The Post-Lisbon discourse on skill mismatches and competence upgrading

Abstract

The aim of this contribution is to examine EU policy-making processes and agenda settings for competence development in the wake of the Lisbon Strategy. In particular, part I focuses on the EU ‘regulatory ideal’ for competence development that emerges from key policy documents by the institutional triangle in the period 2000-2007. The analysis presented is highly condensed but it still contains substantial descriptive information. My main argument is that the emerging EU ‘regulatory ideal’ for competence development is grounded on a simplified account of the social problem it aims to address. This account does not pay due consideration, for instance, to possible mismatches between generic requirements for a perfect skills match and specific individual needs for learning and working opportunities. In order to support my argument, part II discusses key contextual factors that characterize the institutional shaping of European labour markets.