EUCIS-LLL "Lifelong Learning, a Vision to support the future of EU tools" November 2014

Building a citizen’s voice on education and training issues

“Tools to support a vision” CEDEFOP Conference, 27 November 2014 Audrey Frith, Director of EUCIS-LLL

European Civil Society Platform on Lifelong Learning

36 European organisations in education, training and youth

A unique European platform on Lifelong Learning

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Future of EU frameworks & LLL vision– CEDEFOP Conference, 27-28 November 2014

About us

More than 45 000 educational institutions & associations

... covering formal, non-formal and informal learning

... reaching out millions beneficiaries

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Lifelong Learning:

a concept underpinning EU

policies, tools and programmes

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A growing interest

UNESCO

Influential: Faure and Delors Reports

“learning throughout life” is the key to a better future

•A systemic view

•Centrality of the learner

•Motivation to learn

•Multiple objectives of education policy

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A growing interest

EC MEMORANDUM & COM. ON LIFELONG LEARNING (2001)

“All learning activity undertaken throughout life, with the aim of

improving knowledge, skills and competences within a personal, civic,

social and/or employment-related perspective”

Lisbon Strategy (2000-2010)

Europe 2020 Strategy: EU growth strategy 2010-2020

Education and Training 2020 (OMC)

“Making a European area of lifelong learning a reality” is a strategic

objective

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Why is LLL so important?

SOME ELEMENTS

•Digital revolution: widened access to knowledge (CE, Opening up

Education) and need to update skills

•More and more learning is taking place outside of formal education:

non-formal and informal learning (PIAAC, Eurobarometer 417)

•Ageing population and later age of retirement

•Modern life: no longer a school, work, retirement pattern

•Skills gaps in the knowledge society: up skilling the population

•European project: mobility, recognition, transparency

Formal

training

Formal training

Working

experience

Informal

learning

(diploma)

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ESSENTIAL ISSUES

•How to we manage transitions?

•To enable learners to become lifelong learners (competences)?

•What reforms & tools to provide them with flexible and life-long

pathways?

•If more and more people are skilled: what share of wealth?

•How to reach out to the low-skilled who benefit less from the learning

opportunities?

Some of these questions underpin most of current tools & reforms

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IMPACT FOR EDUCATIONAL ACTORS

•Be open and prepared to deal with non-traditional publics with the

development of new pedagogical strategies and assessment methods,

the creation of guidance services, adapted teacher trainings, etc.

•To provide more flexible learning paths: diversification of training supply

including part time studies or work based routes, development of

distance learning, etc.

•To have more openness towards non-formal and informal learning with

the increased transparency and recognition of learning outcomes.

•Develop greater partnerships with public authorities, students,

employers, employees, other educational providers

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Concrete tools to support this approach

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EU policies, programmes and frameworks

EU FRAMEWORKS AND TOOLS

•LO approach (CEDEFOP, EU frameworks)

•EQF for LLL and NQF developments

•Validation of NFIL (2012 Council Recommendation)

•ESCO

•EQAVET, ESG

•ECTS, ECVET

•Europass…

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State of play in Europe

SOME PROGRESS

• LLL comprehensive strategies

LLL most cited positive impact of ET2020 (EASQ Survey)

• Development of EQF/NQFs

• Development of validation systems

Inventory: from 50% to 75% MS have developed stratregies

• Increased use of learning outcomes approach

From transparency and mobility tools to transformative tools

Push for change towards more learner-centred systems

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State of play

CHALLENGES FOR LLL

•No recognition of non-formal education and non formal learning

•Belief that education = to seat in a classroom

•Bottlenecks in the systems

•Lack of LLL guidance

•Resistance to change

•Belief that equity undermines quality

•Keeping the priviledges of the sectors

•Difficulty to implement cross-sectoral approaches

•Organisational dimension: i.e. impact of institutional changes in the new

Commission?

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State of play in Europe

GAPS: FROM IDEA TO ACTION

•Lack of political will: inertia (no implementation of policy priorities)

•Resistance from educational actors

•Lack of use by final beneficiaries (Eurobarometer 417: 34% heard

about one of the tools)

•Funding: who pays?

Momentum to move a step forward (EASQ = of LLL ?)

This requires to revisit the vision in order to know where we want

to go: LLL is still relevant (UNESCO 2013)

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What’s next?

Recommendations on the

future of EU tools

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Ways forward: towards a shared vision

LLL: A VISION FOR THE FUTURE

•Momentum: build on the success of past programmes, tools and

policies and move a step forward

•The reasons underpinning the need for LLL are still relevant and

even more in times of crisis

•EU added value: forward-looking & long-term vision

•Comprehensive approach: not focused on employability only

•Vision shared by citizens and educational actors versus a technical

approach for experts

•Easier to communicate than an area of skills and qualifications

(tools versus vision) to bridge the gap with citizens/learners

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ET2020

•Synergies between:

Institutions (i.e. DG EMPL and DG EAC)

Indicators and policies (i.e. RLP Bologna expert group and EQF

advisory group)

Programmes (i.e. EQF and Erasmus+)

•Consistent teminology: better understanding and more coherence:

From competences to skills

From learning to education

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ET2020

•Data collection: i.e. the cost of not having alternative routes to access

qualifications (if no validation)

•Operationalisation: from policy priorities to national roadmap with

financial incentives

•Monitoring: possible use of system indicators (i.e. validation)

•Partnerships: stronger involvement of stakeholders including civil society

in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of policies

•EU Funds: links with the ESF, Erasmus+ as incentives

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Role of the Member States

•Differs according to sectors but strong normative function

•Political impulse to have standards (LO) in all sectors

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LLL-HUB

VISION

Creating a space for lifelong learning

OBJECTIVES

•Foster a shared meaning of lifelong learning

•Enable cross-sectorial, multi-stakeholder cooperation

•Structure the first transnational policy learning on EU LLL

strategies based on genuine research and dialogue at

regional/national level

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LLL-HUB

3 PHASES

LLL-Labs, LLL-Forums and LLL-Agora

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LLL-HUB

PILOT COUNTRIES

Spain, Netherlands, Portugal, Turkey, Bulgaria, Belgium and Poland

TIMELINE

LLL-Labs: until 31 January 2015

LLL-Forums: Spring / Summer 2015

LLL-Agora: 11-12 February 2016

www.lll-hub.eu

http://www.lll-hub.eu



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To Conclude

We need a vision: towards the lifelong learning area

We need the political will to move towards this vision with the

participation of all stakeholders

Thank you!

Audrey Frith

[email protected]

www.eucis-lll.eu

mailto:[email protected]



http://www.eucis-lll.eu



EUCIS-LLL "Lifelong Learning, a Vision to support the future of EU tools" November 2014

Education

learning opportunities

formal education

informal learning piaac

better future

eu growth strategy

training issues tools

lifelong learners competences

european organisations