Education and training

Education, vocational training and lifelong learning play important economic and social roles. In the EU, the opportunities for living, studying and working in other countries make a major contribution to cross-cultural understanding, personal development and the realisation of the EU’s full economic potential.

The European Commission provides:

• Encouragement and support for policy cooperation between Member States
• Funding for educational, vocational and citizenship-building programmes, such as the Lifelong Learning Programme

Currently there are three specific goals for education and training systems:

• Quality − Improve their quality and effectiveness
• Inclusivity − Ensure that everyone has access to them
• International Accessibility − Open them up to the wider world
  
  These goals apply to different types and levels of education and training, including:
• Teacher training
• Basic skills
• The integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs)
• Efficiency of investments
• Language learning
• Lifelong guidance
• Flexibility to make learning accessible to all
• Mobility
• Citizenship education