1. There is a wide consensus that workforce skills are an important determinant for economic growth. Alongside initial education, continuous education and training (hereafter referred to as CET) plays a key role in meeting these skill needs. This report examines possible positive impacts of CET on workers’ performance, and discusses some policy issues with a special focus on the role of the social partners.

Access to CET is associated with workers’ characteristics and literacy level

1. Over and above international differences in training participation – with the Nordic countries showing the highest participation rates – access to CET appears to be consistently unequal across socioeconomic groups. In all the countries reviewed, the low-educated and older workers are under-represented in firm-training programmes. The incidence of CET is also positively associated with workers’ literacy levels. Importantly, the erosion of literacy with age seems to be slower in countries with high training ...