Page 7 - Learning-while-working-Success-stories-on-workplace-learning-in-Europe

Foreword

In the present economic downturn, we are facing unparalleled challenges.
These require Member States not only to alleviate the social costs of the
crisis but to plan for the subsequent recovery and beyond. Supporting people
to acquire the skills that lay the foundations for innovation and match future
employment needs is one of the preconditions for surmounting the crisis.
In this context, European citizens need to be supported to manage working
life transitions more effectively and have access to opportunities to develop
their skills. For lifelong learning to become a reality for all, irrespective of age
and qualification levels, ordinary workplaces must become primary places of
learning. Achieving a culture in which employers and workers place a high
value on skills and continued learning is a shared responsibility. Governments
and the social partners must ensure that people have the necessary skills
for the job opportunities that will become available once the economic crisis
is over.
Adult learning in the workplace brings a fundamental contribution to lifelong
learning strategies, flexicurity and employment policies; it also supports policy
measures for increasing enterprises’ capacity for innovation, competitiveness
and adaptation to sectoral changes. How could we provide greater alignment
and integration across policies that relate to adult learning and generate
enhanced synergy and effectiveness? This report calls for strong synergies
between policies and programmes for innovation, research, enterprise
development and training, which should go hand-in-hand. It is based on
previous research undertaken by Cedefop between 2003 and 2010.
By presenting key achievements on workplace learning, successful
solutions, dilemmas, and areas that demand further development, we hope to
stimulate further debate, research and action to widen learning opportunities in
the workplace. All key partners – social partners, governments, education and
training providers, labour market stakeholders, civil society organisations and
individuals themselves – need to be aware of their respective responsibility
in achieving ‘new skills for new jobs’.
The Bruges Communiqué has identified work-based learning as one of
the areas that requires increased political attention and strategic action.
This report provides a valuable input to the policy debate on how to expand
learning opportunities in the workplace and create working environments