A European skills framework?—but what are skills? Anglo‐Saxon versus German concepts

With the proposed introduction of a common framework for comparing qualifications within the Union (EU), as a result of the Lisbon agreement of 2000, the question of commonly agreed concepts of skills and qualifications is has become a pressing political and issue. The paper argues that there are grounds for doubting that there is a ready of the English terms 'skill'and 'qualification' in a way that avoids problems of and calibrating German and English vocational qualifications. Reasons for this are explored, the most important of which relate to: a) the conceptual structure of skill its cognates in the two languages; b) the differing socio-political role of qualifications; c) industrial structures and labour processes; d) differences in institutions regulating education and training (VET). These problems are discussed in relation to examples of industries and occupations and apparently similar levels of qualification in England and .