Going digital: but what about humans? What are the limits for adult learning?
On 8 November 2022, the EPALE and European Agenda for Adult Learning (AEFA and National Coordination) teams in Belgium and France held a conference on the theme of digital inclusion.
A short presentation of the event was posted on 16 November.
The morning session is available for viewing in four separate sequences, listed at the end of the blog, as well as the complete proceedings (produced by Boris Jancen). A summary by the same author is presented below.
The digital revolution we are currently experiencing is global and total, and is unprecedented in its impact and speed. Global, because it concerns all regions of the planet. Total in its scope because it is transforming all aspects of our lives, but also the business world, the labour market, and professions as we know them. It is therefore understandable that many are wondering how to support citizens, organisations and social cohesion structures that have not made the transition to digital. Accompanying people’s digital transformation is a way to promote inclusion in the “New World” that is taking shape before our eyes, and to fight against the various fractures that are appearing.
It is therefore essential to understand the various aspects of the digital revolution and to measure its main impacts in order to provide a practical response to the challenges it poses. This is true in the field of education, training and support for adults and the professional integration of “invisible” and vulnerable groups. This unprecedented transition implies the integration of new skills into compulsory education, and a profound adaptation of vocational training, particularly in soft skills, in order to safeguard the future of young people and support job seekers throughout their integration process.
Ambitious programmes to meet the challenges posed by the technological revolution
The acceleration of technology has led the European authorities to place digital education among the strategic priorities of the Erasmus+ programme. The programme aims to promote the right to training and lifelong learning for all, with a clear objective for 2025: 70% of adults aged 16-74 should have at least basic digital skills.
This was the context ahead of the conference “Going digital: but what about humans? What are the limits for adult learning?” by the EPALE and the European Agenda for Adult Learning teams in France and Belgium, two Erasmus+ programme schemes.
The Wallonia-Brussels Federation is committed to providing identical responses to new demands in the field of adult education and digital inclusion.
The aim of the conference was to encourage the French and Belgian stakeholders in the sector to look at the role of training in digital inclusion, and to ensure that it is accessible to all.
Since its creation in 2015, the EPALE platform has been able to meet a wide range of objectives promoting discussion between professionals in adult education and training. Today, more than 122,000 professionals in Europe (and 6,000 in France) share their knowledge, describing their practices and thoughts on the sector.
The updated and better-funded Erasmus+ programme for the period 2021-2027 aims to provide even greater support to European stakeholders in the field of inclusion and skills development, as it targets the most vulnerable people.
Putting people back at the centre of digital concerns
The health crisis highlighted many of the obstacles that need to be overcome in order to implement large-scale hybrid education and training adapted to the new realities imposed by digital technology. The results vary greatly depending on the skills of teachers, trainers, learners and the materials available.
Nothing is simple in the world of new technologies. While they are confusing for many users, for example by creating a particularly ambiguous “love-hate” relationship, they also raise many questions, given their fetishistic, not to say deterministic, dimension.
But the digital transition is above all the cause of deeper divides that leave an ever-increasing number of citizens by the wayside.
This is the reason why public authorities, such as the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, pay particular attention to disadvantaged groups in higher education and social development. This includes providing additional resources to improve the conditions for hybrid education and to limit the negative effects of the crisis.
A better understanding of the challenges facing professionals involved in the digitisation process means that concrete recommendations can be made to companies, job seekers, recruiters and training centres in Wallonia and Brussels. However, the role of the human being in this “New World” remains at the centre of all debates and discussions.
The conference “Going digital: but what about humans?” looks at the above considerations, and questions professionals in the field of adult education on the role of training in digital inclusion. This is in order to give the main stakeholders practical ways of making the digital transition truly inclusive, and to ensure that training in these now indispensable skills becomes accessible to all.
Watch the event:
1/ Opening
2/ How to be part of society through digital tools
3/ Digital mediation in the face of accelerated paperless development
4/ The effects of digital technology on skills: issues of inclusion and scale
Les actes de la journée, réalisés par Boris Jancen, offrent une vision complète des échanges et des réflexions de cette journée.
