Doc. 9402

3 April 2002

Training of workers in the use of new technologies

Report

Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee

Rapporteur: Mr Claude Birraux, France, Group of the European People's Party

Summary

The new information and communication technologies (NICT) increasingly pervade not only private life but also working life in every sector of the European economy. It is estimated that 50 per cent of all employees use a computer at work. Proficiency in the use of the NICT is therefore a necessary condition for productivity and competitiveness. However, disparities and inequalities in the distribution and use of the NICT, and in access to training in NICT, threaten to exacerbate the "digital divide", the gap between those who can access and use NICT effectively and those who cannot, thus intensifying existing patterns of social exclusion.

The Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers include activities in its work programme designed to compare experience and identify "best practice" regarding the training of workers in the use of new technologies and the contribution this can make to social cohesion and to reducing the "digital divide". The Assembly also considers that the governments of the member states and the European Union should be invited, among other things, to step up their efforts to support and promote the education and training of workers in the use of the new technologies; to increase investment in basic and high level education and training in NICT; to provide incentives to ensure that companies offer training even to the least stable categories of their workforce and even in skills that are transferable elsewhere; and to fully involve trade unions in the design and implementation of such training programmes.

I.       Draft recommendation

1.       The rapidly developing new information and communication technologies (NICT) now increasingly pervade not only private life but also working life in every sector of the European economy, whether agriculture, mining, manufacturing or services. As the Assembly pointed out in its Resolution 1233 (2000) on the impact of new technologies on labour legislation, the NICT have transformed working organisation, systems and methods, working conditions and labour relations.

2.       It is estimated that 50 per cent of all employees use a computer at work. Proficiency in the use of the NICT is therefore a necessary condition for productivity and competitiveness.

3.       However, as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) pointed out in its World Employment Report for 2001, disparities in the distribution and use of the NICT threaten to exacerbate the "digital divide", the gap between those who can access and use NICT effectively and those who cannot, thus intensifying existing patterns of social exclusion.

4.       Access to training in NICT appears to be unequal, depending on such factors as professional status, age, sex, and level of education. There are also major discrepancies between countries and regions. In the context of globalisation, this may lead to relocation by businesses to countries or regions where a qualified workforce already exists, thus further threatening employment and social cohesion.

5.       With high unemployment in many Council of Europe member states, there are nevertheless shortages of labour with advanced skills in the NICT. Such labour market imbalances could be partly corrected by increasing investment in high level education and training in NICT. Highly qualified staff could also be relieved of relatively undemanding jobs, which can be transferred to less qualified employees who have received the necessary training.

6.       Training in the NICT should above all contribute to social cohesion and to the integration and employment of those without the requisite skills or competence. It should focus in particular on young job-seekers, workers recently made redundant as a result of restructuring, and the long-term unemployed.

7.       While the basis for proficiency in the use of NICT and for life-long learning must be laid at all levels of the formal education and training systems, it must be borne in mind that, according to the Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE), eighty per cent of the new technologies in use in 2005 will be less than ten years old, whereas eighty per cent of education and training will have been received more than ten years earlier. Therefore, increasing emphasis must be placed on continuing vocational training in the use of new technologies, whether in-house or in specialised institutions or both. Such training must benefit the entire workforce.

8.       Training workers in the use of NICT must be based on a partnership between employers, trade unions and government. Firms must assume their responsibility to invest in training even where the returns are not obvious or immediate. Governments should provide incentives to ensure that companies offer training even to the least stable categories of their workforce and even in skills that are transferable elsewhere. Trade unions should make training provision a priority and focus in particular on access, incentives, course content, and timetabling.

9.       Therefore, the Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers:

i.       include activities in its work programme designed, in coordination with other organisations active in this field, to compare experience and identify "best practice" regarding the training of workers in the use of new technologies and the contribution this can make to social cohesion and to reducing the "digital divide";

ii.       call on the governments of the member states and the European Union:

a. to step up their efforts to support and promote the education and training of workers in the use of the new technologies;

b. to increase investment in basic and high level education and training in NICT;

c. to provide incentives to ensure that companies offer training even to the least stable categories of their workforce and even in skills that are transferable elsewhere;

d. to fully involve trade unions in the design and implementation of such training programmes, focusing in particular on access, incentives, course content, and timetabling;

e. to seek to increase the share of such programmes implemented outside the formal education and training system.

II.       Explanatory memorandum by Mr Birraux¹

1.        Introduction

1. The new information and communication technologies (NICTs) are becoming standard features of the everyday lives of businesses, employees and private individuals. They are making their mark on the working environment, organisations, the media, family life and relations with the market and consumer items. This unstoppable trend is extremely disruptive both to the structure and content of work and to the nature of relations within and between businesses.

2. By virtue of the employment it brings and its presence in all economic fields, the growth of the ICT sector is of considerable importance to the European economy. The significance of ICTs owes most to the fact that they are to be found in most businesses and have direct implications for a huge number of employees (Arthus, 2001; European Commission, 2001b).

3. When new technologies are introduced in businesses, they occasionally bring radical changes to production systems and work organisation in their train. They frequently come with the idea of greater need for flexibility or "adaptability" in the workforce. Changes in working conditions are therefore at the heart of this analysis.

4. Further issues raised by the spread of ICTs are those of employee training or retraining, the skills required for certain jobs and the availability of a specialised or qualified workforce.

5. The ICT sector is opening up new areas for dialogue. The impact of ICTs on the development of economic activity or the quantity and nature of employment will depend on the uses to which they are put. Since these uses will be determined collectively, there is a need for various forms of regulation.

6. The Council of Europe has tackled a number of these issues through its work and resolutions. One of its priority concerns is that of access to vocational training, especially for young people and groups at a disadvantage in the employment market. It is for this reason that the Council's European Social Charter recognises vocational training as a personal right (COE 1996). The Signatory States undertake "to provide or promote, as necessary, the technical and vocational training of all persons, including the handicapped". In particular this entails promoting "adequate and readily available training facilities for adult workers; special facilities for the retraining of adult workers needed as a result of technological development or new trends in employment; […] special measures for the retraining and reintegration of the long-term unemployed" (Article 10 of the revised Charter).

7. Regarding the more specific topic of ICTs, in 1997 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a recommendation on the new technologies and employment (PACE, 1997b). The Assembly invited governments to optimise the use of ICT and their beneficial side-effects for business competitiveness, redirect education systems in order to prepare the younger generation for the new conditions and new methods of organising work, and revise legislation on employment conditions and pay in order to take account of the impact of new technologies. Lastly, it urged them to encourage social dialogue in order to avoid the dangers of exclusion or fragmentation of the community (PACE, 1997b).

8. Although this recommendation did not directly address the issue of continuing training, the same year also saw a motion for a recommendation on training of workers in the use of new technologies, which stressed the need for greater efforts to train employees in the use of new technologies and involve employers and unions in the design, organisation and implementation of continuing vocational training programmes (PACE, 1997a).

9. These different activities highlight the potential impact of new technologies on working conditions. In 2000 the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe considered the impact of new technologies on labour legislation. The report produced in this connection stressed that "new communication and information technologies (NCIT) are one of the driving forces behind economic progress […]. They have also revolutionised working life by changing working systems and methods, production processes, working conditions and also labour relations in firms" (PACE, 2000b).

10. Resolution 1233, which the Standing Committee adopted on behalf of the Assembly on 9 November 2000, seeks to locate the growing use of new technologies and teleworking in the context of a more flexible approach to work organisation. According to this text, new technologies "give rise to new constraints which […] can sometimes lead to abuse or outright violation of human rights and the rights of workers"; these technologies have also increased "the opportunities available to employers for violating their workers' privacy" (PACE, 2000a). The resolution therefore emphasises the need for statutory changes to maintain a high level of protection for workers. Among other measures, it calls for restrictions on the collection of personal data on employees. As regards respect for working conditions, it stresses reasonable daily working hours, steps to avoid marginalisation and ensure that all employees of a firm maintain social ties, and protection for employees' health against the hazards and new illnesses caused by the use of new technologies.

11. It can be concluded that continuing vocational training is a field in which government regulation would be desirable. The ideas presented below are part of a more general consideration of the use of new technologies in the workplace and possibilities for their regulation.

2.        A key sector with a broad range of technologies

12. Although ICTs are of considerable importance to the European economy, their significance is not easy to quantify. There is an identifiable "ICT sector" which consists of ICT manufacturing activities and directly related services. In 1998 this sector comprised some 390,000 firms and 4.3 million employees in the European Union. ICTs are, however, to be found in every sector of business. It is estimated today that 50% of employees use a computer at work. New technologies are opening up fresh opportunities for firms in an extremely wide range of areas: from production management and work organisation (flow management, planning of work and production, accounts, administration, etc) to external relations, e-business and internal communications. It is particularly difficult to assess the impact of the spread of ICTs on productivity and growth, chiefly because they have been incorporated into existing structures and because of the length of adjustment periods (Foray, 2000; Gadrey, 2000; Beaudouin et al, 2001).

13. The ICT sector comprises a range of technologies which are put to contrasting uses and are as much a part of work as of private life. The following comparative table shows the distribution of ICTs by three separate criteria: numbers of PCs, Internet hosts² and Internet users. It demonstrates that there is a gulf in ICT use between the European Union and candidate countries. The disparity is due in part to the speed at which ICTs have gained ground in the EU. For example, in January 1996 only 150,000 computers in Europe were connected to the Internet, a figure which had grown 100-fold, to 16 million, two years later.

Table 1: ICT distribution (total figures and by population) in 1999/2000

	European Union	Candidate countries	USA
Number of PCs
(millions)	108	11	161
(per 100 people)	25	6	59
Internet hosts
(millions)	12	1	79
(per 100 people)	4	1	29
Internet users
(millions)	91	10	154
(per 100 people)	24	5	56

Source: Eurostat, 2001a

14. The relative concentration of PCs and Internet hosts varies considerably from one European Union member state to another and between the EU and the USA. The greatest concentration of PCs and Internet users is to be found in Scandinavia. In candidate countries, too, progress is being made, as regards both the number of home computers (up 24% in 1999) and the number of Internet hosts (up 60% in 2000).

15. There are similar marked differences between candidate states. In Slovenia, the concentration of PCs is close to the EU average, but in Bulgaria and Romania it is around one ninth as much. The number of Internet users in Estonia is slightly above the European average, but in Turkey it is no more than one eighth of the average.

3.        Unequal access to ICTs and discrepancies in use

16. In their study on France, Cézard et al (2000) showed that "the rapid spread of computers has not been matched by uniform opportunities for access" but has chiefly benefited the management sector. "Computers reflect various workplace divisions, primarily in the vertical plane. […] Computer use increases in proportion to the user's level in the hierarchy" (idem). Access to new technologies is dependent on factors such as level of education, length of service and company size.

17. European statistics on Internet access support this assessment. Although on average one third of European Union citizens enjoy access to the Internet, this proportion falls to 28% for women, 24% for the unemployed, 19% for those on low incomes and 10% for those with a low level of education. Access rates also vary widely from one country to another (European Commission, 2001a).

18. When access rates are compared by professional status, it becomes clear that employees in the most highly paid jobs (such as managers) make more use of new technologies than manual workers or the unemployed. Internet use is linked to the level of basic education, with those who remained in education longer enjoying greater access.

Table 2: Internet access by professional category

Source: European Commission, 2001a

19. Geographical criteria are also revealing. As mentioned above, there are significant differences between European countries. Furthermore, while the proportion of Internet users is as high as 42% in large urban areas, it fails to reach 30% in the countryside.

20. The ILO World Employment Report bears out these conclusions. In Europe, 37% of Internet users are men in the top income bracket who live in large urban areas, especially in northern Europe (ILO, 2001). Calculating Internet access rates provides a means of determining the boundaries of the information society. Recognition that there is a digital divide leads on to questions concerning the uses to which computers are put. It is likely that broadening access to new technologies will be ineffective unless such a move is matched by parallel efforts to provide training and improve users' general knowledge.

21. Half of all European white-collar employees use a computer at work. Depending on the circumstances, new technologies can be used creatively and in a fulfilling way; alternatively, they may do no more than further entrench working procedures. While one employee in a large manufacturing firm will use the company Intranet to call up and supply information, make proposals relating to production processes and communicate with colleagues, the computers elsewhere in the same company will inform another employee about procedures for monitoring customer contacts and have no other possible function.

22. National case-studies supplement and add detail to the information provided by international statistical sources. For example, Beaudouin et al (2001) have investigated different uses for company Intranet systems, Mulhmann (2001) has considered how companies in the service sector incorporate groupware, Pinto (2000) has studied secretarial uses and Prunier-Poulmaire (2000) has assessed the use of ICTs in mass retailing. These studies demonstrate the varied impact of new technologies in the workplace. The numerous unpredictable effects of introducing ICTs into the company environment are due to factors such as the purposes for which they are used, employees' proficiency with them and the ways in which work has previously been organised. Some studies reveal that using new technologies to monitor and streamline working methods has a negative impact on employee working conditions. Others, sometimes because they focus on different staff categories altogether, highlight the benefits of ICTs in terms of increased communication skills, creativity and participation. In a few cases both kinds of effect are observed simultaneously.

23. The demand for employee skills depends on how it is planned to use the new technologies. In certain circumstances, ICT proficiency can be provided by means of vocational training. Teaching methods too are extremely variable and stem from a range of different approaches.

4.       The problem of access to continuing training

24. In practice, although continuing vocational training and lifelong learning are recognised policy priorities, access to continuing training benefits only a small percentage of employees. Moreover, workers do not all enjoy the same right to training.

25. The Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS) carried out as part of the European Commission's FORCE Programme resulted in comparative data on continuing training for company employees in the first twelve European Union member states (European Commission, 1999). The survey provided information about training practices, estimates of expenditure and an appraisal of each staff category's degree of access to training.

26. There are huge disparities between different European Union countries in terms of the percentage of companies offering staff training and the number of employees enrolled on in-house courses. Although 28% of all employees in the European Union have received some training, the figure varies from 13 to 43% between individual countries.

27. Another criterion for evaluating companies' commitment to training is that of training expenditure. In Europe as a whole, an amount equal to 1.6% of salary costs is spent on training. Here too there are huge discrepancies between countries. On average, four times as much is spent in the United Kingdom as in Portugal.

Table 3: Importance placed on continuing training in 12 European Union member states

Country	Companies offering training (%)	Staff participation in training (%)	Expenditure as a %age of salary costs	Employee's expected training entitlement (in hours)
Belgium	42	25	1.4	10.3
Denmark	79	32	1.3	12.5
France	48	37	2.0	20.0
Germany	60	24	1.2	8.2
Greece	13	13	1.1	18.1
Ireland	64	43	1.5	10.8
Italy	9	15	0.8	6.2
Luxembourg	50	25	1.3	10.0
Netherlands	46	26	1.8	17.2
Portugal	13	13	0.7	10.9
Spain	21	20	1.0	10.0
United Kingdom	58	39	2.7	15.6
Total EUR 12	43	28	1.6	12.6

Source: European Commission, 1999; own calculations

28. These figures give an idea of the vast disparities in access to training. The expected training entitlement is defined as the number of hours offered by a company per employee and is obtained by dividing the total hours of training provided by the total complement of staff. On average, European companies provide one hour of training per month for each member of staff. Large discrepancies exist between member states, with the amount of planned training varying from six to twenty hours per year. Training practices also vary according to the size and sector of the companies concerned.

Table 4: Vocational training - staff participation rates (EUR 12)

		Participation rate
Sex	Male	29
	Female	27
Status	Managers	43
	Technical staff	45
	White-collar	34
	Manual workers	17
Total		28

Source: European Commission, 1999 (1994 CVTS data)

29. Lastly, employees' sex and position in the company are determining factors in their access to training. Men participate more than women, and managers and technical staff participate more than other employees (see table 4). Access to training is therefore dependent on personal circumstances (age, sex and level of education) as well as on the kind of company concerned, the field in which an individual works and his/her nationality (Conter and Maroy, 1999).

5.        Training in the use of new technologies

30. Staff training may cover a very wide range of fields, such as production techniques, management and security. The CVTS survey quantified the relative importance given to each area of training.

Table 5: Time allocated to continuing training by field

Source: European Commission, 1999 (1994 CVTS data)

31. Although the greatest share of training time is allocated to skills relevant to the development of goods or services marketed by the company or the maintenance of production systems, computer skills are ranked second when it comes to course content. The importance placed on computer training varies enormously from one sector to another. It is given most weight in the financial services sector, gas, electricity and water companies, support services and telecommunications. The sectors in which it is least highly regarded are the hospitality industry and vehicle sales and repairs (European Commission, 1999).

32. The phenomenon of unequal access is no less applicable to training in the use of new technologies than it is to continuing training. A Eurobarometer poll taken by the European Commission in 2001 reveals that professional status, level of education and sex influence access to training of this sort (European Commission, 2001b). Two-thirds of European citizens have never taken a computer training course. In countries such as Greece, Italy and Portugal, the figure rises to 80%. More men than women (36% and 30% respectively) have undergone computer training. The rate rises in proportion to the level of basic education and is highest among younger age groups.

33. Professional status is a factor in access to training. Of 100 persons in European Union member states who have received any form of computer-related training, 65 are in management, the same proportion as are frequent Internet users. At the other end of the scale, low-income females and the retired are seldom offered computer training (European Commission, 2001a and 2001b).

Table 6: Disparities in access to computer training

Source: European Commission, 2001a

34. Individuals who have received computer training generally took courses at school (36.5% of training) or university (15.5%). Training was provided by an employer in one third of cases, and the rest of the time it was arranged with family or friends (20.5%) or with work colleagues (15.9%) (European Commission, 2001b).

35. The importance of vocational training is often expressed in terms of employability. This has the effect of shifting responsibility for finding or not finding work on to employees themselves (Conter and Maroy, 1999). In an ever-changing competitive environment, companies are no longer expected to guarantee employment; instead, employees are supposed to anticipate changes in skill requirements: "in order to remain employable workers are obliged to become increasingly flexible and accept that their qualifications need to be supplemented and updated if they are to respond to the new challenges of work organisation. Learning and 'learning to learn' are indispensable for navigating the treacherous currents of increased competition and ever more rapid innovation" (Vendramin and Valenduc, 1999). Nowhere is this truer than in the ICT sector. Such an approach is heavily circumscribed and extremely open to criticism. Firstly, it places the entire burden of gaining access to (or remaining in) employment on the individual; secondly, it is constructed upon the eminently subjective concept of employability. Experience as well as scientific studies has shown that a given job does not automatically call for a precise set of skills (Alaluf, 2000; Tanguy, 1986); clearly, people with different qualifications can be observed doing the same kind of work.

6.        Issues relating to training in the use of new technologies

36. Training in the use of new technologies is frequently depicted as a means of preparing a competitive workforce which will be capable of holding its own in the international marketplace and in the face of restructuring - itself sometimes a consequence of these same technologies - and its concomitant redundancies. In the context of a European economy which is being urged to become the most competitive knowledge-based economy in the world (see below), staff training is therefore of the utmost importance. It is seen as providing the wherewithal to achieve a skilled workforce, thereby increasing employee effectiveness and making it easier for job-seekers to find paid employment. In order to do this, training must be adapted to company needs, and here the issue of employability comes again to the fore. Continuing training can also contribute to greater overall proficiency in the use of new technologies. In this respect it is one possible response to the recruitment problems being experienced by a number of companies.

37. In line with Council of Europe recommendations, if future generations are to be trained in the use of new technologies, the education system has to become receptive to them. Basic schooling is designed chiefly to impart cultural and social knowledge; accordingly, it offers a general preparation for working life. Thus it may stimulate the will to learn and inspire curiosity, openness to new ideas and initiative. Familiarity with new technologies (sometimes known as computer literacy) may therefore be taught in schools. Yet instruction in the relevant skills for a specific job of work and the incorporation of technological developments throughout an individual's working life must be addressed in the context of continuing vocational training.

38. The development of continuing vocational training courses raises the matter of accreditation for what has been learned. Workers' skills will be duly recognised only if they have been specified and certified by an official agency. The spread of the knowledge-based society is necessarily contingent upon the establishment of authorities for skills evaluation and accreditation.

39. Training is also frequently depicted as a tool for the social inclusion and vocational reintegration of underprivileged or disabled people (European Commission, 2001a). In certain situations, for example, organising work along suitable lines after due negotiation can make it possible to employ individuals with reduced mobility or competence. However, training does not automatically lead to employment, and such an approach cannot guarantee a return to work.

40. Technological changes have gone hand in hand with tougher recruitment requirements and a greater risk of downgrading or exclusion from the labour market.

41. It has been shown in practice that advantage can be taken of the spread of new technologies to provide employment for individuals with lower levels of competence. The first step is to identify jobs within the company which require less advanced skills. Once all work posts have been assessed, activities can be re-allocated so as to isolate those duties which are normally assigned to ICT experts but do not require a very high level of competence (such as computer assembly and software installation). Not only does this approach free specialised employees from relatively undemanding jobs; it also transfers these jobs to less highly qualified staff who have received the necessary training (Schwartz, 1995; BRUTEC, 1998). Moreover, reorganising work in this way allows firms to reduce the high turnover of qualified ICT staff which is often associated with a shortage of computer experts (Rollot, 2000; Marcke, 2000; Cappelli, 2000). As Schwartz (1995) points out, in addition to training personnel it is essential to modify companies' capacity for staff integration.

42. It is therefore necessary to seek a partnership approach to regulations on training and on the use of new technologies. Computer training must be made as widely available as possible, with steps being taken to avoid any form of unequal access; it is also important to exploit the potential of ICTs in order to increase the number of jobs available. Several different parties must face up to their responsibilities in this connection. In-company training must benefit the entire workforce. From the economic point of view, the non-specific and transferable nature of training content and the instability of part of the workforce are not conducive to training investment. However, firms must assume their moral responsibility. In this regard, governments could ensure that those companies which are most diligent in offering training to the least stable areas of their workforce are not penalised. Incentives could be considered if they serve to prioritise certain categories of staff. As for unions, they too should make the availability of training a priority and focus in particular on course content, timetabling, access and incentives for training in the new technologies. Together, employers and unions will need to discuss these themes and address matters relating to the use of ICTs and working conditions.

43. To varying degrees, these issues have been taken up by international organisations at global or European level. In Europe they have also been the subject of debate between employers' organisations and unions.

7.        Recommendations and opinions from international institutions and organisations

44. According to the ILO World Employment Report for 2001, the disparities observed in the distribution and use of new technologies threaten to exacerbate the digital divide, both between countries and within them: "the digital divide follows the existing fault lines of social and economic inequality and intensifies prevalent patterns of social exclusion" (ILO, 2001). In order to benefit from the spread of ICTs, nations need to open up to computer technology and all citizens need to be capable of taking an active part in decision-making on content and applications.

45. Addressing the worldwide problem of inequality between women and men, the ILO report notes that the rapid spread of new technologies is potentially a source of female employment. It could enable women to become independent and improve their social and economic status, provided they are given the opportunity to participate through access to ICTs and to instruction in their use. In all countries, however, the digital divide continues to separate the sexes; disparities in ICT distribution and Internet use are paralleled by unequal access to training opportunities. The ILO refers here to the key challenge of learning and teaching about the new technologies and strongly recommends that instruction in ICT-related skills focus more specifically on the needs of women. In order to promote social and gender equality, the ILO proposes tackling the problem of unequal access to employment in the digital economy and taking due account of the needs and rights of women in that field.

46. As far as Europe is concerned, a report prepared for the ILO's 6^th European regional meeting focused on the challenge of recycling and training personnel in response to the perceived ICT "skills gap". If this challenge is not met, there is a real risk that the digital divide between poor and wealthy European regions will become even more marked, since businesses have no hesitation in relocating to areas where a qualified workforce already exists. These problems affect central and eastern Europe in particular (ILO, 2000).

47. The European Commission's approach to the training of workers in the use of new technologies starts from two observations. Firstly, productivity has gained less than expected from the introduction of ICTs because the latter has not been accompanied by changes to companies' internal organisation. Secondly, if the potential of ICTs is to be fully exploited, workforces must be offered instruction in the new skills and a chance to acquire the new qualifications which are necessary to cope in today's technological climate (Vernay, 1998). On the basis of this analysis, the Commission has decided to place the strengthening of skills at the heart of European Union priorities. The need to train the working population has thus been recognised as the information society's principal challenge to the provision of human resources.

48. This recognition is reflected chiefly in the Employment Guidelines, which contain a strong recommendation concerning the introduction of learning incentives for both individuals and businesses. European education and training programmes too place greater emphasis on projects for continuing training and the promotion of access to skills. A further specific priority concerns the development of ICT familiarisation courses for job-seekers and workers facing the loss of their jobs as a result of current policies. For example, resources available under the European Social Fund, one of the objectives of which is "facilitating the adaptation of workers to industrial change", have been redirected towards the implementation of policies and programmes designed inter alia to encourage access to the information society (by improving the chances of vocational integration, offering continuing staff training and anticipating changes affecting the labour market and skills requirements).

49. In the same vein, the Commission's communication on "Strategies for jobs in the Information Society" contains recommendations to member states, employers' organisations, unions and businesses on the value for all employees of acquiring the skills required for survival in the information society. The Commission notes that many jobs will shortly be created in businesses producing or using IT products and services and observes that workers must be made able to cope with the demands of the information society. In this connection, it states inter alia that "information society literacy is a new skill which, for most workers, will be acquired at work". Whilst many companies offer in-house training, a recent survey suggests that there is still room for improvement. To meet the need, the Commission recommends that employers and unions give all workers the opportunity to become familiar with ICT tools and that they pay particular attention to sex equality and the integration of people with disabilities (European Commission, 2000b).

50. In its communication on "An Information Society for all", the Commission goes further by stressing the need for all citizens to acquire the skills with which to find their feet and participate in the information society (European Commission, 2000c). The European Council meeting in Lisbon recognised the right of all to participate in the knowledge-based economy and emphasised the importance of measures to combat digital exclusion. Such measures should be designed for specific age groups and target audiences: young people, unemployed adults, workers whose skills were likely to become defunct because of the speed of change, people with disabilities and the elderly. To this end, the European Council and the Commission strongly recommend that lifelong education and training programmes be amended to include IT skills and the acquisition of technological awareness. It is the view of the European Union institutions that such changes will improve the likelihood of vocational integration and reduce the skills gap, thus enabling the Union to become "the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-driven economy in the world" (European Council, 2000).

51. The Council of Europe's activities in the ICT field have resulted in requirements relating to the quality of work and to training (see above). For example, the Council's ministerial conference of December 1997 undertook to increase public awareness of NICTs and counter their abuse. The declaration adopted in May 1999 on a European policy for new information technologies called for the broadest possible access to new technologies (with an equal level of access in all European countries), the promotion of training at all levels and protection for citizens' and users' rights and freedoms. On this last matter, the declaration echoed the Parliamentary Assembly resolution on the impact of the new communication and information technologies on democracy (PACE, 1997c). The Parliamentary Assembly has also produced recommendations on the impact of new technologies on employment and labour legislation (PACE 1997b and 2000). These texts refer in particular to the training of workers and the industrial dialogue necessary for its implementation (see above).

52. European employers' and workers' organisations too have considered the issue of training workers in the use of new technologies. According to the Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe, lifelong training must be geared towards business needs (UNICE, 2000). In adopting this stance, UNICE makes individuals responsible for acquiring the "qualifications and skills that are relevant to the needs of employers and of the labour market". Essentially, then, training is viewed as a means of improving the employability of the workforce. As more specifically regards the new technologies, UNICE recognises the need to improve workers' skills in this connection and is particularly concerned, given Europe's ageing population, that strategies be developed which take the needs of older workers into account.

53. For the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), the appropriate response to the challenges of economic globalisation and the introduction of new technologies includes the promotion of innovation, greater social cohesion, access to knowledge, the promotion of social inclusion and vocational integration.

54. The union view is that lifelong learning implies the existence of a personal right to training. In particular, this right raises issues such as the time and money spent on training and the recognition of results (transferability of diplomas). "Access to lifelong learning contributes to individual development and individual fulfilment, the promotion of equal opportunities and the development of active citizenship and promotes greater social cohesion and integration […] it also stimulates economic development. […] The ETUC does not accept the essentially employment-related view that is often adopted as regards the role of lifelong learning" (ETUC, 2001).

55. For all these organisations, then, training workers is seen as a key element in the development of the knowledge-based society. However, the purpose of such training varies. For some it is a tool for productivity and employability, while for others it is a force with which to counter the social divide. Still other organisations maintain that these two views can be reconciled. Training is often part of a wider set of strategies designed to ensure that the development of new technologies is problem-free.

8.       Conclusions

56. The new technologies are growing at an ever-increasing rate. They now affect nearly all European businesses and almost half of the workforce. Proficiency in their use is therefore a necessary condition for productivity and competitiveness. A growing number of recruitment notices stipulate that candidates must be able to use a computer. IT is the second most common field addressed by in-house training. Continuing training in the new technologies therefore has both economic and social significance. It is becoming increasingly available for people in work and for those seeking employment.

57. At several points the issue of training workers in the use of new technologies comes up against problems of inequality. There is considerable inequality as regards both access to and the use of technology. Continuing training in general is more likely to be offered to more permanent employees and those with a higher level of basic education. This pattern is just as noticeable, if not more so, in the case of ICT training.

58. The use of new technologies and training in their use must be heavily regulated by government in co-operation with other partners. Public authorities can do their part by improving access to new technologies and encouraging training in schools, for job-seekers and, more generally, for any members of the public who express an interest.

59. Companies must take steps to ensure that training is equally available to all. To that end, the role of employers' organisations and unions is crucial. More emphasis should be placed on training, especially in those countries which fall below the European average in this regard.

60. Moreover, as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has pointed out, the spread of NICTs must do more than boost company output; it must also enable employees to achieve their potential and benefit from improved working conditions. Unions should therefore become involved in planning and organising training programmes.

61. Although developments in the ICT field may contribute to social inclusion by creating new jobs and new opportunities for certain categories of workers, the key consideration relating to the proliferation of new technologies will be to find ways of combating the social exclusion which they may cause (the digital divide, among other things) and the problem of unequal access.

62. A final issue raised by the new technologies is that of equal access to cultural and citizenship information. In these areas too, the availability of instruments is not enough: they must be accompanied by measures to provide training and support.

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Reporting committee: Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee

Committee for opinion: Culture, Science and Education

Reference to committee: Doc 7936 and reference 2244 of 26.1.1998, extended to 26.1.2003

Draft recommendation unanimously adopted by the committee on 22 March 2002.

Members of the committee: Mrs Ragnarsdóttir (Chairman), Mr. Hegyi, Mrs Gatterer, Mr. Christodoulides (Vice-Chairmen), MM. Alís Font, Arnau, Mrs. Belohorská (alternate: Mr. Tkáč), Mr. Berzinš, Mrs. Biga-Friganović, MM. Bilovol, Mrs. Björnemalm, Mrs. Bolognesi, MM. Brînzan, Brunhart, Cerrahoğlu, Cesário, Cox, Dees, Dhaille, Evin, Floros, Flynn, Mrs. Gamzatova, MM. Giertych, Glesener, Goldberg, Gönül, Gregory, Gusenbauer, Gustafsson, Haack, Herrera, Høie, Hörster, Mrs. Jäger, Mrs. Jirousová, Baroness Knight, MM Kontogiannopoulos, Liiv, Lomakin-Rumiantsev, Mrs. Lotz, Mrs.. Luhtanen, MM. Makhachev, Malachowski, Manukyan, Mrs. Markovska, MM. Marmazov, Marty, Mattei, Mrs. Milotinova, MM. Mladenov, Monfils (alternate: Timmermans), Ms. Nowiak, MM. Olekas, Ouzký, Padilla, Podobnik, Popa, Poroshenko, Poty, Provera , Rigoni, Rizzi, Seyidov, Mrs. Shakhtakhtinskaya, MM. Slutsky, Surján, Telek, Mrs. Tevdoradze, Mrs. Troncho, MM. Tudor, Vella, Mrs. Vermot-Mangold, MM. Vesselbo, Vis, Vos, Mrs. Zafferani, M. Zidu, ZZ…(Albania)

NB : The names of those members present at the meeting are printed in italics.

Secretaries to the committee: Mr. Newman, Ms Meunier and Ms Karanjac

¹ The rapporteur would like to express his thanks to Mr Bernard CONTER for his help in drafting this report.

² Computers with a direct Internet connection, their own IP address and unlimited two-way Internet access.