Policy

EFEE KEY THEMES

ECONOMIC CASE FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING

We should not be not looking for efficiency that means ‘at the least possible cost’, but for efficient investment in education in order to improve education quality and ultimately to reach the highest educational outcomes. We have to make sure that our pupils, students and adults have strong skills and competences and are able to adapt to the fast-changing needs in today’s knowledge society.

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Vocational EDUCATION AND TRAINING

In order to raise the profile and relevance of Vocational Education and Training (VET), the holistic education dimension of VET should be emphasised and thus the requirement for all VET programmes to adequately comprehend the key competences for lifelong learning in order to maximise learner engagement and ensure that learners acquire the capacity to continuously adapt to change.

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oPEN AND INNOVATIVE EDUCATION

Education has an important role to play in promoting sustainable economic growth, improving social cohesion and preparing citizens for the fast-changing needs in today’s knowledge society. However in order to reach this full potential, our education systems will have to be modern, up-to-date and efficient. This requires innovative management solutions and an excellent teaching force.

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tRANSITION FROM EDUCATION TO EMPLOYMENT

There is a need to develop stronger cooperation between the world of work and the world of education and training. Apprenticeships, internships and work-based learning are effective means to improving the transition between both worlds. Moreover, fostering local and regional partnerships between schools, businesses and local/regional governments should be a priority at the national level as it may contribute to ensuring young people acquire the skills and dispositions relevant to gaining and retaining employment..

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ATTRACTIVE CAREER PATHS IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

Europe’s ambitious agenda for economic and social development is critically dependent on the strength of its knowledge economy and the human capital that underpins it. Providing attractive and diverse career paths in Higher Education and Research is therefore of fundamental importance if we want to guarantee Europe’s competitiveness in a global economy.

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healthy and safe schools

Education institutions should be safe and healthy places which promote success in teaching and learning. Education institutions are the workplace of school leaders, teachers and other education staff, but foremost they are education institutions for students. The purpose therefore is to support the creation of an atmosphere where students can learn and teachers and other staff in education can carry out their work in a positive, healthy and safe setting.

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sOCIAL INCLUSION, CITIZENSHIP AND INCLUSION OF MIGRANTS

In view of the growing influx of migrants to Europe and the follow-up of the Paris Declaration, policy makers at European and national level are increasingly seeking to strengthen the role of education in promoting citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination, and in facilitating migrants’ integration in the host society. EFEE deems it important to strengthen the role of education employers in promoting civic education, intercultural dialogue and democratic citizenship via peer learning and policy exchange.

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School leadership and self-evaluation

Strong and effective leadership is important in the European schools of the 21^st century, as it is a key driver for educational changes necessary for a modern European education system able to face social and economic challenges like growth, competitiveness and social cohesion. Furthermore, it is not enough for education systems to attract and educate good teaching staff; they need to be retained in the profession, and they need to be nurtured. Education systems need to identify, esteem and support those teaching staff who have powerful influences on student learning. In this context, effective appraisal and feedback systems can have a positive impact on what happens in the classroom, by encouraging staff to build upon their strengths.

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EUROPEAN SECTORAL SOCIAL DIALOGUE IN EDUCATION

The European Sectoral Social Dialogue in Education (ESSDE) was launched in 2010, under the Articles 154-155 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. This came after four years of initiation and start-up processes carried out by the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and from early 2009 onwards, together with the European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE). The first meeting of the ESSDE was in June 2010.

As European social partners in Education, we deem it important to consider in our work the impact of economical, social and demographic developments on the education sector and to continue to focus our joint work on topics that have sufficient common ground for discussion and for initiatives with a clear added value for cooperation at European level. Herewith we take also in consideration the agenda of the European Commission in the field of education, employment and social affairs, in particular the work of DG Education and Culture and DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. We wish to contribute to the improvement of the quality of education in Europe thereby focusing on the modernisation of the education sector, its managements and its teaching personnel. In all our work we keep in mind the gender equality principle.

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EDUCATION & TRAINING 2020

Each EU country is responsible for its own education and training systems. EU policy is designed to support national action and help address common challenges, such as ageing societies, skills deficits in the workforce, technological developments and global competition. Education and training 2020 (ET 2020) is the framework for cooperation in education and training.

ET 2020 is a forum for exchanges of best practices, mutual learning, gathering and dissemination of information and evidence of what works, as well as advice and support for policy reforms.

In order to ensure the successful implementation of ET 2020, Working Groups composed of experts nominated by member countries and other key stakeholders work on common EU-level tools and policy guidance. EFEE is represented in all seven Working Groups for 2019-2020 on Schools, Modernization of Higher Education, Vocational Education and Training, Adult Learning, Digital Skills, Competences, and Promoting citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination through education, and Early Childhood Education and Care.