M. Michael SHIELS, Directeur, European School of Educational Management, Cork, Irlande
Intervention : 'Education for Europe'

European Society today faces economic and social problems that will not easily be solved. These problems are difficult, complex and often interlocking, and nothing less than a major process of social evolution will be needed to bring them under control. But one thing is clear. In tackling these problems of society, the human dimension is the most important of all -the ability of each individual to face up to personal challenges and so to contribute to the overall process of change. For this reason the education and training of the individual is the most important single tool available to society today. The aim of this paper is simply to present the view as to how I believe the Education and training process as a whole can be adapted to respond more effectively in the future to the economic ans social challenges of the day. The countries of Europe have undergone radical transformation during the last century - politically, economically and socially. Up until the present time they have been able to adapt at their own speed. But now the pace of change is accelerating brutally, forced upon them by external economic pressures of global trading, global politics and the immediate world-wide application of radically new technologies. Europe's industry has had to respond quickly to these changes in order to survice and remain competitive. It has transformed its process of management, production and distribution and has learned fast to exploit the opportunities of new technologies. Consumers have rapidly modified their daily patterns of work and living and are making the mostb of multimedia technology. But the world of education is too slow to respond. All the evidence indicates that for a variety of reasons, many teaching institutions react less quickly than the business world to the need for change. In nearly all European countries there is an ever widening gap between the education that people need in the future for today's complex world and the education they receive. Too many disillusioned young students drop out of Educational Systems through failure or rebellion, or come through with onky minimal skills. This is a major economic and social concern, since it leads to the waste of human potential. It is particularly acute at a time when fewer new people than before are available to enter the labour markets. It is time to raise a cry of alarm to alert society to this educational gap. My vision is that it is necessary for everyone to adopt a new all-in-one view of the education process. I offer the concept of Educational Chain which unites and interlinks five principal stages : Pre-School-lonk one; Basic-School-link two; General and or Vocational Education-link three; Higher Education-link four; Adult Education-link five.