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On 27 November, education and training stakeholders at EU level were reunited by the Lifelong Learning Platform for the annual European Lifelong Learning Stakeholders Forum. After five years in which the European Education Summit replaced the traditional format of the Forum, this year’s edition saw the support of the European Commission as well as the inclusion of the outcomes of the Forum in the Summit discussions. For a full day, over 100 EU civil society organisations were engaged in World Cafe discussions to: – Discuss the successes and remaining challenges of the implementation of the European Education Area for each of the main sectors of education and training (early childhood education and care, school education, vocational education and training, higher education, adult education, non-formal education and youth). – Discuss the successes and remaining challenges with regard to the six dimensions of the European Education Area. – Elaborate recommendations on five aspects of the European Education Area: investment and funding for the achievement of the EEA, governance of the EEA, policy coherence within the EEA and with other EU policies, monitoring of the implementation of the EEA and achieving equity within the EEA: the time for new strategic priorities. The discussion on the EEA was prompted by the fact that 2023 was the year that marked the mid-term review of this initiative which will have implications on its further implementation until 2025 and for its future cycle of implementation until 2030. LLLP recalls that the EEA is the principal education and training strategy at the EU level and has started its implementation as of 2020. Read the Recommendations here

In the Framework of the Erasmus Careers project , coordinated by the Erasmus Student Network and which aims at ensuring that competencies gained on mobility contribute to the career prospects of Erasmus+ participants, we will open a call for local initiatives supported by a micro-grant. LLLP is a partner in this project. This Local Phase of the project is an opportunity for local and national organisations members of ESN International and the Lifelong Learning Platform to organise activities on the topic of employability, aiming at supporting students to understand their competencies better and plan their further career development. Number of Activities and Grants Available In total, we will support 25 activities across Europe through micro-grants, with a total budget of 5000€ being allocated between the selected applicants. Thanks to the micro-grant mechanism, participants will be able to claim reimbursement for 80% of the actual cost of their activity, up to 200 euros. Online Webinar We will organise an online webinar to explain how ESN International and LLLP member organisations can participate in the Local Phase implementation. We will present the Erasmus Careers project and the scope of this Local Phase. We will go through the application process in detail to ensure that organisations understand how to prepare their applications. We will also describe the assessment process, as well as the expected reporting phase. This online webinar will take place on Monday the 11th of March at 5PM CET . You can register to join the call by clicking here .

LLLP is involved in two new EU-funded projects, Stride (2024-2027) which is starting in February this year and Bridge (2023-2025), which started in September 2023. Both projects have in common a focus on research in the field(s) of lifelong learning practices and policies. BRiDGE (2023-2025) The BRiDGE project supports the European Union aim to bridge the gap between research and policy. To be effective, education policy research and development needs to be supported by collaboration and critical reflection. The project will address existing gaps between the knowledge and expertise of Higher Education institution-based researchers, practitioners in civil society organisations, and policy-makers, that prevent the effective connection of evidence with policy-making. The project brings together a collaborative pan-European professional learning community to support development of competences for policy research. It includes six university-based partners, an umbrella organisation bringing together 44 European networks working in education (LLLP), training and youth, and an international education policy think tank (EIESP). The partners are: Education Academy, Vytautas Magnus University/VMU) Lithuania (lead partner) European Institute of Education and Social Policy/EIESP, France (lead content partner) Lifelong Learning Platform, Belgium The University of Education, Freiburg (Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg/PHFR), Germany Faculty of Education and Psychology (PPK), Eötvös Loránd University/ELTE, Hungary Doctoral School of Human Sciences, Free University Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel/VUB), Belgium Institute of Education, University of Lisbon (Universidade De Lisboa/UL), Portugal Centre for European Regional and Local Studies (EUROREG) University of Warsaw (Uniwersytet Warszawski /UW The project design includes development of ‘intra-’ and ‘inter-’ professional learning communities, which will promote interconnected higher education systems, as well as offer opportunities for participation in democratic, social and civic engagement through formal and non-formal learning. Save the date for the first Bridge community seminars (online) on 14 March 2024 (1pm-3pm) and 25 April 2024 (1pm-3pm). The first seminars will gather policy-makers, civil society representatives and academic researchers and exchange on the topic of the internationalisation of education (mobility of learners). Contact us here for more information. STRIDE (2024-2027) The Horizon Europe project led by the Norwegian University Oslomet, aims to provide a new, comprehensive and comparative knowledge-base on effective education reforms, policy initiatives and interventions aimed at reducing inequalities in education, training and learning outcomes in Europe. STRIDE will do this through analyses of education reforms in national and regional systems, existing large-scale educational assessment data and existing longitudinal data on the causal link between educational and other social policies and inequalities in educational achievements. STRIDE will closely examine the range of intersectional variables such as socio-economic background, gender, (dis)abilities, migration status, home language, early childhood education and care (ECEC) attendance, which may affect learning outcomes in different ways in different contexts. Through the involvement of national and European stakeholders, STRIDE will develop methodology and assessment tools for policy learning offering policymakers a toolbox of enhanced knowledge of what shapes educational outcomes over time and demonstrating the usefulness of longitudinal data in policy-making to reduce educational inequalities in the short, medium and long term. LLLP new website is still being settled in, stay tuned for more news about those two projects!

Written by Florin Zubașcu Original source Science Business , 1 February 2024. Heads of state approved the changes in Brussels today, after Germany rejected a Commission proposal to put an additional €100B into the EU’s multiannual budget. T he deal frees up a €50B aid package for Ukraine. Horizon Europe will have its €95.5 billion budget cut by €2.1 billion, with €1.5 billion diverted to defence research, following an agreement by EU heads of state at a meeting in Brussels today. The raid on the research programme’s funding is part of a €64.6 billion rejig of the EU’s multiannual budget, to accommodate the growing costs of supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia. The bulk of that amount, €50 billion, will go to Ukraine, but the EU also needs additional money for migration and border management, foreign aid to other neighbouring countries, and €1.5 billion in additional cash for the European Defence Fund (EDF), the EU’s main fund for military technology R&D. The EDF top-up will ultimately go towards EU’s latest bid to increase its capabilities, the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), a new mechanism for targeted investments in deep tech, clean tech and biotech, to ensure that EU can compete against the US and China in these fields. EU leaders agreed they will further discuss issues related to defence technology at their next meeting in March. The budget deal has been on the table since in December but, at the time, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban wanted to include a clause in the Ukraine package which would have given Hungary a veto over the disbursements of aid to Ukraine every year. Instead of a veto, EU leaders convinced Orban to agree to an annual review of the aid package. The deal is positive for Ukraine, which is struggling to fend off Russian attacks, as its internal resources are dwindling and aid from the west had been stalled due to political opposition in Brussels and the US. The €2.1 billion cuts for the €95.5 billion Horizon Europe research programme comes in the face of repeated warnings by the research community and by EU research commissioner Iliana Ivanova. In a recent exchange of views with the European Parliament’s industry and research committee, Ivanova said Horizon Europe’s predecessor programme Horizon 2020 was severely underfunded and needed an additional €159 billion to fund all high quality proposals. The economic analysis behind that figure was later confirmed in the Commission’s own analysis of the 2014 – 2020 Horizon 2020 programme. In the meantime, research stakeholders are getting ready for negotiations on Horizon Europe’s successor programme, FP10, which is due to start in 2028. Several MEPs have called on the Commission to propose a budget of at least €200 billion, while the president of the European Research Council Maria Leptin said the budget for FP10 should be at least double that of Horizon Europe.

On 15 November, the European Commission launched its Proposal for a Council Recommendation on revamping learning mobilities across Europe. Titled ‘Europe on the Move’ – learning mobility opportunities for everyone , it expands the vision beyond Erasmus+ and beyond the traditional learners targeted for mobility, namely those in higher education . The new, all encompassing perspective will be up for voting during the mandate of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU ( 14 May ). Read our full reaction here .

Education extends beyond transferring knowledge, and towards cultivating the relevant attitudes, values, and behaviours to construct inclusive communities which acknowledge and celebrate diversity. Navigating diversity and fostering inclusivity in all educational activities – formal, informal, non-formal – is essential to the development of cohesive societal systems. A lifelong commitment to learning becomes imperative for individuals to adapt to societal changes. In a joint effort to pursue a more inclusive Europe, educational organisations cannot go unheard. Indeed, organisations function as educational providers, responsible for ensuring quality education and training for all; as agents of social inclusion; as stakeholders for policymakers. Hence, highlighting any organisation’s embodiment of inclusivity and diversity implies that organisations should strive to be as inclusive and diverse as possible. The Inclusion Box (iBox) project precisely aims to equip Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) with more inclusive educational approaches and actions, to better face and respond to social challenges. iBox consists of an interdisciplinary, bottom-up process, involving key stakeholders in the design of innovative training resources collected in an online platform. The project tackles three main topics: 1. Digital transition; 2. Access and participation in learning processes; and 3. Inclusion and diversity strategies in the sector. The project’s main outcomes include a Compendium of inspiring practices and a Charter of Inclusion and Diversity. The Compendium provides insight into each practice’s sustainability, transferability, and effectiveness, and attempts to have CSOs and NGOs become internally coherent with the inclusion values promoted. The Inclusion and Diversity Charter is instead a guiding framework which adopts the main principles outlined in the Compendium’s inspiring practices, empowering education and training providers to catalyse for positive change. It envisions environments which celebrate diversity, dismantle inequalities, and within which all individuals are treated with utmost respect and dignity. Keep an eye on the project website and social media not to miss out on the training opportunity (happening in 2024) to enhance your skills in inclusive and innovative management methods!

The Lifelong Learning Platform is conducting the third edition of the Feasibility Study, an essential tool for understanding the needs of civil society and exploring potential cooperation. The primary goal of this study is to gather insights from regional and national stakeholers' networks or organisations representing a wide range of education stakeholders - including formal, non-formal, and informal education providers, learners, and civil society members. The focus is on collecting perceptions on lifelong learning and cross-sector cooperation in five countries- Hungary, Finland, Slovenia, Poland, and Spain, as well as assess knowledge about EU education policies. It also aims to identify if there is potential for creating national lifelong learning platforms and interest for formalising such cooperation. The study will look into existing related initiatives and structures at national level, while also pinpointing the barriers and enables to developing such platforms. The survey is available in English, and also in Finnish , Slovenian , Spanish , Hungarian and Polish until 29 March .

From 6 to 16 November, a 'Blended skills competition' took place at Horeca Landstede in Zwolle. This competition was organised as a pilot from the 'Tourism Education of the Future' TEF-project in which Landstede participates with a number of foreign schools. 3 students from Cebanc (SP), Bougas (GR), Landstede and a number of teachers participated. The 1st week kicked off with an online introduction, in which the students had to present themselves using a pre-made presentation. After the introduction, they were given the following assignment: 'Present the 10 most important cultural aspects of your country' and 'Present the landscape of gastronomic culture in your country including at least 5 common kitchen techniques'. The students enthusiastically set to work and presented their concept to the teachers on 7 November. After receiving more tips and tricks, the final presentations were held on 8 November for all involved. The Spanish and Greek students arrived in the Netherlands on 13 November. On the 14th we started at Restaurant Ensemble with an introduction to successful entrepreneurship by Yannick Schweitz, followed by performing various assignments aimed at activating the creative part of the brain. After this we went to Restaurant Waber where we were introduced to Indonesian cuisine. Then the 3 groups were composed of 1 Dutch, 1 Spanish and 1 Greek student and the real challenge began: 'Create a 3-course menu containing a clear signature of each country, using the available regional products. The concepts for this were shared with the teachers later in the afternoon for feedback. On 15 November, the shopping was done and then the mise-en-place, cooking and final dishes presented before a multicultural jury à la Masterchef. All the communication had to be done in English which meant an extra challenge for some students! For the teachers it was great to see how the shared passion for cooking turned out to be a language in itself and this ensured that in the kitchen the cooperation was a joy to see. The assembled groups were finally judged on both their individual efforts and group final results. The winners received €100 p.p. and all participants received a certificate and an inscribed Santo knife as a lasting memory. But the "blending" didn't stop at Hospitality! Beauty and hair care students took care of all participants, both students and teachers, so that they looked their best for the filming that was done by students from the Production House of Landstede. Once the production is available, the link will be shared. At the same time, a competition also took place in Portugal among students from the other partners in the TEF project . The aim from the TEF project is to share experiences but also to deliver a manual: ‘How to organise blended skills’. As soon as the manual becomes available, it will also be shared. On behalf of EfVET, thanks to all colleagues who made this possible.

Working towards meaningful international cooperation and inclusive mobility LLLP was founded around internationalisation and mobility (which was cross cutting to all education and training sectors): there was a clear need to share intelligence and knowledge about the topic. It was also part of our mission and vision and part of the Manifesto from 2015 (Building the Future of Learning). Since then mobility has been high in the EU agenda and it has been slowly extended beyond Higher Education. LLLP was missing a working group that would support the different sectors: share good practices, make education systems more international, cooperate and build partnerships. Also to work on how to improve mobility (including staff), curricula, how to have a better role in Europe and the world. A renewed commitment to internationalisation Last April, the Lifelong Learning Platform and its members kick started this joint endeavour. The Working Group activities will be carried out within the framework of LLLP’s advocacy strategy 2021 – 2023 which recognised the need for reinforcement in terms of capacity building for members and collecting best practices and lessons learned. Members of this group will be encouraged to share their practices/experience and propose joint actions. The Working Group will link projects and policy, in this way, bringing together the meta level of research/theory and practice dimensions of field evidence/knowledge. The need to further bring learners, education and training providers and civil society into policy dialogue as active stakeholders and not just beneficiaries was also underlined. LLLP will ensure the consultation of members for their views and for their support in changing policy, influence decision makers and reinforce positive social norms and cultural practices that create an enabling environment to support sustainable social change. Members’ wide array of evidence and policy analysis will strengthen the impact of the joint advocacy efforts not just in education and training policies but also spill out towards social, economic and environmental policy issues at large. Shared interests and common goals During the first meeting, members highlighted the importance of exchanging experiences and different points of view in order to improve education in each Member State and to provide support to key actors such as educators in overcoming common challenges. This aspect also includes learning from realities beyond the European examples. Indeed, as part of Erasmus+ international cooperation is understood as European cooperation. This working group will look beyond that scope and take advantage of member’s expertise to foster cooperation at a global level. Another key area of internationalisation is the mobility component (and the recognition of learning certificates across borders). It is expected that this working group can act as a catalyst for increased advocacy and concrete policy results. Joint initiatives on this topic are particularly relevant vis-a-vis the lack of mobility targets in the latest Education and Training Framework for 2030 and the funding issues facing Erasmus+ mobilities. Similarly, the linkages between mobility and the green transition is another topic for consideration. Furthermore, members highlighted the developments of internationalisation strategies, mainly of VET providers as another important area of work for the Working Group. One of the key needs of VET providers is to develop partnerships and set up internationalisation strategies to support the uptake of innovative approaches and digital technologies for teaching and learning. A project developed by the main VET provider representatives in Europe and touching upon this topic, the VENHANS project was presented during the meeting. Academic cooperation in Higher Education will remain a key area of internationalisation. The working group will monitor the development of the Commission’s work on the European Strategy for Universities which sets the tone for fostering deeper international cooperation within Europe and beyond and strengthening of higher education systems in partner countries. In the Higher Education sector it is also important to underline the importance of internationalisation for society (both abroad and at home). During the meeting the work of the IHES project was shared. The Mapping Report on IHES includes a needs-analysis of civil society vis-a-vis cooperation (or lack thereof) with higher education institutions. Building strong partnerships to deliver on internationalisation An important part of the activities of the working group will deal with developing partnerships in order to deliver concrete results on the wide array of topics comprising internationalisation. Members will take advantage of this working group to share their experiences as part of expert groups, consultations and alliances with EU and global institutions (European Commission working groups, European Parliament Interest Group, UNESCO and UN consultative bodies) and other joint initiatives develop with European and Global organisations (ETF, Cedefop, European Education Gateway, Learning Planet, ASEM-LLL, EPALE, OECD, among others).

CONTEXT On 28 November, in the context of the European Education Summit, the European Commission published its Annual Education and Training Monitor. The 2023 edition has as a main theme the challenging situations of the teaching profession, while the rest of the Monitor is dedicated, as is customary, to the different education and training sectors and the situation surrounding them. The Monitor also serves as a milestone in assessing the way the Member States have been performing on the seven EU-level targets that guide the implementation of the European Education Area (EEA). In this sense, next to monitoring performed in the context of the European Semester, in the context of the EEA Working Groups and in the context of periodic review of the implementation of different EU Council Recommendation, the Education and Training Monitor is one of the most important benchmarking and reporting tools of the EU in the sector of education and training. WHAT CHANGED SINCE LAST E&T MONITOR ON TEACHERS An uncanny resemblance to the Education and Training Monitor 2019 can be observed, which raises the question of whether the EU is on the right track to address certain of the challenges identified. The 2019 edition was also dedicated to the teaching profession, and it similarly identified challenges of an ageing teaching population, of shortages across Europe, of teachers not feeling their profession is valued (the numbers from 2019 referred to only 18% of secondary education teachers feeling valued, while the numbers from 2023 refer to 17.7% of teachers in general not feeling valued) and of an underpaid profession. Similarly, the growing participation in education and educational achievement, based on the seven EU-targets, have been mentioned then as well, while learning outcomes were hailed as a challenge on which Europe was lagging behind in 2019. Over 2023, the same difficulty in relation to learning outcomes is identified, and as participation in learning has been expanded across the past years, it is time to consider how to improve the quality of that participation in learning, making sure that learners receive the greatest support to develop the key competences needed for their lifelong learning. The similarities between the Monitors in terms of identified challenges also expand to those challenges or barriers which they have consistently ignored. This includes a wider perspective over education and training professionals and not just the teaching profession, an understanding that the diversity of the teaching profession should not only account for gender equity but should also consider other intersectional identities that educators and learners have, but also the fact that public funding in education and training is insufficient to be able to deal with the teaching crisis¹. FORWARD LOOKING APPROACHES Though the 2023 Education and Training Monitor moves forward in the same direction, it must be appreciated that it has identified a set of measures that can further boost participation in education, can increase equity in the sector and contribute to building up the basic competences that seem to have only worsened (judging also from the 2022 PISA results). Three enabling factors identified, cross-curricular learning, formative assessment and participation of learners in governance and decision-making of education and training institutions. All of them have been staples in learning promoted by LLLPlatform and its members. The cross-curricular learning approach still needs to be expanded across Member States, as the Monitor identifies only 13 EU Member States with quality criteria to implement this approach which has been promoted by LLLPlatform across a series of its Position Papers². The perspective of formative assessment as a means to support learners in identifying their needs and developing competences has also been widely promoted by LLLPlatform since its 2021 Position Paper on Rethinking Assessment: Prioritising Learners’ Wellbeing. This perspective has been mainstreamed across the EEA Working Groups where LLLP members are present, and it seems that Member States have been actively working on the topic. Similarly, the work of LLLPlatform members OBESSU and Eurochild on learners’ participation in governance has been recognised, with the logical link made between the need for learners’ empowerment in order for the meaningful implementation of the learner-centred approach. The Monitor manages to also capture the multiple education projects across Member States that benefited from the support of DG REFORM’s Technical Support Instrument (TSI), which brings an additional tool into the sector to address the challenges ahead. There must be consideration on how the TSI can also contribute to addressing the teacher shortages. A couple of elements missing from the forward-looking perspective can be the constant lack of data on adults’ participation in learning, which is hindering the support to be allocated to this group of learners, but also some punctual inconsistencies such as promoting informatics as a sole subject to develop digital skills just after the cross-curricular approach was hailed as a must-have. NEXT STEPS AT THE LIFELONG LEARNING PLATFORM While these solutions to target the equity and competence development across sectors and levels of education and training are crucial to be further explored, not the same can be said with the outlook for the teaching profession where the crisis has only deepened and there is uncertainty over what Member States are doing in this direction. To this end, the Lifelong Learning Platform has established for its 2024 Annual Theme the topic of educators, which expands to the teaching profession as well. There needs to be an understanding that within a lifelong learning environment it is not only teachers that are suffering, but also the support personnel, the educators and trainers outside formal education, the teacher trainers, leaders of education and training institutions and all the personnel that makes the journey of a learner in formal, informal and non-formal learning one that holistically develops all competences required for active societal participation. Over the year 2024, LLLPlatform will work with its members, with researchers, with education and training stakeholders (including decision makers) to identify what can be done to address the challenges that have been already documented for the past 5 years, and even beyond if one considers the work of social partners and civil society organisations. A series of events will look at this topic, while all will be concluded in December 2024 with a new LLLPlatform Position Paper on the topic. We look forward to meaningfully cooperating with the EU institutions in this process, especially as the upcoming EU elections require the challenges of the education and training sector to be put at the top of the political agenda. Related to the funding issue, see 2022 LLLP Position Paper Investment in Education and Training: A Public Good for All, here. 2019 LLLP Position Paper 21st Century Learning Environments, here; 2020 LLLP Position Paper Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Solutions, here; 2023 LLLP Position Paper Key Competences for All: a Lifelong Learning Approach, here.

End of year gifts The OECD implements the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in member and non-member countries to evaluate the school performance of 15-year-old pupils in reading, mathematics and science. On 5 December, its 2022 cycle results were published. Each participating country samples 5000 pupils for a 2-hour computerised, standardised assessment on the three fields mentioned before. OECD chose to focus PISA results on mathematics and digital learning for the 2022 cycle. PISA has become a landmark for governments’ approach to learning and assessment even though education stakeholders frequently criticised the approach of standardised testing as can be seen from LLLP’s 2021 Position Paper ‘Rethinking Assessments: Prioritising Learners’ Wellbeing’. In November, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement also published its 2022 cycle results for the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study, which runs every 6 years. This measures specifically the civic competences that pupils have in 24 education systems, mostly in Europe, for learners of the age 14. PISA results: the long-road ahead for basic competences PISA results registered the biggest cycle-to-cycle decrease ever. An average of about 15 points decrease was registered for mathematics and of 10 points for reading, while the results in science remained stable. It cannot be denied that COVID-19 influenced these results, but the question remains how much blame can be placed on it and what was done in its aftermath to prevent trends from exacerbating. No European country improved performance in PISA since 2018 while equity continued to be a determinant for scholastic achievement. Socio-economically advantaged learners scored 93 points more in mathematics tests compared to their disadvantaged peers. The gaps extend inter-countries, with most disadvantaged learners from Singapore, Japan or Estonia outperforming many of most advantaged learners from other OECD countries. For the gender gap, boys outperformed girls in mathematics (by 9 points in test scores) while girls outperformed boys in reading (24 points in test scores). Other findings show that if parental engagement was high, learners performed better. Similarly, where educator support was present during COVID-19 closures, learners performed better. Moreover, learners that used digital tools in learning scored 14 points more in mathematics tests compared to learners that did not use digital tools. Nevertheless, the amount of time spent using digital tools and how they are used matters. Learners performed poorly in mathematics tests if they were being distracted by digital devices during learning. ICCS: civic engagement is waning and learners lose trust in political representatives The 2022 ICCS also paints a negative picture, considering that for the first time in 14 years no country experienced a statistically significant increase in civic competence acquisition. This accounted for a decrease of 6ppts in learners with high scores on civic competences and an increase of 5ppts for those learners that lack the most basic civic competences. The study paints the image of only a third of learners being civically engaged with high numbers disagreeing that current political systems or representatives operate well. Blind faith in standardised testing and forgetting about civic competences cannot address challenges There are many concerns about the validity of standardised testing applied worldwide, which have been highlighted in LLLP’s 2021 Position Paper ‘Rethinking Assessments: Prioritising Learners’ Wellbeing’. The all-or-nothing approach that such exercises have, and the multiple choice questions (even if not the sole question type used) are not conducive to explore how learners use acquired competences, how they use assessment to further develop competences or what competences they genuinely have, considering how stressful such formats can be for some learners. Such assignments tend to favour those learners that easily adapt to this format, considering how others thrive more by using portfolio-based assessments, dialogic assessment, peer-to-peer assessment and other types of formative assessment methods. They do also tend to reinforce existing equity gaps as those most advantaged learners continue to have the resources to acquire the knowledge needed for the tests. All while such tests fail to fully account for learners’ wellbeing or for measuring standards beyond achieving scores. Nevertheless, the significant drop in performance remains valid for understanding that even in a faulty, but familiar, format of examination learners are underperforming. The education and training systems find themselves at a big crossroad in Europe, especially if we consider how Asian countries have weathered the pandemic better and have a good ground to build on further. Once the basic competences of PISA are put together with the ISSC measured civic competences, it becomes clear that a wider range of competences lacking in the EU puts the European project at risk. Steps forward: a time for structural change LLLP fully supports the reflection process that countries part of PISA must undergo to reform the existing situation. However, the reform should not be about improving test scores, but genuinely improving learners’ competences and their capacity to engage in a lasting, lifelong learning. To this end, LLLP proposes an alternative to how learning is performed, moving more towards a competence-oriented approach. The 2023 Position Paper of LLLP, ‘Key Competences for All: A Lifelong Learning Approach’ provides an overview of the systemic reforms required to change the model of learning and truly make it learner-centred so as to combat inequity, develop key competences and ensure a culture of lifelong learning across all societies. The 2022 results should not be placed solely on the shoulders of the pandemic with an expectation to recuperate bit by bit what was lost. Rather it should serve as a year in which reflection is done based on what systemic changes can help rebuild education and training better.

BRUSSELS, 9 December 2020. A high-level panel debate during the meeting of the Lifelong Learning Interest Group on 1 December launched a discussion on key issues related to the European Education Area. The discussion took place virtually during the Lifelong Learning Week 2020 and brought together more than 60 key stakeholders in the education, learning and training sector. A call for more Europe in education In her opening speech, MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP, Finland) addressed one of the central problems concerning education policy at European level: “We need more Europe in education,” referring to the fact that although Europe is working on a common education area, in the field of education the Member States still have exclusive legislative powers. Furthermore, she addressed the financing of educational measures: “If more financial resources are not made available, we will not be able to offer adequate jobs for the skills available in the future”. She underlined that lifelong learning is constitutive for Europe’s future and that this also requires greater appreciation and better training of teaching staff. “European cooperation can enrich the inclusiveness and digitalisation of education,” said Janine Costa, Education Attachée of the Portuguese Permanent Representation, underlining the EU added-value. A European Education Area for all generations Ms Costa mentioned a central issue: “The European Education Area lacks a holistic approach to education that takes into account all areas of lifelong learning.” In order to overcome this, all relevant stakeholders, including academics, should work together at national and EU level to build a future-proof strategy. Ms Costa said that the next steps towards a common education area will be undertaken during the Portuguese Council Presidency; however, that the success of any initiative relies on the collaboration between the Member States, the European institutions as well as representatives and stakeholders at the national level. MEP Radka Maxová (Renew Europe, Czech Republic)  highlighted the limited recognition of the needs of senior citizens no longer active in the labour market. “Education and lifelong learning are equally important for older learners and seniors. We must take this into account in European policy”. As the EU’s population ages, education systems should adapt to these changing circumstances and support the promotion of active and healthy ageing. “Digital literacy and competences of all generations, including older learners, are just some of the aspects we need to address in the future,” said Ms Maxová. Policy coherence is a critical point Over the next few years, two main strategies will guide EU policies in the field of education and training, namely the European Education Area mainly focusing on the formal education sector and the Skills Agenda which is centred around adult learning and skills acquisition. Carlo Scatoli, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the Commission , addressed the issue of policy coherence: “It is necessary that initiatives are coherent with other initiatives, but also in themselves. This includes building bridges between the Skills Agenda, the European Education Area and other strategies, such as the SME strategy” he said. At the same time, he expressed his confidence that these challenges can be met through global level cooperation, citing the successful work on recognition of international qualifications. In Mr Scatoli’s view, the European path to digitisation could trigger better coherence in education policy, aiming to increase the digital literacy of the population. “This will require major efforts by Member States, various European bodies and all other stakeholders. Civil society will play a key role in this process”, he said. Need for equity of learning provision “Our society must learn lessons from the current crisis and improve learning opportunities for all”, said  Tatjana Babrauskiene, representative of the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Trade Union Committee for Education . “Work on upskilling and reskilling is particularly important for vulnerable groups such as women and girls. But at the same time, it is also a necessity for the workforce, especially when we think of active citizenship. Soft skills must be further promoted as they bring benefits to both society and the workforce,” said Ms Babrauskiene who also called for better opportunities for the further training of teachers at all levels of education. “I want to underline the role of social and citizenship skills that are needed by all citizens. This is a pre-condition for the development of a European Education Area”. Oonagh Aitken, Volonteurope and Lifelong Learning Platform Steering Committee Member , affirmed that European education must not be revolutionary but evolutionary. “We need more synergies between policies. Five years is an ambitious timeframe for the objectives of the European Education Area, so the targets must also be ambitious,” she said, emphasising civil society’s role in implementing the European Education Area, but also in the negotiations on the design of education strategies. Ms Aitken added that better financing is needed, citing that “Erasmus+ needs significant investment to become truly inclusive,” and that we need equity of learning provision”. Cooperation and collaboration between all stakeholders key to inclusive education Several interventions by civil society stakeholders following the panel confirmed the need for more synergies between European policies in the field of education, and for teacher training accompanied by adequate funding.  Agnieszka Szplit, Association for Teacher Education in Europe , said that “we need to focus on teacher autonomy” and noted that communities for practitioners and the exchange of good practice from teachers’ experience are as valuable as research into teaching methods. The issue of promoting mental health through education was taken up by  EMDR Europe , with reference to the human dimension in EU policies on education and lifelong learning.  Alice Modena, Euroclio , also stressed that currently education policies focus on STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and maths) rather than on humanities, and that teacher training must give more space to diversity aspects such as gender, religion and philosophy so as to promote social skills and support inclusive education.  Arja Krauchenberg, European Parents’ Association and Lifelong Learning Platform President , said that the pandemic has shown that parents need to be empowered to support their children’s education and development. Uwe Gartenschlaeger, moderator of the debate and President of the European Association for the Education of Adults , noted in his conclusions that “the meeting shows that cooperation and collaboration between actors in the field of education and lifelong learning is a key issue when considering how to achieve a European Area of Education”.