Conference on Skills Upgrading, Copenhagen, Denmark, 18 June 2004

Today, many workers have difficulty retaining their jobs and progressing in the labour market due to inadequate skills and qualifications.  They are particularly vulnerable to structural change, whereby jobs are continuously being created in high-technology sectors while low-skilled production is increasingly being transferred to emerging economies. Despite a growing need to train the workforce and general support being vowed to lifelong learning, industrialised countries may have paid insufficient attention to the low-skilled.  A key question therefore is whether a more strategic approach should now be taken. 

A major OECD conference took place in Copenhagen on Friday 18 June 2004 to discuss this issue.  The main stakeholders (policy-makers, practitioners, employers, trade unions) examined together the key instruments and partnerships put in place and discuss the ways to improve local practices in this area.  The preliminary findings of an OECD LEED Study being carried out were made available as a background for discussion, and all the researchers, as well as the LEED Delegates and Partners involved participated in the debates.

For more information, please contact Sylvain.Giguere@oecd.org

Download the final agenda
Download the issues paper
Download the list of hotels and map