Towards a Competent Europe

This book presents the main contributions which were made at a European conference in Paris, September 14-15, 1989. As its title shows, this is more than a conference report. The main point outlined here concerns the fact that education and training are becoming critical elements of the social policies of the future European Community.

The idea of a free, open market, which the Community will become after 1992, implies a major broadening of the human resources market. The idea of a "competent Europe" also means that Europe itself becomes a training environment, an opportunity for developing and transfering new skills and qualifications.

What programmes and measures have been launched to achieve this ambitious goal? What is the role of the Community itself? What are the respective action fields of the Member States, the enterprises, the training institutions? How does the private citizen find his/her way through this complex scene?

This book gives a synthesised picture of the emerging training trends, of the actions being undertaken at different levels, as well as an outline of the main European Community training programmes. It offers perspectives on the exciting opportunities available to the citizens of tomorrow's Europe.