Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-10-20-Speech-2-421"
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"en.20091020.37.2-421"2
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"Mr President, I already used some of the arguments in my previous answer, but it is clear that this is a very important area and I will try to highlight some other additional information in responding to this question.
As you know, in accordance with Articles 149 and 150 of the EC Treaty, responsibility for the content and organisation of education and training systems rests with the Member States. It is really up to them to decide the content of their educational programmes for all levels of education and training.
The Commission recognises, however, the importance of the issue raised by the honourable Member and supports Member States in implementing their reforms through the open method of coordination.
The 2006 recommendation on key competences for lifelong learning defines the key competences young people should develop during their initial education and training to a level that equips them for adult life and which would allow them to develop very good job skills for the future. We should also look at the aforementioned strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (‘ET 2020’) from this perspective. I would underline that among the priority areas for the first cycle of this programme, the Commission aims to develop cooperation among Member States on improving basic skills in reading, mathematics and science, and to intensify work on reducing the number of early leavers from education and training.
Through the Copenhagen Process, European Union Member States are increasingly cooperating to share experience and improve links between vocational education and training and the labour market to help youngsters access the labour market on better terms. Boosting the attractiveness and quality of vocational educational training is a main priority, as is fostering the notion of lifelong learning and related policies so that the European workforce is flexible and able to adapt to changes in labour market conditions.
Just to highlight some other programmes, the Leonardo da Vinci programme’s mobility action is also a highly effective tool to help youngsters access the labour market. This mostly concerns apprentices and other youngsters on the job market. Thanks to this programme, they can undertake part of their training in another country. So far, the results have been very positive because these placements abroad have improved skills that are useful for employers. They have improved their language abilities and intercultural skills.
I should also mention the Erasmus Programme, but in a slightly different light because, up to now, we have been speaking mostly about exchanges for students among universities. Since 2007, however, the Erasmus Programme has also been supporting student placements in enterprises. This programme has been very successful since the start, as in its first year of operation alone, over 20 000 students carried out a work placement abroad and over 15 000 enterprises have participated in this effort. This is one example of how we can enhance the employability of graduates and foster better cooperation between academia and business.
We have already discussed the positive impact of the Bologna Process on student mobility and on cooperation among universities and higher education institutions, so I will not repeat what I already said a few minutes ago.
To conclude, I would like to underline that the Commission acknowledges the particular difficulties that young people face when they are entering the labour market. In the framework of the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and more and better jobs, both the Commission and the European Council have put a particular focus on improving the employment situation of young people. Member States have committed themselves through the adoption of the European Youth Pact in 2005 to devote more attention to the integration of young people into education, employment and society overall, but the initial very promising progress has been stalled because of the current economic crisis. It is true that young people have been hit particularly hard as they have been the first to lose their jobs under the current circumstances. In its Communication ‘A shared commitment for employment’ of June 2009, the Commission has encouraged Member States and social partners to ensure that young people, despite the difficult economic environment, have access to quality education and training and, in particular, to high-quality apprenticeships and traineeships."@en1
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