Europe has seen dramatic changes in its employment structure over the past 60 years. While primary industries (including agriculture) and manufacturing are still important in economic terms, they account for an increasingly small part of total employment. Knowledge-based activities and the application of intellectual and professional capacities are crucial for economic success, while caring for the environment and for an ageing population are becoming the most significant areas for new employment activities. Within this context, both individuals and the state are making substantial investments in human capital, but not all of it is necessarily guaranteed a positive return. The European Commission's New Skills for New Jobs agenda has emphasised the importance of trying to anticipate changing skill needs as a result of these structural changes, a task made more difficult because of the recent events in the financial markets, and their ramifications for the World economy. CEDEFOP (European Centre for Vocational Education and Training) has instigated a programme of research to look at these issues. This talk will draw on this research, and also other European research, to outline some implications of what this means for the future of education, training and work.

Rob Wilson is a Professorial Fellow and Deputy Director of the Institute for Employment Research at the University of Warwick. His research has included analyses of the drivers of change in the patterns of demand for and the supply of skills, of the links between technological change and the demand for skills, and of the relationship between pay and qualifications. He has acted as an advisor on methods for anticipating changing skill needs for the European Commission, the UK Learning and Skills Council and governments of many other countries. He is currently undertaking a four-year research programme for CEDEFOP.

Anyone interested in attending this event should RSVP to Norma Coull at Monash, Tel: (03) 9905 9157 Fax: (03) 9905 9184

Email norma.coull@monash.edu