Working and ageing - Cedefop - Europa
Working and ageing - Cedefop - Europa
Working and ageing - Cedefop - Europa
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56<br />
<strong>Working</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>ageing</strong><br />
Guidance <strong>and</strong> counselling for mature learners<br />
3.5.1. Training participation of older workers in Germany –<br />
Results from CVTS3<br />
Continuing vocational training is an important part of lifelong learning <strong>and</strong> is,<br />
therefore, of great importance for policy, the economy, society <strong>and</strong> all<br />
individuals. It is central for maintaining, broadening <strong>and</strong> updating the<br />
qualifications required by employees <strong>and</strong> is necessary to maintain<br />
competitiveness of enterprises. A core aim of the CVTS3 ( 17 ) is to examine<br />
how continuing vocational training is practised by enterprises in Europe. The<br />
findings indicate that it is stagnating in Germany <strong>and</strong> is even on the decline in<br />
some cases. Compared to other European countries, Germany continues to<br />
rank no higher than midfield <strong>and</strong> compared to European countries with similar<br />
socioeconomic structures, Germany actually trails northern <strong>and</strong> western<br />
European countries. In Germany, fewer enterprises offered their employees<br />
continuing vocational training in 2005 than in 1999, <strong>and</strong> fewer employees in<br />
all enterprises participated in continuing training. However, those enterprises<br />
that provided continuing vocational training courses trained more employees<br />
<strong>and</strong> also made more learning time available per participant. Despite this,<br />
enterprises invested nominally less overall in continuing training per<br />
participant, which was particularly evident in the amount of direct expenditure<br />
on courses ( 18 ) (Behringer et al., 2008).<br />
For the first time since its start, CVTS3 collected European-wide data of<br />
training participants in enterprises by age group. A report dealing with the age<br />
question shows that participation of older employees in continuing vocational<br />
training is much differentiated across Europe. On average, one in four<br />
employees attended continuing vocational training; in enterprises offering it<br />
for its employees one in three employees participated. Germany ranks in the<br />
lower middle, therefore running behind nearly every other northern <strong>and</strong><br />
western European countries (Bannwitz, 2008). In most Member States,<br />
changes in age structures will go h<strong>and</strong>-in-h<strong>and</strong> with a decline in population<br />
size. As mentioned, in Germany this development has become visible since<br />
2010. Composition of the potential work force by age cohort will also change<br />
( 17 ) European surveys on continuing vocational training in enterprises provide important information on<br />
quantitative <strong>and</strong> qualitative structures of continuing vocational training <strong>and</strong> supply comparable data<br />
from many European countries. Three surveys were conducted with the reference years 1993, 1999<br />
<strong>and</strong> 2005. The next survey will be held in 2011. 28 countries <strong>and</strong> more than 100 000 enterprises<br />
participated in CVTS3. Results are available from the Eurostat database<br />
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/education/data/database [17.6.2011].<br />
For an evaluation <strong>and</strong> interpretation of CVTS3 see <strong>Cedefop</strong>, 2010.<br />
( 18 ) Fees <strong>and</strong> payments of courses, travel <strong>and</strong> subsistence payments, labour cost of internal trainers<br />
<strong>and</strong> other costs (teaching material, rooms, etc.).