Lifelong Learning Programme

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Teachers’ Guide

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TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION TO PROMOTE SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN SCHOOL EDUCATION

Table of Content

Chapter 1: Introduction
1.4 Europe 2020 and ET 2020
Europe 2020 is the European Union’s ten-year jobs and growth strategy. It was launched in 2010 to create the conditions for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Five headline targets have been agreed for the EU to achieve by the end of 2020. These cover employment; research and development; climate/energy; education; social inclusion and poverty reduction.

The Commission is proposing five measurable EU targets for 2020 that will steer the process and be translated into national targets: for employment; for research and innovation; for climate change and energy; for education; and for combating poverty. They represent the direction we should take and will mean we can measure our success.

Each EU country is responsible for its own education and training systems. EU policy is designed to support national action and help address common challenges, such as ageing societies, skills deficits in the workforce, technological developments and global competition. Education and training 2020 (ET 2020) is the framework for cooperation in education and training.

ET 2020 is a forum for exchanges of best practices, mutual learning, gathering and dissemination of information and evidence of what works, as well as advice and support for policy reforms. The following EU benchmarks for 2020 have been set for education:
  • at least 95% of children (from 4 to compulsory school age) should participate in early childhood education
  • fewer than 15% of 15-year-olds should be under-skilled in reading, mathematics and science
  • the rate of early leavers from education and training aged 18-24 should be below 10%
  • at least 40% of people aged 30-34 should have completed some form of higher education
  • at least 15% of adults should participate in lifelong learning
  • at least 20% of higher education graduates and 6% of 18-34 year-olds with an initial vocational qualification should have spent some time studying abroad.
Online Resources
  • European Commission, Strategic framework – Education & Training 2020ET 2020 is a forum for exchanges of best practices, mutual learning, gathering and dissemination of information and evidence of what works, as well as advice and support for policy reforms.
  • European Commission, Smart GrowthSmart growth means improving the EU's performance in: education (encouraging people to learn, study and update their skills), research/innovation (creating new products/services that generate growth and jobs and help address social challenges), digital society (using information and communication technologies).
  • European Commission, Europe 2020Europe 2020 is the EU's growth strategy for the coming decade. In a changing world, we want the EU to become a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy. These three mutually reinforcing priorities should help the EU and the Member States deliver high levels of employment, productivity and social cohesion. Concretely, the Union has set five ambitious objectives - on employment, innovation, education, social inclusion and climate/energy - to be reached by 2020. Each Member State has adopted its own national targets in each of these areas. Concrete actions at EU and national levels underpin the strategy.

Table of Content