Building Social Dialogue over Training and Learning: European and National Developments

This article examines recent developments in social dialogue over vocational training and lifelong learning. The central concern is how to develop coherent European polices for increasing social partner influence in this domain, given the diversity of national systems of VET and structures of social dialogue across Europe. The study draws on a survey of 13 countries and concludes that despite these disparities, cross-national differences in social partner involvement are less than might be anticipated. Initiatives like the social partners' Framework of Actions are seen as pressures promoting convergence, but this is likely to occur paradoxically as a result of increasing diversity within member states.