Employers oppose creation of a right to lifelong learning

Citation

(2001), "Employers oppose creation of a right to lifelong learning", Education + Training, Vol. 43 No. 8/9. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2001.00443hab.027

Employers oppose creation of a right to lifelong learning

Employers oppose creation of a right to lifelong learning

Giving the individual a legal right to lifelong learning is not an appropriate tool for widening access to education and training, according to the European employers' group, Unice. It recommends that the focus should be on more practical issues which prevent people – especially the least qualified – from improving their skills. The priority should be to tackle problems such as the lack of interest shown by some individuals in lifelong learning, time constraints, the costs of education and training and the lack of information on the opportunities available.

Unice believes that there should be measures to encourage financial investment in, and a personal commitment to, education and training. It emphasises the individual's role in ensuring that his or her skills are up to date. The employers' organization welcomes the European Commission's recent memorandum on lifelong learning. But Unice emphasises that responsibility for developing lifelong-learning systems should rest with the EU member states. Education and training should meet the needs of individual companies. As there is no single solution, the strategy proposed should include proposals for the exchange of best practice.