Brussels, 24/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - The Education Council of 24 February adopted conclusions on “Innovative education and training to invest in skills - in support of the European semester 2014”. These conclusions focus mainly on the need for the education and training systems of the whole of the EU to improve their performance in terms of skills, in order to ensure that the least qualified young people and adults can acquire skills and qualifications which will be useful on the current employment market. They call for a more innovative approach to education and training, particularly by combining digital forms of learning with traditional teaching. They also urge member states to take the necessary measures in response to the principal messages in the field of education and training laid down in the recommendation on the European Alliance for Apprenticeships and in the recommendation on establishing a youth guarantee, as well as to make full use of the new generation of financial instruments, particularly the Erasmus+ programme and the European structural and investment funds. These conclusions also constitute an initial response, in terms of education-related aspects, to the annual growth examination for 2014 and the findings of the two OECD studies, PISA and PIAAC. These two studies showed that there is much still to be done if the European Union hopes to achieve the objective it has set itself for 2020, which is to bring the number of pupils with academic difficulties down to below 15% and to ensure that the adult population has the necessary skills to find a decent job and live a fulfilling life. (IL/transl.fl)