Brussels, 07/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - Education ministers of the 33 countries taking part in the Copenhagen Process (EU, EEA and candidate countries for EU membership) adopted the “Bruges Communiqué”, on Tuesday 7 December. The text sets out the objectives and course of action aimed at making vocational education and training more accessible and more relevant to current labour market requirements, for the next four years. “Vocational training needs to fulfil two central objectives: to contribute to employability and economic growth on one hand, and to respond to larger societal challenges, in particular social cohesion, on the other”, said Androulla Vassiliou, the European commissioner for education, culture, multilingualism and youth.
At present, about half of all students in upper secondary education in the EU choose vocational programmes. There are, however, significant differences between countries, with enrolment rates ranging from less than 15% in some to nearly 80% in others. The communiqué adopted on Tuesday aims to ensure students have quality curricula so that vocational training is recognised as an important element for personal and professional development. The Bruges Communiqué provides for:
greater openness and transparency for vocational education and training systems to allow individuals to have access to training at any age and at any moment;
more opportunity for experience and training abroad, in order to stimulate linguistic knowledge, self-confidence and versatility;
quality curricula, delivering adequate knowledge for specific jobs;
more inclusion and access for disadvantaged persons; and
a creative, innovative vision and an entrepreneurial spirit.
The communiqué also calls on participant countries to:
use stimulating measures to encourage more people to take up vocational training;
transpose the 2009 recommendations on quality assurance in vocational training;
encourage the creation of professional schools, with the support of the local and regional authorities;
introduce measures to promote international mobility;
increase cooperation with the business world to confirm the relevance of training; and
launch communication strategies for highlighting the benefits of professional training. (I.L./transl.jl)