Commission report on the European Training Foundation
The European Commission has produced a report providing an overview of the work and achievements of the European Training Foundation to date. The European Training Foundation was initially established in 1990 as a means of supporting the development of the vocational training systems of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and Mongolia. Its work can be said to have started, however, only in 1993 when a site for the Foundation was finally agreed (Turin, Italy). The Commission's report on the Foundation addresses four main areas: - The Foundation's background, objectives and role; - The Foundation's establishment, organization and operations; - The evaluation of the Foundation's work to date; - Reflections on the Foundation's future prospects. The four main tasks of the Foundation are: - To assist the partner countries in the definition of training needs and provide the Community, the Member States and third countries with advice and information on such needs and on training initiatives (policy advice); - To assist the Commission in the implementation of training programmes as part of the Community's assistance to the partner countries (PHARE and TACIS), and in the monitoring and evaluation of training assistance to these countries; - To facilitate international cooperation, in particular by promoting joint ventures and preparing pilot projects. The Foundation's contribution, which may also include co-financing, should lead to the financing of multinational projects by one or several countries. More generally, the Foundation was created to act as a "clearing house" through which international offers of training assistance could be channelled; - To disseminate information and encourage exchange of experience in the area of vocational training, for instance through publications and meetings. The Commission's report is based on material gathered through an independent evaluation of the Foundation's activities and on the ongoing monitoring carried out by the Commission itself. The overall assessment of the Foundation's work is positive. Recommendations for the future focus on two main themes: a clearer definition of the Foundation's mission; and orientations for the Foundation's future work within the framework of Community programmes and policies.