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Learning while working
78 Success stories on workplace learning in Europe

The restructuring practices collected by Cedefop suggest that guidance
and training are often conceived as a reaction to an immediate restructuring
situation, when workers are already threatened by redundancy (Cedefop,
2010e). The opposite is required, with lifelong learning understood as an
anticipative action and a continuous effort to readjust competences to labour
market needs, changes in work organisation and production processes.
Workers need to be given the opportunity to broaden their competences and
be open to the idea of continuous learning, for which it is crucial to support
enterprises creating the conditions in which the workplace can stimulate
learning. Employee representatives can play the role of change agents and
contribute to promoting a learning culture in companies.

6.5. Conclusions and policy messages

The present economic downturn draws attention to the urgency of continuing
reforms in education and training systems, investing in the skill development
of the workforce and ensuring a better match between skills and labour
market needs. Local partnerships between employers, trade unions and
public authorities are crucial to creating the conditions that will open new
prospects for local labour markets and contribute to successful transition of
redundant workers into new employment. Sectoral approaches to restructuring
encourage joint efforts between companies that operate in different segments
of the same economic sector so they can determine their common and
complementary training needs, as well as jointly provide training.
Both successful practices and shortcomings in using career guidance and
competence development in socially responsible restructuring offer lessons for
companies, local and regional authorities, public employment services and the
social partners, when designing strategies to anticipate and manage sectoral
change. Effective practices to support laid-off workers and those soon-to-be
made redundant have been developed within broad partnerships, bringing
together complementary expertise on competence development, guidance,
skill forecasting, labour market integration and business creation. In particular,
addressing the challenges of socially responsible restructuring, by moderating
the effects on local communities, demands that SMEs are mobilised, given
the fact that they lack the capacity and expertise to offer their workers the full
range of services, in particular guidance and competence development.
One target group deserves special attention: older workers, who may not
have experienced working life transitions for a long time. Despite possessing