EUROPEAN COMMISSION WHITE PAPER TEACHING AND LEARNING


EUROPEAN COMMISSION WHITE PAPER TEACHING AND LEARNING: TOWARDS THE LEARNING SOCIETY
REF: MEMO/95/162
Presented by the European Commission at the instigation of Mrs Edith Cresson, Commissioner for research, education and training, Mr Padraig Flynn, Commissioner for employment and social affairs, in agreement with Mr Martin Bangemann, Commissioner responsible for industrial affairs,information and telecommunications technologies, this White Paper (1) stems from the observation that the changes currently in progress have improved everyone's access to information and knowledge, but have at the same time made considerable adjustments necessary in the skills required and in working patterns. It is a trend which has increased uncertainty all round and for some has led to intolerable situations of exclusion. Everyone's position in society will increasingly be determined by the knowledge he or she has built up. Tomorrow's society will be a society which invests in knowledge, a society of teaching and learning, in which each individual will build up his or her own qualification. In other words, a learning society.

Three factors of upheaval

Among the many complex changes taking place in European society, three major trends, three 'factors of upheaval', are particularly manifest. These are the internationalisation of trade, the dawning of the information society and the relentless march of science and technology.

· The impact of the information society: the main effects of this is to transform the nature of work and the organisation of production. Routine and repetitive tasks which used to be the daily lot of most workers are tending to disappear as more autonomous, more varied activities take their place. The result is a different sort of relationship with the company. The role of the human factor is increasing but the worker is also more vulnerable to changes in the pattern of work organisation because he has become a mere individual within a complex network. Everyone therefore has to adapt not only to new technical tools but also to changes in working conditions.
· The impact of internationalisation radically affects the situation as regards job creation. After initially affecting only commercial, technological and financial trade, internationalisation is now bringing down the borders between the labour markets, thus making a global employment market closer than is generally thought. The Commission, in its White Paper "Growth, competitiveness and employment", took a clear option to open on to the world, while stressing the importance of preserving the European social model. This means raising the level of qualifications in general if the social rift is not to widen still further and spread the feeling of insecurity among our citizens.
· The impact of the scientific and technical world: the growth in scientific knowledge, its application to production methods, the increasingly sophisticated products which thus emerge, give rise to a paradox. Despite its generally beneficial effect, scientific and technical progress engenders a feeling of unease and even irrational misgivings in society. Many European countries have endeavoured to allay these misgivings by promoting scientific and technical culture from a very early stage at school, by defining ethical rules, particularly in the areas of biotechnology and information technology.
The answers: broad-based knowledge and employability
What solutions can education and training provide in eliminating the pernicious effects these three sources of upheaval are expected to bring? While not purporting to provide exhaustive answers, the White Paper proposes two.
a)
Reintroducing the merits of a broad base of knowledge The first of these involves reintroducing the merits of a broad base of knowledge. In a society in which the individual will be called upon to understand complex situations which fluctuate unpredictably, in which he will also be inundated with a vast quantity of varied information, there is a risk of a rift appearing between those who are able to interpret, those who can only use, and those who can do neither. In other words, between those who know and those who do not know. Building up a broad base of knowledge i.e. the wherewithal to grasp the meaning of things, to understand and to create, is the essential function of school. This is also the first factor in adjusting to the economic and employment situation.
Also increasingly evident is the strong re-emergence of a broad base of knowledge in vocational training establishments, in programmes for the retraining of low-qualified or very specialised workers, as the key to acquiring new technical skills.
b)
Building up employability.
Second route: building up employability. How can education and training enable the countries of Europe to create a number of lasting jobs comparable to that which the new technologies have caused to disappear?
The traditional route generally pursued by the individual is the quest for a paper qualification. The result is a general tendency throughout Europe to prolong studies, accompanied by considerable social pressure to broaden access to higher education. While the paper qualification is still the most effective passport to employment, it nevertheless has perverse effects in that it devaluates the vocational channels (which are considered as second- best options), overqualifies young people in relation to the jobs open to them as they enter the world of work, and, lastly, conveys an image of the paper qualification as the near-absolute reference point in terms of skills, making it possible to filter out the elite at the top and, more generally, to classify the worker in his job. This intensifies the lack of flexibility of the labour market and causes substantial wastage by locking out talent which does not correspond to standard profiles.
Although it does not call into question this traditional route as such, this White Paper advocates that a more open, more flexible approach be adopted alongside it. This approach would in particular encourage the mobility of workers - employees, teachers, researchers - and students. It is today striking to observe how much easier it is for goods, capital and services to move around Europe than it is for people and knowledge!
Establishing this mobility depends on genuine recognition of knowledge within the European Union, not only recognition of paper qualifications, but also recognition of the different components of which they are comprised. For instance, a student having completed six months of studies in another European country should automatically be entitled to the recognition of this period by his university of origin, without having to resit the corresponding examinations. The fact is that this is not possible at present unless the two establishments concerned have reached a partnership agreement. Genuine mobility also presupposes the removal of administrative and legal obstacles (arising out of right of residence or social protection scheme applicable) and fiscal obstacles (taxation of study grants).
Another key point is that access to training should be developed throughout life. While the need for such access is recognised by everybody, public authorities and the business sector alike, there has been little progress in this area. This is all the more inadequate as changes in the pattern of work organisation, particularly those generated by the information technologies, make training in these new tools more urgent. 1996, as the European Year of Lifelong Learning, should help to raise awareness in this area.
The information society does not only change the way the company works. It also offers fresh horizons for education and training. But we have to be properly equipped to fully exploit this potential. Unfortunately, the fragmentation of the European market in the educational multimedia sector and the - as yet - inadequate quality of the teaching products on offer, along with the low level of computer equipment available in the classroom (1 for 30 pupils in Europe compared with 1 for 10 pupils in the USA), means that these tools are very slow to appear in our schools. The Commission has accordingly made it a priority to develop multimedia educational software by strengthening coordination of research conducted in this area within the European Union. This mission has been delegated to a task force drawn from the departments Mrs Cresson and Mr Bangemann.
Mobility, lifelong learning, the use of new technological instruments...This greater flexibility in acquiring knowledge elicits the question of new ways of validating skills acquired irrespective of whether or not they were acquired via a paper qualification. This approach has already been used: the TEFL test, which makes it possible to evaluate knowledge of English, the Kangaroo test for maths, are well-established systems.
So why not 'personal skills cards' which would provide a record of what the holder knows in terms of fundamental (languages, maths, law, informatics, economics, etc.) or technical or vocational (accounting, finance, etc.) knowledge? A young person having no paper qualification could thus apply for a job on the basis of his card which attests to his ability in terms of written skills, language proficiency, word processing. This is an idea which is set out in the second part of the White Paper. This scheme would allow an immediate assessment of people's qualifications throughout their lives, in contrast to diplomas which lose their value as years go by, at an ever increasing pace.
Guidelines for action
The knowledge-based society cannot come about by proclamation. It has to emerge from an ongoing process. The White Paper's purpose is not to put forward a programme of measures, for the Commission has no miracle remedies to propound. It purports merely to provide food for thought and pointers. The White Paper in no way sets out to impinge on national responsibilities and suggests five general objectives for action, setting out for each of them one or more support projects at Community level.
1. Encourage the acquisition of new knowledge i.e. raise the general level of knowledge. The Commission accordingly invites thought as to how skills not necessarily acquired via a paper qualification may be recognised. The White Paper proposes a new way of accrediting technical and vocational skills.
How can this approach be introduced? First of all by creating European networks of research centres and centres of vocational training, companies, business sectors which will make it possible to identify the areas of knowledge in greatest demand and the essential key skills. The next stage will be to define the best accreditation methods (tests, software packages for evaluation, evaluators, etc.). This could ultimately produce personal skills cards which would enable everyone to have their skills and knowhow recognised throughout the European Union. The White Paper is also intended to make student mobility easier. The Commission will propose that every student who has obtained a study grant in his own country be authorised to use it for courses in a higher education establishment in another Member State if he/she so wishes. It will also propose that the mutual recognition of 'course credits', i.e. the different component parts of a diploma, be generally introduced (European Course Credit Transfer System - ECTS). It will also propose the removal of obstacles of an administrative, legal and social security nature which are a hindrance to the exchange of students, trainees, teachers and researchers. Lastly, it will instigate joint calls for tenders across the relevant Community programmes in order to develop multimedia educational software.
2. Bringing school and the business sector closer together: developing apprenticeship in Europe in all its forms. The White Paper proposes networking apprenticeship centres in different European countries, to help apprentice mobility along the lines of the Erasmus programme, and to introduce a European apprentice's charter, in line with the forthcoming Green Paper on the obstacles to transnational mobility of people in training.
3. Combat exclusion: offer a second chance through school. Some of the major conurbations have tens of thousands of young people who have failed at school. Schools located in the 'problem' areas are increasingly re-organising to provide a 'second chance'. What these schools are trying to achieve is to improve access to knowledge by using the best teachers, better paid than elsewhere, an appropriate teaching pace, in-company placements, multimedia equipment and smaller classes. They are also trying to make school a community environment once again at a time when social and family links are breaking down in these sensitive districts.
How is this to be achieved? The White Paper proposes that complementary European funding be redeployed from existing programmes such as Socrates and Leonardo in support of national and regional funding. It also advocates acting in conjunction and partnership with the economic players; schools could, for instance, be sponsored by a company, if possible with a pledge to recruit if the relevant qualifications or skills recognition are obtained. The families would also be closely involved in the approach to and running of training. Lastly, the use of new teaching methods, information technology and multimedia would be strongly encouraged. This 'second chance' scheme has been successfully tested in the USA, with the 'accelerated schools' project, and in Israel with the 'Alyat Hanoar' institution.
4. Proficiency in three Community languages: a quality label. Proficiency in several languages has today become essential for getting a job. This is particularly true in a single European market without frontiers. It is also an asset which makes it easier to move towards others, to discover different cultures and mentalities, to stimulate one's intellectual agility. While being a factor of European identity and citizenship, multilingualism is at the same time a cornerstone of the knowledge-based society. Which is why the White Paper proposes to define a 'School of Europe' quality label which would be bestowed - as a function of certain criteria - on those schools which have pursued language learning to greatest effect. These schools would then be united in a network. In addition, the mobility of mother-tongue teachers in other schools in other countries would be systematically encouraged.
5. Treat material investment and investment in training on an equal basis : Making education and training a priority as regards European competitiveness is not enough. Concrete measures are needed whereby firms or public authorities which have made substantial 'intangible' investment are encouraged to continue to do so. This presupposes a change of approach to how expenditure on training is viewed in taxation and accounting terms. It should therefore be made possible for firms investing heavily in training to have part of such investment written into their balance sheets on the intangible assets side. In parallel with this 'training funds' should be developed for the benefit of persons wishing to add to their knowledge or resume training after a break in their studies.
A wide-ranging debate will be instigated in 1996 - European Year of Lifelong Learning - with the main players around all the issues raised in this White Paper. This debate could take place, for instance, at 'jumbo' Council meetings bringing together the social affairs, education and industry ministers. The Commission will take stock of these discussions at the end of 1996 and then submit its proposals for future action.
This is not, of course, to say that these few recommendations can solve all the issues currently outstanding. The White Paper's objective is a more modest one, viz. in conjunction with the education and training policies of the Member States, to help Europe move towards the knowledge-based society. It also hopes to start up a broader debate in the years ahead, for radical changes are going to be needed. As Mrs Cresson has stressed, what education and training systems all too often achieve is to map out an occupational pathway on a once-and-for-all basis; there is too little flexibility and too much compartmentalisation between these systems, and too few bridges , too few opportunities for taking on board new patterns of lifelong learning.
Lastly, the White Paper can help to show that if it is to secure its place and future in the world, Europe has to place at least as much emphasis on the personal fulfilment of its citizens, men and women alike, as it has up to now placed on economic and monetary issues. That is how Europe will prove that it is not merely a free trade area, but a coherent political whole capable of coming successfully to terms with internationalisation instead of being dominated by it.

1) The text of the White Paper is available on the Internet at the following address:
http://www.cec.lu/en/comm/dg22/dg22.html