1 7 rue Kerckx, B-1050 Brüssel, Tel.: , eu warehouse Grundtvig Learning Partnership- Improving Participation in Adult Education Transnational Meeting July 2015 BRUSSELS / BELGIUM HOST: EU WAREHOUSE Welcome by the host organization EU WAREHOUSE Welcome by the coordinator EU WAREHOUSE. Presentation by EU WAREHOUSE with regards to their work and their relation to the project topic (ca. 15 min.) (Globalios idėjos); Presentation of the programme and relating to the prior work // Introduction to the main topics The participation aspects on European level: structural, situational and psychological barriers / good and best practices – PART I

2 7 rue Kerckx, B-1050 Brüssel, Tel.: , eu warehouse Grundtvig Learning Partnership- Improving Participation in Adult Education Transnational Meeting July 2015 BRUSSELS / BELGIUM Address the multi-level barriers those groups face in or to participate in adult education offers: Situational barriers ( e.g. individual circumstances due to age or family life); Psychological barriers (e.g. adults’ life experiences, negative associations with the schooling environment, lack of confidence, sense of worthlessness, or social exclusion); Structural barriers (e.g. perceived lack of suitable programmes, non-flexible education delivery systems, lack of access to adequate funding). Exchange information and best practice with regards to transferable actions, which should/could aim at: developing awareness-raising activities and learning options suited to these needs, trying adult education in with every-day activities; demonstrating societal interest in including these groups of individuals, developing activities in settings other than schools or classrooms, and by adopting approaches that help to overcome traditional fears; changing perceptions (by promoting available options more widely) or introducing operational changes to overcome these barriers.

3 Europe 2020: a European strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth EU WAREHOUSE, 7 rue Kerckx, B-1050 Brüssel, Tel.: Three mutually reinforcing priorities: 1.Smart growth: developing an economy based on knowledge and innovation. 2.Sustainable growth: promoting a more resource efficient, greener and more competitive economy. 3.Inclusive growth: fostering a high-employment economy delivering social and territorial cohesion. The EU needs to define where it wants to be by To this end, the Commission proposes the following EU headline targets : – 75 % of the population aged should be employed. – 3% of the EU's GDP should be invested in R&D. – The climate/energy targets should be reached. – The share of early school leavers should be under 10% … – 20 million less people should be at risk of poverty.

4 EU WAREHOUSE, 7 rue Kerckx, B-1050 Brüssel, Tel.: Sieben Leitinitiativen: The Commission is putting forward seven flagship initiatives to catalyse progress under each priority theme: 1."Innovation Union" to improve framework conditions and access to finance for research and innovation. 2."Youth on the move" to enhance the performance of education systems and to facilitate the entry of young people to the labour market. 3."A digital agenda for Europe" to speed up the roll-out of high-speed internet and reap the benefits of a digital single market for households and firms. 4."Resource efficient Europe" to help decouple economic growth from the use of resources, support the shift towards a low carbon economy, increase the use of renewable energy sources, modernise our transport sector and promote energy efficiency. 5."An industrial policy for the globalization era" … 6."An agenda for new skills and jobs" to modernise labour markets and empower people by developing their of skills throughout the lifecycle with a view to increase labour participation and better match labour supply and demand, including through labour mobility. 7."European platform against poverty" to ensure social and territorial cohesion such that the benefits of growth and jobs are widely shared and people experiencing poverty and social exclusion are enabled to live in dignity and take an active part in society. These seven flagship initiatives will commit both the EU and the Member States. Europe 2020: a European strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth

5 7 rue Kerckx, B-1050 Brüssel, Tel.: , eu warehouse Grundtvig Learning Partnership - Improving Participation in Adult Education Transnational Meeting July 2015 BRUSSELS / BELGIUM Promoting Adult Learning on EU-level EU countries have set a target for adult learning: by 2020, 15% of adults aged should be taking part. In 2012, average participation was 9% and only 5 EU countries had reached the target rate. More adult learning can help Europe overcome the economic crisis, meet the need for new skills, and keep its ageing workforce productive. Learning is also essential for social inclusion and active citizenship. These days, people cannot just rely on the skills they acquired at school to last them till the end of their working life. The participation of adults in learning varies significantly between EU countries: from 1.4% to 31.6% (2012 figures), and the overall trend is that numbers are stagnating. Participation rates are especially disappointing for low-skilled and older adults. Action at European level will increase knowledge about successful policies, provide support, and enable a better exchange of experiences between countries.

6 7 rue Kerckx, B-1050 Brüssel, Tel.: , eu warehouse Grundtvig Learning Partnership - Improving Participation in Adult Education Transnational Meeting July 2015 BRUSSELS / BELGIUM Promoting Adult Learning on EU-level European Agenda for Adult Learning The Commission is working with 32 countries to implement the European Agenda for Adult Learning. The Agenda highlights the need to increase participation in adult learning of all kinds (formal, non-formal and informal learning) whether to acquire new work skills, for active citizenship, or for personal development and fulfilment. Other examples: the Commission coordinates a network of national coordinators who promote adult learning in their countries, provide policy advice and support, and gather and disseminate best practices. the Commission also works with a range of European associations, networks and labour organisations. The Commission publishes indicators and data on the current situation in member countries, reports on progress in implementing policies and proposes new policy; …exchange of good practice and peer learning on policies …; … studies, data, statistics …

7 7 rue Kerckx, B-1050 Brüssel, Tel.: , eu warehouse Grundtvig Learning Partnership - Improving Participation in Adult Education Transnational Meeting July 2015 BRUSSELS / BELGIUM Promoting Adult Learning on EU-level European Agenda for Adult Learning The Agenda highlights the need to increase participation in adult learning of all kinds (formal, non-formal and informal learning) whether to acquire new work skills, for active citizenship, or for personal development and fulfilment. 1. Making lifelong learning and mobility a reality 2. Improving the quality and efficiency of education and training 3. Promoting equity, social cohesion and active citizenship through adult learning 4. Enhancing the creativity and innovation of adults and their learning environments 5. Improving the knowledge base on adult learning and monitoring the adult-learning sector

8 7 rue Kerckx, B-1050 Brüssel, Tel.: , eu warehouse Grundtvig Learning Partnership- Improving Participation in Adult Education Transnational Meeting July 2015 BRUSSELS / BELGIUM Adult education and training in Europe – on overview One in four adults in Europe have completed lower secondary education at most – differences between countries and age groups are significant Around one in five adults have low literacy and numeracy skills, and nearly one in three have very low or no ICT skills Adults with the greatest education and training needs have the least opportunity to benefit from lifelong learning

9 7 rue Kerckx, B-1050 Brüssel, Tel.: , eu warehouse Grundtvig Learning Partnership- Improving Participation in Adult Education Transnational Meeting July 2015 BRUSSELS / BELGIUM Policy commitments of top-level public authorities While countries' policy agendas commonly place emphasis on access to lifelong learning for adults lacking basic skills or sufficient qualifications, they rarely specify definite targets to be Results of the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC)

10 7 rue Kerckx, B-1050 Brüssel, Tel.: , eu warehouse Grundtvig Learning Partnership- Improving Participation in Adult Education Transnational Meeting July 2015 BRUSSELS / BELGIUM Main types of provision for adults lacking basic skills or sufficient qualifications Across Europe, there is a wide range of education and training programmes which provide basic skills to adult learners – further investigation is needed to better understand the field In all countries there are opportunities for adults to achieve a recognised qualification during adulthood; however, the proportion of adults who have completed a medium-level qualification later in life varies between countries

11 7 rue Kerckx, B-1050 Brüssel, Tel.: , eu warehouse Grundtvig Learning Partnership- Improving Participation in Adult Education Transnational Meeting July 2015 BRUSSELS / BELGIUM Flexibility and progression pathways Lowering the barriers to adult participation in learning calls for modes of delivery that help overcome time constraints; yet even when they are available, there is little evidence on how well used they are by low- qualified adults Efforts are being made to encourage the provision of flexible learning routes, but in most European countries access to a particular level of education is still dependent on completing the previous level While there has been significant progress on the validation of non- formal and informal learning (VNIL), enabling the most vulnerable groups to access this service is still a challenge

12 7 rue Kerckx, B-1050 Brüssel, Tel.: , eu warehouse Grundtvig Learning Partnership- Improving Participation in Adult Education Transnational Meeting July 2015 BRUSSELS / BELGIUM Outreach initiatives and guidance services Outreach initiatives are widespread, but very little is known about their effectiveness in reaching out to people with low level or no qualifications Face-to-face guidance for adults offered outside public employment services is limited; yet countries have been investing in the development of self-help and online tools

13 7 rue Kerckx, B-1050 Brüssel, Tel.: , eu warehouse Grundtvig Learning Partnership- Improving Participation in Adult Education Transnational Meeting July 2015 BRUSSELS / BELGIUM

14 7 rue Kerckx, B-1050 Brüssel, Tel.: , eu warehouse Grundtvig Learning Partnership- Improving Participation in Adult Education Transnational Meeting July 2015 BRUSSELS / BELGIUM