Life-long learning in the European Union
The need for continuous learning and updating of one's skills is widely acknowledged as being an essential facet for the modern-day member of European society. The swift pace in which technological developments constantly alter and revolutionise work practices have meant that individual workers must necessarily keep abreast with such changes in order to remain employable and protect their livelihood. The onslaught of competitive pressures from all around the world have also placed tremendous pressure on European firms to improve their productivity while simultaneously ensuring high levels of quality and constant investment in research and innovation.
Without a highly-skilled workforce, such illustrious aims quickly disintegrate into nothingness, a fact that is even more ominous during times of economic crisis where the drive to offer superior value to customers may ultimately prove to be the difference between long-term prosperity and redundancies. As the general employment situation all around the EU tightens up, job-seekers must also compete with one another for the handful of job opportunities available on the market, further highlighting the importance of acquiring new knowledge and ultimately enhance one's skill complement.
It should hardly come as any surprise that in recent times the concept of life-long learning has featured heavily in EU policies, occupying a position of prominence as part of the much-vaunted Lisbon Agenda targets. In fact the EU initially envisaged that by 2010 an average of at least 12.5 per cent of individuals aged between 25 and 64 would be regularly engaged in some form of education or training. Preliminary data published by Eurostat indicate that for 2007 this figure reached 9.5 per cent, which although is higher than what it was 10 years ago, is still some way off its projected lofty heights. Hence, it appears that despite the fact that politicians and scholars all around Europe have repeatedly extolled the seemingly-unending virtues of life-long learning, such lyrical has clearly not been translated into decisive action.
In reality, there may be several factors which may impede the realisation of the Lisbon Agenda target for life-long learning. For instance, just because there is widespread recognition of the importance of life-long learning for all citizens, this does not necessarily imply that people are able or even willing to partake in such activities. According to Eurostat data for 2007, an average of almost 20 per cent of individuals aged between 25 and 64 in the EU feel that the largest impediment to continued learning is the perennial lack of time.
As in many situations, the time element presents numerous challenges for gainfully-occupied individuals, who already face an uphill task to juggle work and family commitments. This scenario is even more ominous for other more vulnerable members of society like single parents, given that the balancing act between work and family life is highly precarious. Thus in such cases training or education must be provided during work hours, or at the very least with a high degree of flexibility, in order to properly encourage the uptake of such opportunities.
One must also factor in the cost element, which at times may be exorbitant for both employer and employee. Training costs often constitute a not-insignificant chunk of a firm's annual budget, quite apart from the wages that must still be paid to employees for "unproductive" work during the provision of such training. And of course there is the perennial fear that after completion of such training, the newly-employable worker will simply leave in order to seek new pastures.
Hence this may explain the reluctance of employers to provide constant training and development opportunities for their employees. Individual workers on the other hand also face high costs when attempting to undertake private training, both in terms of tuition costs as well as any leave or overtime forgone for such purposes. All these considerations, and many others, must be kept in mind when formulating platitudes and prose regarding the merits of life-long learning. Otherwise, it risks becoming yet another hollow, superfluous proclamation rather than a serious statement of intent.
To this end, several analysts have commented on the need for a general reconsideration of the traditional connotations of education and learning, which is after all what the concept of life-long learning should be all about. More specifically, the idea that learning may only occur within the confines of formal educational systems must be dismissed out of hand, since learning is a living and dynamic process that should not be shackled in any way. The term "education" often conjures up an image of a dingy, foreboding classroom with teachers hovering around like sentinels - such associations are regrettable and erroneous, given the multitude of learning options available nowadays. It is worth highlighting the role of internet and ICT in this process, since e-learning also offers considerable flexibility and convenience for end users.
Hence, it is imperative to actively promote and integrate such elements into mainstream life-long learning policies, by incentivising the uptake as well as the provision of training activities. The EU is heavily involved in such measures through a number of funding opportunities for prospective trainers and trainees.
For example in Malta there are currently grants available to support virtually any form of training for firms in the manufacturing sector, with the service industry likely to start benefiting by next year. Unfortunately, the uptake of such funds all around the EU is typically paltry due to lack of information regarding their availability, coupled with the bureaucratic and administrative burdens associated with EU-funding.
Ultimately though, the effectiveness of such measures (and several others) is underpinned by the prevailing societal attitudes and predisposition towards continuous learning. Policy-makers must seek to engender an EU-wide culture where people are driven to pursue regular learning opportunities well beyond the years of compulsory schooling, which should be considered merely as a foundation course for further educational experiences over a lifetime.
Mr Spiteri is a research executive at Impetus Europe Consulting Group Ltd.
Without a highly-skilled workforce, such illustrious aims quickly disintegrate into nothingness, a fact that is even more ominous during times of economic crisis where the drive to offer superior value to customers may ultimately prove to be the difference between long-term prosperity and redundancies. As the general employment situation all around the EU tightens up, job-seekers must also compete with one another for the handful of job opportunities available on the market, further highlighting the importance of acquiring new knowledge and ultimately enhance one's skill complement.
It should hardly come as any surprise that in recent times the concept of life-long learning has featured heavily in EU policies, occupying a position of prominence as part of the much-vaunted Lisbon Agenda targets. In fact the EU initially envisaged that by 2010 an average of at least 12.5 per cent of individuals aged between 25 and 64 would be regularly engaged in some form of education or training. Preliminary data published by Eurostat indicate that for 2007 this figure reached 9.5 per cent, which although is higher than what it was 10 years ago, is still some way off its projected lofty heights. Hence, it appears that despite the fact that politicians and scholars all around Europe have repeatedly extolled the seemingly-unending virtues of life-long learning, such lyrical has clearly not been translated into decisive action.
In reality, there may be several factors which may impede the realisation of the Lisbon Agenda target for life-long learning. For instance, just because there is widespread recognition of the importance of life-long learning for all citizens, this does not necessarily imply that people are able or even willing to partake in such activities. According to Eurostat data for 2007, an average of almost 20 per cent of individuals aged between 25 and 64 in the EU feel that the largest impediment to continued learning is the perennial lack of time.
As in many situations, the time element presents numerous challenges for gainfully-occupied individuals, who already face an uphill task to juggle work and family commitments. This scenario is even more ominous for other more vulnerable members of society like single parents, given that the balancing act between work and family life is highly precarious. Thus in such cases training or education must be provided during work hours, or at the very least with a high degree of flexibility, in order to properly encourage the uptake of such opportunities.
One must also factor in the cost element, which at times may be exorbitant for both employer and employee. Training costs often constitute a not-insignificant chunk of a firm's annual budget, quite apart from the wages that must still be paid to employees for "unproductive" work during the provision of such training. And of course there is the perennial fear that after completion of such training, the newly-employable worker will simply leave in order to seek new pastures.
Hence this may explain the reluctance of employers to provide constant training and development opportunities for their employees. Individual workers on the other hand also face high costs when attempting to undertake private training, both in terms of tuition costs as well as any leave or overtime forgone for such purposes. All these considerations, and many others, must be kept in mind when formulating platitudes and prose regarding the merits of life-long learning. Otherwise, it risks becoming yet another hollow, superfluous proclamation rather than a serious statement of intent.
To this end, several analysts have commented on the need for a general reconsideration of the traditional connotations of education and learning, which is after all what the concept of life-long learning should be all about. More specifically, the idea that learning may only occur within the confines of formal educational systems must be dismissed out of hand, since learning is a living and dynamic process that should not be shackled in any way. The term "education" often conjures up an image of a dingy, foreboding classroom with teachers hovering around like sentinels - such associations are regrettable and erroneous, given the multitude of learning options available nowadays. It is worth highlighting the role of internet and ICT in this process, since e-learning also offers considerable flexibility and convenience for end users.
Hence, it is imperative to actively promote and integrate such elements into mainstream life-long learning policies, by incentivising the uptake as well as the provision of training activities. The EU is heavily involved in such measures through a number of funding opportunities for prospective trainers and trainees.
For example in Malta there are currently grants available to support virtually any form of training for firms in the manufacturing sector, with the service industry likely to start benefiting by next year. Unfortunately, the uptake of such funds all around the EU is typically paltry due to lack of information regarding their availability, coupled with the bureaucratic and administrative burdens associated with EU-funding.
Ultimately though, the effectiveness of such measures (and several others) is underpinned by the prevailing societal attitudes and predisposition towards continuous learning. Policy-makers must seek to engender an EU-wide culture where people are driven to pursue regular learning opportunities well beyond the years of compulsory schooling, which should be considered merely as a foundation course for further educational experiences over a lifetime.
Mr Spiteri is a research executive at Impetus Europe Consulting Group Ltd.
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