The adaptation and the development of qualifications are essential for the improvement of employment. This allows employees to master their profession in a more independent way, to adapt themselves to changes, to be able to take initiatives and to work within the company as well as in networks abroad. Thus, mobility, apart from being physical, also becomes intellectual.

As a result of globalisation, competition is more and more based on knowledge, quality and services. Consequently, employee qualifications are essential for companies. This has been underlined by the OECD as well as by the European Commission, and both agree that education and improved qualifications of labour force, at any level, are essential factors for the new model of growth, which is based on a society centred on knowledge.

We have to move towards learning organisations, which are creative, innovative and flexible.

• Investment in human resources is crucial to Europe's competitiveness, which is why the EU must concentrate its efforts on the workers possibilities of training and education.
• Professional and managerial staff have a central position in the development of the society's economic and social growth. Although this group is already highly educated, the rapid development of technology makes it essential that this group enhances its qualifications in a truly qualified manner.
• It is necessary that every employee uses continuing training and education, consciously as an instrument for controlling his professional development.
• It is necessary that enterprises and public authorities use continuous training and education as a central instrument in their strategic planning.
• P&MS have an important role to play for the development of continuing training and education for themselves as well as for all other employees in the private and public sector.
• It should be stressed that it is in the interests of society as a whole that enterprises invest in the continuing training and education of their employees and this must be supported. The social partners, through the social dialogue, have an important role to play, supporting the development for the greater use of continuing training and education.
• The right to training and education and education leave should comprise all types of employees (regardless of their educational background) and should be recognised by a European instrument involving the social partners. EUROCADRES will take part in the process and negotiations alongside the ETUC.
• It is necessary to launch special European programmes to encourage the development of continuing training and education at a highly qualified level. A number of programmes should be reserved for collecting and communicating experiences gained by the various countries on continuing training and education at a high level e.g. Open University and enterprise-university co-operation. EUROCADRES will take part in facilitating such exchanges of experience.
• EU programmes should also promote the development of new teaching methods which take account of working life and working situations for professional and managerial staff, such as learning in "situ", distance learning, research in pedagogical methods.

Recognition of qualifications and diplomas is necessary to enhance the opportunities for freedom of movement. To this end the 3rd General Assembly stressed the need to have this right recognised for everybody in the treaty and the need to set up a real and efficient system of mutual recognition with the involvement of relevant actors including the social partners.
Along the same lines, the 4th General Assembly underlines the need : to develop synergy between academic and professional recognition, to enlarge with the social partners the co-ordinator's group for the regulated professions and to extend the existing recognition instruments (European Credit Transfer System, directives...) to comprise continuous education and training.