Ignoring the social dividend of education & training costs the EU billions of euros each year

The Commission stresses the need for European education and training systems to be both efficient and equitable if they are to achieve the necessary quality to help create more growth, jobs and social cohesion.

The process of modernising education and training systems in Member States is largely driven by the search for greater efficiency and cost effectiveness. Whilst efficient systems are obviously a pre-requisite for success, the Commission argues that efficiency does not have to come at the expense of equity, and proposes four main areas for action by the Member States.