Education And Training In The European Union

This publication examines the development of European co-operation in education and vocational training policy, focusing on five key time phases: the post-war period from 1948 to 68; the founding years of the European Community during 1969 to 1984; the years 1985 to 1992 which saw the development of major programmes such as Erasmus and the progress towards enshrining education policy in the Maastricht Treaty; the emergence of the knowledge-based society and lifelong learning during 1993 to 1999; and the period 2000 to 2005 where education and training has been placed at the centre of the EU's economic and social strategy for 2010.

Published in 1998, Education and training in the European Union is a policy area aiming to enable young people to experience the ‘reality of Europe’ through various forms of cooperation, including training periods in firms in other member states, university courses in the Community countries and exchanges. This book examines why the Community decided to take actions in the field of education and training, what the extent of this involvement is, and how the future may affect EU decisions on education and training. It argues that the logic of the EU involvement in education and training derives from both economic and political considerations; that the extent of this involvement has not so far been very significant but is growing; and that the pace of political integration will ultimately condition the Community’s competence in the field of education and training.

This study mirrors the perceptions and values that shape the discussion of such terms as harmonization, recognition, convergence and subsidiarity in the educational sphere. It provides insights into surprising similarities and important differences in the approaches of different Member States regarding the interpretation and implementation of EU education and training policies. It summarizes the results of a European research project conducted within the EU-funded network PRESTiGE.

This book explores the impact on EU member states of intensified European cooperation in the field of vocational education and training. By employing the Varieties of Capitalism approach as an analytical framework, it seeks to bridge diverging views from an innovative standpoint: While many experts argue that EU policies liberalize national training systems in spite of being ‘soft law’, Varieties of Capitalism argues that these polices do not produce a convergence of national institutions. The book maintains that European instruments such as the European Qualifications Framework and the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training are indeed biased towards liberal training regimes. On the basis of case studies on Germany, the Netherlands and England, it shows that the initiatives were implemented in line with national training systems. Thus, European soft law does not lead to a convergence of training regimes – or, as the book posits, of welfare states in general.

To benefit the European Union(EU) and its citizens, the EU has set education and training(ET) goals to be achieved by 2010 that will reflect the diversity of languages, cultures, and systems that are an inherent part of the identity of its countries and their regions. Diversity is valued, but need for cooperation and mobility in ET is growing. The open method of coordination has been defined as a way to enable mutual comparison and learning and limit risks inherent in change and reform. In the detailed work program, 3 identified strategic objectives are broken down into 13 objectives and 42 key issues that must be addressed to achieve them. Strategic objective (SO) 1 (improve quality and effectiveness of ET systems), has five objectives; SO 2 (facilitate access of all to ET systems) has three; and SO 3 (open up ET systems to the wider world) has five. For each objective, key issues are set out and an indicative list is provided of the instruments that will be used to foster and monitor progress. An integrated approach to policy development will be steered and monitored. (An appendix lists 16 key documents and web sites.)(YLB).