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Action programme for the vocational training of young people and their preparation for adult and working life (PETRA), 1992-1994

 
This second phase of the PETRA programme is established to ensure the continuation and further development of the activities carried out under PETRA I, 1988-92. The programme consists of measures to be taken at Community level aimed at assisting the Member States' efforts to provide all young people, under 28 years of age, with access to at least one year's initial vocational training. The actions covered by the programme are also aimed at:

- Complementing and supporting Member States' policies to raise the standards and quality of initial vocational training, diversifying the provision of vocational training so as to offer choice for young people with different levels of ability, and enhancing the capacity of systems of vocational training to adapt to rapid economic, technological and social change;

- Adding a Community dimension to vocational qualifications in order to contribute, in particular, to the comparability of these qualifications between the Member States;

- Stimulating and supporting practical cooperation and the development of transnational training partnerships between training providers, industry and other promoters of local and regional development;

- Developing opportunities for young people to benefit from periods of training or work experience in other Member States;

- Fostering Community cooperation in the sphere of vocational information and guidance.

When PETRA II expires at the beginning of 1995, it is expected that activities in the area of vocational training and education will be taken over by the LEONARDO DA VINCI programme, under which the Community's vocational training policy will be implemented during the period 1995-99.
To support and supplement the policies and activities of the Member States aimed at ensuring that all young people have access to at least one year's initial vocational training in addition to their compulsory education, leading to a vocational qualification recognised by the competent authorities of the Member State in which it was obtained.
Three actions:

- Support for transnational vocational training projects:
. Vocational training or work experience placements for eligible young people in another Member State (normally for a period of three weeks);
. Joint development of vocational training modules;
. Joint development of trainers for vocational training;

- Support for measures aimed at fostering vocational information and guidance:
. Networking the exchange of guidance data;
. Training of guidance counsellors and specialists;

- Complementary Measures:
The Commission will adopt the necessary complementary measures, including the dissemination of results by means of publications, seminars, etc.; continuation of support for transnational cooperation in studies on specific issues in initial vocational training; and technical support for the implementation of the programme.
The Commission is responsible for implementing the programme, in consultation with the Member States. The Commission is assisted by an an Advisory Committee, composed of two representatives from each Member State and chaired by a representative of the Commission. The Commission must also draw upon the assistance of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP).

The activities covered by the programme are intended for young people aged up to 28 who are in one of the following categories:

- Young people receiving initial vocational training;
- Young workers who are either in employment or are available on the labour market and who have received initial vocational training or practical work experience;
- Young people who are no longer receiving initial vocational training and who are taking part in an advanced programme in order to complete their training.

A budget of ECU 177.4 million is deemed necessary for the implementation of the programme over the three year period, from which ECU 29 million was allocated for the period 1991-1992. The financial appropriations for the subsequent years are determined by the budget authority. A sum equivalent to 30% of the programme budget is set aside for actions benefiting young people falling into the last two categories referred to above.

Community financial support is granted to the Member States on an individual basis to contribute towards the cost of placements for young people in another Member State. The Community's contribution is set at an average of about ECU 700 per three-week placement for young people receiving initial vocational training. It may never exceed ECU 3 700 for any one placement. Placements for young workers who are either in employment or are available on the labour market and who have received initial vocational training or practical work experience will normally last three months. The Community's contribution is set at an average of about ECU 2,700 per three-month placement and may never exceed ECU 4,800.

The Community also makes a contribution towards selected joint training projects. This generally averages at about ECU 30,000 per project over a two-year period. Community support for measures aimed at fostering vocational information and training is granted to projects which have been successfully proposed by the Member States.

The Member States are required to take the necessary steps to coordinate and implement the programme at national level. In particular, they must ensure that the appropriate structures and mechanisms are in place to give expression to the objectives covered by the programme. In this context, the Member States are required to furnish the Commission with two reports detailing the steps taken to implement the programme at national level. These reports must also include information on their current arrangements to promote and finance initial vocational training. The first of these reports was due by 30 June 1993. The second must be submitted by 30 June 1995.

Under PETRA II, the Community's financial and technical support for initiatives participating in the European Network of Training Partners (ENTP), which was established under PETRA I, has been extended. The ENTP is concerned with developing a European dimension to vocational training through exchanges of young people and staff and by the joint development of courses and certificates.

The Commission is responsible for ensuring that the actions covered by PETRA II complement other related Community programmes and initiatives, including initiatives launched under the framework of the structural funds.

The results and success of the measures taken by the programme are subject to two external assessments, the first during the course of 1994 and the second during the course of 1995.

The Commission presented an interim report on the implementation of the programme at the end of December 1993. A final report, including an overall evaluation of the implementation of programme, is due by 31 December 1995. Both reports are communicated to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee, the Advisory Committee on Vocational Training, and the Education Committee (set up under the Council Resolution of the 9 February 1976, OJ No C 38 of 19.2.1976).