Learning and capacity building

What does this mean?

The European Council provides in its guidelines for 2015 for the employment policy of the member states a clear overview of the challenges regarding life-long learning. The Council states that the member states need to invest in education and vocational training in order to increase the capabilities and capacities of the labour force. These investments should ensure a better anticipation of and  adaptation to the rapidly changing needs on the dynamic labour market in an economy which is becoming ever more digital and is characterised through technological, ecological and demographic change. According to the Council, member states need to make a larger effort to create a more accessible and excellent learning during the whole life. Moreover, they need to implement the active aging strategy, through which a longer career becomes feasible.

How will ESF achieve this?

The ESF unit intends to accomplish this through including these issues in its 2014-2020 Operational Programme (Priority 2 and Priority 10iii). These developments  have resulted in the following calls for proposals:

• Vocational training in companies (Call 307 and Call 322)
• Previously Learned Capacities (Call 353)
• Innovative projects dual learning (Call 330)

For the last call, the promoters themselves select the investment priority within which their project is hosted (on the basis of the project’s objectives).
Finally, the ESF unit participates in a European thematic network regarding life-long learning in which Flanders and other regions or member states exchange knowledge regarding (policy) developments for the theme concerned. Furthermore, the ESF unit sets up a Flemish thematic network regarding life-long learning.