Brussels, 16/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - The member states of the European Union are in the midst of reforming their education systems in order to improve quality and make them more suited to giving the education necessary for finding a job on the labour market. On 12 December, the Eurydice network published a report that presents a focused comparative analysis of national responses to the priorities set by member states on education. The report focuses on recent and forthcoming national reforms in several thematic areas which have a direct link with the EUROPE 2020 strategy - early school leaving, higher education, youth employment, vocational education and training (VET), and lifelong learning. The report does not, however, address the essential issue of investment, given the lack of detailed information needed to establish complete national overviews. In essence, the report makes the following observations: (1) early school leaving - all the member states have taken measures, or plan to do so, to reduce early school leaving rates, even those that are below the maximum level set (10%) like the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia. Most of these measures concern prevention, with some member states focusing on the improvement of access to education and the welcome of young children, and others on help to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Other measures also concern the improvement of VET programmes to make them more attractive; (2) higher education qualifications - most member states want to reach the objectives set (40% having higher education qualifications) by targeting aid to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, improving access to higher education generally, and reforming their existing aid systems to students. They also focus on the improvement of quality in higher education and on the employability of graduates; (3) improving skills and VET for youth employment - a growing number of member states are prioritising the reduction of youth unemployment by improving the transition from the world of education to that of work. Twelve member states have already adopted measures directly linked to implementing the Youth Guarantee, which aims to offer young people a quality job, training, an apprenticeship or a traineeship in the four months following their arrival on the employment market. A few countries are developing measures to reduce the mismatch between the qualifications of job seekers and those required by the labour market by setting up monitoring systems. Lastly, two thirds of countries have developed initiatives enabling young people to improve their skills, particularly in sectors that suffer from a shortage of labour; (4) increasing adult participation in education and lifelong learning - the majority of member states do not meet the European objectives (15%). Only Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden and the UK are achieving the objectives. Countries are tackling the issue by implementing large scale initiatives to improve career guidance or offer more flexible training plans, for example. Financial support is also generally planned to support the different initiatives. Lastly, the validation and recognition of non-formal and informal learning are seen as being essential instruments in motivating adults to engage in further learning. (IL/transl.fl)