Anticipation of future demand for skills gets increasing attention in the policy community. There are various views about anticipation with little communication between the different „camps“ (quantitative economic forecasting, scenario methods, survey and market observation, qualitative-communicative approaches, etc.) Currently, the issues of competences and of outcome orientation are bringing also new aspects into anticipation discourse and practice. Main questions and objectives of the symposium: first whether and how the different approaches and methodologies can be brought reasonably together into a system of knowledge management; second how the different approaches and methodologies are able to cope with the new developments. Anticipation is often seen as a technical issue: if we had a sophisticated methodology, we would be able to forecast. However, this view is incorrect and misleading. In fact anticipation is closely related to several basic questions of how we understand the role of education, qualifications, and competences in the economy and society. Moreover, anticipation necessarily contributes to the shaping of future relations between supply and demand. The following issues must be raised: - Different views exist about how supply and demand interact – a qualification framework might influence those interactions (or not), thus a main question concerns its role in those interactions, and in anticipation. - Different views exist about anticipation rationale and methods – how can methods be reasonably valued and brought together for utilisation? Can this issue be handled in terms of knowledge management frameworks? - The new concepts about competences and learning outcomes might challenge the traditional concepts – which consequences do those new concepts have for the practices and activities of anticipation, how can they be integrated in anticipation practice?

The methodological attempt is mainly analytical, influenced by empirical studies of anticipation practices in different countries. The symposium will bring together different perspectives starting from different aspects of anticipation each: first an European approach of forecasting, second an analysis of the meaning of qualifications and competences in anticipation, third a framework for a broader anticipation approach as social knowledge management which might combine forecasting and other methodologies. The discussant should work out the critical issues in a comprehensive perspective on the background of his experience.

An important common issue to be discussed and worked out is the role of the institutional level at supply and demand side either, in its relation to the practices of the actors and the market dynamics. From the different perspectives different requirements to the institutional frameworks in ET and employment can be detected. Another important issue is the relation of a more theoretical and conceptual work to the real practices of anticipation at the policy level.