Developing Key Competences at School in Europe: Challenges and Opportunities for Policy

Across Europe, the concept of 'key competences' has gained importance in recent years both at policy and school level. Key competences are considered essential skills and attitudes for young Europeans to succeed not only in today's economy and modern society but also in their personal lives. They are defined at EU level and comprise the following: 1) ability to readily and easily communicate in the mother tongue, 2) the ability to speak foreign languages, 3) mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology, 4) IT skills, 5) social and civic competences, 6) sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, 7) capacity to learn to learn, and 8) cultural awareness and expression.