Education, Training and Labour Market Outcomes

Abstract

Education and training have been at the forefront of public policy discussions and government policy making in most European countries in recent decades. A significant number of educational reforms have been implemented and others are pending. One of the reasons for this continuous attention to education and education policies is the strategic importance that the accumulation of knowledge has gained in the functioning of modern economies. Investment in human capital, in the form of education and work-based training, has proved a powerful way of improving individuals’ employability, wages and lifetime earnings. At the macroeconomic level there is evidence that investment in education is crucial for countries’ economic growth, productivity and competitiveness.