Thessaloniki (GR), October 2008 - A Cedefop workshop held in Thessaloniki on 25-26 September 2008 showed that the sectoral training funds set up in fifteen European countries are increasingly important means of financing and delivering targeted training, as well as for providing guidance, advice, and forecasts on training needs. However, these funds have so far been less efficient in providing such services to employees of smaller companies, especially of micro-enterprises (>10 employees).
During the workshop, which brought together representatives of social partners and fund managers from several EU countries - Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, and Iceland, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) presented its new publication "Sectoral Training Funds in Europe". The publication presents case studies of sectoral training funds in eight countries and discusses the impact of such funds on improving training opportunities in the sectors.
Taking their inspiration from the Copenhagen Declaration's call for closer partnerships in training, sectoral training funds are jointly managed by employers and employees and financed by training levies or taxes. These funds meet the requirements of the industry, ensure the quality of training, and mobilise more resources for training.
In some countries, sectoral training funds have been a resounding success and have encouraged more adults to take up training. In other countries, institutional barriers have made it harder for micro-enterprises to take advantage of this financing and have thus limited the effectiveness of the funds.
Sectoral training funds provide training for every level of attainment. For example, such funds exist in the construction sector in both the UK and Spain. But while the UK fund focuses on the highest educational level - e.g. by funding training for engineers in nuclear plant construction - the Spanish fund concentrates on improving the skills of employees with lower qualification levels, providing, e.g. much of the health and safety training in the sector.
