On Wednesday 17 January, the European Commission presented a raft of measures to adapt the skills of school students in the European Union to current market needs. Through two recommendations and an action plan it is particularly highlighting digital and entrepreneurial skills. The member states, however, still retain their remit in the education area.
Some of the most concrete measures include the setting up of a coupon system that will enable schools in disadvantaged areas access broadband internet. The Commission is also recommending that schools provide at least some entrepreneurial experience during compulsory education. It is intending to increase funds for Erasmus + in an attempt to promote mobility and in this regard, it is launching a new self-assessment tool for education and learning purposes known as SELFIE.
Increasing the Erasmus + budget
It should be recalled that during the Gothenburg Summit in autumn 2017, President Jean-Claude Juncker indicated that he was “very much in favour" of doubling financial resources for Erasmus + in view of doubling the number of beneficiaries. At the same time, he indicated that he did not yet have the support of all European Commissioners in this respect. On the same day, Commissioner Tibor Navracics informed the press, “We are going to propose an increase in the Erasmus budget that will be as high as we can possibly obtain. I will try and be ambitious but not too ambitious”.
Details of the proposals
The "Future Learning Package" aims to respond to the poor results of the most recent
PISA investigation (see EUROPE 11683). It is based around a Council recommendation on key education and lifelong learning skills, and as well as a recommendation from the Council on common values for inclusive education and an European education dimension, in addition to an action plan on digital learning. These three documents complement and mutually strengthen one another. They are a direct offshoot of the most recent package presented by the Commission (June 2016) for new skills (see EUROPE 11566).
For example, the recommendation on key skills updates the European reference framework (on key skills) from 2006 by highlighting basic and horizontal skills as well as STEM related training (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). It will also be updating the definition of "digital skills" by including aspects relating to coding, cyber security and digital citizenship. In an annex, it also presents good practices that are likely to promote approaches based on skills in the non-formal education and training areas. As explained by Commissioner Navracsics the other recommendation seeks to, “help young people understand one another better and experience what it really is to be a European".
The BusinessEurope and DigitalEurope organisations both congratulated the European Commission for putting emphasis on digital skills.
These three documents will be discussed during the first European Summit on education entitled “Laying the foundations of the European Education Area: for an innovative, inclusive and values based education” on 25 January in Brussels. The texts from the three documents can be consulted at the following link: http://bit.ly/2DmImDe . (Original version friends by Sophie Petitjean)