Connecting Past, Present, and Future - 2025 EPALE Community Conference
The 2025 EPALE Community Conference was a resounding success, bringing together adult learning professionals on October 22-23 in Brussels and online to celebrate a significant milestone. Under the inspiring theme of Passages, EPALE's tenth anniversary gathering took us on a journey through the evolution of adult education and boldly charted its future direction.
We are thrilled to share the highlights from the 2025 EPALE Community Conference in the video above!
Connecting Past, Present, and Future
The conference was held in hybrid format at Brussels' BIP Meeting Centre, with invited participants joining us in person and the broader community able to follow along live via EPALE, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. This approach made it possible for practitioners all over Europe to join in this incredible celebration.
The first day explored how adult learning has evolved over the past ten years – and what a fascinating evolution it has been! A "Transformations" panel examined major shifts in the field, followed by an inspiring keynote on the patterns of change shaping current practices. Three afternoon workshops tackled pressing themes: the potential of Artificial Intelligence, the foundational relevance of Basic Skills, the essential Skills for the Future, and the opportunities that lie ahead.
On the second day, the session on "Adult Learning in the Next Generation of Erasmus+" was a real eye-opener, giving us some incredibly insightful information about current and future plans. And "Data-Driven Storytelling" was nothing short of stunning, combining the beauty of storytelling with the powerful data to deliver information and analyse phenomena like never before. The "Forward looking skills" panel discussion explored how the sector must adapt to serve diverse populations facing rapid technological and societal change, addressing questions of inclusivity, digital transformation, and adult education's evolving role.
The brilliant National Side Events really added to the Conference, allowing country-specific communities to explore themes within their local contexts while keeping up with the broader European conversation – it was an amazing way to spread the wealth of the Conference!
What's Next
The 2025 EPALE Community Conference was a resounding success, celebrating ten years of incredible progress and paving the way for an even more dynamic future. As EPALE enters its second decade, this gathering is the perfect opportunity to celebrate and launch the exciting transformative work ahead.
All the plenary sessions are available online, so the amazing insights from the conference can be accessed by anyone anywhere.
