Educational Leave in Europe. Policy Paper No. 83-C3.

This paper provides a description of and rationale for paid educational leave policies in Western Europe by examining three basic categories: general leave provisions provided by law, legal provisions for specific groups, and provisions for educational leave in collective bargaining agreements. Five countries presently have general leave provision: France, Belgium, West Germany, Sweden, and Finland. In Belgium, for example, only employees under 40 years of age who have themselves initiated educational activities outside of work are eligible. In France, the law obliges employers of 10 or more employees to spend 1.1 percent of the total payrolls on further vocational/educational training. Educational leave for specific groups is more widespread. For instance, most Western European countries grant union officials the right to paid time off from work to attend courses relevant to their union functions. Finally, some countries leave the formulation of legal provisions for educational leave to collective bargaining. A 1973 Italian agreement, which views leave as a collective rather than an individual right and which emphasizes leave for the least educated workers, provides the model for subsequent bargaining. The study concludes that progress continues to be made. (PB)