Etudiants étrangers: avec l’abrogation de la circulaire du 31 mai 2011, le gouvernement entend tourner une page.
Un an après la publication de la « circulaire Guéant » du 31 mai 2011 relative à l'accès au marché du travail des étudiants étrangers, le ministre de l'Intérieur Manuel Valls, le ministre du Travail Michel Sapin et la ministre de l'Enseignement supérieur Geneviève Fioraso ont officialisé l'abrogation de ce texte.
Le communiqué de presse interministériel souligne qu’il s’agit de proposer un « nouveau  pacte entre la République, ses universités et grandes écoles et les étudiants de toutes les nationalités [qui] doit permettre à ces jeunes diplômés d’exercer leurs talents au sein des entreprises françaises. »
Communiqué de Presse MESR sur la circulaire Guéant
Mme Geneviève Fioraso, ministre de l’enseignement supérieur et de la recherche se réjouit de l’abrogation de la circulaire « Guéant » du 31 mai 2011.
C'était une priorité pour la recherche et l'économie de notre pays, mais c'était en premier lieu une nécessité humaine pour rester fidèle aux valeurs françaises d’accueil et d’intégration.
Cette nouvelle circulaire, fruit d'un travail interministériel très consensuel, tourne la page de dispositions administratives restrictives à l’égard des diplômés étrangers souhaitant accéder à une première expérience professionnelle en France ou souhaitant changer de statut. Elle va leur faciliter la vie et leur permettre de travailler dans de bonnes conditions.
Dans l'ère de l'économie de la connaissance et de la circulation internationale, il faut plus que jamais savoir attirer les talents et non les pénaliser avec des contraintes administratives et discriminatoires. Rappelons que 40% des doctorants sont d'origine étrangère et contribuent au dynamisme et au rayonnement la France.
Ce nouveau texte permettra de restaurer l’image de la France dans le monde et renforcer l’attractivité de notre système d’enseignement supérieur et de recherche.
En tournant cette page « Guéant », conformément aux engagements de campagne de François Hollande, la ministre souhaite rétablir le dialogue indispensable et la confiance avec les universités, les grandes écoles, les étudiants, les doctorants et les chercheurs de toutes les nationalités.
Communiqué de Presse interminsitériel 31 mai 2012 circulaire étudiants étrangers
Le ministre de l’Intérieur, Manuel Valls, le ministre du travail, de l'emploi, de la formation professionnelle et du dialogue social, Michel Sapin, et la ministre de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche, Geneviève Fioraso, ont officialisé, aujourd’hui, l’abrogation de la circulaire du 31 mai 2011 relative à l’accès au marché du travail des étudiants étrangers. Cette abrogation se fait par le biais d’une nouvelle circulaire, conjointement établie par les trois ministres.
Engagement du Président de la République, cette abrogation constitue un tournant significatif. La circulaire entend ainsi poser les bases d’une relation renouvelée entre la France et les étudiants étrangers qui viennent y poursuivre leurs études supérieures. Restaurant un climat de confiance, ce nouveau pacte proposé entre la République, ses universités et grandes écoles et les étudiants de toutes les nationalités doit permettre à ces jeunes diplômés d’exercer leurs talents au sein des entreprises françaises. Cette abrogation doit aussi renforcer l’image de la France au niveau international.
Cette nouvelle circulaire établit des règles précises et transparentes dans le cadre du code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d’asile et du code du travail. Il s’agit, en particulier, d’assurer l’égalité de traitement sur le territoire, de faciliter les démarches des étudiants et d’apporter une réponse rapide à leur demande de changement de statut. Pour cela, les délais d’instruction des demandes, par les agents de l’Etat, ne pourront excéder deux mois et ce, afin qu’aucun retard de l’administration ne vienne pénaliser les étudiants dans leurs recherches d’emploi et leur prise de poste.
Circulaire d'abrogation 31 mai 2012
Circulaire n° NOR : INTV1224696C
Objet : Accès au marché du travail des diplômés étrangers
Annexe : examen individuel des demandes de changement de statut de droit commun
L’accueil des étudiants étrangers participe au rayonnement de la France, à l’attractivité nationale et internationale de nos écoles et universités ainsi qu’au dynamisme de notre économie. Ces étudiants, une fois diplômés, sont des atouts pour nos entreprises, qui souhaitent bénéficier des meilleures compétences et s’ouvrir à de nouveaux marchés. Ceux qui rejoignent leur pays d’origine après leur diplôme ou après une expérience professionnelle en France contribuent à l’essor de ces pays. Pour l’ensemble de ces raisons, la présente circulaire a pour objet d’opérer un profond changement d’orientation concernant les modalités de leur première expérience professionnelle sur le territoire national.
Conformément aux engagements du Président de la République, la circulaire n° IOC/L/11/15117/J du 31 mai 2011 relative à la maîtrise de l'immigration professionnelle et la circulaire n° IOC/L/12/01265/C du 12 janvier 2012 relative à l'accès au marché du travail des diplômés étrangers de niveau au moins équivalent au master sont en conséquence abrogées.
Vous veillerez à appliquer avec tout le discernement nécessaire à la prise en compte de chaque situation individuelle, les dispositions législatives et réglementaires relatives aux autorisations de travail, telles que fixées par le code de l'entrée et du séjour des étrangers et de l'asile (en particulier les articles L. 311-1 et L. 311-2, L. 311-11 et L. 313-10) et par le code du travail (en particulier les articles L. 5221-1 et suivants et les articles R. 5221-1, R. 5221-4, R. 5221-20 et R. 5221-32).
1.Vous porterez une attention particulière à l'instruction des demandes d'autorisation de travail concernant des procédures de changement de statut destinées à permettre à des étudiants étrangers non communautaires de s'engager dans une première expérience professionnelle. En la matière, vous veillerez à ce que vos services donnent toute leur portée aux dispositions de l’article L. 311-11 du CESEDA, afin de faciliter la délivrance d'un titre de séjour autorisant l'exercice d'une première activité professionnelle, dès lors, notamment, que serait établi, par tout moyen, le respect du critère d'adéquation du diplôme et de l'emploi envisagé. Vous prendrez en compte favorablement toute attestation établie conjointement par le directeur ou le président de l’établissement d’enseignement supérieur et le chef d’entreprise certifiant que les conditions posées par l’article L. 311-11 sont respectées. En aucun cas ce dispositif ne doit être subordonné à l’examen préalable de la situation de l’emploi. Il convient, par ailleurs, de tenir compte des dispositions plus favorables prévues par les accords bilatéraux liant la France à certains pays étrangers.
Il est rappelé que l’étudiant n’est pas tenu de fournir l’attestation de réussite à ses examens dès le dépôt de sa demande d’autorisation provisoire de séjour. S’il remplit les conditions prévues par l’article L. 311-11, l’étudiant bénéficie d’une autorisation provisoire de séjour de six mois à compter de la date de décision du jury de diplôme concerné. La délivrance du titre de séjour autorisant l’exercice d’une première activité professionnelle pour les personnes satisfaisant aux conditions de l’article L. 311-11 peut être réalisée dès lors que l’intéressé bénéficie d’un emploi ou d’une promesse d’embauche et donc, le cas échéant, avant la délivrance de son diplôme.
Si les conditions qui ont présidé à la délivrance du premier titre de séjour annuel sont toujours réunies, celui-ci est renouvelé jusqu’à l’issue de la première expérience professionnelle.
2. S'agissant des étudiants engagés dans une procédure de changement de statut de droit commun, il revient aux services de la main d'oeuvre étrangère d'instruire, sous votre autorité, les demandes d'autorisation de travail. L’examen des situations individuelles peut vous conduire à valoriser, notamment, la contribution à l'attractivité de notre enseignement supérieur et la réponse aux besoins de l'entreprise concernée. Vous pourrez le cas échéant vous référer aux critères annexés à la présente circulaire. Il est rappelé, en application de l’article R. 311-2 du CESEDA, que le dépôt des demandes est effectué dans les deux mois précédant l’expiration du titre de séjour, y compris jusqu’au dernier jour précédant l’expiration de ce titre. Par ailleurs, vous considérerez que la recherche effective de l’employeur a été réalisée si l’offre d’emploi auprès d’un des organismes concourant à un service public de placement n’a pas été satisfaite après trois semaines de publication.
3. Vous serez attentifs à fournir à l'étudiant l'ensemble des informations nécessaires au traitement de son dossier dès le premier contact qu'il aura avec les services. Vous serez attentifs à maintenir une durée d’examen des demandes inférieure à deux mois dès lors que le dossier est complet, hors attestation de réussite des examens, afin d’éviter à l’étudiant étranger le risque de perdre l’emploi auquel il postule, quel que soit le fondement juridique de sa demande.
Vous réexaminerez prioritairement, au regard de la présente circulaire, les dossiers déposés depuis le 1er juin 2011 et qui vous auront été à nouveau présentés à compter de la signature de la présente circulaire. Aucune obligation de quitter le territoire français notifiée à ce titre après le 1er juin 2011 ne sera exécutée pendant le réexamen. Vous délivrerez aux intéressés une autorisation provisoire de séjour de six mois, non renouvelable, avec
autorisation de travail, ou, pour ceux qui ont une promesse d’embauche, un récépissé avec autorisation de travail durant l’instruction de leur dossier.
Vous voudrez bien me faire part de toutes difficultés que vous rencontreriez dans la mise en oeuvre de la présente instruction, qui s’applique aux dossiers en cours d’examen et doit, en toute circonstance, être considérée comme au moins aussi favorable aux intéressés, tant sur le fond qu’en matière de procédure, que le régime en vigueur avant sa signature.
Le ministre de l’intérieur, Manuel VALLS, Le ministre du travail, de l’emploi, de la formation professionnelle et du dialogue social, Michel SAPIN, La ministre de l’enseignement supérieur et de la recherche, Geneviève FIORASO.
Annexe: Examen individuel des demandes de changement de statut de droit commun
Lors de l’examen individuel des demandes de changement de statut de droit commun, l’autorité administrative pourra utilement se référer aux critères suivants, qui ne sont ni limitatifs, ni cumulatifs:
- l’entreprise qui souhaite procéder au recrutement dispose d’un établissement ou d’intérêts dans le pays d’origine, la zone géographique ou culturelle du ressortissant étranger;
- la formation de l’étudiant a été soutenue, hors barème de taxe d’apprentissage, par l’entreprise qui souhaite le recruter à la fin de ses études;
- le niveau des études suivies et les résultats obtenus dans ce cadre attestent la réalité d’un parcours d’excellence, notamment dans le contexte actuel de construction de profils aptes à affronter le marché international de l’emploi et des compétences;
- le parcours de l’étudiant s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une mobilité encadrée par une convention entre un établissement universitaire du pays d’origine et un établissement universitaire français, financée en partie par la France;
- l’étudiant a effectué tout ou partie de ses études secondaires en France, dans un établissement français à l’étranger ou dans un établissement étranger sous convention avec la France, avant de poursuivre un cursus universitaire en France.

Experts meet to discuss this topic on 13–14 June 2012 in Washington DC.
How to accelerate learning? This question is at the heart of a major challenge confronting national governments and development agencies, as investment priorities shift from creating facilities to improving gains in learning. There is now abundant evidence showing that, given an opportunity, all children can learn. What is needed now is to shift the focus of debate from equity in access, to equity in learning outcomes.
Ensuring learning for all requires systemic interventions, rather than a focus on various components. This calls for reforms that strengthen education systems and going beyond input orientation in investment to teaching learning processes, reinforcing accountability measures, and improving governance and management of institutions.
On 13–14 June 2012, these issues will be addressed by some 65 representatives of agencies and foundations* supporting education efforts in the developing countries, researchers and experts from universities, and professional organizations at the 2012 meeting of the International Working Group on Education (IWGE), in Washington DC.
The IWGE meeting will provide an important forum for agencies and foundations engaged in, and funding, education to exchange views, discuss issues in depth, develop a common understanding, and consider intervention strategies to maximize learning outcomes.
IWGE is an informal group of aid agencies and foundations. It was created in 1972 to enable donor agencies to exchange information and work closely together on education issues. Since 1982, it has devoted itself to the development and promotion of basic education. IWGE played a catalytic role in the Education for All (EFA) Conference in Jomtien. IIEP provides the secretariat for the IWGE.
Host organization: The World Bank, Washington, DC. Date: 13-14 June 2012. Venue: World Bank Headquarters, Washington, DC, USA
Contact: Kathryn Barrett. >> Download the programme.
* Association for the Development of Education in Africa - ADEA, FHI360 - formerly Academy for Educational Development - AED, Aga Khan Foundation, Australia - Australian Agency for International Development - AusAID, The Brookings Institution, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Center for Global Development, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Centre for International Cooperation in Education Development - CICED, Commonwealth Secretariat, The Douglas B. Marshall, Jr. Family Foundation, Education International, Germany - Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation & Development; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit - GIZ, Global Partnerships for Education - GPE, IIEP, INTEL, Inter-American Dialogue, Ireland - Department of Foreign Affairs, Japan International Co-operation Agency - JICA, MasterCard Foundation, Norway - Norwegian Agency of Development Co-operation - NORAD, Organization of American States, Open Society Institution - Soros Foundation, Pôle de Dakar, Save the Children, Spain (US embassy representatives), Sweden - Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency - Sida, UNESCO, UNICEF, United Kingdom - The British Council; Department for International Development - DFID, University of Minnesota, USAID, US Department of Education, World Vision International, World Bank - IBRD.
Links:
Learn more on the International Working Group on Education
See more on the previous IWGE meeting, held in 2010, and focusing on “Financing education: redesigning national strategies and the global aid architecture” and download the report.

L'accompagnement des parcours de mobilité, 28 et 29 juin 2012, Université de Toulouse 1 Capitole.
Le ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche, la Conférence des Présidents d'Université et l'agence Europe Education Formation France organisent le séminaire annuel des vice-présidents d'université en charge des relations internationales sur le thème l'accompagnement des parcours de mobilité ».
Pour vous inscrire, merci de contacter: monique.cortadas@univ-toulouse.fr.
Télécharger le programme
PROGRAMME PRÉVISIONNEL au 22 mai 2012
" L’ACCOMPAGNEMENT DES PARCOURS DE MOBILITÉ "
Séminaire annuel des Vice-Présidents chargés des Relations Internationales, Toulouse - PRES - Université Toulouse 1 Capitole.
Jeudi 28 juin 2012
14h Accueil des participants - Mot de bienvenue: Monsieur le Président de l’université Toulouse 1 Capitole, Monsieur le Président du Pôle de Recherche et d’Enseignement supérieur (PRES) de Toulouse, Monsieur le Recteur de l’académie de Toulouse, Chancelier des Universités.
14h45 Séance d’ouverture par les organisateurs - DREIC/MESR: Marc ROLLAND, adjoint à la Directrice, CPU: Le Président ou son représentant, 2e2f: Antoine GODBERT, Directeur de l’Agence Europe-Éducation-Formation-France
15h30 Conférence d’ouverture par Jean-Louis MUCCHIELLI, Directeur général de l’Enseignement supérieur et de l’insertion professionnelle: “Politique de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche : l’importance des parcours de
mobilité”.
16h30-18h Table ronde: “Accompagnement des parcours de mobilité dans la stratégie internationale des universités: quelles dynamiques et quelles coordinations entre les politiques nationales et celles des universités?” Animateur: Jean-Luc NAHEL, Commission des Relations Internationales (CORIE /CPU), Le Président de la CORIE /CPU, Direction des politiques de mobilité et d’attractivité. Direction générale de la mondialisation du développement et des partenariats. Ministère des affaires étrangères et européennes (la directrice ou son représentant), S.E. Carlos de ICAZA, Ambassadeur des États-Unis du Mexique en France (*ou son représentant), S.E. Missoum SBIH, Ambassadeur d’Algérie en France (*ou son représentant),
Campus France (le directeur général ou son représentant)
19h30 Visite de la FONDATION BEMBERG - Cocktail dînatoire
Vendredi 29 juin 2012
9h00-9h15 Ouverture de la journée - Vanessa DEBIAIS-SAINTON, Chef d’équipe Erasmus, Direction générale Éducation et Culture, Commission européenne (DGEAC)
9h15-10h45 2 ateliers parallèles
LES BONNES PRATIQUES DE MOBILITE EN EUROPE. Animateur: Antoine GODBERT (Agence 2e2f) Rapporteur: un Vice-Président chargé des Relations Internationales, Intervenant: Bernd WÄCHTER, Directeur de l’Association de Coopération Académique (ACA)
LA MOBILITE EUROPEENNE DES PERSONNELS, ENSEIGNANTS, CHERCHEURS ET ADMINISTRATIFS. Animateur: Androula PAPANASTASIOU (directrice de la fondation pour la gestion du programme Education et Formation tout au long de la vie à Chypre), Rapporteur: un Vice-Président chargé des Relations Internationales
Intervenant : Irina FERENCZ, chargée de mission, Association de Coopération Académique (ACA).
11h15 2 ateliers parallèles
LES POLITIQUES DE MOBILITE ENCADREE DE LA FRANCE AVEC L’ASIE. Animateur: Andrzej ROGULSKI, Sous-directeur des Relations Internationales, DREIC - MESR, Rapporteur: un Vice-Président chargé des Relations Internationales, Intervenant: Marie-France BARTHET, Directrice exécutive du PRES, Université de Toulouse 1, Présidente du Consortium USTH Hanoï.
LES POLITIQUES DE MOBILITE ENCADREE DE LA FRANCE AVEC L’AMERIQUE LATINE. Animateur: Jacques GELAS, Délégué aux affaires internationales, CDEFI, Rapporteur: un Vice-Président chargé des Relations Internationales, Intervenant: Bernard LABATUT, Directeur de la Maison Universitaire Franco-Mexicaine (MUFM), Toulouse.
14h15 Table ronde - “Comment développer la mobilité encadrée ? Les programmes de mobilité dans
le cadre d’accords internationaux”. Animateur: Marc ROLLAND, Adjoint à la Directrice, DREIC- MESR, Un représentant de la direction des politiques de mobilité et d’attractivité. Direction générale de la mondialisation du développement et des partenariats. Ministère des affaires étrangères et européennes, Campus France (le directeur général ou son représentant),
L’adjoint au Haut fonctionnaire de défense et de sécurité, MESR, ou son représentant, Le Président de la CORIE/CPU, Gilles VIAL, chargé de mission, DREIC-MESR.
16h30 Clôture - Christine GAVINI-CHEVET, Directrice des relations européennes et internationales et de la coopération, DREIC-MESR.

By John Morgan. The new student loans system designed by the government to support higher tuition fees is “unsustainable in the long term”, according to a survey of senior figures in higher education conducted by Barclays. The poll, of 46 higher education professionals, was carried out at a “Future of Higher Education” debate hosted by the bank, which brought together experts from finance, government and the sector itself.
Barclays said the survey found that 76 per cent of those questioned “did not believe the new system of repayable grants was sustainable”. And “just 15 per cent were confident it could be maintained”. The rest were unsure. The government has said it that plans to explore the possibility of selling the student loan book to private sector buyers.
Chris Hearn, head of education at Barclays Corporate, said: “There will become a point when the size of the student finance book will need to be addressed, probably within the next five to 10 years, but I’m confident a solution will be found.”
The Barclays survey follows an interview by Mr Hearn with Times Higher Education, in which he said that the new undergraduate finance scheme “is attracting interest, and proper interest, this time – rather than the old scheme, which was just effectively [keeping pace with] inflation – it may be that there are elements of it that could be sold”.
Survey respondents agreed that the new undergraduate loans system was confusing – 84 per cent said that prospective undergraduates and their parents had not yet grasped how student finance works and what it will mean for them financially. On the impact of the new system on postgraduate students, more than two-thirds (67 per cent) of those higher education professionals surveyed said they expected the number of postgraduates at their institution to fall. A further 22 per cent said that they did not expect numbers to be affected, while the remaining 11 per cent were not sure. Mr Hearn has also told THE that Barclays was exploring with the government the possibility of providing finance for postgraduates.

Governments will need to raise retirement ages gradually to address increasing life expectancy in order to ensure that their national pension systems are both affordable and adequate, according to a new OECD report. At a time of heightened global economic uncertainty, such reforms can also play a crucial role in governments’ responses to the crisis, contributing to fiscal consolidation at the same time as boosting growth.
Over the next 50 years, life expectancy at birth is expected to increase by more than 7 years in developed economies. The long-term retirement age in half of OECD countries will be 65, and in 14 countries it will be between 67 and 69. The Pensions Outlook 2012 says that increases in retirement ages are underway or planned in 28 out of the 34 OECD countries. These increases, however, are expected to keep pace with improved life expectancy only in six countries for men and in 10 countries for women. Governments should thus consider formally linking retirement ages to life expectancy, as in Denmark and Italy, and make greater efforts to promote private pensions.
“Bold action is required. Breaking down the barriers that stop older people from working beyond traditional retirement ages will be a necessity to ensure that our children and grand-children can enjoy an adequate pension at the end of their working life,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría. “Though these reforms can sometimes be unpopular and painful, at this time of tight public finances and limited scope for fiscal and monetary policy, these reforms can also serve to boost much needed growth in ageing economies.”
The Pensions Outlook 2012 finds that reforms over the past decade have cut future public pension payouts, typically by 20 to 25 per cent. People starting work today can expect a net public pension of about half their net earnings on average in OECD countries, if they retire after a full career, at the official retirement age. But in nearly all the 13 countries that have made private pensions mandatory, pensioners can expect benefits of around 60% of earnings.
Conversely, in countries where public pensions are relatively low and private pensions voluntary, such as Germany, Ireland, Korea, Japan and the United States, large segments of the population can expect major falls in income upon retirement.
This could cause pensioner poverty to increase significantly. Later retirement and greater access to private pensions will be critical to closing this pension gap, says the OECD.
However, making private pensions compulsory is not necessarily the answer for every country. According to the report, such action could unfairly affect low earners and be perceived as an additional tax. Auto-enrolment schemes – where people are enrolled automatically and can then opt out within a certain time frame – might be a suitable alternative.
Italy and New Zealand have already introduced such schemes and the UK is set to roll one out in October 2012. However, the report finds that results are mixed, with a major expansion of coverage of private pensions in countries like New Zealand, and having only a small effect in others like Italy.
More broadly, reforming tax reliefs to encourage private pension savings is also needed, as low earners and younger workers are much less likely to have a private pension. Facilitating matching contributions or giving flat subsidies to savers, such as in Germany and New Zealand, would improve their incentives to contribute. To boost confidence in private pensions, governments also need to improve their oversight of funds to ensure that charges are kept low and risks minimised.
This inaugural edition of the Pensions Outlook also includes the first comprehensive evaluation of national Defined Contribution systems, which are now a central feature of many countries’ pension systems. Among other recommendations, the report argues that it is critical to set the minimum or default contribution rate in Defined Contribution systems at an appropriate level.
Contributions to these systems need to be high enough so that together with public pensions they generate sufficient income at retirement. While Australia is moving in the right direction by increasing its contribution rate from 9% to 12%, it remains too low in countries such as Mexico and New Zealand (6.5% and 3%, respectively).
For comment or further information, journalists should contact Juan Yermo of the OECD’s Financial Affairs division (tel. + 33 1 45 24 96 62) or Edward Whitehouse of the OECD’s Social Policy division (tel. + 33 6 25 89 56 67).
Highlights of the report are available at www.oecd.org/daf/pensions/outlook.
Also available: Relever l’âge de la retraite et étendre le champ couvert par les pensions privées est essentiel, estime l’OCDE (French).
OECD PENSIONS OUTLOOK 2012
Recent pension reforms will lead to lower public pensions for future generations of retirees, around 20-25% on average. This first edition of the Pensions Outlook argues that countries should focus on two main policies to address the growing pensions gap: later retirement and extending the coverage of private pensions.
Overall, the pace of pension reform has accelerated over the last five years. Changes include increases in pensionable ages, the introduction of automatic adjustment mechanisms and the strengthening of work incentives. Some countries have also better focused public pension expenditure on lower income groups. However, some recent reforms have raised controversy, such as the decision of some Central and Eastern European countries to pull back earlier reforms that introduced a mandatory funded component.
Most OECD countries have already begun to increase pensionable ages, or plan to do so in the near future. Age 65 remains the modal age at which people normally draw their pensions, accounting for 17, or half, of OECD countries for men and 14 countries for women. But 67 – or higher – is becoming the new 65. Some 13 countries (12 for women) are either increasing pension ages to this level or, in the cases of Iceland and Norway, are already there. Italy, which links pension age and seniority requirements to life expectancy from 2013 and Denmark, which plans to link pension age to life expectancy from the mid-2020s, are forecast nearly to reach age 69 in 2050. The United Kingdom has accelerated the increase in the pensionable age, which will move from 65 to 66 by 2020 (6 years earlier than planned) and from 66 to 67 by 2026-28 (10 years earlier than planned).
Extending working lives will help enhance both the sustainability and adequacy of pension systems. However, planned increases in retirement ages are generally insufficient to address expected rises in life expectancy. In many countries, cuts in public pensions will also widen the gap between pre and post retirement income. In order to close this pension gap, a growing role for private pensions will be essential.
Currently, thirteen OECD countries have either compulsory private pension systems in place (e.g. Australia, Chile) or quasi-mandatory systems based on nation-wide or industry-wide collective bargaining agreements (e.g. Denmark, the Netherlands) to ensure that most workers are covered and therefore have access to a sufficiently high complementary pension. However, in some countries with relatively low public pension benefits, private provision remains voluntary and the highest coverage rates observed are around 50%. In all the countries analysed in the report, the young, low income, part-time and temporary workers are least likely to participate in voluntary private pension plans (see UK case below).
An alternative to compulsory enrolment that has gained popularity in recent years is automatic enrolment. At its essence, it involves signing up people automatically to private pensions but giving them the option to opt out with different degrees of difficulty. Auto-enrolment was introduced in New Zealand in 2007 and partly explains the rapid increase in the coverage of the KiwiSaver (about 55% of the working age population, the highest level among non-compulsory systems in the OECD). On the other hand, in Italy, the introduction of auto-enrolment in 2007 has only had a small effect on coverage rates.
In October 2012 the United Kingdom will also see the introduction of a nation-wide auto-enrolment retirement savings system for all those workers who are not currently covered by private pension plans. This new mechanism should increase further the coverage rate of occupational pension schemes, currently standing at 43.3% of the working age population.
The design of financial incentives for retirement savings also needs to be reformed. Germany (Riester) and New Zealand (KiwiSaver) have introduced financial incentives based on direct state subsidies from the state to retirement savings accounts that also benefit workers that pay no or low taxes. In Germany, the state subsidy provided to Riester pension plans has promoted greater participation among lower income workers than among other private pension arrangements (see Figure 3 below). Low income workers do not normally benefit much from the tax incentives traditionally used to promote private pensions.
The success of these countries in expanding coverage in a relatively short period largely vindicates these policies, though financial incentives can create a heavy burden on already stretched public budgets. Furthermore, coverage gaps also remain in these countries, and overall enrolment rates are still below those observed in countries with mandatory or quasi-mandatory systems (over 70% of the working age population).
Private pension plans, particularly mandatory and auto-enrolment ones, are increasingly of the defined contribution (DC) type. Such plans require careful design and regulation as individuals are often ill-prepared to manage their savings in an effective manner. The starting point for a successful DC plan is a sufficiently high contribution rate.
The chart below compares projected public pension benefits with the mandatory contribution rate in mandatory DC plans or the typical or average contribution rate to voluntary DC plans, depending on the country. The public pension projections are shown as replacement rates (benefits as a percentage of final salary) for a young male worker earning average wages and entering the workforce in 2008 who accumulated benefit rights throughout his whole career and retires at the official or normal retirement age.
The graph shows a broadly inverse relationship between public pension benefits and DC contribution rates. For instance, in the United Kingdom the contribution rate of 8% in the auto-enrolment system should allow the average worker with a full career to reach a gross replacement rate of nearly 70% (32% from public PAYG pensions and 37% from the auto-enrolment retirement savings system). The net replacement rate would be around 80% for workers on average earnings.
On the other hand, there are some countries that clearly stand out in having both relatively low public pension benefits and DC contribution rates that do not seem to be sufficiently high. Such countries include Belgium, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and Norway. These are also among the countries that fall below the black diagonal line, which shows the combination of public pensions and DC contribution rates (with a 40-year contribution period) that delivers an overall replacement rate of 70% on average. Other countries below the black line include Australia, Chile, New Zealand and especially Mexico. The Australian government recently announced that it would raise the mandatory contribution rate from 9 to 12%, which would bring the country above the black line.
Another major concern in private pensions is investment risk. The financial and economic crisis has exerted major stress on private pension arrangements. Most countries’ pension funds are still in the red in terms of cumulative investment performance over the period 2007-11 (-1.6% annually, on average, in real terms). Even when measured over the period 2001-10, the pension funds’ real rate of return in the 21 OECD countries that report such data averaged a paltry 0.1%. Such disappointing performance puts at risk the ability of private pension arrangements to deliver adequate pensions. The United Kingdom follows the general trend, with average real investment returns of pension funds of -1.1% over the period 2007-10 and -0.1% over the period 2001-10.
In DC pension systems, one clear goal for policymakers should be to improve the design of default investment strategies so that investment risk is reduced as the worker approaches retirement. Such life-cycle investment strategies may need to be carefully regulated to ensure that workers are offered sufficient diversification and protection from market shocks in old age.

In the EU more than one in four young people from a migrant background leaves education and training too early.
Efforts in education are critical to preparing immigrants, and particularly their descendants, to be more successful and more active participants in society (Conclusions of the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of Member States on Integration, 4.5.2010).
The indicator considered here is the percentage of young people aged 18 to 24 who leave education and training early. It is calculated for all young people in that age group and is further specified for two particular sub-groups: young people born abroad and young people with foreign citizenship.
Key points
    In 2010, in the EU, the shares of foreign-born and foreign young people who left education and training early (30% and 26%, respectively) were much higher than the corresponding average for all 18-24 years olds (14%). In some countries, the difference was more than 10 percentage points.
    In 2010, the risk of a young person from a migrant background leaving education and training early was highest in four southern European countries (Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal). Greece had the highest share of foreign-born young people who were early leavers (44%) and the United Kingdom had the lowest share (10%). Greece also had the highest share of foreign young people who were early leavers (47%) with Luxembourg having the lowest share (10%). These findings are all based on available country figures.
    In 2010, the incidence of early leaving among foreign-born young people, compared with the country average for all 18-24 year-olds, was particularly high in Greece and Italy (with, respectively, 30 and 22 percentage points more than the country average), followed by Spain, Cyprus, Austria, Germany and France (with between 12 and 15 percentage points more than the country average).
    Similar differences were recorded for early leaving among all young people and early leaving among foreign young people, with Greece and Italy having the biggest differences (+33 and +25 percentage points, respectively) followed by other countries (Spain, Germany, Cyprus, France, Austria and Belgium) with differences that are smaller but still more than 10 percentage points.
    The situation was reversed only in the United Kingdom, and partly in Portugal, where the average early leaving for the overall population of young people was higher than for young people from a foreign background.
Notes
The indicator considers the share of young people aged 18-24 who are defined as early leavers from education and training, i.e. 18-24 year-olds with at most lower secondary education (ISCED 0-2 or 3c short) who declared that they have not received any education or training in the four weeks preceding the survey. The indicator is further specified for foreign young people and foreign-born young people. Foreigners or foreign population refers to persons who are not citizens of the country in which they reside, including persons of unknown citizenship and stateless persons. Foreign-born refers to persons whose place of birth, or the place of residence of the mother at the time of the birth, is outside the country of his or her usual residence.
Data originate from the EU Labour Force Survey and are subject to its methodology. Data were processed by DESTATIS and published on the Eurostat website. Data were extracted from the Eurostat online database on 22 May 2012. When interpreting the data, possible differences in national implementation of the EU LFS should be taken into account. Two approaches were considered in calculating the figures (i.e. country of birth and citizenship) to account for the different institutional settings which, in the EU Member States, can affect the specification of the migrant background of young people.
Data for some countries and/or for some dimensions are not presented either because the data were not available or owing to sample size limitations.
Links
Progress in reducing early school leaving and increasing graduates in Europe, but more efforts needed.
Early school leaving in Europe – Questions and answers.
Conclusions (Council & Representatives of the Governments of Member States) on Integration.
Indicators of Immigrant Integration - A pilot study.
Eurostat employment and social policy - Migrant integration indicators.
More statistics of the month.
Cedefop Statistics and indicators section.

A multilingual tool kit for training professionals
How can people working in the education, training and employment fields across Europe make sure what they all mean when using the a term? This is the problem that Cedefop’s linguistic tools have been designed to address. Our latest offering is the multilingual synopsis of the European Training Thesaurus.
This publication, which is available online in pdf form free of charge, is a selection of 1207 terms and concepts which appear frequently in literature related to European vocational education and training (VET) research and policy. This tool forms the basis of the full-fledged online thesaurus Cedefop is currently preparing. Rather than having the full features of a thesaurus, the synopsis allows for a quick navigation by language, term and topic.
Each term/concept is presented in 11 languages: Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Swedish. Topics covered include skills needs and shortages, lifelong learning, vocational education and training policy, assessment and certification of learning outcomes, recognition of certificates and diplomas, and vocational guidance. Download European training thesaurus.
Background and outlook
The ETT is Cedefop’s thesaurus and constitutes a multilingual controlled vocabulary for VET in Europe. It contains more than 2 500 terms (descriptors and non-descriptors) and is used to describe and access knowledge of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop).
Its topics include skill needs and shortages, lifelong learning, VET policy, assessment of learning outcomes, qualifications and vocational guidance.
ETT was first developed in the 1980s to standardise the indexing process for Cedefop’s bibliographic VET-Bib database to make searching simpler and more efficient. Currently, ETT is used in different library applications, as well as in Cedefop’s webportal.
In 2008, the third edition of ETT was published and made available on the Internet in English and French.
Since then, a lot of effort has gone into preparing additional language versions, mainly by ReferNet members. The following additional languages have been finalised: Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Swedish. Czech and Maltese versions are currently in preparation.
As a living working tool, the ETT is constantly being updated to:
• include new concepts and terms arising from current shifts and trends in VET in Europe;
• integrate terms and concepts deriving from Cedefop’s vocabularies;
• align ETT terminology with Eurovoc.
Since 2011, Cedefop has also been a member of Eurovoc’s collaborative thesaurus working group. The group aims at developing a European metathesaurus, which will link specialised thesauri to EuroVoc.
Cedefop will be the first EU organisation to benefit from full integration and alignment with EuroVoc.
Acknowledgements
The ETT is managed by Cedefop’s library and documentation service. It is updated at regular intervals to reflect the latest developments in VET.
The European training thesaurus working group (TWG) is made up of representatives from Cedefop, ReferNet, Eurovoc and Eurydice. The TWG collects and examines proposals for new terms/concepts to be added to the thesaurus.
Cedefop coordinates work of the TWG and is responsible for technical developments and monitoring translations. Translations of accepted terms are then provided by ReferNet. We are very grateful for the contribution and expertise of the TWG. We would like especially to thank ReferNet members who translated terms for this publication:
• Denmark (Danish Agency for International Education),
• Netherlands (ECBO – Expertisecentrum Beroepsonderwijs),
• Estonia (Innove – Foundation for Lifelong Learning Development),
• Finland (Finnish National Board of Education),
• France (Centre INFFO – Centre pour le développement de l’information sur la formation permanente),
• Germany (BIBB – Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung),
• Ireland (FÀS – Training and Employment Authority),
• Italia (ISFOL – Istituto per lo sviluppo della formazione professionale dei lavoratori),
• Poland (BKKK – Task Force for Training and Human Resources),
• Portugal (DGERT – Direcção-Geral do Emprego e das Relações de Trabalho), and
• Sweden (SKOLVERKET – Swedish National Agency for Education).
We welcome comments and suggestions and look forward to receiving feedback via the dedicated comments form. Download European training thesaurus.

The COPERNICUS Alliance is the European Network on Higher Education for Sustainable Development. The vision of the COPERNICUS Alliance is to promote the role of Sustainable Development in European Higher Education to improve education and research for sustainability in partnership with society.
GOALS
Networking: Exchanging and enhancing knowledge on Education for Sustainable Development between European Higher Education and student organizations that work for sustainability
Policy: Promoting Higher Education for Sustainable Development in European policy making
Service: Disseminating tools for sustainability integration in higher education
Outreach: Promoting sustainable development in European Higher Education
Representation: Representing European Higher Education for Sustainable Development in international committees on Education for Sustainable Development
EUROPEAN NETWORK
The COPERNICUS Alliance aims to achieve above mentioned goals through a growing network of European higher education institutions and develop a platform to strengthen integration of sustainable development in higher education management, education, research and society.
The COPERNICUS Alliance is strongly dependent on the participation of its members. Based on their activities it forms an innovation network for integration of sustainable development at higher education institutions with multiple contacts and possibilities of exchange at a European level.
COPERNICUS CHARTA
The COPERNICUS Alliance is strongly connected to the COPERNICUS Charta. The original document was developed in 1993 and until 2005 signed by 326 universities as a self commitment to follow its principles on sustainable development.
In 2011 a redesigned version was released as 'COPERNICUS Charta 2.0'.
About, Charta, Network, Goals, Vision.

The Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability (GUPES) was formally launched at Tongji University, Shanghai, China, on the occasion of the World Environment Day.
The launch of GUPES at Tongji University is a culmination of several preparatory processes that have been ongoing since the first GUPES Consultative meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya during November 2010. GUPES is expected to provide a platform for universities interested in enhancing environment and sustainability concerns through teaching, training and networking, with the following objectives:
- Evaluate experiences, lessons learnt, challenges and opportunities for the GUPES network since its inception;
- Agree on a common platform and strategic partnership framework for universities globally on environment and sustainability;
- Develop a strategic framework for resource mobilization for GUPES programmes, projects and activities as well as South-South and North-South partnerships; and
- Launch publications developed by UNEP’s Environmental Education and Training Unit in partnership with Universities from the GUPES network.
GUPES is also linked with the UN Higher Education Initiative on Sustainability, which will be launched during the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development.
The presentation included a High level panel on Universities and the transition towards ‘Green Economies’ and ‘Green Societies’ in the lead up Rio+20. It was held in conjunction with the 2012 International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development, which gathered around 400 students from all across the world.