Improving Workers' Skills: Analytical Evidence and the Role of the Social Partners

There is a wide consensus that workforce skills are an important determinant for economic growth. Alongside initial education, continuous education and training (hereafter referred to as CET) plays a key role in meeting these skill needs. This report examines possible positive impacts of CET on workers’ performance, and discusses some policy issues with a special focus on the role of the social partners. Access to CET is associated with workers’ characteristics and literacy level Over and above international differences in training participation – with the Nordic countries showing the highest participation rates – access to CET appears to be consistently unequal across socioeconomic groups. In all the countries reviewed, the low-educated and older workers are under-represented in firm-training programmes. The incidence of CET is also positively associated with workers’ literacy levels. Importantly, the erosion of literacy with age seems to be slower in countries with high training ... Il est tres generalement admis que les competences de la main-d’œuvre sont un facteur important de croissance economique. A cote de la formation initiale, la formation continue a un role essentiel a jouer pour repondre a ces besoins de competences. Ce rapport etudie l’impact positif qu’elle peut avoir sur les performances des travailleurs et analyse quelques unes des questions qui se posent aux politiques publiques, en mettant specialement l’accent sur le role des partenaires sociaux. L’acces a la formation continue est lie aux caracteristiques des travailleurs et a leurs niveaux de litteratie Au-dela des differences de niveau de participation a la formation continue entre pays – niveau qui est particulierement eleve dans les pays nordiques – l’acces a cette formation est toujours inegal suivant les caracteristiques socio-economiques de la population. Dans tous les pays etudies, les travailleurs moins qualifies et plus âges sont sous-representes dans la formation en entreprise ...

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