On 31 May and 1 June in Brussels, the ETF will hold a conference in cooperation with the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee.  The conference aims to answer the question how can good multilevel governance contribute to the performance of education and training systems and policies.

What is governance in education and training?

Governance in education and training is about interaction among institutions, processes, traditions that collectively determine how power is exercised, how decisions are taken and how much stakeholders, including citizens, have say in it.

‘When graduates can’t find jobs, or when 40 year-olds can’t update their skills, there is probably something wrong in the way education and training is governed,’ said Anastasia Fetsi, head of thematic expertise department at the ETF.

‘Perhaps the system is not responsive enough to the needs of students or the demands of the labour market, or maybe the system does not guarantee a reasonable quality of training,’ said Ms Fetsi.

What is the situation in ETF partner countries?

In EU pre-accession and neighbouring countries, increasing the effectiveness of education and training for better employability, economic development and social cohesion is a crucial issue, considering the countries’ high unemployment levels, skill mismatches and territorial disparities.

‘We would like to draw attention to the impact of governance on the quality and relevance of education and training,’ said Petri Lempinen, the ETF expert who is responsible for the content of the event. ‘Most ETF partner countries are reforming their economies and democratising their societies. Education and training is part of it and the changes require new approaches to governance.’

Key themes of the conference

The conference will focus on the principles of good multi-level governance and related topics applied to education and training policies and systems, and will invite the participants to discuss, and share experience on the following questions:

• What is the added value of multi-level governance in supporting more participatory, effective, coherent, transparent and efficient management of public education and training policies in EU neighbouring regions?
• What kind of coordination mechanisms and cooperation arrangements should be put in place to implement effective and accountable decision making processes in education and training to support the strategic development of comprehensive, integrated policies?
• What capacities and skills do stakeholders involved in multi-level governance need to make education and training contribute to the development and welfare of countries and their citizens?  

The conference will be organised in plenary sessions and parallel thematic workshops to give as many as possible opportunities for discussion.

The participants

The event will bring together policy makers and high level officials from national, regional and local authorities, social partners, civil society organisations, business representatives, training providers and researchers in the field of governance and education and training from ETF partner countries, EU member states, EU institutions and international organisations and will be attended by approximately 150 participants.