The White Paper is part of a process designed simultaneously to provide an analysis and to put forward guidelines for action in the fields of education and training. It takes forward the White Paper "Growth, competitiveness, employment", which stressed the importance for Europe of intangible investment, particularly in education and research. This investment in knowledge plays an essential role in employment, competitiveness and social cohesion. This White Paper whilst looking forward to the Madrid European Council meeting, draws upon the conclusions of the Cannes European Council of June 1995, which state that: "Training and apprenticeship policies, which are fundamental for improving employment and competitiveness, must be strengthened, especially continuing training".
The White Paper se...