Czech Business Today

Europe has a crucial mission: to prevent the brain drain whereby more able people leave for other parts of the world in which to use their talents. 

The Employers ́ group of the European economic and social committee has stepped up its activity in recent years to support closer and better ties between education systems and the needs of the world of work in order to increase workers’ employability and adaptability, provide employers with better access to skilled workers and facilitate the transition from school to working life. 

In this context, the last plenary session in January 2013 adopted an own-initiative opinion “Unleashing the potential of children and young people with high intellectual abilities”. The current education policies of the EU Member States focus strongly on catering for diversity among students, pledging to provide each student with the educational care they need to realize their full potential. As part of the efforts aimed at all students requiring specific educational support, it is necessary to increase the resources currently devoted to those with high intellectual abilities. Improving the care provided for highly able students involves various separate aspects: initial detection; psychological, educational and social assessment to confirm or refute the presence of high abilities; and educational care in its true sense, which can be provided through both formal and non-formal education. 

Europe has a crucial mission: to prevent the brain drain whereby more able people leave for other parts of the world in which to use their talents. The opinion is delivering the following recommendations:

• nurture the development and potential of children and young people with high abilities throughout the various stages and forms of their education;
• foster education and lifelong learning;
• give greater consideration to each Member State’s existing models for and experience in working with highly gifted children
• detect, in the workplace, those workers (particularly young workers) who are able and willing to develop their intellectual capabilities and contribute to innovation, and give them the opportunity to further their education
• support the initial and ongoing training of teaching staff regarding the typical characteristics of highly able students
• support schemes and procedures for student exchanges and visits abroad
• harness opportunities for exchanging information and good practices on detecting and caring for gifted students

Vladimíra Drbalová 
Vice-Chair of the Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship European Economic and Social Committee