and their preparation for adult and working life;
 8.  Whereas, according to the evaluation reports covering the Community action
     programmes COMETT, EUROTECNET, FORCE and PETRA, as reviewed in the
     Report from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the
     Economic and Social Committee11, Community cooperation on vocational training
     injects real added value into the actions conducted in and by Member States;
9.   Whereas the Commission in its recommendation 87/567/EEC n on vocational
     training for women encouraged Member States to strengthen measures to promote
     the equality of opportunities, and in the Third Medium Term Action Programme
     (1991-1994) on equal opportunities for men and women13 the Commission undertook
     to pursue exchanges of experience and know-how through the IRIS network and
     develop this network to better identify the training needs of women, promote
     innovative training and develop a European methodology on the subject;
 10. Whereas the Council, in its resolution of 11 June 199314, noted the need to improve
     the quality of vocational training in the Member States in order to encourage
     continuing opportunities for individuals to develop their knowledge and skills and
     thus contribute to increased economic and social cohesion as well as to the
     competitiveness of the European economy;
5
     OJ No L 222 of 8.8.1986, p. 17.
6
     O J N o L B o f 17.1.1989, p. 28.
7
     OJ No L 393 of 30.12.1989, p. 29.
8
     OJ No L 156 of 21.6.1990, p. 1.
9
     OJ N° L346 of 10.12.1987, p. 31.
10
     OJ No L 214 of 2.8.1991, p. 69.
11
     COM(93) 151 final of 5.5.1993.
12
     OJ No L 342 of 4.12.1987, p. 35
13
     COM(90) 449 final of 6.11.1990, confirmed by Council Resolution of 21.5.1991 (91/C 142/01) OJ
     NoC 142/01 31.5.1991, p.l.
14
     OJ N° CI86 of 08.07.1993, p. 3.
                                                24
 ---pagebreak---  11. Whereas the Council, in its recommendation of 30 June 1993 on access to continuing
     vocational training15, recommended that Member States adjust their vocational
     training policies to ensuring that every worker of the Community be able to have
      access to continuing vocational training without any form of discrimination and to
     benefit therefrom throughout his or her working life.
 12. Whereas the Commission, in its working paper on the guidelines for Community
      action in the field of education and training16, stated that its aim was to rationalise
      and streamline the action programmes in the vocational training field into a single
     programme, whilst reinforcing those aspects which appear to be most promising in
     terms of the European added value and stimulus they can offer;
 13. Whereas the added value of Community action must be consolidated and reinforced
      in the course of the progressive establishment of an open area for training and
     vocational qualifications which is linked with the creation and operation of the
      Single Market;
14. Whereas the synthesis of Member States' contributions arising from the
     Memorandum on vocational training in the 1990s17 highlighted the major trends
     jointly faced by the Member States in the said open area for training and vocational
     qualifications;
15. Whereas the European Council of 10 and 11 December 1993 concluded that because
     of the institutional, legislative and contractual peculiarities of each Member State,
     the Community's action must focus on defining objectives, while leaving Member
     States free to choose the means appropriate to their situation within a general
     framework defined in common, and mat in order to strengthen the capacity of the
     European economy, Member States should draw on suggestions from the
     Commission White Paper on the medium term strategy for growth, competitiveness
     and employment;
16. Whereas, in order to promote a coherent development of vocational training, it is
     necessary to establish a common framework of objectives which will serve as a
     reference for Member States' policies;
17. Whereas, in order to raise the effectiveness of Community action, different types of
     measures need to be organised within three principal strands, the first aimed at
     providing support for the quality of Member States' systems, arrangements and
     policies, the second at supporting innovation in actions on the training market and
     the third at the gradual implementation of a network to support the European
     dimension in vocational training;
15
     OJN°L181 of 23.7.1993, p.37.
16
     COM(93) 183 final of 5.5.1993.
17
     COM(91) 397 final of 12.12.1991
                                                    1$
 ---pagebreak--- 18. Whereas the three types of measures involved in the programme (pilot projects,
    placements, surveys and analyses) are all aimed at transnational cooperation which
    clearly injects added value into the actions undertaken by the Member States or by
    the players in the training market, while respecting the principle of subsidiarity;
19. Whereas there is a need to encourage operational links between the action
    programme in the vocational training field and the intervention of the Structural
    Funds, especially Community Initiative Programmes.
20. Whereas there is a need to ensure continuous monitoring and systematic evaluation
    of the programme and measures in partnership between the Commission and the
    Member States;
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
                                                %>
 ---pagebreak---                                        Article 1
                          (Establishment of the Programme)
This Decision establishes an action programme for the implementation of a European
Community vocational training policy, hereinafter referred to as the "programme
LEONARDO da Vinci". The programme shall enter into force on 1 January 1995.
The .programme establishes:
1) a Common Framework of Objectives for Community action, aimed at promoting a
     coherent development of vocational training, described in Annex I;
2) a set of Community measures, described in Article 4 and in Annex II, to be
     implemented on the basis of the Common Framework of Objectives described in
     Annex 1, to support and supplement activities undertaken by and in the Member
     States.
                                               llr
 ---pagebreak---                                           Article 2
                                        (Definitions)
For the purposes of this Decision, the term :
(a) "initial vocational training" is used in a general sense to denote any form of initial
     vocational training of non-university level, including technical and vocational training
     and apprenticeship, which enables young people to gain a vocational qualification
     recognised by the competent authorities of the Member State in which it is obtained;
(b) "continuing vocational training" is used in a general sense to denote any vocational
     training engaged in by a worker in the European Community throughout his/her
     working life;
(c) "firm" is used to denote large, medium-sized and small undertakings, regardless of
     their legal status or the economic sector in which they operate, and all types of
     economic activity including the social economy;
(d) "worker" is used to denote any person having active links with the labour market,
     including the self-employed;
(e) "social partners" is used to denote the employers' organisations and trade unions
     recognised in each Member State for the purposes of collective bargaining, and/or
     their inter-industry organisations and/or national organisations involved in joint
     action.
(f) "training body" is used to denote all types of public, semi-public or private
     establishment engaged in vocational training, further training updating or retraining
     activities, regardless of the way in which they are referred to in the Member States.
     The term also covers autonomous economic organisations, in particular chambers of
     commerce and industry and/or their equivalents, and professional associations;
(g) "university" is used to denote all types of higher-education establishment which
     provide qualifications or diplomas of that level, whatever they may be called;
(h) "open and distance learning and training" is used to denote any type of non-
     traditional training, including the use of new information and communication
     technologies and services and involving advice on training and individualised
     tutoring;
                                                   <2£
 ---pagebreak---                                          Article 3
                        (Actions to be undertaken at national level)
The Common Framework of Objectives described in Annex I will serve as a reference
for the development of Member States' policies, bearing in mind the internal legal powers
of the parties concerned and the respective responsibilities of the competent public
authorities, firms and the social partners.
                                         Article 4
                                  (Community measures)
1.   The Commission shall implement the Community measures specified in Annex II
     during the period from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 1999.
2.   Decisions shall be taken in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 5
      œncerning :
      (a)   the priorities in the Community measures described in Annex II and the
            annual work programme resulting from it;
      (b)   thefinancialsupport to be provided by the Community (amounts, duration and
            beneficiaries);
      (c)   the breakdown among the various strands;
      (d)   procedures for selection, evaluation, dissemination and transfer of results.
                                                 <H
 ---pagebreak---                                           Article 5
                                        (Committee)
The Commission shall be assisted by an Advisory Committee composed of two
representatives from each Member State and chaired by the representative of the
Commission.
Twelve representatives of the social partners, appointed by the Commission on the basis
of proposals from the organisations representing the social partners at Community level,
shall participate in the work of the Committee as observers.
The Commission representative shall submit to the Committee the draft measures to be
undertaken. The Committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft, within a time limit
which the Chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter involved, by
taking a vote if necessary.
The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes; in addition, each Member State shall have
the right to ask to have its position recorded in the minutes.
The Commission shall take the utmost account of the opinion delivered by the
Committee. It shall inform the Committee of the manner in which its opinion has been
taken into account.
                                             %>
 ---pagebreak---                                          Article 6
                           (Consistency and complementarity)
1. The Commission shall strive to ensure overall consistency between the programme
   and the Community programme on education.
2. The Commission, in partnership with the Member States, shall foster an element of
   complementarity between the operation of the programme and the intervention of the
   Structural Funds, especially Community Initiative Programmes. It will strive, in
   particular, to ensure that Community measures implemented in this programme shall
   contribute to improving the structural interventions in thefieldof vocational training,
   with a view to:
   (a) disseminating and enhancing the relevant comparative information on vocational
        training systems and arrangements;
   (b) stimulating the implementation of transnational actions related to vocational
        training, based on the results of the programme's pilot projects;
   (c) promoting greater synergy with policies to promote employment and which
        support equal opportunities for access to initial and continuing training for
        disadvantaged groups.
3. The Commission, in partnership with the Member States, shall encourage the
   coordination of activities between the programme and the Fourth Research and
   Development Framework Programme.
4. The Commission, shall set up the appropriate operational links between the
   programme and the activities within the Social Dialogue Framework at Community
   level.
5. In implementing the programme, the Commission shall be assisted by the European
   Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) §.
'8 Council Regulation (EEC) No 337/75 of 10 February 1975 establishing a European Centre for the
   Development of Vocational Training - QJ No L 39 of 13.2.1975, p. 1.
 ---pagebreak---                                         Article 7
                         (Monitoring, evaluation and reports)
1. The programme shall be continuously monitored on a partnership basis involving the
   Commission and the Member States. This shall be done by means of reports drawn
   up by the Member States and of specific activities, thus enabling the programme to
   be redirected in the light of the needs identified.
   Monitoring,financialmanagement and control of the transnational measures shall be
   the task of the Commission.
2. The programme shall be evaluated at regular intervals through a partnership
   involving the Commission and the Member States.
   The results of Community measures shall be evaluated by outside bodies at regular
   intervals.
3. The Member States shall forward to the Commission a report on vocational training
   on 31 December 1995 and every two years thereafter.
   This shall include:
        any appropriate information on existing systems and arrangements in the
        Member States for promoting and funding vocational training;
        a description of any activities undertaken to give tangible form to the Common
        Framework of Objectives described in Annex I;
        a description of any complementary operational links established at national
        level between activities under the programme and the interventions of the
        Structural Funds, especially Community Initiative Programmes.
4. The Commission shall submit to the Council, the European Parliament and the
   Economic and Social Committee before 30 June 1998 an interim report on the launch
   phase, and before 30 June 2000 a report on implementation of the programme.
Done at           .,
                                             For the Council
                                             For the President
                                          TO-
 ---pagebreak---                                       ANNEX I
                      COMMON FRAMEWORK OF OBJECTIVES
Bearing in mind that the Member States should pay particular attention to the following
measures:
    improving vocational training systems. Continuing training is, in particular, to be
    facilitated so as to ensure ongoing adjustment of skills to the needs of
    competitiveness and to combating unemployment;
     specific measures œncerning young people who leave the education system without
    adequate training,
the Common Framework of Objectives shall combine:
1.   Facilitating adaptation to industrial changes, especially, through vocational training
     and retraining
     and, in particular:
     a) promoting anticipation and forecasting of requirements in terms of skills and
          training;
    b) promoting the acquisition of new qualifications and key competences;
     c)   developing continuing training with regard to the results of research and
          technological development programmes;
     d) encouraging training of executives and managers of SMEs, focusing on the
          mechanisms governing internationalisation of the economy, the rules of the
          single market, the new technologies and their implications.
2.   Improving initial vocational training and continuing training in order to facilitate
     integration andreintegrationinto the labour market
     and, in particular:
     a) promoting the vocational training of young people and their preparation for
          adult and working life1, developing continuing vocational training2 and
          supporting innovation in the field of vocational training resulting from
          technological change3;
     Article 1, paragraph 1 of Council Decision 91/387/EEC and Article 2 of Council
     Decision 87/569/EEC-PETRA
     Article 5 of Council Decision 90/267/EEC FORCE
     Article 4 of Council Decision 89/657/EEC-EUROTECNET
 ---pagebreak---    b) supporting the consolidation of vocational guidance arrangements and the
        diversification of training courses on offer;
   c)   supporting the development of high-quality training for the designers, planners
        and managers of training policies;
   d) developing thefreedomof training bodies to provide services in the Community,
        and exchanges of information and experience on obstacles to the creation of an
        open European area for training.
3. Facilitating access to vocational training and encouraging mobility of instnictois and
   trainees, and especially young people
   and in particular :
   a)   providing all young people in the Community, who so wish, with access to one,
        or if possible, two or more years of initial vocational training following on from
        their compulsory schooling on a full-time basis and leading to a vocational
        qualification recognised by the competent authorities in the Member State in
        which it is obtained4;
   b)   implementing common guidelines on access to continuing vocational training,
        the basic principle being that every worker should be able to gain access to
        continuing training without any form of discrimination and to benefit from it
        throughout his or her working life5;
   c) promoting effective equality of access to continuing training for women thereby
        helping to open up new areas of work to them and encouraging them to return
        to work after a break;
   d) developing the Community dimension in training through transnational
        placements and promoting the mutual recognition and /or validation of the skills
        acquired;
   e)   encouraging the development of open and distance learning and training to
        facilitate access to training.
   Article 1 of Council Decision 91/387/EEC-PETRA
5
   Council Recommendation 93/404/EEC
                                            3<V
 ---pagebreak--- 4. Stimulating cooperation on training between training establishments and firms
   and, in particular:
   a)   developing a European dimension into cooperation between universities and
        firms as regards training in technology, their application and transfer6;
   b)   improving cooperation links between initial and continuing training in order to
        develop an approach based on life-long learning.
5. Supporting exchanges of information and experience on issues common to the
   training systenis of the Member States
   and, in particular:
   providing support to promote applied research into vocational training and to develop
   exchanges of information and experience on training systems and arrangements and
   on qualification and certification systems.
6
   Article 3 of Council Decision 89/27/EEC-COMETT II
                                               3>s
 ---pagebreak---                                          ANNEXH
                               œMMUNTIY MEASURES
Part A : Measures
The measures draw on the experience gained in implementing the Community's
COMETT, EUROTECNET, FORCE, PETRA and IRIS programmes.
They cover initial and continuing training systems, policies and actions as defined in the
Member States, and are based on strengthened cooperation between the various players
in vocational training, in particular between firms and universities or training bodies.
These measures are divided between three main strands :
Strand I:   Measures to support the quality of Member States' systems, arrangements and
            policies;
Strand II: Measures to support innovative capacity in actions on the training market.
Strand III: Network, Language Knowledge and Support measures.
                                                 -2><o
 ---pagebreak--- STRAND I: MEASURES TO SUPPORT THE QUALITY OF MEMBER STATES'
                SYSTEMS, ARRANGEMENTS AND POLICIES
This first strand is designed to furnish Community support for projects with a direct
impact on national vocational training systems and arrangements. The aim is to
contribute to greater effectiveness and quality of vocational training systems and
arrangements and their ability to respond to the training needs of individuals and firms
and promote the quality of vocational training methods, processes and tools.
Projects aimed at supporting the quality of systems shall be submitted to the Commission
upon a proposal from the Member States.
They shall be coordinated by a public operator, by a partnership involving private
operators, public operators or the social partners, or, finally, by a non-public operator with
direct responsibility in the structuring and development of the Member State's system,
arrangements or policy.
LI Transnational pilot projects
     (a)    Design projects
     Assistance in devising, developing and experimenting with transnational vocational
     training pilot projects.
     Community support shall be forthcoming, in particular, for projects involving :
          the improvement of initial vocational training through the implementation of
          training programmes and modules, the recognition of acquired skills in the
          national systems and the training of instructors and tutors; the training of
          vocational qualification specialists or analysts; the implementation of projects
          in the vocational guidance field, including networking of vocational guidance
          centres; the training of guidance counsellors and specialists;
          equal opportunities between men and women in vocational training;
          the training of planners and managers of vocational training arrangements;
          the training of socio-economic players involved in contractual policy on
          vocational training;
                                                   Î1
 ---pagebreak--- (b) Multiplier-effect projects
    Assistance in dissemination and transfer of training methods, products, results and
    tools arising from the design projects into the training systems and arrangements,
    including the setting up of open and distance learning and training drawing on new
    information and communication technologies and leading to transferable training
    products, such as those developed in the context of the "General interest telematic
    systems - Flexible and distance learning" of the Third Framework Programme for
    Research and Technological Development.
L2 Transnational placement and exchange programmes
    (a) Placement programme for young people undergoing initial training
    Assistance for transnational placement programmes for young people undergoing
    initial vocational training, with priority being given to occupational sectors most
    affected by change, particularly in the context of completing the single market. Such
    placements shall be for short periods, from three to twelve weeks, or for long periods
    from three to twelve months, where the latter form an integral part of transnational
    training agreements including the recognition of acquired skills.
    (b) Transnational placement programme for young workers
    Support for transnational placement programmes for young workers or for young
    people available on the labour market, aimed at equipping them with validated
    vocational experience or an additional qualification. Such placements shall normally
    last three months, and at most twelve months.
    (c) Transnational exchange programme for decision-makers
    Assistance for exchange programmes for national or regional public decision-makers
    and organisations representing the social partners designed to foster mutual
    understanding of how vocational training systems and arrangements work, and the
    transfer of experience.
    This action shall be integrated into the study visit programme run by CEDEFOP on
    the Commission's behalf.
L3 Surveys, analyses and exchanges of comparable data
    a)    Surveys and analyses on the quality of training systems and arrangements
    Community support will be provided for work developped on a transnational basis,
    on issues common to the Member States related to implementation of the Common
    Framework of Objectives set out in Annex I.
                                            32
 ---pagebreak--- The aim here shall be to help the public authorities to raise the quality and
effectiveness - through a reference framework at Community level - of their
activities in the field of vocational training.
It will involve:
     the setting up of general systems for anticipating training and qualification
     requirements;
     new training methods for SMEs;
     new types of apprenticeship or sandwich courses and of cooperation between
     firms and training bodies or universities;
     new methods and tools for evaluating the quality of training on offer;
     new training curricula for training designers and planners;
     the transparency, recognition and validation of vocational qualifications;
     the development of the right to training (youth credits, etc.);
     the accounting of training expenditure in national and corporate accounts,
     especially from the point of view of investment in training.
b) Exchange of comparable data
In close cooperation with EUROSTATs "Education and Training Statistics" Working
Party, the Commission shall systematically collect data existing in Member States,
shall develop comparable concepts on the basis of work done at national level, shall
consolidate the Community surveys under way (Labour Force Survey, Continuing
Vocational Training Survey, etc.) and draw up a joint overall methodological
framework which can be used in all Member States.
                                              Zc\
 ---pagebreak--- STRAND H:           MEASURES          TO SUPPORT INNOVATIVE CAPACITY IN
                    ACTIONS ON THE TRAINING MARKET
This second strand is targeted at vocational training market operators and players offering
training measures or products. The aim is to support innovation in vocational training
management, methods and materials, promote and transfer technological innovation
through vocational training, improve the capacity of vocational training and qualification
systems to respond to change, and promote the development of open and distance
learning and training.
On proposals from the various players involved in vocational training, firms, the social
partners, universities and training bodies, projects for supporting innovative capacity shall
be submitted to the Commission.
II. 1 Transnational pilot projects
      a) Design projects 'support for innovation in training"
          Assistance for devising, developing and experimenting with transnational pilot
          projects promoting innovation in training, in terms of instruction, content,
          tutoring, methods, tools, equipment, and methods of anticipating needs and
          assessing training.
          Community support shall be forthcoming for:
              the implementation of projects related to adaptation to industrial change and
              changes in production systems;
          -   the implementation of projects in contractual policy on continuing
              vocational training;
          -   the implementation of projects in the field of personal development,
              individual career plans or skills assessment;
          -   the implementation of projects related to anticipation of needs in terms of
              qualifications, skills and training within occupational or technological
              sectois;
              the development, via transnational networks and partnerships, of transferable
              methods, content and products for continuing vocational traimng of
              employees;
              the implementation of projects related to training of executives of SMEs.
                                                    1*0
 ---pagebreak--- b) Design projects "training to promote the transfer of technological innovation"
       The emphasis shall be on:
       -    the development of highly qualified human resources through quality
            training based on strengthened cooperation between firms and universities;
       -    the quality and effectiveness of innovation and technology transfer support
            services;
       -    the improvement of industry's capacity to absorb new technologies, in
            particular SMEs and traditional sectors of industry.
       Community support shall take the form of assistance for devising, developing
       and experimenting with transnational pilot projects to promote innovation in
       respect of training instruction, content, tutoring, methods, tools and equipment.
       It shall be forthcoming for:
       -    projects for training in technology jointly operated by firms , from at least
            three different Community Member States, in conjunction with universities,
            in fields related to new technologies and their applications;
       -   joint projects for management training on transfer of innovative
           technologies;
            arrangements for open and distance learning and training making use of new
           training technologies and leading to transferable training products; they shall
            also include promotion of the activities of European centres for distance
           training and self-learning.
                                                c*l
 ---pagebreak---     c)   Multiplier-effect projects
         Community support shall be forthcoming for:
         -    dissemination and transfer of training methods, products, results and tools
              developed by transnational partnerships;
              intensive short courses in training in technology, having a European
              dimension for rapid application of new technologies through
              firms/universities cooperation;
         -    activities aimed at producing courses and materials for open and distance
              learning and training, as well as the linguistic and cultural adaptation of
              high-quality courses to allow them to be used in Member States other than
              that in which they originate.
IL2 Transnational placement and exchange programme
    a)  Transnational programme of placements infirmsfor young people undergoing
         university training
         Support for programmes of placements in firms for young people undergoing
        university training, within a firm in another Member State, in connection with
         a transnational vocational qualification project supported by cooperation between
         firms and universities in several Member States in the new technology field.
         Such placements shall normally last six months, and at most twelve months.
    b) Transnational programme of placements in firms for young university graduates
         Support for programmes of placements in firms for young people who have
        completed their university curriculum and young graduates working in their first
        job, within a firm in another Member State, in connection with an innovation
        project for SMEs forming part of the development strategy of the firm, groups
        of firms or SME resource centres. Such placements shall normally last six
        months, and at most twelve months.
    c)  Transnational programme of exchanges between firms
        Support for programmes of exchanges between firms, primarily of people in
        charge of training or human resources (on a part-time or full-time basis) and
        tutors in firms, connected with the development plans of SMEs or groups of
        SMEs involving the use of new technologies or production processes. Such
        exchanges shall normally last two weeks, and at most eight weeks.
H.3 Surveys, analyses and exchange of comparable data
    Surveys and analyses on the innovative capacity of players in the training market
                                           ^2
 ---pagebreak--- Assistance for comparative work on common issues connected with the creation of
an open area for vocational training and qualifications, with the central aim of
supporting innovation in training and enhancing the transfer of innovation through
training, for the benefit of all players in the vocational training market.
Community support shall be forthcoming for work carried out on a transnational
basis concerning:
     new methods and tools for human resource audits for SMEs and for training
     in SMEs;
     new forms of work organisation designed to promote the acquisition of skills;
     sectoral surveys on firms' continuing training plans and on new methods of
     assessing skills at the workplace;
     analysis of contractual policy on training and of the role played by the social
     partners in training;
     improving knowledge and circulation of information on the evolution of
     occupations and skills, in cooperation with the CEDEFOP;
     the definition of criteria for and ways of measuring quality, of cost-benefit
     analyses and of analyses on the cost-effectiveness of training.
                                              i*3>
 ---pagebreak--- STRANDffl NETWORK, LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE AND SUPPORT MEASURES
This third strand includes all the activities in strands I and II and is designed to enhance
the European dimension in vocational training : support for the European network of
national organising bodies and operational structures to enhance its capacity to support
and act as an interface, development of language knowledge and information, monitoring
and evaluation actions to enhance the visibility and impact of the programme. At
operational level and on the ground it will be necessary to set up active complementarity
between the network structures and operators of this Programme and those responsible
for the implementation of the Structural Funds.
ULl       European network
    a)    Support for initiatives taken by Member States to ensure the openness of the
          programme, facilitate access to it, strengthen trie dissemination of its results and
          coordinate the national organising bodies and operational structures set up under
          the COMETT, EUROTECNET, FORCE, PETRA and IRIS programmes.
    b)    Establishment of telematic communications, a databank covering the various
         projects, surveys, analyses, results and products, as well as an electronic mail
          system. Progressive extension, both regionally and sectorally, of the European
          network to further promote transnational cooperation, ensure the openness of the
         programme and boost dissemination of its results.
    c)    Implementation of European coordinating activities.
ÏIL2     Action on the development of language knowledge
         Assistance for the design and multiplier function of transnational projects aimed
         at drawing up large-scale linguistic audits for firms or for socio-economic
          groups, joint curricula, innovative teaching aids and/or recognising linguistic
         accomplishments achieved through the implementation of these curricula.
m.3      Support measures : information, monitoring and assessment
     a)  Implementation of an overall information action on a partnership basis
         encompassing the Commission, the Member States and the Programme's
         operational structures.
     b)  Monitoring and continuous assessment of the Community measures.
     c)  Technical assistance required for the smooth operation of the programme, in
         particular support, monitoring and continuous assessment of the programme;
         development of transnational expertise; dissemination and transfer of the
         methods, products and tools devised and the results obtained.
                                                    ^
 ---pagebreak--- Paît B : THE COMMUNITY'S FINANCIAL CXmRffiUTlON
The Community shall contribute to the funding of expenditure connected with the
measures planned for Strands I, II and 111.
A.  The Community'sfinancialcontribution to transnational projects may amount to 75%
    of expenditure, with a ceiling of ECU 100 000 per year and per project for:
         design projects under "support for the quality of systems" (Action 1.1 .a), which
         may last three years at most;
         design projects under "support for innovation in training'1 (Action IL La) and
         design projects under "training for the transfer of technological innovation"
         (Action II. Lb), which may last two years at most;
         multiplier-effect projects (Actions I. Lb and II.Lc), which may last one year at
         most.
B. The ceilings for the Community's financial contribution to the placement and
    exchange programmes shall be as follows:
         ECU 5 000 per beneficiary for placement of a young person undergoing initial
         training (Action I.2.a), a young worker (Action I.2.b) and a young person at
         university (Action II.2.a);
         ECU 10 000 per beneficiary for placement of a young person who has
         completed his/her university curriculum or a young graduate working in his/her
         first job (Action II.2.b);
         ECU 5 000 per beneficiary for an exchange between firms (Action H.2.c).
C. The Community's financial contribution may vary between 50 % and 100 % of
    expenditure for the network (Action III.l) and may amount to 100 % of expenditure
   •for surveys and analyses (Actions 1.3 and II.3), actions related to language (Action
    III.2) and support measures (Action III.3).
                                             AS
 ---pagebreak---                    FINANCIAL STATEMENT
1.   TITLE OF OPERATION
     Vocational training
2.   BUDGET HEADING INVOLVED
     B - 102 - Vocational training
     Formerly headings B3-1020/B3-1021/B3-1022/B3-1023/B3-1024.
3.   LEGAL BASIS
     Council Decision No /          /EC of                 (OJ L ...)
4.   DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION
4.1. General objective
     On the basis of experience acquired through the implementation of the
     Community programmes COMETT, EUROTECNET, FORCE and PETRA,
     and of other operations and pilot projects carried out in the field of
     vocational training, the main objective of the programme is to ensure the
     implementation of a vocational training policy to support and complement
     operations by Member States. More specifically, the programme is
      intended to promote cooperation between Member States with the aim of
      working towards an open area for vocational training and qualifications.
      In proposing this action programme, the Commission is following a policy
      which is in line with the objective of rationalising and coordinating
      vocational training operations as set out in its working document
      "Guidelines for Community action in the field of education and training".
      In this context, the main objectives of the programme are as follows:
      a)      To help improve the effectiveness and quality of vocational training
              systems and their capacity to respond to the training requirements
                                      4-b
 ---pagebreak---              of individuals and businesses, particularly SMES, and to improve
             the qualiity of training methods, curricula and tools,
     b)      To support innovations in vocational training management,
             methodology and facilities, promote and disseminate technological
             innovations and developments in production systems through the
             medium of vocational training and improve the ability of vocational
             training and qualification systems to respond to these changes and
             promote progress in open and distance learning;
     c)      To develop the European dimension in training at all levels,
             particularly in the learning and dissemination of Community
             languages and support the European vocational training network;
     In support of these general objectives, the programme makes provision for
     Community assistance for three types of transnational cooperation: pilot
     projects enabling knowledge and experience to be exchanged and shared,
     training periods (placements) in a company or training institute in another
     Member State in order to support the transfer of experience through
     physical mobility, and Community studies and analyses to develop
     common concepts and references.
4.2. Period covered and arrangements for renewal or extension
     Five-year action programme (1995-1999).
     Renewal on the basis of results obtained following an evaluation of the
     programme.
5.   CLASSIFICATION OF EXPENDITURE OR REVENUE
5.1. Non-compulsory expenditure
5.2.  Differentiated appropriations
5.3. Type of revenue involved
      None.
6.    TYPE OF EXPENDITURE OR REVENUE
              100% subsidy: yes, for subsidies and surveys.
      -       Subsidy for joint financing with other sources in the public and/or
              private sector: yes, projects are normally jointly financed to a
              maximum of 75%.
                                         *r\
 ---pagebreak--- 7.   FINANCIAL IMPACT
7.1. Method of calculating total cost of operation (definition of unit costs)
     Set out in accordance with the Annex to the proposal for a Council
     Decision.
                                       \ *
 ---pagebreak--- 7.2.               Approximate itemised breakdown of cost
                                                         in current ECU million
           Breakdown          Budget      19%       1997        1998     1999      TOTAL
                               1995
  Strand I
  Support for system quality
  and policies of Member
  States
  - Pilot projects               12.2    13.3      14.4          16.5   18.8          72.5
  - Exchanges                    24.2    25.4      26.6          27.8   29.0         133.0
  - Surveys, analyses and          5.7    5.9       6.1           6.3    6.5          30.5
     exchanges of
     comparable data
                Sub-total        42.1    44.6      47.1          50.6   54.3         23&7
  Strand 11
   Support for innovation in
  training operations
  - Pilot projects               42.0    44.6      47.0          50.6   54.4         238.6
  - Exchanges                    21.8    23.0      24.2          25.8   27.5         122.3
  - Surveys, thematic              4.8    5.1        5.4          5.8    6.2          27.3
     analyses
                Sub-total        68.6    72.7      76.6          82.2   88.1         388.2
   Strand III
   Networks and
   accompanying measures
   - Network                      13.0   13.7      14.5          15.7   16.7          73 6
   - Knowledge of                          9.2       9.6         10.4   11.1          49.0
      languages                    8.7
   - Accompanying                          6.2       6.5          7.0    7.5          33.0
      measures                     5.8
   - Monitoring                            3.6       3.8          4.1     4.4         19.3
                                   3.4
                 Sub-total       30.9    32.7      34.4          37.2   39.7         174.9
                 TOTAL          141.6   150.0     158.1         170.0  182.1         801.8
 The breakdown of the appropriations requested according to the three strands and
 according to the different headings will depend on the total amount allocated by the
 budgetary authority.
 Notes:
 The 1995 budget may be reconciled with the 1994 budget (final year of the PETRA,
 FORCE, EUROTECNET and COMETT programmes which are consolidated by the
 action programme) on the basis of the figures for the 1994 PDB as follows:
             PDB 1994 (headings B3-1020 - B3-1024)                           107.5
                                               49
 ---pagebreak---         Components transferred from the vocational
        training programme to the
        Youth for Europe III programme                                    - 1.5
        Inclusion of the former Action III of the LINGUA
        programme                                                        + 8.1
                                               Total                     114.1
The difference between this amount of ECU 114.1 million and the 1995 budget
(ECU 141.6 million) is accounted for by the quantitative and qualitative progress expected
from the new action programme in relation to the programmes from which it follows on,
namely:
-  ECU 14 million to be added to pilot projects supporting innovation in operations
   carried out in the training market to finance the extension of projects into new fields,
   as set out in the programme (access to continuing training, adjustment to industrial
   changes);
-  ECU 6 million added to Section C (Network) to strengthen initial and continuing
   training aspects;
-  the trend towards increases under each of the three strands of the programme;
                                             5o
 ---pagebreak--- 7.3.             Indicative schedule of appropriations
7.3.1.           Schedule for proposed new operation
                           1995    1996     1997     1998      1999 and             TOTAL
                                                               subsequent years
  Commitment               141.6   150.0     158.1    170.0            182.1         801.8
  appropriations
  Payment
  appropriations
  1995                     113.3                                                     113.3
  1996                      28.3   120.0                                             148.3
  1997                              30.0     126.5                                   156.5
  1998                                        31.6    136 0                          167.6
   1999 and                                            34.0            182.1         216.1
  subsequent years
  TOTAL                    141.6   150.0     158.1    170.0            182.1         801.8
8.                FRAUD PREVENTION MEASURES AND THE RESULTS OF MEASURES TAKEN
                  All contracts, agreements and legal undertakings by the Commission make
                  provision for the possibility of spot checks by the Commission and by the
                  Court of Auditors. Among other things, beneficiaries of actions are obliged
                  to provide reports and financial statements which are analysed with regard
                  to the content and the eligibility of expenditure, in accordance with the
                   aim of Community financing.
 9.                ELEMENTS OF COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS
 9.1.              Specific and quantified objectives; target population
                   The aim of the proposal for the action programme to implement a
                   Community vocational training policy is to increase the effectiveness and
                   transparency of Community action in this field. The proposed approach is
                   not merely an addition to operations carried out hitherto under the four
                   action programmes but introduces a true element of rationalisation between
                   the various measures.
                   At a time when the development of vocational training has a strategic role
                   to play in controlling the processes of industrial and socio-economic
                   change facing the Community, the Commission wishes to ensure maximum
                                                            S\
 ---pagebreak---                 impact and the greatest possible multiplier effect for its operations to
                support and complement the policies and systems of Member States.
                There are three strands, each with its own specific objectives, for
                implementing the general objectives of the programme and contributing to
                the progressive achievement of an open area for training and qualifications
                within the Community:
Strand 1:       Measures aimed at supporting quality in the systems and policies of
                Member States;
Strand 2:       Measures aimed at supporting innovation in operations in the training
                market;
Strand 3:       Network and accompanying measures - Promotion of the European
                 dimension.
The programme involves all those involved in vocational training, whether public
authorities, private training institutes, businesses, management or workers. The aim is to
provide guidelines for these groups to help them improve their methods and practices for
defining requirements and designing operations on the basis of results obtained from
transnational cooperation.
STRAND I         MEASURES AIMED AT SUPPORTING QUALITY IN THE SYSTEMS AND POLICIES
                 OF MEMBER STATES
The aim of this strand is to provide Community support for projects with a direct impact
on national vocational training systems. Improving the quality of operations under these
systems presupposes increased effectiveness in terms of investment and the level of public
expenditure involved. The experience of previous programmes, in particular PETRA
(initial training systems), has shown that transnational cooperation enabled national
systems to become more efficient. At a time of great pressure on national budgets, the
economies of scale and the transfer of innovations which become possible under
Community operations have an increasingly important role.
For subjects such as qualifications or careers guidance, which should be considered
central to this first strand, the transnational cooperation developed under the programme
makes it possible to introduce a true European dimension, which is essential from the
point of view of freedom of movement and mobility for individuals for training and
 employment purposes.
A.       Specific objectives
                 Transnational cooperation on the design, development and testing of
                 transnational pilot projects for initial training programmes and modules,
                 the training of instructors and tutors, qualifications specialists, vocational
                 guidance, equal opportunities, contractual policy, general systems for
                                                   SX
 ---pagebreak---           forecasting requirements, the introduction of distance learning systems, the
          definition of criteria and measures relating to quality and methods of
          recognition or joint validation;
          Transnational cooperation on pilot projects for the dissemination and
          transfer of training system methodologies, products, results and tools;
          Transnational cooperation on the placement of young people in initial
          vocational training;
          Transnational cooperation on exchanges of young workers, with the aim
          of acquiring valid vocational experience or an additional qualification;
           Transnational cooperation on exchanges of public sector decision-makers
           at national and regional levels and of employers' and employees'
           representatives;
           Transnational cooperation on the training of people at Community level
           who develop and administer Structural Fund operations;
           Transnational cooperation on studies and comparative analyses of systems
           and trends.
B. Target groups
   This first strand is directed at all those involved in national vocational training
   systems, whether initial or continuing training. However, account must be taken
   of the fact that public sector systems in Member States are concerned primarily
   with initial vocational training for young people, giving them a privileged status,
   particularly with regard to placements.
C. Budget for Strand I
           30% of total credits (29.6%) are to be allocated to Strand I (quality of
           systems) over the course of the programme;
            Assessment of the credits allocated to Strand I must take account of the
            following:
            a)     Promoting and raising the quality of systems, particularly for initial
                   training, is essential, given the need to give all young people basic
                   training and to reduce the risks of youth unemployment, which
                   correlates closely with a lack of qualifications or of suitable
                    qualifications.
            b)     The first phases of the PETRA programme have shown the impact
                   of transnational cooperation on the quality of initial vocational
                    training for young people. Under PETRA there have been more
                   than 700 projects, and 14 000 instructors and 85 000 young people
                                               S3
 ---pagebreak---                        have taken part in the network's activities since 1988. Such
                       cooperation, and the dissemination of the results of transnational
                       operations (joint training modules or programmes) have led a
                       number of Member States to develop their own initial training
                       systems.
               c)      The first transnational measures in the field of continuing training
                       under the FORCE programme have also shown the impact on state
                       intervention systems in terms of quality, particularly in the search
                       for synergy between public and private financing.
               d)      The first synopses of continuing training systems have been
                       produced and must be supplemented and refined in order to provide
                       comparable data. A statistical survey is now being carried out in
                       association with Eurostat, and on the basis of a systematic
                       gathering of existing data, Community surveys will be consolidated
                       and a common, global methodological framework will be
                        established for use in all Member States. Building on the work
                        carried out, significant progress still needs to be made in order to
                        reconcile the various sources, cover all fields of vocational training
                        and give decision-makers comparable and reliable references to
                        enable them to tackle cost-effectiveness in the various national
                        systems.
       Consolidating these various operations and placing them on a systematic footing
       requires the availability of significant financial resources to make the most of the
       added value which transnational cooperation brings to improving the quality of
       training systems.
        Pursuing Community action is even more important in terms of added value given
        that the period 1995-99 is likely to see increased pressure on national budgets at
        precisely the time when training requirements, particularly for young people, are
        recognised as having top priority.
STRAND II       MEASURES AIMED AT SUPPORTING INNOVATION IN OPERATIONS ON THE
                TRAINING MARKET
This second strand is aimed at all those involved in offering training operations or
products, i e. training establishments, companies, management, social partners and
universities.
Projects are intended on the one hand to support and develop innovation in vocational
training in order to increase its effectiveness, and on the other hand to develop training
operations aimed at encouraging and facilitating the diffusion of technological
innovations.
                                                    »*
 ---pagebreak--- A. Specific objectives
           Promotion of transnational cooperation for the design, development and
           testing of pilot projects with the objective of introducing innovations into
           teaching (content, tutoring, methods, tools and facilities), in order to
           produce transferable products, anticipate requirements, provide vocational
           guidance for adults, adapt to industrial changes, improve contractual policy
           with regard to vocational training and define criteria and measures relating
           to quality;
           Development of transnational cooperation on training projects for the
           diffusion of technological innovations, management of their transfer,
           dissemination of research results, training in specific technologies and
           development of multilateral systems;
           Transnational cooperation on transnational placements in businesses for
           young university students or graduates;
   -        Transnational cooperation on inter-company            exchanges of     those
            responsible for training or human resources;
   -        Transnational cooperation on surveys and analyses relating to matters of
            common interest connected with the establishment of an open area for
            training and qualifications.
   Transnational cooperation should make it possible to design innovative projects,
   and also to achieve a more intensive transfer and multiplier effect at Community
   level. With regard to the diffusion of technological innovations, training operations
   are to be linked to Community operations in the field of research and
   development.
B. Target groups
    The second strand is aimed primarily at those involved in the training market,
    including private or public training establishments, companies, universities,
    chambers of trade and commerce and employers' and employees' organisations.
    Training operations organised by them and benefitting from the impact of the
    Community operation are intended for individuals who are working and are
    integrated into the labour market.
C   Budget for Strand O
    -        Nearly 50% of the total budget for the programme (48.4) is allocated to
             this strand;
    -        It should be borne in mind that several thousand operators, several
             thousand products and several hundred thousand beneficiaries are involved,
             and that the resources being mobilised are in line with the objective of
             achieving an adequate threshold effect in a context in which businesses
 ---pagebreak---               themselves are experiencing significant pressure on their investment in
              training and, in particular, the requirements associated with updating
              qualifications, transforming and developing skills and introducing new
              technologies and production methods into the organisation of work are
              expanding at an ever-increasing rate;
              The action programmes, particularly FORCE (continuing training) and
              COMETT (training in the transfer of technological innovations), have
              shown operators to be extremely active in this field; the number of high-
              quality projects presented was always far in excess of the number which
              could actually be financed;
              Community support is granted following a Community expert report on the
              projects and on the basis of criteria developed at Community level,
              particularly concerning the importance of the innovatory and multiplier
              effects of products or operations;
              The external evaluations of the FORCE and COMETT programmes have
              also shown that, on the one hand, these cooperative projects could not be
              carried out without support from the Community and that, on the other
              hand, cooperation between operators involved in a pilot project extends to
              other areas, such as technology and economic or business relations.
STRAND i n     NETWORK AND ACCOMPANYING MEASURES - EUROPEAN DIMENSION
A.    Specific objectives
               To provide Community support for the rationalisation and coordination of
               national bodies and operational structures which form the basis for
               transnational pilot projects and placements in another Member State;
      -        To improve and extend the European network in order to promote
               transnational cooperation and ensure the transparency of the programme;
               To increase the induced effects of the programme by reinforcing the
               dissemination of products and of the results of pilot projects to other
         ,i    operators, particularly through the activities of the European network;
               To introduce a global operation including information on the programme
               and monitoring and assessment of measures.
B.    Target groups
      Operational support structures for project promoters at regional or sectoral level
      and national bodies in Member States.
      Particular attention must be paid to extending the competence and support
       capability of the operational structures in order to enable them to participate fully
                                                 .^fc
 ---pagebreak---        in the objective of rationalisation and coordination and to intervene in all areas
       covered by the programme without creating new structures.
       The experts' report on the launching of transnational projects is of great value in
       the development and transfer of qualify and innovation provided for in the first
       two strands, and must be used to this end.
       The quality of intervention by the network of operational structures is a direct
       guarantee of the quality of the partnerships established, of their extension to a
       larger number of countries and of the benefits of the projects put forward with a
       view to receiving Community support.
C       Budget
               The third strand, which represents approximately 22% of all programme
               resources (21.7%), will benefit from a substantial new input of ECU 6
               million to consolidate and structure the European network;
               As a general rule, Community funds are supplemented by national or
               regional budgets to cover structure and network operating costs, and in
               most cases a multiplier effect of three to four times the Community's
               financial contribution is obtained;
               The evaluation reports, particularly for COMETT, have shown that
               Community support was a precondition for introducing synergy into the
               financing provided by public or private sector operators, particularly at
               regional level;
               Information policy and accompanying measures will be developed by the
               Commission and Member States acting in partnership;
               Monitoring and assessment of measures and programme impact will also
               be done by the Commission and Member States acting in partnership; this
               represents an important element in the visibility of Community operations.
9.2.           Grounds for the operation
9.2.1.         The development of vocational training is recognised by the European
                Union as a necessity, both for reasons associated with economic
                competitiveness on the world market, where competition is increasingly
                intense, and for its social cohesion, i.e. reduction of the risks of dislocation
                associated with unemployment and marginalisation on the labour market.
9.2.2.          The Community wished to give a new impetus to this development by
                including in the Treaty on European Union a specific article on the
                implementation of a Community vocational training policy and laying
                down the precise objectives.
                                                             £?-
 ---pagebreak--- 9.2.3.   The Member States and the Council have indicated their interest in and
         support for the development of Community action in this field by deciding,
         a few years ago, on the current action programmes and by taking an active
         part in the implementation and monitoring of operations and in the use of
         results.
9.2.4.   The European Parliament has given constant support to the development
         of these activities and has stated its support for the Commission's plan to
         rationalise and coordinate action programmes.
9.2.5.   It is important to note that the various measures set out under the
         programme are all directed towards one objective, namely transnational
         cooperation, which clearly provides an added value to operations
         developed by Member States or those involved in the training market.
9.2.6.   This Community added value must be consolidated and reinforced through
         the progressive establishment of an open European vocational training and
         qualifications area in association with the completion of the Single Market.
9.2.7.   The approach put forward by the Commission follows the guidelines on
         education and vocational training set out in its working document, which
         aimed to consolidate vocational training operations in a single programme
         on the basis of Article 127 of the Treaty on European Union.
9.2.8.   In the light of experience acquired under current programmes,
          rationalisation leads to the proposal of major operational strands, one of
          them being support for high quality in systems in response to requests
          from public operators or those having a structuring role within the systems,
          and another being support for innovation on the market, relating primarily
          to private operators and businesses.
 9.2.9.   The proposed measures support and complement operanons carried out by
          Member States and enable them to use the contributions and results of
          transnational operations to improve the quality and effectiveness of their
          systems.
 9.2.10.  Community action in implementing the programmes, which run until the
          end of 1994, has already yielded valuable and specific results in terms of
          partnerships, pilot projects, exchanges of experience and networking. These
          promising results have shown the value of more highly developed and
           more generalised cooperative operations. Given their organisational and
          operational diversity, national systems can use transnational cooperation
          to inspire new trends in development.
 9.2.11.   An important part of the rationalisation approach proposed,by the
           Commission is the reduction of duplication of operations and results. On
           the basis of a given amount of investment, this makes it possible to take
           wider-ranging action on the practices of vocational training operators and
           on the products and methods used by them.
                                                    i> tf
 ---pagebreak--- 9.2.12.  The Community budget for vocational training is modest compared to
         those of Member States or businesses. It must be borne in mind here that
         national budgets are largely earmarked for operational expenditure or for
         making up the remuneration of trainees during training. They make only
         limited provision for innovation and experimentation with new methods or
         products and, given the pressures on public financing, this trend is
         increasing. The Community's relatively modest contribution is crucial for
         the modernisation and development of systems because it is concentrated
         on dynamic action and progress.
9.2.13.  A similar observation must be made with regard to the synergy between
         operations under the programme and those forming part of structural
         policy, in particular those under the European Social Fund. The
         multiplication of innovations and new practices as part of the pilot projects
          and partnerships under the programme within the most significant
          structural policy operations represents a powerful impetus for the
          development of systems and practices in the Member States.
9.2.14.  The activities supported under the framework of the vocational training
         programme mainly involve actions for the preparation of training, the
          design of innovative methods and products and the diffusion and
          multiplication of the results. The programme targets training actions as
          such in only a marginal way. On account of this, expenditure eligible for
          Community support involves mainly expenditure linked to the design of
          and preparation of actions and not the costs of the provision of training,
          (the salaries of trainers or of beneficiaries, training costs). This element
          increases the interest of the complementarity between the action
          programme and the finance contributed within the framework of the
          European Social Fund which is mainly devoted to costs linked to the
          realisation of training actions subsequent to their design and preparation.
 9.2.15.  The largest share of programme financing should be allocated to the design
          and implementation of transnational pilot projects on vocational training.
          Transnational cooperation is thereby applied to a specific objective and the
           implementation of joint vocational training operations.
 9.2.16.   With regard to transnational placements, assessment of current
           programmes, particularly COMETT, has shown that they form a "fast lane"
           for the transfer of experience and know-how not only for the direct
           beneficiary but also for the originating and host institutions. Integrating
           placements into a specific company development project should be a new
           way of reinforcing this characteristic.
 9.2.17.   Decision-makers in the field of vocational training, whether representatives
           of public authorities at national or regional levels, are seeking Community
           reference points in order to improve their practices. Placements allowing
            a direct comparison with, and specific experience of, existing practices in
            another Member State make it possible to transfer practices at low cost.
                                             &\
 ---pagebreak---          Multiplication in the originating institution and system is another important
         characteristic in this case.
9.2 18.  Perception of Community operations is developedfirstlywithin universities
         and in the world of research, with significant results being obtained
         through cooperation. The labour market and businesses have become
         involved more recently in cooperating at Community level on vocational
         training. The current economic situation gives vocational training policies
         a decisive role in reestablishing favourable conditions for economic
         competitiveness and employment. Training professionals, and above all
         businesses, are indicating a strong demand for increased cooperation in
         order to increase the effectiveness of their training investments, to
         disseminate experience and best practice and improve the cost-effectiveness
         of their spending.
9.2.19.  It is also important to stress the role of surveys and analyses at Community
         level. Member States develop systems which differ widely, having little in
         common from the point of view of the concepts and methods used. Studies
         and surveys carried out at Community level provide a reliable and
         homogeneous picture of the reality of vocational training expenditure and
         operations within the Community. A common Community frame of
         reference is thereby provided.
9 2 20   Initial vocational training systems are being widely developed to counteract
         the difficulties experienced by young people in integrating into the world
         of work, with the objective of rooting out the economic marginalisation
         associated with underachievement at school, particularly with regard to the
          most disadvantaged young people. Improving the quality of systems, the
         objective of Strand I, represents an important contribution here. Promoting
          high-quality training operations for those young people with the greatest
         difficulties very much increases their chances of integrating into working
         life.
9.2.21    The multiplier effect relating to the products and results of transnational
          partnerships is a prerequisite for efficiency and economies of scale. It is
          also a factor in ensuring equal access for those sections of society whose
          requirements are insufficiently met by traditional operations. From this
          point of view, emphasis must be placed on the priority given by the
          programme to the development of training measures in and for SMEs,
          which all too frequently lack the necessary qualifications for overcoming
          the current socio-economic changes.
 9.2.22.  With regard to continuing training, the various measures under the
          programme, particularly those relating to pilot projects and surveys, require
          involvement and active participation by management and workers. This
          constitutes an element of support for Member States with a tradition of
          participation by both management and workers, and an innovation for those
          Member States with little experience of such practices. Bearing in mind the
          structuring role which management and workers are called upon to play
 ---pagebreak---         in order to make vocational training effective, this is a substantial added
        value element for the Community operation.
9.2.23. A significant proportion of the success and impact of the current
        programmes is due to the presence and networking at European level of
        operational structures with a central role in forming partnerships,
        participating in the preparation of projects and ensuring the dissemination
        and multiplier effect of results. Improving the operation of this European
        network, mainly by means of information and communications technology
        and capitalising on the expertise within these structures must be an
        important factor in the rationalisation process.
93       Monitoring and evaluation of the operation
9.3.1    Selected performance indicators
         Quantitative indicators:
         -    number of pilot projects;
         -    average number of partners per pilot project;
         -    total number of participants in placement schemes;
         -    total number of beneficiaries of a training measure or product;
         -    number of SMEs participating directly in pilot projects;
          -   number of transferable products resulting from pilot projects.
         Qualitative indicators:
          -    the evaluation should make it possible to measure more exactly the
              impact of the Community operation on the systems or practices of
              operators by means of the following indicators:
               *      application of quality criteria and measures in training systems
                      and operations;
               *      use of Community references for practices;
               *      development of training modules arising from pilot projects in
                      national systems;
               *      definition of a transnational qualification profile, particularly at
                      sectoral level.
          All these indicators will form a basis for continuous joint evaluation by the
          Commission and each Member State.
                                        u
 ---pagebreak--- 9.3.2  In accordance with Article 7 of the proposal for a Decision:
      -   before 31 December 1997 the Commission will present an intermediate
          evaluation report covering the launching period of the programme;
      -    before 30 June 2000, the Commission will present a final report On
          the basis of this report, the Commission may submit proposals to the
           Council and the European Parliament concerning readjustment and
           subsequent development.
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 ---pagebreak---                                                                      ISSN 0254-1475
                                                              COM(93) 686 final
                                                      DOCUMENTS
 EN                                                                             04
                                 Catalogue number : CB-CO-93-742-EN-C
                                                             ISBN 92-77-63076-0
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