Scholing en kennis tegen recessie in Europa
Het rapport van de European Business Summit over ‘skills and innovation’ zegt dat Europa behoorlijk scoort bij “basic skills and literacy but paints a grim picture of Europeans’ ability to compete in the global knowledge economy. The failure to equip the workforce with the right set of skills for modern business could be costing Europe millions,”zegt Bruno Lanvin, executive director of eLab at INSEAD, de auteur van het rapport voor de Summitt van topondernemers en bewindslieden te Brussel. “Without prompt and significant action to generate the required skills, much of Europe’s stimulus packages and past investment could be wasted. Europe should maintain and develop its human resources and its capacities now, to emerge from the crisis ahead of the pack.”
Daarom moet er een ‘European Skills Pact’ komen, bepleit het rapport. Dit pact zou “Europe’s educators, employers, investors, policymakers and citizens” bijeen moeten brengen rond zes prioriteiten:
– Launch a Europe-wide private-public alliance to ensure the re-skilling of excess labour in times of crisis;
-Re-focus the European Structural Funds earmarked for training and re-training in 2007-2013 towards the sectors most likely to contribute to Europe’s competitiveness in post-crisis times;
-Identify and scale-up successful public-private initiatives and partnerships (such as JetNet) aimed at stimulating young people’s interest in mathematics, science and careers in engineering, information and communications technologies and environmental protection;
-Enhance and develop high-level business-university partnerships to generate the ‘Global Knowledge Economy’ skills which Europe needs to realise the benefits of its Lisbon strategy and be a leader in innovation;
-Encourage skills mobility within Europe, as well as between Europe and other parts of the world; Foster innovative approaches to education, including through e-learning and distance learning, competition and innovation.
