Continuing training in Romania: Reasons and benefits from the perspective of the knowledge economy

In the wider perspective of lifelong learning, the continuing education and training play a significant role in the up-skilling of individuals. Rapid transformations due to the technological development and globalisation generated a continuous need for competence and skills improvement. The paper begins with the exploration of the needed competences and qualifications in the current context of globalisation and attempts to emphasize the future competences, skills and qualifications required by the knowledge economy. A study is conducted on the Romanian continuing training market to identify changes in the demand for particular qualifications and competences. Research findings reveal efforts for upskilling from the workforce in Romania. Training courses for transversal competences enjoyed much popularity, together with qualification courses for white-collar, highly skills occupations. Nonetheless, training courses for several agricultural occupations had a significant demand over the investigated period of 2007-2011, due to the large agricultural potential of Romania in the context of European integration.