The European Social Charter was the first international treaty laying down binding norms in the fields of vocational guidance and training, so closely linked with employment policy.
Guidance and training are key concerns for the individual in obtaining employment and for states in devising appropriate employment policies. If employment is indeed a pre-condition for the enjoyment of many of the rights in the Charter, so are vocational guidance and training to an important extent pre-conditions for gaining access to employment.
Monograph No. 8 explains the content of these norms on the basis of an analysis of the case law of the European Committee of Social Rights. The study gives insight into the scope of the Charter's protection as regards employment policy, vocational guidance and training.