Strong adult and vocational training needed on future labour market
– Adult- and continuing education and training must be a means and an innovative force to ensure qualified labour for the Danish labour market. This requires that we can agree on an ambitious reform that is subjected to careful examination of the total system of adult- and continuing training and education, LO-President Lizette Risgaard explains.
When we concluded the tripartite agreement in august of 2016, we agreed to establish an expert committee on adult- and continuing training and education. The committee is currently working hard to find solutions to strengthen the education and training systems. We will, of course, take part in the tripartite negotiations that we are about to resume, where we will push for a reform of those exact systems.
Ambitious reform
LO?s ambition is that adult- and vocational training becomes a means and an innovative tool for ensuring qualified labour to the Danish labour market.
This requires agreeing on an ambitious reform which scrutinizes the existing system and which really has an impact.
Workers need high quality training to secure future employment.
The employers depend on competent labour.
Society cannot afford to miss out on investing in knowledge. Because this is what we are going to live on in the future.
Stronger adult- and continuing education because;
Adult- and continuing training and education is crucial to both workers and companies on the labour market of the future. And all parties – both the government, employers and workers – have a responsibility for ensuring that everyone has the necessary qualifications.
This is the only way we can maintain a welfare society in future.
The labour market is undergoing many changes – but we can keep up. This requires, however, that the public sector, employees and employers give priority to adult- and continuing education and training.
Adapting to digitalization and automation
The activity in both vocational and tertiary continuing education has been declining during the past few years. If we are to adapt to and master digitalization and automation, we must raise the bar in the entire education system – both when it comes to ordinary vocational training and continuing training and education. This involves moving more workers from unskilled to skilled, and getting more skilled workers to embark on continuing training and education. But there must also be a closer cooperation between the schools across the education and training levels.
LO?s ambition is a stronger an more coherent system for all adults.
Let?s give continuing education and training a proper and much needed boost the next time we get together to conclude a strong tripartite agreement, Lizette Risgaard concludes.
Tripartite negotiations are talks between the government and the central organisations of the social partners. The main purpose of these negotiations is to conclude agreements that are significant to the labour market and to the competitiveness of companies. The contents exceeds or supplements the agreements concluded by the social partners when negotiating collective agreements.