Analysis of recent trends in European mobility and migration and transnational recognition of qualifications in the health sector indicates no major increase in mobility in the European Union; more complex and fluid migration patterns; and increased competition for highly skilled workers, especially in health care. Fundamental barriers to mobility…

Operation Heracles sought to promote the social and occupational advancement of workers with disabilities in sheltered workshops and occupational therapy centers in the Lower Rhine region. Preparation of workers for mainstream workplaces involved skills reviews, retraining, placement, and follow-up, with family participation. (SK)

Reviews the history of vocational training policy from the establishment of the European Economic Community in the Treaty of Rome in 1957 to the Treaty of Maastricht, which created the European Union in 1992. Discusses the evolution from a centralized legislative approach to a more user-oriented approach promoting mobility. (Contains 40…

As occupational mobility becomes an increasing focus in the European Union, it is framed by an education and training context rather than a labor-market framework. This context emphasizes acquisition of skills for transnational employment, including foreign language, intercultural competence, and transferable job skills. (SK)

Analysis of the German situation shows gradual erosion of the traditional relationship between career progression and further training. Diagonal career patterns are needed to replace traditional vertical paths in new, less-hierarchical organizational structures. (SK)

In the volatile and uncertain labor market, there is increased job mobility but less advancement and more tenuous links between training and advancement. Increased career discontinuity and short-term employment and less emphasis on trades also suggest that guidance and training should focus on flexible preparation for the market rather than…

German, British, and European Commission models of vocational training were compared with the situation in France. Rethinking of the link between training and employment may be necessary in a context in which occupational mobility is less clear cut than it used to be. (SK)

The European Union principle of free worker movement across borders requires thorough knowledge of the language of the country of employment. Multilingualism, including intercultural skills, is a key employment skill that should be acquired early. (SK)

Language ability is a holistic competence that encompasses both cognitive and social skills. Second languages are key skills for mobility in the European Union, but given minimal attention. The position of language instruction and teacher training must be strengthened in vocational training. (SK)

Considerable growth in continuing training in France is due to government and employer policies. People entering training on their own initiative are a declining minority. Obstacles to lifelong education include changing work conditions, training supply, and weakening links between training and career progress or stable employment. (SK)

European projects combining secondary vocational and general education with a dual orientation toward employment and postsecondary education were analyzed. Results showed that credentials with dual orientation facilitate mobility in the education system and labor market. Good practices need to be exchanged and transferred across national systems.…