Rural skills & jobs through continuing education & lifelong learning Pete Hodgson Vice President EfVET Corporate Director Norton Radstock College, UK

Key aims To identify skills & job issues in rural areas To consider models to reduce the gaps identified through learning initiatives To reflect on accreditation and validation of learning

The skills/jobs challenge ? Limited local job opportunities Low average earning levels Low skill levels Seasonal part-time jobs Exodus of young people/influx of retired people

other rural challenges Inadequate electronic communications Need for local economic sustainability Lack of rural commercial infrastructure Accessibility to local services, transport Accessibility to Learning opportunities

Learning initiatives Develop IT skill levels to meet changing job needs Offer courses relevant to sector: tourism, hospitality, crafts, food production, childcare, land based occupations. Offer variety of local settings for learning – flexibility – take learning to the learner Encourage lifelong learning for skills development All need to address the key concerns to lead to sustainable rural communities – both social and economic

Target programmes to meet specific needs To Rural SMEs encouraging skills development in ICT, marketing and business development To Young people to build confidence & skills Rural Tourism and sustainability Skills for life – Key competences

Local rural business development – Trans Rural course

Blended learning Trans-Rural example Workshops – networking/external speakers/sharing good practice Self-study - explorative questions & analysis Newsletters – to encourage communication & maintain motivation Individual Business Planning ‘Green’ issues

Importance of accreditation and validation Validation should be competence based - offering Validation of prior learning, skills and experience - needs to be relevant to the learner 2 examples: see National e.g. Trans-Rural European e.g. ERTD

A feeling of achievement

Sharing good practice in Europe Useful contact points for sharing good practice in Vocational Education and Training and Lifelong Learning Thank you for listening