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Discover Benelux | Special Theme | Professional Training & Development
DEVE L OP I NG
S KI L L S :
A major challenge TEXT: INFPC | PRESS PHOTO
In a world of competition, rapid changes and pressure on performance, the Luxembourgish economy must constantly develop its human capital to ensure its sustainable competitiveness. Attracting and retaining a qualified workforce is a strategic requirement. Companies must be able to rely on employees who can make good decisions and act appropriately when dealing with challenges or situations. The issue is to develop the skills of the company's internal forces by regularly training them to meet requirements in re-organisation, productivity gains, flexibility and versatility. The aim is to provide employees with the means to do their job to the best of their ability, in order to contribute to overall performance. In this context, continuing professional training is a driving force for economic and social development and is a topic of common interest: the company increases the value of its work and employees obtain multiple benefits for their career development, employability and personal development. Luxembourgish companies have fully grasped this issue, as they voluntarily carry out training policies and devote an everincreasing budget to training each year. As for the state, since 2000, it strongly supports this training effort through financial aid worth up to 20 per cent of the amount invested annually by companies. Up until 2013, some €275 million in total had been paid to companies. This aid currently benefits one in every two people in paid employment in Luxembourg. In addition, this state-backed lever is contributing to the growth of the training market and is broadening and diversifying the types of training available, thereby improving its overall quality. There are now more than 350 training bodies providing training courses in a variety of fields. As for individual access to training, the existing legislative framework ensures indi-
Dominique Matera, CEO, INFPC
About INFPC The national institute for the development of continuing vocational training (Institut National pour le développement de la Formation Professionnelle Continue, INFPC) is a state institution under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth (Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, de l’Enfance et de la Jeunesse, MENJE).
viduals play an active role in their training process and encourages them to assume responsibility thanks to schemes such as the individual training leave, language training leave and the validation process of nonformal and informal learning.
The INFPC promotes training, directs requests for co-funding, follows trends in training and leads the portal www.lifelong-learning.lu
Issue 9 | September 2014 | 29