Education and Science, EU – Baltic States, Modern EU

International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Friday, 29.03.2024, 15:43

European high quality and future-oriented education: effect for economy and business

Eugene Eteris, European Studies Faculty, RSU, BC International Editor, Copenhagen, 26.06.2019.Print version
The EU provides states with both advice and support for high youth's quality and inclusive education. The idea is to give students needed knowledge and skills for adequate response to new opportunities and challenges opened by globalisation and technological change. These challenges are to be incorporated into the national education policies in order to tackle the needs of the perspective labour market's requirements.

Human capital is one of the main European competitive advantages. Besides, high quality education accessible to all is essential for the future of Europe: it is a key to helping young people stand strong in life. Modernisation of education spans from early childhood education and care, through school and onto higher and vocational education as well as training, laying the foundation for continued learning throughout a person's life. Thus, good education lays the foundation for personal development and active citizenship. It is the starting point for a successful professional career and the best protection against unemployment and poverty. To make the integration process flourish, all the EU member states need high-quality education systems. New EU initiatives will help the states and the education providers take the steps needed to improve opportunities for all young people in Europe.


EU’s initiatives

Numerous EU initiatives are in line with the focal program “Investing in Europe's Youth”, adopted at the end of 2016. In particular, the initiatives are dealing with improving and modernising education processes, in which the Commission provides a series of actions to help the states improve quality education for young people.

Youth between the ages of 18 and 30 can sign up for finding new opportunities across EU, gaining invaluable experience and acquire valuable skills at the start of their career. The Commission also presented a series of measures to boost youth employment, improve and modernise education, more investment in skills of young people, and better opportunities to learn and study abroad.


See more: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-4165_en.htm; on improving education, see:

http://ec.europa.eu/education/education-in-the-eu/about-education-initiatives_en

 

Through the assistance to the states, the EU institutions provide high quality education for all young people, in line with the first key principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights: that everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning.


These actions are also in line with the ambitions set out in the Rome Declaration of 25 March 2017, in which EU leaders committed to "a Union where young people receive the best education and training and can study and find jobs across the continent".


The Commission's reflection paper on harnessing globalisation and its analysis of the “social dimension” in made in mid-2017, underlined the central role that education and training play in determining the competitiveness and future of Europe's economies and societies.


The latest results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey point to weaknesses in competence development at school education level. Schools could also play a stronger role in promoting social fairness as well as improving their response to the fast technological and digital changes that are having a profound effect on economies and societies. Higher education institutions, in addition to these roles, can help boost the regional economy and serve as main drivers of innovation.


On PISE issues see: http://www.oecd.org/pisa/  

 

The overall aim of the Commission's initiatives since May 2018 has been to help the EU states by providing high quality and inclusive education for all young people through a series of concrete actions, so they acquire the knowledge and skills needed to participate fully in the perspective growth, being able to respond to new opportunities and challenges opened by globalisation and technological change. These challenges are to be incorporated into the national education policies in order to streamline the needs of the perspective labour market's requirements.


Action areas for the states

Young people need a broad set of competences to find fulfilling jobs and be engaged citizens; education plays a key role in providing the best start to achieve this, but action is needed to improve the quality and performance of education systems in Europe, so they can keep up with societal change and serve all children and young people.


According to the division of competence in the EU, decisions in the education area are taken at national and regional level, but the EU supports the states while fully respecting the principle of subsidiarity.


With regard to schools, there are three areas where action is needed and where EU support can help address important challenges: a) raising the quality and inclusiveness of schools; b) supporting excellent teachers and school leaders; and c) improving the governance of school education systems.


The Commission will complement states’ actions in these three areas by supporting mutual learning and assisting national reforms in the states.


Examples of such support include: boosting competence development and inter-cultural learning through school partnerships; mobility and e-Twinning projects under Erasmus+; strengthening peer learning on the careers and professional development of teachers and school leaders; and setting up a new support mechanism to help the states seeking assistance in designing and implementing education reforms.

 


New higher education strategy

dated back to 2011. In the Commission’s communication from January 2018, it set out plans for four key education areas:

1. Ensuring graduates leave higher education with the skill sets they and the modern economy need;

2. Building inclusive higher education systems;

3. Making sure higher education institutions contribute to innovation in the rest of the economy;

4. Supporting higher education institutions and governments in making the best use of the human and financial resources available.

See more on the modernisation agenda in:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52011DC0567

 

Finally, to ensure that higher education can help boost growth and job creation, universities need to tailor curricula to current and anticipated needs of the economy and society, and prospective students need up-to-date, solid information to help them decide what courses to choose. This is why the Commission presented a proposal for a Council Recommendation on graduate tracking, as part of the new “skills agenda for Europewhich will also cover graduates from vocational education and training programs in addition to higher education graduates. This will encourage and support the state authorities to improve the quality and availability of information on how the graduates progress in their careers or further education after finishing their studies.


The Commission also proposed a budget for the next three years and a dedicated legal base for the European Solidarity Corps.

On “Skills agenda” see in: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-2039_en.htm

 

More information in the following web-links:

 - MEMO/17/1402- Questions and answers;

 - Factsheet on schools development;

 - Factsheet on modernisation of higher education; 

More information on Communication and Staff Working Documents; School policy: http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/school_en

- Higher education policy: http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/higher-education_en.


Reference: Commission press release: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-1401_en.htm

 






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