Early Identification of Skill Needs in Europe

The strive for identifying future training needs has a history dating at least 50 years. During this period, a variety of models have been used with more failure than success. The presentation is divided in three parts: Lessons from the experience of forecasting training needs, recent research findings in the economics of training, and a discussion of possible training paths for an enlarged Europe. The presentation covers the links between the formal school and training systems, the labor market, and the financing of skills acquisition in a lifelong context. On the occasion, a list of references is given to the academic literature on training.