The Bordeaux Communiqué

The informal meeting of EU ministers responsible for education and training, held on 26 November 2008 in Bordeaux, France, agreed on new priorities for European cooperation in vocational training (a process known as -˜the Copenhagen process-). The new direction outlined by the Communiqué involves creating closer links between education and training and the labour market.

Not coincidentally, this meeting brought together ministers for employment and education, the European Commission, and the social partners for the first time.

Research material provided by Cedefop included the analysis of progress by 31 countries in implementing common European vocational education and training policy priorities. In addition, Cedefop's flagship project on forecasting skill needs (from both the supply and demand perspective) was demonstrated to be instrumental in helping to achieve closer ties between the labour market and education and training.

During the Bordeaux meeting, Cedefop presented its analysis of policy development in the Member States. The summary of this work can be accessed online.


Council Resolution on lifelong guidance

An initiative of the French presidency - to which Cedefop contributed much of the background work, from initial conception to final draft - the resolution stresses that the need for lifelong skills building must be met by an integrated system of vocational guidance and counselling that goes beyond the traditional school-based guidance or counselling for the unemployed.

Lifelong guidance needs to take many forms and establish high professional standing if it is to help people manage their careers in a more autonomous and effective way.

The resolution calls on Member States to make it easier to exchange information so that all countries can benefit from successful policies and methods and to ensure the compatibility of guidance and counselling with European guidelines, particularly with regard to employment and social cohesion.