This paper is based on the debate and materials presented at theEuropean Day Conference for business, government and other stakeholder representatives on optimising skills and competence towards Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development, held at Suez Tractebel, 30 Rue Royale, 1000 Brussels on 11 December 2003.
SUMMARY
This supplement provides background and amplification to the main text of "Optimising skills and competence", which sets out key actions to ensure that Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development deliver their full contribution to the European Union’s 2010 goal of sustained economic growth coupled with better jobs and greater social cohesion. The main text argues that to achieve this goal, business managers and staff must be equipped with the relevant skills and competences, which need to be clearly understood and built into training and education. It also presents a series of recommendations for businesses, trade unions, academic institutions and public authorities to ensure the development of these vital skills.There are already a number of very promising initiatives and examples of company good practice, but CSR and Sustainable Development will only become part of mainstream business thinking if they are taken further and more widely adopted. This Supplement presents a wide range of these existing initiatives, which all form part of the case for of making CSR and Sustainable Development part of mainstream training and education.