Community initiative concerning new qualifications, new skills and new employment opportunities (EUROFORM), 1990-1993

On 18 December 1990 the Commission of the European Communities decided to establish a Community initiative concerning the new qualifications, new skills and new employment opportunities induced by the completion of the internal market and technological change within the meaning of Article 11 of Regulation (EEC) No 4253/88.

The objective of EUROFORM takes into account the need to promote convergence of professional skills in the Community notably between regions whose development is lagging behind and the other regions so as to facilitate vocational and geographical mobility of the workers. The transnational actions comprise exchanges of training programmes, trainers, employment development agents or trainees with a view to obtaining a multiplier effect at the Community level. In this context the Community equally reinforces programmes such as EUROTECNET, FORCE, LEDA and ERGO, assuring at the same time their coherence with the objectives of the Structural Funds. A synergy with PETRA is assured in the context of the global strategy at the Community level for the vocational training of the young.
To give a Community dimension to vocational training measures and in general to employment promotion, through the development of transnational actions for qualifications and professional skills demanded, and in supply, on the labour market.
Measures:

- To promote the establishment and the functioning of transnational partnerships between administrations, public or private bodies responsible for vocational training and promotion of employment, or consortia, which can be supported by enterprises, groupings of enterprises or other institutions;

- To prepare, implement, assess and disseminate, notably within the context of Community networks, the results of joint training activity and, more generally, of employment promotion:
. Studies and measures bearing on methods and results of training, training of trainers, managers of transnational actions, and vocational guidance activities;
. Joint operations for vocational training aimed at the development of new skills required to seize the opportunities which may be offered by the technological changes or the single market, as well as on transnational exchanges including exchange of trainers and training and employment programme managers;

- To support the creation, development and operation of transnational actions by contributing towards the establishment and operation of consortia with a view to preparation, programming and implementation of training and employment measures at sectoral, technological or regional levels.
The Commission is responsible for the implementation of the initiative. In the context of EUROFORM, Community assistance is granted for measures which have a Community dimension or aim to promote transnational partnerships in accordance with the objectives and measures proposed for the initiative. In order to support the transnational actions the Community contributes towards convergence of national vocational training practices and employment aids, notably, insofar as it concerns access to vocational training methods, contents, and structure of courses, adaptation to changing technologies, the stimulation of creative attitudes and a spirit of enterprise.

The Community also supports the principal actors for vocational training and promotion of employment, to enable them to follow the technological changes and to analyze the training and employment needs, to programme the actions, improve the management and assessment methods, while assuring an overall coherence and complementarity of the measures at appropriate levels and in particular at Community level.

The operations covered by this initiative are cofinanced by the Member States and the Community. The Community's budgetary contribution to the different actions depends on the Community dimension of the transnational partnerships and the quality of the programmes, as well as the national and regional situation and capacity.