Commissioner for Education, Androulla Vassiliou, highlights that adult education can upgrade skills of the low-qualified and help in the challenges that ageing brings for Europe. Council of Europe reminds that supporting labour market is not the only goal of education.
Education is in the top of the Union´s agenda, says the Commissioner. It is a cure for unemployment.
— One of the big problems that we have is that we do not have the right skills of the people in order to fill jobs although we have unemployment — we have skills mismatch, says the Commissioner.
In addition to Education, Ms. Vassiliou is in charge of Culture, Multilingualism and Youth in the European Commission. She visited Helsinki last Friday as one of the keynote speakers of a meeting of 20 European Ministers of Education. The Conference focused on outlining the future work of the Council of the Europe related to education. Read more...

“Economic Crises, Labour Markets and Gender” - International Workshop - CEE, Ires and Presage-OFCE April 22, 2013.
CAPE (Centre d'Accueil de la Presse Étrangère) Grand Palais - Cours la Reine - Perron Alexandre III 75008 Paris www.capefrance.com. Télécharger le programme et le plan d'accès. Bulletin d'inscription à renvoyer à Marie-Hélène Boussange.
The financial crisis of 2007 has diversely hit European countries, causing economic and labour market disequilibria of more or less magnitude. As with past global crises, the current one has gendered implications. While women’s employment is said to be preserved relatively to men’s in the early stages of a recession, austerity plans implemented in several countries to limit public deficits and debts are deemed to affect female workers more deeply.
The aim of the workshop is to explore the gendered dimensions of past and/or present crises’ impacts on European labour markets. How gendered are these impacts and how should cross-country differences be analysed? The seminal book edited by Jill Rubery in 1988, Women and recession, carried out a comprehensive and comparative review of the gendered dimensions of past recessions that constitutes an invaluable guidebook for the present. Are common hypotheses – gender-segregation in the labour market, the extent of public support for women’s participation, etc. – still relevant to analyzing the gender implications of recent crises? Are public policies implemented in times of crisis gender neutral or do they impact differently on women’s and men’s employment? The workshop will both adopt a comparative perspective and provide a focus on selected countries.

A new report from the European Commission examines the effect of the financial crisis on education budgets. The report shows that nearly half of the 28 countries for which data were available cut their spending on tertiary and adult education from 2010 to 2011, with the greatest decline observed in Slovakia (nearly 15 percent), and reductions of more than 5 percent in the Czech Republic, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, and Northern Ireland. In 2012, even larger cuts took place in Cyprus and Lithuania (more than 30 percent), and Greece (25 percent).

This report looks at the trends in education spending over the period 2000-2012 and examines the impact that the financial and economic crisis has had on education budgets across Europe over the last few years (2010-2012). The analysis covers the developments in education funding from pre-primary to tertiary level and provides an overview of the main trends in the adult learning sector in 31 European countries. The full report includes information on the economic context, public expenditure, national budget developments in education, funding of human resources, educational infrastructure, support systems and financial support for students. European Commission Press release. Download the full version Funding of Education in Europe 2000-2012.
Introduction
High quality education and training are essential if Eur ope is to make a speedy recovery from the most severe economic and financial cris is for 50 years. Qualif ied people with the right skills can boost the European Union's economy by leading innovation a nd improving competitiveness. However, as a result of the financial and economic crisis, public finances in all Member States are under great pressure. Governments are seeking ways to reduce budget deficits and manage public debt without dismantling the foundations of sustainable growth. While no direct link can be established between the level of funding of the education systems an d student's learning outcomes, there is a general understanding that investing in high quality education and training should continue to be a priority. Nevertheless, the sector is not immune to austerity measures, particularly in countries where the need for short-term fiscal consolidation is greatest.
This report looks at the trends in education spen ding over the period 2000-2012 and examines the recent impact that the financial and economic crisis has had on education budgets across Europe in 2011 and 2012. The analysis covers the developments in education funding from pre-primary to tertiary level, while also providing an overview of the main trends in the adult learning sector. As Eurostat data on expenditure in education for 2011 and 2012 will not be available before mid-2013, for these years the report uses information from national education budgets. Education budgets adopted by national authorities can be seen as a reliable pr oxy of education spending in the respective years and provide a key to understanding the polit ical priorities for the sector.
The comparative analysis is arranged in five chapter s, two chapters deal with the overall changes in education funding and three thematic chapters assess the impact of the downturn on three of the pillars of the education system, namely, human resources, education infrastructure and financial support for students. In each chapter, the appraisal of the more recent changes in funding and policy priorities is based on information collected from the Eurydice Network. This analysis is accompanied by a view of the longer term trends based on statistical data available from Eurostat. The main findings of the report are explained in an executiv e summary following this introduction.
The first chapter presents the economic context in which European countries have been managing their public finances. It looks at Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and growth rates over the last decade as well as at levels of public debt in Europe since 2007. This general overview provides the financial framework in which recent education policies have been developed.
The second chapter provides an in depth analysis of the changes in actual public expenditure on education and the developments in national education budgets. The first section shows the trends in public expenditure over the last decade both as a share of total public expenditure and in comparison with national GDP; the cost per student is also examined. In the second section of this chapter, the most recent changes in education budgets for 2011 and 2012 are discussed; examining the proposed spending at different levels of educat ion and the budgets allocated to various categories of expenditure. The spending priorities defined by count ries for 2013 are also considered in the last section of the chapter.
Chapter three analyses the trends in the funding of human resources the largest category of expenditure in all European countries. Firstly, the changes in the numbers of teachers are compared with the changes in student populations to prov ide an indication of whether such changes were affected only by the demographic evolution or th e economic downturn has also affected human resource costs. Secondly, the changes to teachers' statutory salaries and allowances in 2011 and 2012 are presented, explaining the different national polic ies in this area. In the last section of this chapter, the funding for continuing professional dev elopment (CPD) is analysed, as this provision is important for the development of the prof essional skills of the work force.
Chapter four examines the recent mergers and school closures and assesses the degree to which they are related to the crisis. In addition, the budgets for educational infrastructure and for specific programmes of educational support are analysed. Although these categories of spending represent only a small share of the total public resources invested, they can have an impact on the quality of education provided. As local authorities and/or institutions have a degree of autonomy in managing these resources, any in formation provided on the extent of the reforms to infrastructure spending between 2010 and 2012 does not necessarily reflect a complete picture.
Finally, in chapter five, the latest trends in funding and changes to national policies for the financial support of students are examined. The budget allocated to such support is one of the key elements in ensuring high levels of participation in education, especially for disadvantaged groups of students. These support systems, however, are likely to come under pressure as a result of the possible reductions in the available public funding and the increased demand for contributions from private sources, especially in tertiary education.

More than four years after the onset of the economic and social crisis, there are five million fewer people in work in the 27 European Union Member States. Eurofound’s second annual European Jobs Monitor report ‘Employment polarisation and job quality in the crisis’ finds that the destruction of employment during the crisis has been sharpest in mid-paying jobs, while sparing in large part jobs at either end of the wage distribution. Higher paid jobs in service sectors in particular have proved most resilient.
New well-paid employment has come primarily in knowledge-intensive service sectors, such as ICT, business consultancy, health and education. During the peak period of the recession (2008–2009), employment growth in well-paid jobs was concentrated in predominantly publicly funded service sectors, principally health and education, but has shifted to private sector services more recently (2011-12). Some low-paid jobs have also increased employment – for example, cleaners and personal care workers in social work and residential care. In general, jobs in the lowest quintile have fared much better than those in the “shrinking middle”. The majority of construction and manufacturing jobs are near or just below median pay levels and these have suffered the brunt of employment losses. As these sectors are predominantly male, the aggregate impacts of the crisis have been very different for men and for women. Female job losses have been much more modest. Indeed, the recession can be seen as accelerating the catch-up process of women in the labour market, both in terms of employment numbers and access to higher layers of the employment structure. Women have increased their employment share, particularly in ‘mid-paid’ and ‘good’ jobs (those in the higher quintiles). In part, this has been because women are overrepresented in certain growing sectors such as health and underrepresented in declining sectors. But it also reflects higher levels of educational attainment by women at a time when qualifications are an even more important requisite for access to better quality jobs. An alarming illustration of the damage caused by the crisis to the prospects of younger, labour market entrants is that over the last year more of the net EU growth in well-paid, third-level graduate jobs was accounted for by those in the post-retirement age group (65+) than by workers under 30. Download the report here.

Le ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur publie les résultats de la troisième enquête nationale sur l'insertion professionnelle des diplômés de l'université, réalisée entre décembre 2011 et avril 2012. Celle-ci a porté sur les diplômés 2009 de DUT, de licence professionnelle et de master. Le taux d’insertion est calculé sur les diplômés de nationalité française, issus de la formation initiale, entrés immédiatement et durablement sur le marché du travail après l’obtention de leur diplôme en 2009. Les diplômés vérifiant ces conditions représentent respectivement 39% des diplômés d'un master, 55% des diplômés de licence pro, et 12% des diplômés de DUT. L'enquête a pour objet d'évaluer leur situation professionnelle, 30 mois après obtention de leur diplôme.
Principal enseignement: la crise économique n'aurait pas d'incidence sur le recrutement des diplômés de l'université. En effet, comme les diplômés de 2007 et 2008, c'est-à-dire d'avant le début de la crise économique et financière, 91% des diplômés de master de 2009 et 92 % des diplômés de licence professionnelle occupaient un emploi en décembre 2011.
Logiquement, les diplômés de master sont plus nombreux (88%) à occuper un emploi de niveau cadre ou une profession intellectuelle que les diplômés de licence pro (73%) et de DUT (57%). Toutefois, ce sont les diplômés de licence pro qui bénéficient des meilleurs conditions d'embauche: ils sont 80% à avoir décroché un CDI à temps complet, contre 73% des masters et 71% des DUT.
Pour les diplômés de master, les indicateurs sont accessibles pour chaque université dont le taux de réponse garantit une qualité suffisante des résultats. On note ainsi que les résultats des universités de La Rochelle et Poitiers sont un peu supérieurs aux résultats nationaux. Consulter les résultats de l'enquête.

Financial fallout from a decision to leave the EU would, in reality, be minimal for higher education institutions, argues Alison Wolf.
We will give the British people a referendum with a very simple in or out choice," announced David Cameron last week: to stay in the European Union on the terms our government negotiates or to "come out altogether".
Suppose the UK population chooses "Out". How much should universities, as universities, care? And how much would we even notice?
For Britain as a whole, the consequences are large. Given academics' views and voting patterns, it is hard to believe that most would be in the "Out" camp. But for our institutions it is not obvious that the change would be dramatic. And I can think of some university finance directors who would be grinning widely.
It has been an article of faith in Brussels that, within the EU, states will converge in every way. A few years ago, I co-authored a report for the European Commission on "convergence and divergence" in European education. Our sponsors took it for granted that we would find convergence, and we had a hard time even getting "divergence" into the contract title. Read more...

By Gene A. Budig. From student loans to graduation rates, higher education is mess.
There is much talk about the skyrocketing rise in college tuition. For most people, there is a real fear that a four-year degree has become unaffordable. This cost issue is a serious problem, but it is not the only challenge in higher education. The whole sector is facing increased scrutiny on a variety of fronts.
Concern about the performance of higher education is no longer limited to policymakers and researchers. It is widespread, and for good reason: The failures of our colleges and universities are reflected in our economy, our social stability and our quest for an equitable society. In a recent poll by Time magazine and the Carnegie Corp., 89% of U.S. adults say higher education is in crisis; 54% say it is moving in the wrong direction; 96% of senior higher education administrators say their sector is in crisis; 40% say that crisis is "severe." Read more...

Implementation of Eurofound’s four-year work programme 2013–2016 From crisis to recovery: Better informed policies for a competitive and fair Europe begins in 2013. The multiannual strategy laid down in the four-year programme provides Eurofound with a clear framework for the development of its annual programmes. It identifies four policy priority areas where Eurofound will provide high quality, timely and policy-relevant knowledge as input to better informed policies. This is the Agency’s strategic objective for the 2013–2016 period.The activities proposed in the annual programme for 2013 are designed to contribute to achieving this while also taking into account the organisational and policy context specific to the year 2013. As is appropriate for the first year of a four-year programme cycle, a number of activities will be launched in 2013 and will be continued or complemented by follow-up projects and further strands in coming years. The 2013 work programme also takes into account the sequence and work processes of Eurofound’s flagship activities, the European surveys and the observatories. Download the Annual work programme 2013.
From crisis to recovery: Better informed policies for a competitive and fair Europe - Four-year work programme 2013-2016
As Eurofound embarks on a new four-year work programme, Europe faces some of its greatest challenges yet. Prospects for economic and social development in Europe and in other parts of the world are increasingly unclear. Drafted against this social and economic background and with these key imperatives to the fore, the priorities of this programme reflect clearly both the immediate challenge of coping with the crisis and the mid-term ambition to achieve progress towards a competitive and fair Europe – and this, of course, with the overall ambition of seeing Europe get ‘back on track’. Building on over 30 years of research and expertise serving Europe’s decision-makers – EU institutions, national governments and social partners – this programme presents the strategic framework for the work of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions for the period 2013 to 2016.