Challenges for adult skill formation in the globalising learning economy - a European perspective

The globalising learning economy driven by more intense competition
and the wide use of information and communication technologies is
characterised by rapid change in technologies and markets. At the
level of labour markets and within enterprises, this is reflected in
continuous change in skill requirements for employees. This is true
for all parts of the world economy. In this paper, the focus is on Europe
and developments in the first decade of the new millennium. The
major challenge for Europe is to counter the inherent trend, reinforced
by the crisis, towards unequal access to learning both in work and in
education. Without a new new deal that gives privileged access to
vocational education and training for those with little education, the
economic performance of Europe will be undermined. Such a new
new deal must be a fundamental element in the effort to lift Europe
out of its current crisis.