European Economic and Social Committee
Labour Market Observatory
Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship
Summary Report on
Training, apprenticeship and new skills for
new jobs
Wednesday 31 March 2010 from 9.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.
Xavier Verboven made a short introduction to the hearing, pointing out that training and formation
were always of huge importance, not least in times of recession.
Part I: Training and apprenticeships in Europe – an overview
Sebastian Stetter from the European Commission pointed out that skills-related issues played an
important role in the Europe 2020 Strategy and made a specific reference to the strategy's flagship
initiative "An Agenda for new skills and jobs". He mentioned that at the last G20 Summit heads of
government had asked their labour ministers to prepare a global training strategy. He then turned to
the report "New Skills for New Jobs: Action Now" that had been prepared by a group of independent
experts. They had organised their key recommendations into four so-called streams: 1) Provide the
right incentives to upgrade and better use the skills for individuals and employers: The incentives
might still be insufficient to promote investment in development of skills. There was too little
awareness about the benefits of training. Among the suggested solutions were the validation of prior
learning, use of learning vouchers and awareness-raising on the benefits of skills development. 2)
Bring the worlds of education, training and work closer together: It was time to put into use the
instruments that were already in place at European level, such as the European Qualifications
Framework, that should be translated into national qualification networks. A European taxonomy on
skills and occupations was being developed. 3) Develop the right mix of skills: More project learning
and stronger cooperation between educational institutions and the private sector was recommended. 4)
Better anticipate future skill needs: Early warning systems should be developed; it was important to
monitor whether this approach made sense for all economic sectors. Mr Stetter emphasised that the
report from the expert group was a very useful reference document for the future.
Eleonora Schmid from CEDEFOP (European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training)
gave an overview of vocational education and training (VET) in Europe. She pointed out that VET
LMO/014 – Fiche CESE 3977/2010 EN/o
.../...
EN
-2had moved up on the policy agenda. Despite some convergence in relation to the common priorities of
the Copenhagen process, differences between countries remained significant, especially concerning
the status of VET, age groups participating in VET, the mix of skills offered by VET (generic or
occupational skills), organisation (school and work in parallel, consecutively or alternately) and hours
allocated to apprenticeships. She also pointed to some general trends: lower dropout rate as demands
to VET after upper secondary level had been relaxed, an increase in programmes addressing specific
target groups, little improvement in foreign language skills among VET students, creation of VET
programmes supporting the green economy, more VET in post-secondary education and stronger
involvement of the social partners. Most VET was offered by companies; lower taxes, bonuses for
offering young people training and reduced social insurance contributions had shown their value as
incentives for employers. The crisis had had a significant impact on VET and had in particular led to
new training measures for adults. Some countries had made an effort to get the unemployed and
people at risk of losing their jobs back into formal education and training while others had cut their
education and training budgets. Some governments had invested huge sums in measures to
compensate for the decrease in the number of apprenticeship places offered to young people. Another
effect of the crisis was that people stayed longer in education. In some countries it had also
accelerated reforms linked to the Copenhagen process, making education and training programmes
more flexible and more open to prior learning. Ms Schmid saw a need to raise awareness of the
importance of access to education and training and to provide more guidance and counselling.
Partnerships between all parties involved should be promoted. VET would gain in importance as
every second job in the future would demand medium-level qualifications.
Then a general debate followed. Leila Kurki asked Mr Stetter about the synergy between the Europe
2020 flagship initiative on "An Agenda for new skills and jobs" and the expert group report. She also
wanted to hear his view on the Europe 2020 target concerning increasing the share of the population
having completed tertiary education to 40%. Wolfgang Greif asked Ms Schmid which types of VET
were best suited to facilitate the transition into the labour market. He wondered what had happened to
the employers' role in providing VET, as compared to before the crisis. Referring to a recent
exploratory opinion on European sector councils on employment and skills, the rapporteur
Marian Krzaklewski asked Mr Stetter whether there would be such sector councils in the future.
Christa Schweng asked how to reconcile the 40% tertiary education aim with the need for more
medium-level skills. She also pointed out that according to a CEDEFOP report incentives do not
necessarily lead to more training. She asked Mr Stetter to elaborate on the Europe 2020 employment
target of 75%.
Mr Stetter emphasised that the skills agenda was only one element among others in the Europe 2020
Strategy. Mr Stetter saw a target of 40% tertiary education as a means of enhancing the level and the
quality of jobs. The European Commission was dedicated to the idea of European sector councils but
the initiative should come from the sectors themselves. Ms Schmid underlined that education and
training structures varied widely in Europe and that it was difficult to produce one-size-fits-all
recipes; vocational training was embedded in the traditions of each country. She said that businesses
that did not provide continuing training did not indicate lack of funding but that employees already
had the necessary qualifications as the most important reason. The extent and indeed the importance
LMO/014 – Fiche CESE 3977/2010 EN/o
.../...
-3of incentives varied significantly across countries. Due to the crisis more public funding was provided
for continuing training, and financial incentives were utilised to smoothen the transition to the labour
market. In some countries there was an attempt to make school funding dependent on how successful
students were in finding jobs.
Part II: Training and apprenticeship schemes in business. Who gets which training and when?
Strategies on training, stock-taking of in-house skills, which are the incentives to invest more in
training etc.
Mia Vanstraelen from IBM Benelux said that IBM, together with clients, was constantly looking for
new talent and new knowledge, and apprenticeships was one way of getting access to talent. IBM
wanted closer partnerships with business schools, universities and training institutions to make sure
that the right skills and the right capabilities were developed. Apprenticeships should be seen as an
opportunity for apprentices to experience work-based learning. She gave three concrete examples of
IBM apprenticeship programmes: The first example, Extreme Blue, was further explained by
Jan Van De Poel who had followed the programme. He explained that it was a twelve-week
apprenticeship where a team of four students (three technical students and one business student) was
presented with a challenge from a real IBM customer. With the full support of IBM it had been a
highly motivating experience for the whole team, he said. This approach gave both the client and IBM
a fresh view on things while the young people learned the importance of learning. The second
example, Ms Vanstraelen said, was from Germany where BA students shared their time between
IBM and the university. This programme had been going on for 25 years and currently involved some
700 apprentices. The third example was from France and concerned a more common form of
apprenticeship: to finalise their studies, students worked with IBM for 6-12 months on a specific
subject. Commenting on the report on "New Skills for New Jobs: Action Now" Ms Vanstraelen said
that, in her view, innovative ways of financing could be found, such as tax cuts for people
participating in training or education. On bringing the worlds of work and education together, she
highlighted that taxonomy already played an important role in the IT industry, parts of which could be
taken as examples for other sectors. On developing the right mix of skills for the future, she
underlined the importance of learning ability and of a less fragmented learning sector. Learning
should take place in a real context, she said, because that created motivation and results.
Alexandra Králiková from Škoda Auto first explained the history of the company and its human
resources (HR) policy. For the most part production was located in the small town of Mladá Boleslav
in the Czech Republic. Sometimes it was difficult to find skilled workers locally, which made it
necessary for Škoda Auto to invest in training. In theory, everybody entering the company had the
possibility of becoming a board member, but career development was always aimed at the "next step"
of each individual employee. Lifelong learning opportunities were very well developed. Škoda Auto
had its own secondary technical school, its own university and its own MBA studies programme as
other schools did not provide students with exactly the right skills. The majority of students stayed in
the company later on. Each employee participated in training on average twice per year, on-the-job
training not included. In the secondary school two types of students were trained: future employees
(preparation for work at Škoda Auto while at the same time following national curricula) and actual
LMO/014 – Fiche CESE 3977/2010 EN/o
.../...
-4employees (part-time studies, distance studies and short-term courses). The branches within the
school and the number of students in the branches were defined on the basis of Škoda Auto’s needs.
The secondary technical school was mainly aimed at production. It was partly funded by the state
(40%), had approximately 1 000 students and the company was obliged to employ graduates who
wished so (90%). Last grade students had to spend at least half of their practical training in the
company, with the support of both a top line worker and a teacher. Courses were developed on the
basis of the specific requirements by the company, although they had to be approved by the trade
unions and the state. Škoda Auto had developed a new logistics course that seemed to attract girls.
Magdalena Münstermann from Münstermann GmbH in Telgte (Germany), told about her
experiences with creating incentives and motivation for initial and continuing training. The company
tried to give positive incentives to young people and release hidden potential, even for those with
learning disabilities. In general, the company supported any employee who wished to follow a course
or training, and provided the funds for it. As mobility was seen as very important, the company
obliged employees to spend three weeks abroad in internships or apprenticeships during their first
year. It also offered much attended English classes. In the last years the company's trainees had spent
all their six weeks of school holidays abroad. With a simplification of application procedures for
Leonardo Da Vinci the interest would be even greater, she said. The company also took part in
trans-border courses, and some trainees were appointed to initiatives in larger companies in
neighbouring cities to develop their skills. She then focused on networks between schools and
business. The company found that young people needed more knowledge about different professions
in order to choose. Ms Münstermann was convinced that internships could solve this problem and had
set up a local network between companies and schools. Employees attended courses at the schools
while students came to the company to participate in, for instance, maths activities. In the summer of
2009 the network had been extended to 'Gymnasiums' and 'Normalschulen' and also other companies
of all sorts and sizes. An internet platform had been established and the partners had set up training
for teachers from the entire Münster region. Concerning prospects for further training, she first
emphasised the role of globalisation. More and more employees went abroad not only to gain
technical qualifications and skills but also to learn foreign languages. Secondly, the passing on of
knowledge and skills between generations within the company was important. Thirdly, the company
tried to establish connections with BA and MA students who could find real applications for their
studies. Fourthly, Ms Münstermann referred to the human factor: alongside IT and other skills,
members of society needed self-esteem, personal incentives and an open and honest manner of
engaging with each other.
Then a general debate followed. Dana Štechová asked what types of problems companies were
facing in terms of training during the economic crisis, whether the companies provided training for
workers from other countries, how the evolution towards a green economy was included in training
and curricula, and how trainers were prepared and compensated at Münstermann GmbH.
Vladimíra Drbalová stressed the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and training.
She also acknowledged that Škoda Auto had become a benchmark in the Czech Republic in relation
to solving problems linked to skills shortages. Jonathan Peel asked the speakers whether any of the
companies had any facility for retraining more mature workers coming from other companies and
LMO/014 – Fiche CESE 3977/2010 EN/o
.../...
-5with other skills. Helen Hoffmann from UEAPME (European Association of Craft, Small and
Medium-Sized Enterprises) would like to see more progress in removing administrative, technical and
financial burdens to VET and mobility. Christa Schweng asked how Münstermann selected the
companies abroad for trainees and employees. She also wondered what Škoda Auto would do to
attract more girls. Irini Ivoni Pari referred to a study made by INSEAD, pointing out that Europe was
very strong in basic skills and not too bad in occupational skills, but seemed to have a problem with
multicultural skills compared to the US. Meelis Joost asked whether Škoda Auto also had some sort
of retraining programme, given that half of the inhabitants of the town worked for Škoda Auto.
Mia Vanstraelen answered that the most urgent problem for IBM was to match the supply of
apprenticeships and training with demand. The EU could do more to make this easier for companies.
Apprenticeships were important not only to get access to talent, but also as a motivational factor and
to boost innovation. She mentioned that 50 per cent of the workforce at IBM was female. Concerning
retraining, she said that IBM had set up a formal retraining programme, "Skills for growth", which
aimed at facilitating the transition for low-skilled workers from one job to another through
apprenticeship. Overall, she said, apprenticeships were applicable in different areas and at different
stages of life. Alexandra Králiková explained that the main impact of the economic crisis on HR in
Škoda Auto was that training had become more targeted. She confirmed that Škoda Auto had
retraining programmes. The company tried to find vacant positions within the company and retrain its
people accordingly with the assistance of the technical school. Employees working for Škoda Auto
companies abroad also came to the Czech Republic. Škoda Auto had several intercultural training
programmes for its employees. Trainers at Škoda Auto were paid according to Škoda Auto and not
state education standards, which allowed the company to keep some of the best teachers. Only few
women were working in production but 50 per cent of all employees were female (among top
managers only 8 per cent). Magdalena Münstermann said that trainers were skilled workers from
within the company that were certified as trainers. They took part in designing the training policy and
received training themselves. She saw a need for more incentives for mobility, not least for the less
gifted. She explained that the company had a very good network in Münster and that a foreign country
contact point also had been very useful. Besides, personal networks and chambers of industry had
been important in finding partners. Only a few girls worked for the company, but many girls from
schools had shown interest in technical occupations and internships in the company. The company
had some foreign employees and the doors were always open for more.
Part III: Appropriate curricula – how to engage employers and win pupils for technical
professions in the light of the green economy?
Lesley Joyce from the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) presented the "Skills For Work
Courses" (SfW). A few years ago there had been a debate in Scotland about education that resulted in
the identification of four broad aims for every young person: they should become successful learners,
confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. The goal of SfW was to push
this process forward and deal with a substantial weakness in the Scottish educational system, namely
the fact that young people in general did not have the right skills for employment and were not ready
to enter the labour market. SfW consisted of outcome-based courses that covered both occupational
LMO/014 – Fiche CESE 3977/2010 EN/o
.../...
-6and core skills, but the cornerstone plank was generic employability. Partnerships between schools,
colleges, employers and training providers were very important to identify the skills required. At the
moment, there was a wide range of different courses on offer at different levels - all in accordance
with the Scottish, UK and European credit and qualifications framework. The courses were very
experience-based with learning in real or simulated workplace settings, case study work and very few
written tests and exams. The students were also stimulated to give some thought to the learning
experience itself. The evaluation showed satisfactory results; many learners said they had become
more self-confident. Sector councils in Scotland and the UK had expressed a strong interest in the
courses and even accepted a number of SfW students in their own courses and programmes. Even if
students did not choose the occupation in question after the course, at least they had attained some
generic employability skills.
Veronica Stefan from the Romanian Youth Council explained that even though a short practical
experience was a mandatory part of higher education in Romania, employers were reluctant to take on
interns. Besides, the universities did not always provide the right framework. The Romanian Youth
Council had therefore switched its focus from the business sector to the non-governmental sector for
partnerships with universities and students. The goal of the Youth Council was to improve the
practical experiences for students as well as to strengthen the link between formal and informal
education and support the NGOs involved. The Youth Council had applied for funding from the
European Social Fund so that students could be paid for their internship. The Youth Council had set
the goal of covering 15% of the students at higher education level. Ms Stefan pointed out that benefits
from bringing employers and students together were mutual. The Youth Council would monitor the
percentage of participants that got a job after graduating. The programme in question, she said, was
about improving the existing system.
Then a general debate followed. Juan Mendoza Castro underlined the importance of training and
internships for competitiveness. The question was whether the framework was sufficient when it came
to motivation and identification of opportunities for workers. He saw a risk of ending up with a
deregulated labour market with no appreciation of professional qualifications. Christa Schweng
asked Ms Joyce to clarify at what age learners could enter the courses and which were the
qualifications they were supposed to achieve. Maureen O’Neill emphasised that it was indeed very
important to stimulate young people before they leave school, both in terms of attitudes to work and
self-confidence. She was pleased to see that NGOs were involved in training. She also found the
initiatives very important in the context of the European Year 2010 for Combating Poverty and Social
Exclusion. Jan Olsson emphasised partnership as a success factor but also saw adaptation to the skills
needs of the individual as important. Formal and informal education should be brought together to
find new methodologies. He asked about the role of trade unions in the SfW partnership and how
exactly self-confidence was boosted among students. Dana Štechová asked Ms Joyce about the
qualifications of the people working for SQA. She asked whether the programme could be seen as an
instrument to formalise non-formal training and if it also served those students who were successful in
their formal training. Santa Ozolina from the European Youth Forum stated that the transition from
education to the labour market was a major concern. Evaluation of training and apprenticeships was
LMO/014 – Fiche CESE 3977/2010 EN/o
.../...
-7therefore very important. She asked Ms Joyce whether she had any quantitative data on the
employability of participating students.
Lesley Joyce explained that SfW had been designed as part of young learners’ generic education
before they leave school at the age of sixteen. The programme hardly involved trade unions, but SQA
did cooperate fairly broadly with unions. She believed that learners emerged from their courses more
aware of their learning experience and personal development and therefore also with more
confidence. SQA was sponsored by the Scottish Government’s Learning Directorate and employed
700 people. 20 000 appointees from schools, colleges and training providers throughout Scotland
assisted SQA. SQA qualifications normally referred to formal learning, but SQA also dealt with
accreditation of prior learning. SfW was still only a pilot project, which made it difficult to obtain
meaningful statistics at this moment in time. She did have qualitative information indicating that
learners now made more informed decisions when entering the labour market. Veronica Stefan
emphasised the importance of partnerships between schools/universities and employers. The interest
of the individual was all too often forgotten.
Xavier Verboven made some concluding remarks. He emphasised the need to give training and
education policies a firm role in the overall framework of the Europe 2020 Strategy. It was clear after
the hearing that partnerships and involvement of all players were vital. Training profiles and
professional profiles should be brought together in order to give young people the appropriate
education and training. He also referred to the importance of lifelong learning. Christa Schweng
pointed out that in the short term there would be a shortage of skilled workers. Workers should be
motivated to acquire skills in future-oriented sectors and their lifelong learning should not be
neglected. She argued that the link between business and education was very important in order to
create practice-oriented apprenticeships and training. Finally, she made the point that mobility was an
excellent means of preparing young people for a more global future.
_____________
LMO/014 – Fiche CESE 3977/2010 EN/o