La formation continue dans la Grande Région transfrontalière

Border Region

Greater Region

Language(s)

Français

Type

Note on a scientific paper, a conference paper, etc.

Main Category

Regional Development – Sustainability

Employment – Education – Economy

Introduction

This paper provides a partial summary, whilst starting from an in-depth analysis of continuing training in this (both international and infra-national) territory.

Summary

Continuing training is an essential component of the labour market in the Greater Region and of the Lisbon Strategy. And yet it is a reality that is hard to harmonise at European level and one which resists statistical analysis. Only the European statistical surveys, in particular the labour force surveys, get anywhere a satisfactory degree of comparability of the indicators. They indicate the insufficiencies and imperfections of the continuing training systems in the Greater Region. Thus rates of participation were stagnating in the different components of the Greater Region at the end of the period, and even falling in Luxembourg and Wallonia, remaining below the European target of 12.5%. The allocation of continuing training efforts appears to be suboptimal insofar as it is the best rained works in large companies that have the best access to continuing training (cf. "all other things being equal" analysis). As for the content of the continuous training, an excessive focus on the current workstation means there is a risk of failing to meet the European target on "flexicurity". If the continuing training systems in the Greater Region have some identical features, the differences are worthy of note.

For example there is a more pronounced openness in the Luxembourg and Walloon systems, which allows for training that is less connected to the current post and extends outside of working hours. Lorraine stood out for its higher rate of participation at the end of the period, although this comes at the price of shorter training courses. In 2020, continuing training remains a challenge for Europe and the Greater region, with a target of 15%. Even more so as the current economic difficulties risk curbing efforts in continuing training, even though they are a lever for emerging from the crisis.

Content

Continuing training occupies a central place in the Lisbon Strategy. Recognised as a means of enabling the advanced economies to maintain their position in the global economy. The main objective of the Lisbon Strategy (2000) was to reach a rate of participation of 12.5% of adults (aged between 25 and 64).

This article, which shed considerable light on the training situation in the Greater Region, is made up of 22 points structured as follows:

The stakes involved in continuing training
Definition of continuing training
Different forms of training (formal, non-formal and informal),
The Lisbon Strategy in the Greater Region,
The need to obtain indicators on the Greater Region,
The numerous data sources available,
The problem of data harmonisation in Europe,
The labour force survey: a strategic source chosen for use,
Convergence of participation in continuing training within the Greater Region,
The Greater Region below the European average,
Participation of women compared to men,
The place given to older workers,
The employed labour force accounts for the majority of participants in continuing training,
Concentration of continuing training on those already most qualified,
The seniority benefit,
More training in large companies and the service sector,
Continuing training mainly linked to current work,
The imperfections in the continuing training systems,
Behaviour of the economic agents,
Interventions of the public authorities,
Continuous training in times of economic crisis,
The challenge.

At the same time, this paper enables us to get a good grasp of cross-border statistical cooperation within the Greater Region, which was run by the working group of the statistics offices and IUIL for the purposes of the conducting of the Interreg IV project (2009-2011), whilst also providing a reminder of the European target on adult continuing education. The impact of mobility on continuing training is also mentioned, as well as the harmonisation between the different data (example of Germany).

The Greater Region is the political expression of an institutionalised privileged cooperation covering a territory made up of: the Greater Region, Lorraine, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Wallonia, and which unites the political and administrative authorities. A map included in the article shows the extent of the Greater Region.

Conclusions

Today continuing training occupies a place of choice in the European socio-economic model. It is supposed to contribute to raising the productivity of workers, improving the working of the labour market, adapting the labour force to new technologies and securing career trajectories.

It constitutes a component indispensable to the smooth operation of the Greater Region's labour market and is already evidence of its cross-border dimension: according to continuing training professionals in Luxembourg, almost a quarter of people training in Luxembourg companies are cross-border workers. However, within the framework of the Lisbon target, which has been revised upwards to 15% for 2020, continuing training remains a challenge for Europe and the Greater Region.

Key Messages

Continuing training includes all types of organised training, funded or sponsored by the public authorities, provided free by employers or funded by the beneficiaries themselves. Between a formal, non-formal and an informal apprenticeship, continuing training constitutes a refuge for skilled members of the labour force already in work.

In spite of an average below that of the European Union (the regions of the Greater Region and the countries they belong to all had, over the period analysed, performances that were lower than that of the EU: a rate of 11% for the EU15 and 9.6% for the EU27), with rates of participation that are higher for women than men in the Greater regions counties (except Germany).

Lead

Insee Lorraine

Contributions

Cindy LOPES-BENTO
Gérard MOREAU

Links

https://www.epsilon.insee.fr/jspui/handle/1/2070

Keywords