Training throughout life

I n March 2000 at the Lisbon European Council, the Heads of States and Governments agreed to make Europe's economy the most competitive knowledge economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion.

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The concept of education and training throughout life (LLL) is the key element of this strategy. Reaffirmed in the Communication of the European Commission of 21 November 2001  [2] [2]  Making a European area of education and ... it can be defined as "all learning activity undertaken throughout the life, in order to improve the knowledge, skills, and competence, within a personal, civic, social and / or employment-related "  [3] [3]  the Commission proposes six areas for priority actions: ... . the education and throughout life training based on three principles to guide the improvement of national education and training: the centrality of the learner, equal opportunities, quality, and relevance the training offer.

IMPLEMENTATION IN EUROPE DISPARATE

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The recommendations of the European Commission in this area are only incentives: education and training still under the jurisdiction of States. The analysis of national training systems and shows the unequal importance attached by the Member States to the challenges of LLL.

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In all countries of the European Union, public expenditure on initial education is an important part of GDP  [4] [4]  Between 3 and 7% of GDP in different countries. , While the share dedicated to training is everywhere much lower. Thus, in most countries, continuing education relies heavily on private spending of businesses and households, while in countries with a strong tradition of popular education (Denmark, Finland, Sweden), it funded more public spending, including local communities.

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In the northern countries, but also in Germany, Austria, and Luxembourg, the training offer includes a personal development concern, even if the objective of fighting against unemployment, as in all countries, a priority. In France, the development of an offer, public or private, adult education has faced the strong development of initial training institutions the low degree of openness to adults.

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The distinction between individual initiative and the employer's initiative can serve as a key to reading to compare systems. France occupies a unique place, with the predominance of training under the employer's initiative.

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Almost all countries of the European Union have a training system based on agreements between the social partners. Only France has set up a system of financing imposed by law, the contribution of the undertakings of the character of a special tax and assimilating to mandatory spending for public finances.

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The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) showed, in a study  [5] [5]  CEDEFOP: paid educational leave in Europe - ... 1999, that the existence of a leave paid training is essential to ensure access to training throughout life and encourage people to participate.

THE FRENCH SYSTEM

A device focused on adaptation needs rather than on the effective right to training throughout life

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In the context of the continued deterioration of the employment situation in 1973, the state has had to make the vocational training policies to fight against unemployment. Public funds were redirected to many complex steps, making training a lever action against the mismatch between labor supply and demand. The training has also become a way to reduce the apparent level of unemployment and ensuring social treatment.

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The goal of social and personal advancement of employees has gradually disappeared in favor of skills adaptation actions. Today, two-thirds of people take short actions, an average of 38 hours per year. By establishing their dependents a spending obligation, the 1971 Act allowed employers the power to decide the content of the actions conducted in, the framework of the company's training plan, even if it granted broad powers of the committee 'business. Social dialogue, which was to ensure the development of skills through training, did however not sufficiently organized within companies to allow contractual construction of the training plan content.

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Today, training is more that "mark ex-post recognition of the productive capacity of the best employees having a qualifying change"  [6] [6]  Beret (Pierre) and Dupray (Annie): "Continuing education ... . While the number of employees according to the type of training "social promotion" accounted for nearly half of adults in training in 1969, there the is less than a tenth today.

A carrier system of inequalities

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Inequalities are multiple. The training is made independent of 40% of them completely on free time (only 20% of private sector employees). The self-employed is the financier of its training program for nearly half of its cost, whereas, for the employee, the employer supports over three-quarters. The rate of access to the self-employed and training is 18%, against 31% on average for employees in the private sector  [7] [7]  According to the "Training 2000" survey conducted by ... .

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Access to training is directly related to the existence of a high level of initial training. An unskilled worker has 15 chances out of 100 to get in training each year, against double for skilled workers and more than triple for an engineer or a frame.

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Employees who work in very small enterprises (VSE) are less trained than those of medium and large enterprises. The business is also crucial, given the institutional arrangements specific to each professional branch.

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as we see in France a sharp reduction in the rate of access to training according to age and sex. The training mainly concerns young professionals 18 to 25 years. Beyond 35 years for women and 40 for men, the rate of assets formed decreases and becomes negligible after 50 years. The obligation to negotiate with the unions on the part of women in the training plan, introduced in 1984, has slowed this unequal process but did not disappear, nor contracts for mixed employment, set up in 1987.