Enterprise Directorate General European Commission Life Long Learning for Innovation Conference “Continual Vocational Training” Venice, 9 April 2003 Peter Löwe, European Commission, Innovation Policy Unit

2 The EU perspective on LLL: Lisbon: Competitiveness AND social inclusion Most competitive knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010 Europe: “more prosperous, inclusive, tolerant and democratic” LLL a “pivotal” element of the Lisbon strategy Towards a “European Area for LLL” The Political Background

3 A co-ordinated multi-angle approach: Education and Training European Employment Strategy European Social Agenda Skills and Mobility Action Plan e-Europe and e-Learning Initiative March 2003 Communication of the Commission: “Innovation Policy: updating the Union’s approach in the context of the Lisbon Strategy” The “European Area for LLL”

4 Principles, objectives, tools: No “top-down”, turn diversity into a resource Objectives of EU innovation policy: –“Vertical” co-ordination: regions, countries, EU –“Horizontal” co-ordination –Develop sector-specific policies Important tools: Trend Chart and Scoreboard: –“intelligent benchmarking” –“trans-national policy learning” EU Innovation Policy

5 Innovation Scoreboard: Sweden

6 Innovation Scoreboard: Italy

7 European Innovation Scoreboard

8 LLL “Best Performance”

9 New specific scoreboard on LLL

10 Enterprise investment in LLL

11 Regional spread: LLL

12 Towards “learning regions” Italy has important assets: The homeland of “industrial districts” Competitiveness relying on creativity and speed “Strong”, quality based, constructive competition High degree of co-operation (associations) High-trust relationship between management and workforce The homeland of “coopetition”

13 Towards “learning regions” Issues to be tackled: Formal education often inadequate Closer collaboration between industry and training institutions Improve science / industry interface New specific ICT tools: “digital districts” Proactive regional innovation policy Better interaction between central & regional level

14 “ When planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When planning for life, train and educate people.” Chinese proverb (645 BC) Motto of the Commission Communication “Making the European Area of LLL a Reality” The European Area for LLL