Introduction - The Learning Age: Towards a Europe of Knowledge "Education is the best economic policy we have" - Rt Hon Tony Blair MP "Learning is the key to economic prosperity for each of us as individuals, as well as for the nation as a whole. It has a vital role to play in promoting social inclusion" - Rt Hon David Blunkett MP The Learning Age... We are in a new age - the age of information and of global competition. Familiar certainties and old ways of doing things are disappearing. The types of jobs we do have changed as have the industries in which we work and the skills they need. At the same time opportunities are opening up as we see the potential of new technologies to change our lives for the better. In the Learning Age we will need a workplace with the skills, imagination and confidence to see us into the new century. Many thousands of occupations demand different types of knowledge and understanding and the skills to apply them. That is what we mean by skills, and it is through learning - with the help of those who teach us - that we acquire them. Learning's contribution to community development and social inclusion, to fostering a sense of citizenship, responsibility and identity is as important as its contribution to the economy. We must strive to bridge 'the learning divide' - between those who have benefited from education and training and those who have not. The capacity to cope with change will be the hallmark of success in the twenty-first century. Modern information and communication technologies will help open up easily accessible, cost effective and flexible learning opportunities for people and businesses. As part of this the broadcast media has enormous potential to open up access to millions of people and help overcome the many obstacles to learning that they face such as time, cost, fear, inadequate information, complexity and inconvenience. ...Towards a Europe of Knowledge Economic competitiveness, employment and the personal fulfilment of the citizens of Europe is no longer mainly based on the production of physical goods, nor will it be in the future. Real wealth creation will henceforth be linked to the production and dissemination of knowledge and will depend first and foremost on our efforts in the field of research, education and training and on our capacity to promote innovation. This is why we must fashion a true 'Europe of Knowledge'. This process is directly linked to the aim of developing lifelong learning which the Union has set itself and which has been incorporated into the Amsterdam Treaty, expressing the determination of the Union to promote the highest level of knowledge for its people through broad access to education and its permanent updating.

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