This Report was presented by Deputy Guégot to the French National Assembly in December 2008. It examined:

• problems in initial and continuing training supply: quality, transparency, funding, governance
• inequalities for young people and adults in accessing training
• difficulties in career guidance provision to support youth and adult participation in training.

It presents 16 propositions to address these issues.

This is an interesting study of adult employees in France who took advantage of their legal right to further education and training by participating in training provided by AFPA, the government institution charged with the vocational training of adults. 12000 such adults were surveyed with a view to discovering their motivation for using their legal right and what happened to them within 6 months of completion of training.

-66% of those surveyed wanted to change the type of work they were doing;

-54% wished to obtain a qualification;

-48% undertook a training programme that bore no relationship with their previous job.

The results of this survey are a healthy reminder of the guidance needs of employed adults. AFPA is particularly good at guidance for adults who wish to enter training programmes.

AFPA is the state institution in France charged with the vocational training of adults. It is unique in Europe and beyond in that it provides a professional career guidance service to trainees prior to course entry, during training and at exit. AFPA's course completion and qualifications rates are very impressive and taking into account that the people who attend their training often suffer multiple barriers to learning.

This document developed  in the last quarter of 2008 is AFPA's contribution to an ongoing debate in France about the future organisation and management of career guidance services for all of the population. It identifies some of the key issues from an AFPA perspective, describes good practices developed by its dedicated guidance services and support unit (INOIP), and  feedback from its users.

Recently published by le Haut Conseil de l'Education in France, this report highlights how the organisation of education programmes and of learning opportunities in second level schools (colleges, lyceés) in France has a negative impact on young people's choices and consequently on the provision of career guidance, and how it contributes to both social reproduction and social inequities. It sets out four priorities for future actions:

• The transfer of responsibilities for guidance provision to the regions
• The redefining of the role and function of guidance
• Giving teachers a proper guidance role
• Strengthening careers education to assist pupils to make choices.

Coordination of policies and the use of resources at national, regional and local levels is a necessary condition for the development of lifelong guidance systems. Countries in Europe are developing many different types of mechanisms to improve such coordination and at different levels. Networks both formal and informal have high potential for solving structural problems. They also play an important role in policy and practice learning. At the end of 2007, a European Lifelong Guidance Network (ELGPN) was established for policy learning purposes.

This publication based on the experience of European level education networks has many lessons in it for policy makers and managers in the field of lifelong guidance at national, regional and local levels. It addresses the following themes:

1. Network theory
2. European networks in education
3. Establishing and setting up a network
4. Managing a network
5. Evaluating a network
6. Making a network sustainable