Cedefop

Qualifications largely determine our chances at employment, our ability to access further education and our social status. But they also have limitations: much of the knowledge and competence we acquire through life is left out of our diplomas, certificates and titles. To close this gap, both the education and employment worlds need to engage in redesigning and updating qualifications. This was the main theme of Cedefop’s Agora Conference, Qualifications for lifelong learning and employability (Thessaloniki 5-6 October), which examined how qualifications are used in today’s economy.

Cedefop is at present carrying out extensive work on how older workers learn, particularly on the neglected issue of how to retrain and retain workers nearing retirement age – and what motivates people to keep working past it. An international workshop on ‘Working at old age – Emerging theories and empirical perspectives on ageing and work’ is to be held at Cedefop, Thessaloniki, on 29-30 September 2008.

The challenge of how to implement an e-skills agenda for the 21st Century will be the main topic of the European e-Skills 2008 Conference, Implementing a long term e-skills strategy in Europe.