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EPALE - Elektronische Plattform für Erwachsenenbildung in Europa

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EPALE Diskussion: Die Zukunft der Erwachsenenbildung

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EPALE Deutschland

Am Mittwoch, dem 8. Juli 2020, lädt EPALE von 10.00 - 16.00 Uhr zu einer Online Diskussion zur Zukunft der Erwachsenenbildung ein. Wir wollen über die Zukunft des Bildungssektors Erwachsenenbildung sowie die neuen Chancen und Herausforderungen diskutieren. Gina Ebner, EPALE-Expertin und Generalsekretärin der EAEA, moderiert die Diskussion.

Online discussion future of adult learning.

Am Mittwoch, dem 8. Juli 2020, lädt EPALE von 10.00 - 16.00 Uhr zu einer Online Diskussion zur Zukunft der Erwachsenenbildung ein.

  • Wie stellen Sie sich die Zukunft des Bildungssektors Erwachsenenbildung in den nächsten fünf oder zehn Jahren vor?
  • Was glauben Sie wird passieren - und was möchten Sie dass es passiert? 
  • Welche neuen Herausforderungen und Chancen werden sich ergeben? 

Wir laden alle Mitglieder der EPALE Community ein, ihre Ideen zur Zukunft der Erwachsenenbildung mit uns zu teilen: ob ambitioniert, vorsichtig, optimistisch oder besorgt.

Teilen Sie Ihre Erfahrungen, Tipps, Fallstudien und gute Praktiken mit der EPALE Community! 

Nehmen Sie teil an der Online Diskussion, die von Gina Ebner, EPALE-Expertin und Generalsekretärin der EAEA, moderiert wird.

Ab dem 29. Juni 2020 können Sie Kommentare posten, um sich kurz vorzustellen, oder falls Sie am Tag der Diskussion verhindert sind. Sie können auf Deutsch oder Englisch mitdiskutieren. 

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Kommentar

Profile picture for user gina.ebner.
Regina EBNER
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 12:06

Here's the next topic that has been raised by you: older learners. 
We're partly talking about older workers and their training but also retired learners. Additionally, there's the group of the '4th age', ie very old learners, many of them in care homes. 
What are the trends, where do you thinnk adult education is going for older learners?
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Profile picture for user Ilze Onzule.
Ilze Onzule
Community Hero (Gold Member).
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 12:11

Older learners. Our most active seniors work in NGOs. The television company Lattelecom organized free computer training for seniors. Seniors are eager to learn.
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Hi Ilze, the initiative by the tv company is really interesting. Is it a public or private company? How is the training organized? Does the initiative reach smaller communities? I am thinking that it would be a winning initiative if TVs could reach older learners through educational programs broadcasted nationally, perhaps explaining basic IT concepts in an easy and accessible way. Thanks for sharing!      
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I remember quite a few offers on TV for learning an Austrian TV - there was French and Russian. In the UK, there are still programmes supported / developed by the Open University. It's interesting that TV still works! 
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Christine Bertram
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 12:18

Learning about older age.
With changing demographics this will be a growing area. Particularly also from a health perspective - health education will become very important (also in connection with combatting certain diseases). 
There is also an area of educating about older age - what do you need to know about retirment, how do you prepare for it? I still am comparatively young (at least at heart) and feel woefully underprepared beyond the "start saving for your pension talk" when I was 20 - and I have a feeling that many people are in a similar position. There is a lot of potential that is untapped.
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Excellent point! This is one very good example for the concept of 'skills for life' which has been highlighted in the recent update of the New Skills Agenda. It is also an example for adult education helping with life transitions. Preparing and coping with retirement, old age etc. 
Additional transitions can be becoming parents, divorce etc.
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Absolutely, and in that regard, I am very much Looking forward to Q4 on EPALE  when this will be a topic. 

I think transitions have mostly been looked at in work related contexts in young age (school - work/ apprenticeship/ University, in and out of employment). So actually transitions due to life Events (marriage, birth, death, divorce) which do have a huge effect on the individual and his/her context are important to consider. Glad this is reflected in the New Skills Agenda.
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Dora SANTOS
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 12:51

I think this is a huge challenge for Portugal, because this country has a very aging population. Perhaps, new technologies and digitization can make adult education more inclusive for everyone, even older people, as digital literacy embraces older people more. The coronavirus has helped to develop digital skills, because it has been a way for older people to continue to relate to their families. But, of course, other supports are needed to raise the digital literacy of these adults.

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Eva Baloch-Kaloianov
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 13:05


Covid-19 had and still has a very specific impact on perceived "elderly" people in society, simultaneously,  new approaches for outreach and closing of digital gaps had to be developed in very short time.  

we would like to point out that Anita Rappauer (queraum. kultur- und sozialforschung), coordinator of the Erasmus+ project "Invisible Talents, ecouraging and recognising the contributions of people aged 80+" shared through her community story how their project work was challenged by the recent physical distancing.  

In response, the video series “Staying Home for Advanced Learners” and “Staying Active for Advanced Learners”  was launched in cooperation with senior citizens, to support and showcase their talents. 

Kind regards from the EPALE NSS team in Vienna.

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Colin Neilands
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 13:41

While many older people have embraced digital technologies and social media over the past months we mustn't forget that many older people live in poverty and therefore excluded from these possibilities. Also the rush and enthusiasm for a shift to online learning must not completely overshadow the benefits of people getting out of their homes and into new environments for learning - this not being exclusive to older people either.

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David LOPEZ
Community Hero (Gold Member).
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 11:14

About trainers /teachers training, I think (with the friends from EPALE FRANCE) that there is two issues :
* Training to have an efficiency on digital tools and to adapt pedagogical new methods on digital learning :the role of trainer, the central place of learner.
* Training to have a strong knowledge on specific learners : excluded persons (of all categories), migrants, intercultural learning.

Secondly, in France, with EPALE team, we try to explore the concept of "territoire apprenant" : learning spaces and territories. The idea is to have an holistic approach of needs and proposals in the field of learning and training. The approach have to be centralised in small territories (municipality, group of communes,....)
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Hi David, 
very interesting! Your second poitn has been raised by Ingrid before. Can I therefore ask everyone: what is your experience with the development of local adult learning and education? Dearbhial has also mentioned community learning. Is local learning becoming more important than before? Less? Is it balancing the trend for wider connections (either through programmes such as Erasmus+ or through online communication)? Where do you think this is going?
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This really depends on the target group. The AL arena is so fragmented and the needs are so different depending on the target group in question. E.g. there was a cooking class in a local community for elderly men, who were either widowed or divorced. They really benefitted of the community and received a lot of support from each other (not only in cooking matters ;)). Then again, there is a massive group of very active adults, who really benefit from European communities (say, people in NGOs and associations). Also, e.g. internet security courses are really popular in the non-formal centers in Finland and people are quite happy to learn online (even pre-COVID) without any particular community or local aspect to it.

Localisation depends on the needs of the target group. 
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I agree with Anni here, that it really depends on the target group and what you want to achieve. I think there is a place for all of it, and none of it should be valued more or less. 
Of course, at European level, the focus will automatically shift to more Europe-focused offers. I think though that this can maybe be seen as a sort of ladder. People may start at the local level (especially if they have been not very much involved in learning) and then "grow". Of course a lot of this may be wishful thinking from my part, but I would love to see possible pathways for that whatever the educational topic.
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I see a trend towards more local learning. Certainly: Which educational offers are offered at local or national level depends on the target group. I cannot say whether local learning will become "more important". However, there has long been a trend towards regional networking in the online world (social media). And this trend can also affect adult education.
My dream is to enable joint learning at local and European level. I have in mind something like eTwinning for adult education. On the eTwinning portal, schools / school classes / teachers can suggest projects and other schools can participate. It's straightforward, you don't have to make an application. What is "projects" in schools is called a "course" in adult education. A local educational institution could suggest a course and run it with educational institutions in other countries. Because proposing and participating is easy, even small educational institutions can work together easily. I think such collaborations would be an asset for adult education and for Europe.
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Dear David, 
Your comment signals that there is an improtant connection in between adult learning in local communities and the topic of learning cities and learning commuinities having been emhasized by various stakeholders! I presume trainers need to work together in the Development of adult learning with people from social work, youth organisations, Cultural and Community organisations (e.g. musems, galleries, etc.) to integrate members of vulnerable groups of adults and to expand towards new partnerships both in formal and non-formal learning!
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Christine Bertram
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 12:05

I agree… much of the focus is on Young people - and the older generations and their potential (also in terms of their contribution to society and the economy) is very much forgotten. It's also a case of learning (and preparing) for older age which is totally neglected.
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Kees Schuur
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 13:39

Education policies can also stimulate ageism!
As long as we don´t have eyes for the facts such as:
- Informal learning by adults is much, much higher than formal learning (education)
-  People informal learn up to their retirement (almost the same level as young adults), while formal learning (education) drops very fast after the age of 45 years.
- VNIL is directed towards formal recognition and mostly used when qualified people require and/or badly need a diploma, certificate or license, such as health sector, education, child care, truck-driver. 
- Education is expensive and and cost time and energy, informal learning (network, colleagues, communities of practice) brings energy, cost less and people are often interested and motivate to put more time in learning.

An example:
* France has 280.000 childminders. Per year, 5000 persons show interest for VAE (VNIL). In the end, 188 received their diploma. And at other places, such as in the Netherlands and in London, the number of childminders dropped during the last 10 years with 30%, especially older (/experienced) women (55+). 
Education or VPL-procedure requires a high time- and money-investment, and that together with increasing regulations and inspections and while working for net-salaries far under the minimum wage, many of them decide to quit their childminder activities.
And this at a time that childcare is urgently needed....
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melike uysal
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 11:07

Hello everyone!

Greetings from Turkey.

I think, during the COVID-19 outbreak, everyone understood the importance of digitalisation, online learning. At the beginning of the outbreak, adult education activities carried out by MoNE - DG LLL in Turkey, unfortunately, stopped for a while, like all over the world. 
But soon after that, many online adult education courses - like literacy, language or ms office- were opened. Trainers benefit MoNE's online portal "EBA" or Zoom, Whatsapp, hangout, etc. Also, online literacy courses opened for migrants.
Many projects on this field, contributed for better online learning.
 We, as Turkey NSS, planned webinar series with academicians, specialist.
 I'm afraid, COVID -19 effects will continue, for a while. 
So, I think, Policymakers will need to determine new policies in the adult education sector. 

Thank you




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Regina EBNER
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 11:06

By the way, please don't be upstet if I haven't picked up on the topic that you have posted! I have a list of them next to me and will raise them one after the other
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Regina EBNER
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 11:03

Let me move to the next topic that seems to be high on the agenda for many of you: teachers / trainers and the need for their training. My questions therefore: where do you see the role of trainers developing? For some years, I've heard a lot about trainers becoming 'facilitators' of learning? Do you agree? 
Also, do you think there are enough opportunities for trainers to develop the skills and competences for the future? 
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In my understanding collaborative actions in between adult Education organisations and universites are needed upon developing and raisisng the professional skills of trainers of adult learners. This needs integrative and innovate focuses upon Research and Development. The Erasmus+ INTALL project is an appropriate model for such collaboration amongst higher Education and adult Education with a clear practice orientation.   
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Dear Balázs Bánk Németh,

Thank you for mentioning INTALL (seems to be this one : https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/projects/eplus-project-det…)
KA2 is perfect for such collaborative actions.

With a clear practice orientation in the field of CVET, we could mention the ESCoT project coordinated in France with Austrian, Greek and Italian partners :

https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/projects/eplus-project-det…;

Together with French researchers, four VET training centres conducted full work analysis of trainers, elaborated a standard of teaching competences, then developed e-learning modules focused on pedagogical skills of trainers.

Best regards,

Antoine Bienvenu - French Erasmus+ NA for KA2

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The current trend appears to be that trainers / teachers will be facilitating making prior learning visible and usable in different contexts and developing learning paths for the learners. It appears - at least in Finland - that the AL teacher/trainers' roles develop towards experts of learning paths (including digital paths, workplace learning, non-formal learning or any other learning) rather than traditional teacher/trainers. Also, they will become facilitators of multiprofessional networks and coordinators of learning supply and learning ecosystems.

Of course, this does not apply to all, but this appears to the the trend in Finland.
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Actually, I do. I may have been slightly provocative in my reply, but we have tried to push this trend for ca 15 years with the non-formal learning umbrella organisations and now we are seeing the development taking first baby steps. This trend brings forth the concept of ubiquitousness of learning and empowers the individuals to see their existing competences and to further strengthen them or develop new skills and competences. This, of course, requires a lot of guidance, but should eventually lead to better self-reflection and understanding of one's own strengths and weaknesses as well as learning opportunities.
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As a part of the continuous learning strategy in Finland, the Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Education and Culture along with leading experts in the country started a discussion in June about validation and the use of artificial intelligence as well as other digital solutions. My personal suggestion was to concentrate on validation of future skills (that are already used and in demand in many companies) with the help of AI. My second point was to start applying swarm intelligence in validation. This would not - by all means - remove the need for the individual approach, but would, however, provide a lot of data for designing relevant learning paths for adults. The Ministry of Labour, especially, got quite interested in these ideas and is looking to fund a pilot project next year. Our group will continue discussion in late August :)
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Aleksandra Kozyra
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 14:05

This sounds intriguing Anni! At EAEA, we recently held a workshop in Helsinki on change-oriented adult education, where we had an example of a MOOC on artificial intelligence - seems that Finland is leading the way in this respect! It would indeed be interesting to see how artificial intelligence could be used for validation or for designing learning pathways. What will your pilot project involve? Do keep us posted on the results!  
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Like all for work, also the role of the teacher/trainer is changing.
The need for their training is "sustainable self-management of competences" (like  for instance the Swiss CH-Q method)
Once learned, it won´t stop and people will activate/create continuously their source of knowledge, their ways of acquiring skills and above all developing continuously a suitable attitude.
Just-In-Time, Just-Enough, Just-for-them, Just-in-the-right context,  just-in-the-right-way, Just...

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David LOPEZ
Community Hero (Gold Member).
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 10:57

I was interested in our Finnish colleague's comment on Finnish government proposal to support continuous learning in a national program. One of the difficulties is in the fact that our governments organise (financially and pedagogically) formal education systems (schools, higher education), but in most of our countries don't support directly continuous learning. Adult education is often financed by associations, professionl or VET sectors, non benefit organisations,... The link between formal and non formal education, between youth and adult education is an absolute necessity to don't let anyone out of the situation.
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David LOPEZ
Community Hero (Gold Member).
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 10:45

Responding to Gina's question, I think that digital tools for the future will be massive in use for all type of learning : AE , fomal education and non formal education, as well as for VET or inclusion processes. The problem in my opinion are not the tools but the process to help and prepare learners to have a good and efficient use of digital devices, material and learning logic.
For that, I think that in transition period, we need to reinforce the support of trainers and teachers for the most excluded people, but also for a strong majority of people who have a very basic knowledge of digital methods.
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Anni Karttunen
Community Collaborator (Silver Member).
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 10:29

Dear colleagues,

I am writing from Finland and we have some really interesting developments going on here about the future of AE and continuous learning in Finland. First of all, the Ministry of Education and culture launched a massive programme for continuous learning in 2019 and this year the parliamentary working group is finalizing the strategy. There are 12 indicators concerning 1) the individual: 2) labor market and working life in general; 3) supply chains of continuous learning; and 4) societal aspects of continuous learning.

According to the indicators, research will be made on the state of play of Adult Learning in Finland and what will be required in the future to optimize conditions for continuous learning from the four different aspect mentioned above. According to the needs appearing from the results of the national research (the PIAAC results will, of course, be considered in the results), the aim is to include the development needs for optimized continuous learning in the government 2022 budget proposal.


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Dear Gina,

in practice it means that there is access and availability of relevant learning options (be if formal, non-formal or informal) to satisfy the demand of the learning market :) If gaps in the supply chain are identified (that are somehow relevant for a functioning continuous learning system), they will be identified and learning opportunities created accordingly.
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To continue with developments in AL in Finland, the National Agency for Education launched a couple of years ago a national database for all formal learning, in which all citizens can access their formal learning achievements (from 1990 onwards). Now the database will be expanded to cover also non-formal learning programmes. The database also serves as an information source for decision makers on skills gaps ect. that need to be taken into consideration in the future actions for learning supply and working life needs. All learning achievments must be described in terms of learning outcomes, which in turn will enable better transparency of skill sets as well as understanding of learning needs.
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Regina EBNER
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 10:26

Thank you so much for your comments! Let's start with low basic skills? What do you think will happen? Will we exclude them even more? Will we use techology to support them better? What about trainers? Where do you see this going?
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Greetings from Cyprus! Responding to Gina's question, there is a great need to map the needs of low-skilled and low-qualified adults at a European level.
Specific strategies should be designed by countries based on their needs, since it is reported in research that they under-participate in lifelong learning programmes compared to adults with a tertiary level of education.
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Dearbhail Lawless
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 10:10

Hello everyone, my name is Dearbháil Lawless. I'm from AONTAS the national adult learning organisation in Ireland. We are the National Coordinator for the European Agenda for Adult Learning. Community education is a central focus of our advocacy and promotional work. This model engages the most disadvantaged learners. It is inclusive and utilises a grassroots approach. We would like to see this model utilised across Europe in the future of adult learning. We must remember how important it is to engage and support learners in a participatory model that is needs led. Non-formal education plays a big part on this. 

Looking forward to learning more from you today.



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Regina EBNER
Mi., 08.07.2020 - 10:06

Dear all,
let's get started with our discussion! I know that everyone has gotten accustoned to Zoom (webex...) meetings, but we'll be sticking with the written discussion - thre's no additional link, please post here!
I suggest to get started with the topic that has been mentioned a lot: digialisation, ie online learning and communication. What are your experiences? What do you think it will mean for the near future (let's say the next three years)?
I'm keen to read your contributions!
Gina
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Is there anyone, who has an idea concerning digitalization and local identity? I fear, that the so called "platform"-movement could threaten our identity as local providers. But we need digitalization for our local profile. So - how can we combine - in a convincing and suitable way - digitalization and the identity of a local provider. Following the lessons learnt by the pandemie, we need to give an answer in the near future.
Greetings from Bonn
Ingrid
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Hi Ingrid,

Great to have you take part. :-)
Maybe some of the EPALE Community Stories which have been collected during the pandemic can give you some insight and Inspiration. 

Some of the EPALE interviews are also quite insightful, for instance that of a local Basque Provider who had to switch to online teaching, trying to maintain a very community based presence. Will try and find the link.

All the best,
Christine
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