Lifelong Learning In the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Industries

By Taina Evans

By the end of 2010, the education and training of over 80% of the workers in the mechanical and electrical engineering industries will be inadequate and/or outdated.

Most industrialised countries are suffering skill shortages. The ILO last year reported on this industry and recently held a tripartite meeting to discuss the issue.

The private sector and trade unions were seen as needing to play a stronger role in shaping and putting in place vocational education and training systems. Clear collaboration between the players is an essential part of this, not direction from employers and government only.

(ILO World of Work; no. 46, March 2003)