The 4^th Thematic Meeting of EPALE France took place in the friendly atmosphere  generated by the sixty French-speaking education and training professionals who had come together for a day of European discussions on the impact of digital technology on life-long learning. 

Marie Pierre Chalimbaud, Director of Erasmus+ France's Development Department, opened the meeting by reviewing the development of the tools and technologies over recent years. Digital technology covers other technologies, all of which affect education and training one way or another. These tools are available to those actively involved in education and training, and evolve through the ways in which they are used. The Erasmus+ programme is one of the tools which should be used to experiment with new technologies in the field of teaching and learning.

The EPALE France team then presented the platform of European cooperation to  delegates. Today, 25,000 professionals from all over Europe are registered with EPALE France, making EPALE a Europe-wide community of players in adult education and training. EPALE itself is also a digital entity which affects life-long learning by offering on-line information, discussions and sharing as well as person-to-person exchanges through themed meetings.

 Conference - Discussion

Hervé Fernandez, Director of ANLCI, opened this discussion. While the use of digital technology in training has many benefits, it is important to remember that not everyone has mastered digital skills. In partnership with the FPSPP and the European Agenda for Adult Training, the National Agency for the Fight Against Illiteracy has provided training professionals with a self-training module to detect illiteracy. Speech by Mr Fernandez 

Learning how to train and to self-train in the digital era is a new factor which Jean Vanderspelden, EPALE France Theme Expert, is helping us to understand. The appearance of screens in every sphere of life has changed our relationship to information and to knowledge. New profiles and behaviours are emerging, giving rise to a new way of supporting training. Speech by Mr Vanderspelden

To meet the need for digital skills in the jobs market, and to promote inclusion, the Grande École du Numérique (IT College) brand has been created. Roseline Le Squère, project development manager at the University of South Brittany and an EPALE Theme Expert, presented this training network based on her experience in the field as a partner of Digiskol, the digital technology school. Speech by Madame Le Squère

Explorcamp

The Explorcamp section of EPALE's themed meeting featured during the afternoon, with workshops exploring the practices and uses related to digital technology on  offer to those present. Brief overview of these.

In the MOOC workshop, Loic Tournedouet, MOOC manager at AFPA, presented the impacts of MOOC innovations on AFPA's activities. The Agence pour la Formation Professionnelle des Adultes (Agency for Professional Adult Training) is no newcomer to MOOC's development: following on from the success of its cooking programme, which was voted MOOC of the Year, it has developed a MOOC for migrants and refugees, aimed at learning French. Learn more about AFPA's MOOC FLE

Resource "Innovate with MOOC"

The project led by the strategic partnership Net-Me In, funded by the Erasmus+ programme, featured in the Usage, Practice and Support workshop. The six partners in the project aim to create on-line self-training modules for jobseekers, supporters and players from the business world. During this Explorcamp workshop, participants were encouraged to question the community of European practice influenced by the project. Learn more about the Net-Me In project

Serge Ravet, ADPIOS Innovation Director, introduced Open Badge to those present.  This is a new method of certification which stands out because of its diversity, its format, its cross-curricular style and the implicit relationship of trust between the issuer and the receiver. Resource "Open Badge"

A serious game to help in the identification and development of skills, Skill Pass was the tool presented by Pascal Chaumette during the Serious Game workshop. Skill Pass mixes serious gaming and tailored apps to complement the support for young adults in their employability. Learn more about Skill Pass

In Pôle Emploi's strategic plan, innovation is a priority. One success was the creation of the Pôle Emploi Lab. A genuine 'third place', this laboratory is dedicated to innovation in employment involving various stakeholders (the unemployed, developers, consultants, researchers, etc) in a joint effort to develop new services.

Maude Sire, manager of Erasmus+ France/Education Training's promotions centre, brought a day rich in exchanges to an end by reminding the training professionals present of opportunities for continued sharing and innovation. In addition, the Erasmus+ programme is available to finance innovative projects in education or mobility.  The EPALE Partner Search is dedicated to setting out ideas for projects; don't  hesitate to consult it. 

EPALE themed meetings are meant to be shared: you too can offer this community of professionals your ideas and your tools. The EPALE team is there for you (epale@agence-erasmus.fr).