The European Agenda for Adult Learning (EAAL) has been implemented in Slovenia for twelve years now

In the just concluded quarter, we enthusiastically entered into a new seventh phase of the EAAL project for the period 2024–2025. We have grand plans – more on that another time – but we will undoubtedly be building upon some completed activities and taking into account the insights from previous phases.

EAAL is also being implemented in other EU Member States – in each country according to its two-year plans. The EAAL National Coordinators (NCs), alongside their national duties, join forces on the agreed themes. We share similar interests and priorities, but our approaches differ, and therein lies an opportunity for mutual learning. One of the ongoing joint activities is peer-learning activities (PLA), which involve various forms of collaboration and events that allow us to learn from each other or our peers.
 

Last year, representatives from Belgium, Ireland and Slovenia joined efforts on the topic of learning communities and innovative learning environments. At the EAAL NCs network meeting, we presented our practical examples and received great approval with a video about Ajdovščina – a learning community. The portrait of the Ajdovščina Adult Education Centre, its partners and participants (subtitles in English) was an excellent illustration of how an adult education centre connects the needs, interests and resources (creative, learning and educational, social and economic) of the local population and institutions to ensure that their community operates harmoniously as well as develops.

Skills acquisition and upskilling is a strong and shared interest in all environments

We have also worked in the thematic focus chosen by the second group of countries, namely, skills for life. With great interest, we attended the February webinar Skills for Life Cluster: Showcasing Past Achievements, where representatives from Belgium, Latvia, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Serbia presented their efforts and exciting projects. For example, the Slovak representative spoke about the challenges of aligning interests and activities for skills development, while the Latvian colleague discussed resources for developing digital and financial skills in their country. We also learned about projects for developing skills for life in the Netherlands and Serbia. 

We were also invited to read the EPALE blog, which provides direct access to the joint publication Strengthening Life Skills in the EU. In its introduction, they outline the purpose of their collaboration. They aimed to draw attention to those skills that are not directly related to work but that help individuals in everyday situations and enable them to lead successful personal, professional and social lives. They chose basic skills, multicultural skills and multilingualism, personal and social skills, learning skills, citizenship and entrepreneurial skills.

The publication presents interesting examples and approaches engagingly and concisely (and with links to more >>). Our Learning Parade is mentioned among others, and the contribution is linked to the EPALE blog on Learning Communities. The mosaic of colourful contributions calls directly and indirectly for a holistic approach to skills development and special care for vulnerable groups.

We agree that synergies are needed

In the discussion that took place in the webinar mentioned above, we expressed our enthusiasm for the topics discussed and our interest in collaboration, as we had also devoted a significant portion of the previous phase of the EAAL to skills for life. In fact, we have organised eight 2022–2023 EAAL forums, bringing together established experts, practitioners and influencers to highlight the following themes: green skills and learning communities, skills for a healthy life, digital skills, skills for cultural awareness and expression, civic, media, personal (emotional) and interpersonal skills, and financial and consumer skills for life. The inspiring testimonies from these forums are available on the corresponding forum's web page. 

A common finding of the forums is that the skills, although most often addressed individually, are closely interconnected. Acquiring and upgrading one type of skill usually leads to improvements in others. Thus, we unanimously agreed that, for example, financial literacy is strongly dependent on and connected to media, digital, personal and interpersonal, civic, cultural and other skills.

From the above understanding, it logically follows that approaches to fostering skills development, both at the individual and community or societal levels, must also be multidimensional and holistic! It makes sense if we stop to think for a moment that the landscape of skills is not and should not be monochromatic but colourful, open to (much-needed) synergies.

It is precisely on this premise that we will continue to build on the EAAL project in the period 2024–2025

The opportunity to do so will arise soon – at the first EAAL forum of the year, on 16 April at the House of the European Union and online. Under the slogan Skills for All, we will celebrate the European Year of Skills (EYS), which we launched on 1 June last year at the same venue under the auspices of the 27th Adult Education Colloquium (in Slovenian only). Interpretation in English will be available if you join this hybrid event via Zoom (registration is taking place until April 15 here: https://epuo.acs.si/spretnosti-za-vse. 

This year's event will, among other things, be dedicated to reflections on skills forecasting, the significance of skills measurement and policy measures that support skills acquisition. It will showcase an excellent practical example that addresses technological change and the future of work and skills. It was filmed for one of the 2021 EAAL forums, where we addressed five other socio-economic trends: the digitalisation of society, demographic trends (migration, ageing society), inclusion and citizenship and environmental challenges. 

All of the above also has implications for education systems in Europe and worldwide, thus also affecting skills acquisition and upskilling. Therefore, our efforts will, of course, be aligned with the 2024 EPALE thematic focuses:

• Upskilling and reskilling for the digital transition,

• Adult learning and education for sustainable development,

• Adult learning and education as a way out of poverty.

Digital and green skills are a common buzzword in documents and discussions, but considering all that has been said so far, let's not forget their civic, media, personal and interpersonal, financial and many other dimensions! 

Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik at SIAE works in the field of promotional and information activities. She is a national coordinator for implementing the European Agenda for Adult Learning. She is interested in pervasive promotional approaches and the integration and participation of stakeholders in adult education.