Adult learning : a cornerstone for our future

1. Adultlearning: a cornerstoneforourfuture Marijke Dashorst

2. Commonchallengesto-day • Competitiveness • Demographicchange • Socialinclusion • Politicalchallenges • Personaldevelopment

3. Challengesfor the future • Prosperity: wellbeing/socialprotection/safety/environment; • Solidarity: all adults have the right to participate in lifelonglearning; • Citizenship: gobalcitizens/interculturaldialogue/Europeanidentitywithrespectingnationaldiversity

4. Commonobjectives • At least secondary level of education for all • Reducing the number of people with low levels of literacy • No early school leavers • Updating competences : horizontal and vertical (new skills for new jobs agenda) • Social integration • Involving older people

5. Therefore what is needed is: • More ambitious national strategies • Better coordination between ministeries and with stakeholders • Interface with social and employment policy, information society, regional and local policy • Implementation of European instruments by Open Method of coordination • Other infrastructure • Incentives for people

6. Adultlearningto-day • 2006: It is never too late to learn • 2007: It is always a good time to learn • 2008: Conclusions of the Council • 2007 – 2010: Implementation of the Action Plan

7. Main Aim of Action Plan: to increase participation • Benchmark 12.5% of 25-64 year by 2010 • In 2007 percentage was 9.5% (EU trend down since 200) • Highly skilled people participate 6 times more • Adult Education Survey (1 year): similar findings • Achieving 12.5% = 4 million more adult learners! Council Conclusions on Updated Strategy (12 May 2009) raised benchmark to 15% by 2020

8. Adult Learning Action Plan Priorities • Analysis of impact of national educational reforms on adult learning • Improving the quality of adult education provision • Helping adults achieve a qualification at least one level higher (“One Step Up”) • Validation and recognition of knowledge, skills and competencies acquired through non-formal and informal learning • A better and transparent monitoring of the sector, by developing terminology and a set of five core data

9. Commission follow-up • Working group (MS representatives; to steer implementation) • 5 Focus groups (experts; one group for each action line) • Studies (Calls to tender) • National reforms (methodology, case studies) 2009 • Terminology and core data 2009 • Good practice on enhancing qualification levels (‘One step up’) 2009 • Adult learning professions 2008, Key competences of staff 2009 • Overview of existing quality standards for providers 2010 • Approaches to validation of prior learning, as part of updated European Inventory 2010 • Conferences and “peer-learning activities” (PLA) • 4 “regional” (= multi-country) events October-November 2009 • PLA on literacy (IE), monitoring (SK), validation (CZ), progression (UK) 2009 • European Prison Education Conference early 2010 • Synergy with Grundtvig: conference in January 2010

10. Challengesforadultlearning • To help overcome the crises: - preparing people for new jobs - updating their skills • Support the development of a knowledge- society based on social inclusion, active citizenship and diversity • To support the right to participate in lifelong learning (finance/incentives)

11. Therefore what is needed is: • Cooperation and coordination at policy level • Setting clear targets basedonevidence - research • Improving the quality and governance of the sector • ImplementingEuropeaninstruments • Open mindset : learningfromeachother • Increasing budgets • Monitoring and evaluation

12. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION