ALL EU citizens should be issued with "personal skills cards" detailing their knowledge and formal qualifications, according to an EU White Paper on education and training.
The cards, which would be updated regularly, would be recognised for training and employment purposes throughout the EU.
Abilities such as writing skills, word-processing and language proficiency would be detailed on the skills cards. Such a scheme would provide an immediate assessment of a person's qualifications during their life, in contrast to diplomas which lose their value with time at an ever-increasing pace.
The White Paper also proposes to increase student mobility by ensuring that students who get a study grant in their own country can use it in any other EU state. The mutual recognition of "course credits" should also he widely introduced, it is proposed.
To combat exclusion, the paper proposes that "second chance" schools be developed in "problem" areas. Teachers working in these schools would be paid extra, with class sizes smaller than average.
Information and multi-media technology would be heavily used and some schools would be sponsored by private companies. Funding would be provided by deploying resources from existing EU programmes.
The White Paper, Towards a Learning Society, was published last month by the EU Commissioner for Education and Training, Ms Edith Cresson. Its recommendations are expected to be vigorously debated this year, which has been designated ,European Year of Lifelong Learning.
To promote the development of European voluntary (as opposed to military) service, the document proposes that the European Commission launch a programme for young volunteers to carry out public service tasks outside their own countries, including countries outside the EU.
Foreign language learning should begin at pre-school level (in Ireland it begins at second-level) and every young person would be proficient in at least two Community foreign languages when leaving school.
The White Paper asserts that the present age of change represents a historic opportunity for Europe. A forward-looking civilisation can only be created by developing "the learning society". However, there is now "too much inflexibility, too much compartmentalisation of education and training systems".
There are 117 million people aged under 25 years in the EU, or 32 per cent of the population. Ireland has the greatest proportion of young people (43 per cent), l 1/2 times more than Germany.
