EPALE - Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe

The partners of the new Flemish Partnership for Lifelong came up with a strong statement. "We must all strive to establish a true learning culture for training, retraining and orientation throughout our career in order to move towards a true learning society. Everyone, citizens and organisations alike, must become eager to learn. A society where everyone, without distinction, has the opportunity to learn (formal, non-formal or informal), and where people are guided towards and in learning."

Historically Flanders (Belgium) scores poorly in the statistics for lifelong learning. After their initial education, people are generally not inclined to continue learning or upskill. Although Flanders counts many providers of education and training, the Flemish region has not yet cultivated a strong learning culture, not in individuals, nor in organisations or in society as a whole. The different educational sectors are often working alongside each other. This low level of willingness to learn is worrying because it is a determining factor for participation in lifelong learning. It is also worrying that those who could benefit most from learning are the least likely to participate. 

To turn the tide several educational partners collaborated and came up with a comprehensive action plan to tackle early-school-leaving and educational poverty. The ultimate goal is to turn Flanders into a true learning society.

Background and figures

We are living in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambivalent world (VUCA-world). In Flanders the population is growing older and the working age population is shrinking. As in the rest of the world, other challenges to tackle are immigration, digital innovations, the changing nature of jobs, upcoming new jobs, skills mismatches and competition on international markets. Participation in adult education in Flanders is lower than in other OECD countries with comparable skill levels and there is a low level of willingness to participate in learning. There are also inequalities in participation e.g. men, older generations and immigrants are lagging behind. 

In 2021 over 5% of 18-24 year olds in Flanders did not have a secondary education diploma and were no longer in education or training. Also the share of early school leavers among men (7 %) was twice as high than among women (3,5%). In the other regions of the country though he share of early school leavers was even higher. In the Brussels-Capital region, this figure stood at 9,1% of people aged between 18 and 24. In the Walloon region, this share reached 8,3%. To compare: in the European Union (EU-27), the share of early school leavers in 2021 was 9,7%, but major differences exist between the EU countries. In Romania, almost 15,3% of young people left school early. In Slovenia, that share was only 3,1%. According to the 2016 OECD Adult education Survey, 47,7% of adults in Flanders participated in lifelong learning in that year. While above the EU average, this is far below that of top-performers such as Switzerland (69,1%) and the Netherlands (64,1%).

Matthew-effect

Flemish stakeholders often refer to the existence of a Matthew-effect. This describes the phenomenon by which highly skilled people participate more in learning, thus accumulating further advantages, while low-skilled adults are increasingly left behind. In Flanders there is a 47% gap in participation rates of adult learning between low and high skilled people, which is greater than the EU average of 42%. Existing lifelong learning initiatives are also not reaching the groups who could benefit most from learning. Low-educated adults are underrepresented in e.g. applying for career guidance vouchers and/or training vouchers.

Priorities

A strong learning culture is imperative if Flanders wishes to ensure that all individuals are ready to upgrade their existing skills or acquire new skills to adapt to new challenges and opportunities and thrive in an increasingly complex world. The OECD Skills Strategy diagnostic report for Flanders summed up the following priorities:  

• Reduce skills imbalances
• Strengthen skills use in workplaces
• Strengthen the governance of adult learning
• Improve the financing of adult learning

Preparational initiatives

Flanders took several initiatives to try to combat early-school-leaving and educational poverty.

A joint STEM Action Plan 2012- 2020 was made up by the policy domains education and training, work and social economy and economy, and science and innovation to stimulate young people to choose STEM education, professions and careers. This involved marketing, communication campaigns, strengthening teachers and trainers, improving the process of study and career choices, and encouraging young adults to study STEM.

The Flemish ministers submit policy papers at the start of their five-year political term. The Policy Paper Education & Training 2014–2019 from the Flemish minister of Education and Training included visions and targets for adult education, transfer from education to the labour market, languages, digital literacy, media wisdom, learning guidance, secondary education, financing higher education, and teacher education.

The concept note 'Together against early school leaving' 2015- 2019 came up with a broad approach to reduce early school leaving and truancy and to guarantee the right to learn concretised in a plan of 52 actions at 4 levels: 1) monitoring, identification and co-ordination; 2) prevention; 3) intervention; 4) compensation.

The third Strategic Literacy Plan was introduced in 2017 and has a deadline for 2024. It has five strategic goals and specifies targets to improve the literacy skills and digital literacy skills for different sub-groups, including people leaving secondary education, job seekers and employed persons, and people in poverty.

Vizier 2030 is a concept note that combines UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with Vision 2050. It is the next step in the implementation agenda of the SDGs, building on the Vision 2050 longterm strategy, and defining objectives with a list of 49 specific goals for 2030 related to SDG4 “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.

Vision 2050 is a long-term strategy for Flanders identifying seven crucial transitions Flanders should make. One of these transitions is about “lifelong learning and a dynamic life course”. The Flemish government, together with some frontrunners, went in search of inspiring new scenario's (NL) for living, learning and working. Various transition-experiments were set up who could break free from old ideas and practices to get people thinking and help promote the transition. With the support of the Erasmus+ programme, the Flemish national coordinator for the European Agenda for Adult Learning supported Vision 2050 with a website (Long Live Learning - Lang Leven Leren - NL) gathering examples of people and organisations already bringing these new combinations of living, learning and working into practice.

Partnership and Action Plan for Lifelong Learning

"We must all strive to establish a true learning culture for training, retraining and orientation throughout our career in order to move towards a true learning society. Everyone, citizens and organisations alike, must become eager to learn. A society where everyone, without distinction, has the opportunity to learn (formal, non-formal or informal), and where people are guided towards and in learning."