Learning and innovation in enterprises

Retrieved from The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), RESEARCH PAPER No 27

Foreword

In the current economic situation, the EU Member States are faced with the challenge of alleviating the financial burden of the economic downturn and preparing their economies and labour markets to meet new demands and future changes. This being the case, it is of vital importance that enterprises are provided with support in developing the knowledge, skills and competences of their employees so that they may become innovative, in driving change and in ensuring innovative capacity. Over the past few years, a number of Europe-wide analyses have emphasised the importance of investing in human resources. The Cedefop study, Learning while working (Cedefop, 2011) calls for stronger synergies between policies for innovation, research, enterprise development and training. It emphasises that innovation performance and the development of knowledge, skills and competences reinforce each other. Innovation and training policies should be combined. Efforts to support the innovative ability of enterprises through the development of employees’ knowledge, skills and competences will increase business performance and contribute to the economic recovery...

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