Jorma Karppinen

1
Skills, training and life-long learning in Europe
Jorma Karppinen Director EuroFound CEDEFOP
conference April 2007
2
Quality of work concept of the EuroFound

Career and employment security . Employment
status . Income . Social protection . Workers
rights
Skills development . Qualifications .
Training . Learning organisation . Career
development
Job and employment quality
Health and well-being . Health problems . Risk
exposure . Work organisation
Reconciliation of working and non-working life .
Working/non-working time . Social infrastructures
3
Main findings from 4 th European Working
Conditions Survey

• For 70 of workers work offers new opportunities
  for learning
• 60 of workers report that they are dealing with
  complex tasks
• Access to training has not changed, particularly
  not for older workers, over the past ten years
• This indicates that the concept of life-long
  learning is not making much progress

4
Training by Employer

• Reduction from 2000 (30.6) to 2005 (27.1)
• 27 have received training paid by their
  employer, 6 have undergone training paid by
  themselves
• Twice as much training in the public sector (ca.
  40) compared with the private sector (ca.20)
  (in 2005)
• High in the private sector business services,
  35-40
• Northern European countries at the top more than
  50 of workers received training at work in
  Finland and Sweden

5
Training paid by the employerby education and
type of employment contract (2005)
6
Training paid by employer in previous 12 months
by country (2005)
7
Use of information technologies

• Computer use on the increase
• 26 all or almost all of the time,
• 47 at least around ¼ of the time in EU25
• Substantial difference between EU15 and NMS
• 58 at least ¼ of the time in EU15
• 40 in NMS
• Middle-aged workers (30-49 years) use computers
  more than younger or older workers
• Women work more with computers, internet and
  email than men

8
Computer use at work (by country clusters)
9
Cognitive demands and skill match

• Overall, high level of cognitive demands,
  although decreasing trend since 1995
• 43 of tasks remain monotonous
• Men report more problem solving (83 of men and
  77 of women) and complex tasks (64 of men and
  53 of women)
• Good skills match for the majority of workers
  (52.5)
• 13.3 feel they would need further training
• 34.2 feel that their skills are under-utilised
  and that they could cope with more demanding
  duties

10
Cognitive demands decreasing trend
11
Skills match
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Need further training to cope well with duties
13.3
Duties correspond well with present skills
52.5
34.2
Have skills to cope with more demanding duties
12
Task rotation multi-skilling (by country
clusters)
13
Job development and training

• Different traditions in life-long learning across
  countries
• Cost is the most often cited reason for
  insufficient training provision
• Time pressure may become an obstacle to
  participation in training, self learning and
  using full potential and creativity
• Quality of training and use of acquired skills at
  work more important than quantity of training
• Teamwork positively perceived in terms of job
  development

14
Company practices

• Personnel development skills management
• Annual development discussion employee/supervisor
• Competence development career planning
• In-house training
• Training for low-skilled workforce
• Occupational mobility

15
What national correspondents for European Working
Conditions Observatory (EWCO) say about training

• Training increasingly important for better labour
  market performance (EU level)
• Returns for investment (ROI) in education still
  high (FIN)
• Functional flexibility good for skills
  development (NL)
• Temporary workers disadvantaged in access (EU
  level)
• Lack of training affecting career development (FR)

16
Why to improve training?

• ? More opportunities to progress in the job
• ? Increase employability
• ? Higher motivation and job satisfaction
• ? Impact on the performance of the whole company,
  productivity and competitiveness

17
Thank you!
Dziakuju
Multumesc
Dziekuje
Merci

Blagodaria
Tack
Bedankt
Paldies
Hvala
Grazie
Dêkuji
Aitäh
Kiitos
Obrigado
Tak
Dakujem
Gracias
Paldies
Danke schön
???a??st?
Dank u
Grazzi
Köszönöm
Go raibh maith agat
Dekoju
Tesekkür ederim
More info www.eurofound.europa.eu