Employment: guidelines for member States' policies for the year 2002

The Council recalls that the role of education and training policies in support of employment is recognised within the current structure of the employment guidelines in four pillars: - employability - entrepreneurship - adaptability - equal opportunities. The introduction in 2000 into the employment guidelines for 2001 of the 'horizontal objective on lifelong learning' was an important step towards greater coherence and understanding of this role. However, a better representation of education and training policies should be pursued. The Council also stresses the fact that lifelong learning, which has already become a key issue at Member State and Community level, has become a clear priority in national employment policies. It notes that lifelong learning is still dispersed among several guidelines and pillars and that a new horizontal objective on quality in work has been added to the employment guidelines covering skills and lifelong learning. It equally emphasises that through its own processes and instruments, the Council will increasingly contribute to the Lisbon goals and the Luxembourg process as well as to the successful transition to a knowledge-based economy and society. In this context there is a need to strengthen the co-operation and synergy between the different and complementary processes and initiatives, in particular the follow-up of the report on the concrete future objectives of education and training systems. Finally, it notes that the Member States and the Commission are currently carrying out an impact evaluation of the European employment strategy which will be reflected in the employment guidelines 2003. In this context, it is important that the Council and the authorities responsible for education and training be closely associated in this evaluation process in view of a more effective involvement in the evaluation before political conclusions are drawn.�