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As the COMORELP project is coming to an end in August 2023, the Lifelong Learning Platform worked on a short Policy recommendation report . This Policy Recommendations Report exploits the lessons learnt throughout the COMORELP project, both in terms of lifelong learning policies shortcomings and improvement opportunities, and in terms of measures suggested to base future regional lifelong learning policies on better access to evidence and participatory monitoring of results. The Recommendations are the result of interaction within the regional Policy Labs that took place in 5 European regions: Małopolska (Poland), Emilia-Romagna (Italy), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (France), Wales (UK) and Istanbul (Türkiye), in the first project phase, and of the EU policy labs events that took place later and that aimed to connect regional stakeholders at EU level. Some partners also conducted expert interviews and desk research. The EU policy labs took place during LLLP’s Lifelong Learning week 2022 and online in March 2023. The scope of the Report is Europe as the COMORELP project involved two non-EU regions (Wales and Istanbul), however, when referring to EU policies, the geographical focus is naturally on the 27 EU countries. EU regional programmes do not always involve non-EU regions. Read the Policy Recommendation Report below: The aims and target groups of the Policy recommendations are: Recommendations for EU institutions, stakeholders and regional authorities on how to improve inter-regional cooperation in lifelong learning using Benchmarking for comparison, and intra-regional cooperation with education and training stakeholders. Recommendations for regional policymakers and stakeholders on how to better design, implement and evaluate lifelong learning policies, fostering evidence-based approaches. Both sets of recommendations aim to boost the “collaborative approach” in lifelong learning policies and policymaking by involving different kinds of stakeholders (learners, educators, civil society organisations).

LLLP is partner in the TRANSVAL-EU project which is about the integration of transversal skills and competences into validation and guidance processes. Following 30 months of intense collaboration and work with the 27 partners in the project (16 full partners and 11 associate partners), the project ended on August 31st 2023. In this article, we will give an overview of the final project results. The research results on the pilot experimentation of the field trials in 5 EU countries (Poland, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Lithuania) were published in the form of a European Research report . An infographic and a fact sheet are also published for a condensed view on the main data and results for practitioners and candidates. LLLP also finalised the European Policy Coherence Report ( full version ), a policy review of over 30 European policies and initiatives that address transversal skill and competences between 2010 and 2023 ( Summary and Key findings ). National coherence reports in English and local languages (DE, FR, IT, LT, PL) will soon be available on the project website. The European and national reports include a set of recommendations for policy-makers. The Scenarios for validation and guidance pathways were also finalised, the European Report is accessible here . Soon the scenarios will also be available in their language versions on TRANSVAL-EU project website. The Scenarios show the pathways of an individuals and its personas in the validation and guidance journey depending on the country and context. 6 personas and countries are represented: Poland, Lithuania, Italy, Austria, Belgium and Iceland. The European version of the TRANSVAL-EU training programme on how to integrate transversal skills and competences into validation and guidance processes and its materials are now fully available for view and download. The training is meant for validation and guidance professionals. More information here . Finally, partners elaborated National Policy Action plans that outlines how partners will ensure project sustainability and policy impact in the mid-term follow-up period.

This month, LLLP has become a member of the Pact for Skills community within the framework of the FIELDS project . The project partners represent over 10 Member States and several EU networks as well as different stakeholders in the education and employment sectors such as training providers, farmers, food industry and civil society representatives. Together they have worked on creating occupational profiles, curricula and training programmes to close the skill gaps in the agri-food sector. In addition, they were tasked with developing a sectoral alliance to address education and training needs in the agri-food sector: this alliance has taken the shape of a large-scale partnership within the Pact for Skills.   The Pact for Skills aims to mobilise a concerted effort for quality investment in up- and reskilling Europe’s workforce. As part of the Pact, LLLP will concentrate its efforts on ensuring both technical and transversal skills are given the appropriate attention and investment. The holistic approach to skills taken by LLLP means that the learners must develop technical skills alongside transversal skills to allow them to navigate the green transition and adapt to the changes in their fields and in society. The skills and competences to be built by the FIELDS training programmes take into account the different competence frameworks developed at EU level such as DigComp, EntreComp, GreenComp, the work on transversal skills and competences as well as the Key Competences for lifelong Learning as overarching guide.   The next steps for LLLP are to define our commitments as members of the Pact for Skills, together with FIELDS project partners. We look forward to continuing our work Promoting a culture of lifelong learning for all, Building strong partnerships for transversal competences development and Working against discrimination and for gender equality and equal opportunities. Moreover, throughout the European Year of Skills , LLLP will continue to advocate for putting Key Competences for Lifelong Learning and the European Framework for Personal, Social and Learning to Learn Key Competence at the centre of the efforts in education and training. Stay tuned to our channels and SAVE THE DATE for the LLLWeek 2023 to take place between November 27 and December 1! LLLP and our members will be tackling the issues around the development of transversal competences and skills throughout the week with the participation of policy makers, social partners and all stakeholders from the formal, non-formal and informal sectors of education and training. Register for the European Lifelong Learning Stakeholders’ Forum here

On Wednesday 6th September 2023, in light of the European Commission President’s upcoming State of the Union address, Civil Society Europe (CSE) launched its Civil Society State of the Union report (CS SOTEU) in Brussels and online. The report presents civil society’s vision and recommendations for a more democratic and socially and environmentally just EU and it is the result of 7 months of collaboration among nearly 50 civil society organisations (CSOs) specialised in a range of different sectors. The report tackles topics from democracy, fundamental rights, civic space, the EU’s external policies, migration and asylum, freedom of movement, social rights and justice, climate change and other environmental challenges, digital transformation, and human security. Read the report below!

The Erasmus Careers consortium is glad to announce the organisation of the staff training titled “Roadmap of the International Student Lifecycle”, taking place from the 22nd to the 24th of November at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM). The training is targeted at higher education staff working with international students with the aim to increase their understanding of the international student lifecycle by providing practical exercises based on theory and good practices. The goal is to better understand the international student journey, with a particular focus on their needs as well as how to adequately support them. The participation fee is 50 euros and it includes coffee breaks, the welcome cocktail, one dinner, and two lunches. Participants’ travel and accommodation costs are not covered. Find out the agenda and apply by the 30th of September through the following link. The maximum number of participants is 25. Participation will be confirmed after the selection process with an email from the UAM team. Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the training’s organisers at erasmuscareers@uam.es in case of questions.

COMORELP ’s final conference, organised by the Lifelong Learning Platform, took place on May 10 and brought together over 100 participants from across Europe joining us online and in person in Brussels. The conference highlighted the challenges to and needs of, involving regional and local stakeholders in design, monitoring, implementation, and evaluation of lifelong learning (LLL) policies, all the while offering insight into the EU’s initiatives towards regional cooperation in national and European LLL policies.   How are European regions working together? How is the European Union working with regions? In the first panel discussion, the main obstacles to regional cooperation were mentioned such as: little communication and cooperation among regions; difficulties finding a common thread and point of interest among regions as well as inadequate funding. To tackle regional obstacles to cooperation, Dr. Pat Carrington ( HOLEX ) suggested that regional LLL policies should broaden their scope to include policies for learners of all ages, hence for early childhood; childhood; youth; adults and seniors too. In addition, Pere Rotxés Peláez ( SOC ) raised the issue of language barriers. Given inter and intra-regional language barriers, not only do regions need to collaborate more among one another – they also need to find alternative and innovative communication pathways.   All panellists agreed that for effective interregional cooperation on LLL policies to happen, more funding and a centralised repository through which regions can communicate, are needed. Finally, Tina Mavrič ( EAEA ) argued that the digital world deletes physical borders and provides unprecedented opportunities for cross-regional learning. Therefore, online resources could be an innovative means for interregional cooperation. The discussion closed with a remark on the green and the digital skills: two potential topics for regions to tackle collaboratively. Comparing and contrasting which regions are better off in digital and green skills and practices can, in fact, be a topic on which to invest more, as it benefits all regions unanimously. The COMORELP conference portrayed some of the instruments the EU put in place for regional cooperation. Pauline Boivin ( LLLP ) highlighted some of them including: the EU’s Smart Specialisation Platform ; Cohesion Policy and Interreg Europe . Luc Schmerber Interreg Europe ) presented the Interreg Policy Learning Platform focused on supporting innovative and sustainable solutions to regional development challenges. On the same note, Miguel Fernández Díez ( DG EMPL ) commented on the Pact for Skills , an initiative under the European Skills Agenda which opened up to the regional dimension with the aim to mobilise local and regional stakeholders to promote a culture of lifelong learning for all, build strong skill partnerships, monitor skill supply/demand and anticipate skill needs as well as work against discrimination and for gender equality and equal opportunities. A key point discussed throughout the conference was the need for regional LLL policies to look at individual needs, both at regional needs as well as individual learner’s needs. Indeed, regions know better what their own needs are. Hence, excluding regional authorities and stakeholders in designing and implementing LLL policies fails to create effective policies that tackle the specificities of regional cases in Europe as underlined by Dr. Gabriele Marzano ( Regione Emilia-Romagna ).  A new way of benchmarking? From competition to cooperation The conference shed light on one of COMORELP’s initiatives as a project: the COMORELP benchmarking tool for inter regional comparison and learning. The tool was first introduced by some of the Comorelp project partners, namely, Claudio Dondi ( CIS School for business management ), and later presented more in depth by Magdalena Tarnowska-Torbus ( Regional Labour office in Krakow ) and Wojciech Kubica ( Jagiellonian University ).   The tool is a self-assessment questionnaire about the regional state of play of lifelong learning policies. The process will enable policy makers and stakeholders to build a comprehensive picture of the lifelong learning activities and policies in your region. In the COMORELP project the approach to benchmarking does not have a competitive sense: benchmarking primarily serves as an opportunity for mutual learning, sharing best practices, and inspiring one another through comparisons between regions. What are the recommendations for policy makers and stakeholders at European and regional level? Pauline Boivin (LLLP) elaborated on COMORELP’s policy recommendations. To ensure EU policies on LLL involve more regional stakeholders, Member States should have a say on such policies; innovation and regional policies should be more linked to skills and LLL policies; and regions should be more involved in the opportunities offered by such EU initiatives. As the COMORELP policy recommendations propose, regional authorities can be involved in peer reviews where their own policies are compared; regions can be involved in the European Year of Skills and national skills strategies; and inter-regional and regional policy labs on LLL policies can be organised. Recommendations were also drawn from the three interactive workshops addressing three main questions:   What is missing in lifelong learning policies at regional level?;  How can we increase participation in lifelong learning?;  What would make EU cooperation more attractive in your region?   Regarding the first question: LLL policies at regional levels do not have sufficient funding, time and human resources. In addition, the idea of lifelong learning itself has to be made more real, by involving all actors and stakeholders – from formal, non-formal and informal learning as well as across all ages – in LLL policies and initiatives. In terms of increasing participation in LLL, achieving this increase calls for a cultural shift from an economic-based thinking and approach, to a more learner-centred one; for more motivated and engaged key actors; funding; and accessible and visible lifelong learning opportunities. Lastly, COMORELP offered to the stakeholders involved in the past 30 months (in the Labs) the possibility for regions to share practices, and strengthen the monitoring system of LLL policies. However, to make EU cooperation more attractive regionally, there is a need to highlight the perks of cooperating in EU initiatives; celebrate regional, national, and European achievements; and find common values for regional cooperation.

After 3 years of work the partnership between the Jagiellonian University (Poland), the Malopolska Regional Labour Officer (Poland), Boğaziçi University (Türkiye), CIS (Italy), ARCOLA Research (UK), FREREF (France) and LLLP (Belgium) is coming to an end and are ready to share the various results obtained throughout the project duration.   Regional reports and the COMORELP benchmarking tool The new project website , hosted by the Jagiellonian University, features the different publications developed by the partnership as well as the practical tool for inter-regional comparison and learning or ‘ COMORELP benchmarking tool ’.  One of these publications is the Distance and Online Learning report was developed jointly by all regional partners to explore the dimensions of the rapid global transition to distance and online learning during the pandemic, an extraordinary evolution in our education systems. The report derives essential conclusions from participating European regions: Malopolska (Poland), Emilia-Romagna (Italy), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (France), Wales (UK) and Istanbul (Türkiye). The report presents insights that underscore the need for targeted interventions and puts forth recommendations to harness the potential of digital lifelong learning while mitigating challenges. You can download the report here . The Regional reports explore in depth the state of play in the participating European regions acting as a compendium of regional LLL policies, and especially the innovative changes made recently and the trends for the future. The regional reports were fed by the work of each partner in the regions including meeting with stakeholders, the Round Tables and the implementation of the self-assessment methodology making use of the COMORELP benchmarking tool . This tool can also be found in the project’s website and it is currently available in English and Polish. The self-assessment tool aims to support policy makers and stakeholders to determine the current stage of development of lifelong learning policies in their own region. By engaging with stakeholders and organising regional roundtable discussions, regional LLL laboratories can be established. In the COMORELP project the approach to benchmarking does not have a competitive sense: benchmarking primarily serves as an opportunity for mutual learning, sharing best practices, and inspiring one another through comparisons between regions. You can download the reports and explore the tool in the new project’s website . How to implement the self-assessment and benchmarking process? Stay tuned for the COMORELP guidelines and policy recommendations As stated previously, a key aspect of the COMORELP project is the mutual learning among different European regions. In this line, a General report will be published containing elements of comparative analysis among the different regions that took part in the project, drawing from the Regional reports . Another upcoming publication is the Guidebook to implement the process of self-evaluation of regional lifelong learning policy. This document aims to be a practical guide to creating regional LLL laboratories developed based on the COMORELP project experiences. Based on these experiences, tips and recommendations are presented to inspire and help policy makers and stakeholders across Europe to conduct the self-assessment process of LLL policies in their own regions.   Finally, the Policy Recommendations Report exploits the lessons learnt throughout the COMORELP project, both in terms of lifelong learning policies shortcomings and improvement opportunities, and in terms of measures suggested to base future regional lifelong learning policies on better access to evidence and participatory monitoring of results. The Recommendations are the result of interaction within the regional Policy Labs that took place in 5 European regions in the first project phase, and of the EU policy labs events that took place later and that aimed to connect regional stakeholders at EU level. The EU policy labs took place during LLLP’s Lifelong Learning week 2022 in Brussels, online in March 2023 and the Final Conference in May 2023.   Stay tuned next month for all the latest publications in the new COMORELP project website , the COMORELP LLL-Hub website and our social media channels.

In its third edition, the Lifelong Learning Lab (LLLAB) is the Lifelong Learning Platform’s initiative to bring together stakeholders in education and training from EU and national/regional level to share good practices on enhancing cooperation in the sector . Participants to the LLLAB counted policymakers from EU, national, regional and local level, educators and teachers, learners, education and training institutions (schools, universities, VET centres) and civil society organisations.   In 2023, the LLLAB was organised in Girona, anticipating the Spanish Presidency to the Council of the EU and was hosted by the Municipality and University of Girona. This year the LLLAB revolved around the topic of “Key competences for the future of Europe” under LLLP’s Annual Theme “ Key competences for all: a lifelong learning approach to skills” within the European Year of Skills .   The LLLAB occurred over two days, connecting European issues with national issues, supporting EU citizens’ capacity to engage in policymaking, breaking silos within education and training institutions, and building blocks for the development of national lifelong learning platforms. Day 1: European agenda and decision-making processes in education and training Before exploring links between the EU and the national context, participants were welcomed at the premises of the Girona Municipal Employment Office for a Study Visit . The first day connected large scale EU initiatives to the context in Spain through plenary sessions that included the interventions of Dr. Josep Calbó, Vice-Rector for Strategic Projects and Internationalisation, University of Girona, Stefan Olsson, Deputy Director-General at European Commission’s DG EMPL, an introduction to stakeholders involvement in the European Education Area midterm review, an exchange of views between policy makers and CSOs, a keynote speech by The Good Lobby.  Also participants were able to exchange practices through the labs -workshops- which looked at different topics related to education and training at EU level.  The labs were the space where participants discussed challenges faced in the field and co-created solutions. Day 2: Achieving the Spanish lifelong learning agenda The second day started with a Keynote Address delivered by LLLP’s Project and Policy Manager, Pauline Boivin , who spearheads the work on national lifelong learning strategies. It also included an exchange of views between policy makers and Civil Society Organisations focused on the Spanish agenda in education and training and the role of education stakeholders and civil society.  The second day followed the same model in terms of the implementation of labs – workshops – though they were focused now on the national level, as opposed to the European level. After a rich 60-minute discussion, participants gathered back in plenary to share the outcomes.  From Girona to Europe Giuseppina Tucci, former President of LLLP closed the LLLAB discussing the need to mainstream lifelong learning, promoting the vision that LLLP has been advocating for almost 20 years. A true change can only be achieved with meaningful participation from  civil society. Giuseppina insisted that any participation from civil society requires adequate funding for it and a consistent push to make sure that political changes do not weaken the lifelong learning system or policy co-creation.   Review and download the presentations shared during the LLLAB here   Read the full Report of the LLAB here

On 24 May, the European Commission published its European Semester Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) and Country Reports (CRs), known as the ‘ Spring Package ’. LLLP reacts to the prioritisation of labour market-focused skills development at the expense of the broader lifelong learning process. Considering that in 2023, the EU fiscal framework and the European Semester are subjected to reform, LLLPlatform proposes a set of actions to address the shortcomings identified in our Reaction. LLLPlatform urges for the flexibilisation of rules to exclude investment in essential public services, such as education and training, from the calculation of debts and deficits. Without encouragement into long-term reforming of the lifelong learning system, Member States cannot dedicate adequate resources to create a path for proactive reforming rather than reactive crisis management. LLLPlatform calls for a Semester that better collects data on Member States, with the involvement of civil society as is defined by the process’ regulations. Without meaningful data, collected from all stakeholders and all participants in the learning system, no reform will be tailored to learners’ contextual needs. LLLPlatform demands that the European Commission develops a specific chapter on lifelong learning in the Spring Package and in the CRs, with concrete indicators for its different sectors to be developed in coordination with the relevant stakeholders, in order to propose CSRs that encompass a reform of the whole lifelong learning system, and not only isolated parts in the journey of the learner. Read our full reaction here

LLLP has just published the policy recommendations to support school leaders, teachers – both serving and in their student years – to develop and implement inclusive education practices to create an inclusive educational context and see that in your classroom no one is left behind. The INSCOOL II project involved partners working in Hungary, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom. The project aimed to significantly increase the knowledge and skills of school leaders, teachers and teacher trainees/pre-service teachers to work inclusively with the increasing range of diverse learners in their schools. The project scaled up the good practice established with the Inclusive Schools project.   The documents listed below address what can be done at a regional, national, European level to integrate and move forward the whole school approach for inclusive schools.   Recommendations from advocacy groups : The advocacy groups were formed in Poland, Italy, Hungary, Netherlands, Spain and the UK to support the achievement of policy change at different levels, from schools to the EU level. Participants got a better knowledge of the project’s outcomes and discussed the further use of the tools and training. implemented after the project ends. An important point of reflection was how the project results could support them in their own local advocacy for inclusive schools. Partners involved several stakeholders such as school leaders, teachers, parents and teacher trainees as well as representatives from other stakeholder groups including project managers working on inclusion, non-teaching staff, teaching training institutions and foster homes. The advocacy groups also included representatives from public bodies and private entities. The different backgrounds and places of origin of participants ensured a diversity of perspectives and experiences. Policy Recommendations : The policy recommendations bring together the current policy context around inclusion in education, the results of the advocacy groups, the inputs from the Final Conference and previous projects focused on inclusion in relation to teachers, teacher trainees and school leaders. This document is focused on recommendations for EU institutions to work together with Member States in different areas: i) professional development, training offer, ii) staff shortages and wellbeing, iii) systemic cooperation and whole-school approach and iv) public funding for education. Online publication – good practice summary : This publication consists of a short description of the project and its methodology, explaining how the consortium worked on different activities including the work around advocacy and policy recommendations. The document is based on the advocacy groups reports, the final conference in Brussels , as well as the need assessment report’s conclusions.

The LLLPlatform has been advocating for the recognition of the wider benefits of learning since its creation. A clear imbalance is observed between the conception of education as a «skills provider» for the labour market and as a key driver for social cohesion and well-being, while both should go hand in hand. The LLLPlatform has therefore decided to set up a working group on the wider benefits of learning to shed a new light on “the treasure within” education such as revealed by Jacques Delors. Based on a survey conducted among its members, the LLLPlatform appears to be in a great position to bring together expertise from many organisations, in a «practice to policy» approach. The group aims to build evidence for advocacy and capacity-building on how lifelong learning can contribute to healthier and happier individuals and societies. In turn, better learning environments will contribute to improving educational attainments and thus the capacity of Europe to reach its targets for 2020. In 2019, the WG on Wider Benefits of Learning contributed to the development of a Briefing Paper, jointly produced and published with Cedefop. The Briefing Paper assesses the role of Community Lifelong Learning Centres as hub spots for community learning. The Lifelong Learning Platform is also a member of the Learning for Well-Being Consortium which brings together NGOs, foundations and educators to promote learning for well-being and learning diversity.

The working group on Digital Learning was established at the end of 2015, as a place for members and partners to share views, experiences, best practices, initiatives and to generate support for (joint) advocacy, both at a European and National level. Digital learning and media/digital literacy feature high on the agenda and list of priorities of some of the LLPlatforms’ members, national governments but are also a key priority at the European level. For the first years of the Working Group, LLLP focused on issues related to digital and media literacy. In some countries, specific programmes have been put in place to answer to challenges such as the increase of online hate speech, the effects of bullying or data protection, especially when using social media and some LLLPlatform members are involved in concrete initiatives. Digital literacy is also about making sure that learners have the necessary skills to benefit from technology and teachers to pass on their knowledge and skills to their students. Besides, more often than not, digital literacy conditions one’s employability.. One of the key contributions of the WG on Digital Learning to LLLP’s work was the conceptualisation, drafting and publication of the LLLP Position Paper “Reimagining Education for the Digital Age“. To this day, the WG meets twice a year.