The Lifelong Learning Platform is happy to share the results of the Policy Forum held in may with Cedefop. Following the many valuable inputs that the two organisations received, we have come up with a revised Briefing Paper on the potential of Community Lifelong Learning Centres as a gateway to multidisciplinary support teams.
The paper explores the cross-sector approach and one-stop-shops as tools to prevent early leaving from education and training. It also suggests recommendations and next steps to policy-makers, and especially advocates for:
CLLCs as welcoming, non-threatening education environment, centred around the learner’s needs, and typically focused on non-formal education.
The need to create an assertive outreach approach that is able to attract the wider community to the CLLCs where they can engage with others and also receive access to further specialized services and support.
The importance of trans-sectoral cooperation (e.g. between different ministries – education, culture, defence, employment and interior affairs, agencies, NGOs and ECEC providers), capacity building at the local level in impoverished areas, and the need to ensure quality transitions (e.g. from education to work) to avoid educational dead ends and decrease early leaving from education and training.
30% of NEETs are short-term unemployed and improving basic skills, decreasing early leaving, and providing apprenticeships could help solve this problem. However, apprenticeships should be fair and of high quality to deliver on the promises.
The resurrection of VET as a valid, first-choice pathway (the excellence dimension of VET), with an emphasis on providing quality education, is key to prevent and counter early leaving.
Comments