Follow-up to White Paper on education and training
The European Commission has adopted a communication on the follow-up to the White Paper on education and training, published in November 1995. The White Paper laid down five objectives, and the communication examines the actions undertaken and achievements in each of these areas. The White Paper aimed to stimulate a debate across Europe on the lifelong development of knowledge and skills. Numerous reactions were received from diverse sources, demonstrating the depth of feeling and the importance attached to education and training. In addition to the debate, the White Paper has brought about concrete experiments (which will be fully assessed in 1998), a number supported under the existing SOCRATES and LEONARDO DA VINCI programmes. These aimed to contribute to the five objectives laid down, as follows: - Creation of skill accreditation arrangements, allowing any individual to obtain pan-European recognition of skills: Thirty-four projects have been launched, with a further 35 planned for 1997. These cover both basic knowledge and occupational skills; - Bringing schools and the business community closer together: The numbers of young people given mobility grants for vocational training will increase from 20,000 in 1995 to 100,000 in 1998, promoting exchanges between schools, universities and businesses. A new programme "ERASMUS for apprentices" is in preparation, which will parallel the existing exchange programme in higher education; - Combating exclusion: Six "second-chance schools" have been set up, with four more about to be established. These are designed to provide training for young people excluded from the traditional school system, using appropriate techniques and tools, in particular multimedia; - Proficiency in three Community languages: A large number of studies and projects to encourage early language learning, multilingual teaching, cross-comprehension and quality of materials have been launched, in addition to the preparation of a European quality labels scheme for innovatory teaching projects; - Putting tangible investment on the same footing as investment in training: In-depth analyses of possible accounting and tax incentives are being undertaken, as well as studies of the structure of education and training costs.