Lifelong Learning Week 2013 to take place in December at the European Parliament
EUCIS-LLL organises its 3rd Lifelong Learning Week in the European Parliament, Brussels, from 2 to 6 December 2013. This year, the Week will have a particular focus on the upcoming European Elections of Spring 2014. At this occasion EUCIS-LLL will launch its Manifesto for the European elections and many events will take place in order to create a space of dialogue between civil society representatives, practitioners and policy-makers on the future of learning in Europe. Stay tuned.
Consultation on partnerships in Erasmus+: make your voice heard now!
The 2013 Education, Training and Youth Forum, which will take place on 17-18 October in Brussels, will promote the idea of “Working together for Reforms” emphasising the need for policy makers and key stakeholders to work in partnership, in order to foster the successful implementation of reforms at national and regional level, in particular through the opportunities offered by the new “Erasmus+” programme. To prepare an open and rich discussion at the Forum, all stakeholders are called upon to take part in the onlineconsultation and make their voice heard. Please read our INFONOTE and take part in the SURVEY: Erasmus+: new opportunities for partnerships?. Please spread this information around as we would like to collect as many contributions as possible.
EUCIS-LLL offices are closed from 5 to 26 August
This is the last newsletter of the summer.
EUCIS-LLL Secretariat wishes all its
readers a very good holiday.
See you in September!
/// NEWS FROM MEMBERS AND PARTNERS ///
EuCA meeting on soft skill development programs and best practices
The European University College Association (EuCA) and the International Association of Students Affairs and Services (IASAS) organised a meeting in Brussels on Friday 26 July on European models of halls of residence and institutional approaches to soft skills promotion. The event was also a way to welcome the new born IASAS and deepen its collaboration with EuCA. The EUCIS-LLL Secretariat attended the meeting.
EUCEN Autumn Seminar and Observal-NET Final Conference
The European University Continuing Education Network (EUCEN) will organise the Observal-net final dissemination conference on 15 October in Brussels. A Validation Prize will be awarded to the most innovative and promising initiatives in the area of the Validation of Non-formal and Informal Learning. On 16 October, EUCEN will also hold its 2013 Autumn Seminar in Brussels that will focus on Erasmus+. Find the registration information.
EVBB – Conference 2013: “For Youth Employment in Europe – Training Concepts, Projects, Quality Standards”
The European Network EVBB (European Association of Institutes for Vocational Training) is launching its annual conference “For Youth Employment in Europe” on 23-25 October in Athens, Greece. The conference will host different stakeholders among which Commission representatives, national experts and training providers. Find the registration form and the conference draft programme.
/// INSTITUTIONAL NEWS ///
Adoption of EESCs’ opinion on Rethinking Education
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has adopted on 10 July its opinion on the Communication of the European Commission: “Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes”. EUCIS-LLL was consulted by the EESC on 5 February during a public hearing and the Platform’s concerns have been heard, specifically on fighting against the vision of “education as nothing more than a tool for developing solely work-related skills and for increasing employability” at the expense of qualities and mindsets such as active citizenship, personal development and well-being. EUCIS-LLL also welcomes the importance given to non-formal education in this opinion.
Templates for ERASMUS+ for higher education are available!
Although the Erasmus+ regulation has not yet been formally adopted by the European legislators, the European Commission has decided to make the first steps to enable a smooth implementation of students and staff mobility in higher education under “Key Action 1 – Learning mobility”. The Commission published a template for inter-institutional agreements in order to make it possible for the potential beneficiaries of Union grants to start preparing their agreements in time and avoid further delays. Read the full Commission website section.
European Parliament’s new publication on Member States’ policies for children with disabilities
The Citizen’s Right and Constitutional Affairs Department of the European Parliament has published in June a study on “Member States’ Policies for Children with Disabilities” composed of one global report and five country reports on Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland and France, aiming to provide an overview of the situation of children with disabilities to evaluate the need for European legislation and to enhance their rights. The study recommends notably promoting training for teachers on better understanding of children with disabilities or the promotion of initiatives to maintain their support in higher education.
United Nations’ 2013 Millennium Development Goals Report is out
The United Nations have published its 2013 Millennium Development Goals Report which monitors progress in the framework of the “The Millennium Development Goals”, the United Nations initiative which stresses 8 essential goals to be achieved by 2015. The goal n°2 aims to ensure that “children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling”. The indicators in this area are showing that in 2011, 57 million children of primary school age were out of school, down from 102 million in 2000. However, they also show that even if progress has been made, if current trends continue, the world will not meet the goal of universal primary education by 2015.
Citizens’ Agora on Youth Unemployment, 6-8 November 2013, EP
The European Parliament launched the applications for its “Citizens’ Agora on Youth Unemployment” which will take place in Brussels from 6 to 8 November 2013. Two young people from each Member State of the EU, aged between 18 and 30, will be invited to this conference – one who is employed and one who is unemployed. They will debate with participants from the other Member States, with the assistance of experts on a number of specific topics related to youth unemployment. The recommendations coming out of this Citizens’ Agora will be communicated to European decision makers.
Join the online debate on the Single Market
The EU is organising the Single Market Month from 23 September to 23 October 2013 – a month of online debates between individuals, businesses, organisations, policy-makers and EU leaders to discuss ideas to improve the EU’s Single Market. You can already submit your ideas on jobs, social rights, banks and e-commerce.
/// RESEARCH & INNOVATION ///
LLinE Journal – Now available online for free
After seventeen years in printed format, the LLinE journal has been available online for free since March 2013. LLinE (Lifelong Learning in Europe) is dedicated to the advancement of adult education and lifelong learning through intercultural collaboration and best practice research. The last issue presented by LLinE, “Active Citizenship”, was focusing on the “golden ideal of democracy”.
Latest European Commission studies: long-term school staff mobility & Bologna process
The European Commission has published a study evaluating the feasibility of long-term transnational mobility of school education staff. The study identifies the main obstacles and reticence for schools and their staff to participate in mobility opportunities and provides recommendations to overcome these barriers. The Commission has also published another report aimed to support the implementation of national higher education reforms in line with the Bologna Process and to promote EU policies and programmes in higher education through advice services.
New Eurostat figures on social Europe and education
Eurostat has published this 17 July the 1st edition of the “pocketbook” on European Social Statistics. It provides a comparative overview of the latest results for ‘social’ headline indicators available in the Member States. This is an accessible and useful tool with schema and comments detailing figures of school enrolment, tertiary education, foreign language learning, lifelong learning and educational expenditure. The statistics back up for instance the assumption that the higher is the education level, the lower are the risk of poverty. Eurostat also published two articles on youth unemployment and participation in education and the labour market.
Eurobarometer – publication of spring 2013 figures
The European Commission’s public opinion service Eurobarometer published its spring survey on 23 July. More than 32 000 persons across the European Union and candidate countries were interviewed. Several topics were tackled such as EU citizenship feelings and the vision of the crisis. Assessing the perception of Europe 2020 targets, 69% of Europeans considered the need to enhance the quality and appeal of EU’s higher education system as important and 70% to develop new skills and promote entrepreneurship.
/// EU FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES ///
Call for tenders – Romania-Republic of Serbia IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme in cultural and sports activities
Deadline 26 August
European Policy Network of National Literacy Organisations – EAC/S05/13
Deadline 29 August 2013
Open call for tender – Study on Supporting the Entrepreneurial Potential of Higher Education
Deadline: 30 August 2013
Call for tenders – Study on ICT & ART CONNECT – SMART 2013/0030
Deadline 30 August 2013
Call for tenders – Twinning ENPI – Empowerment of the Tertiary Level Education of the Republic of Armenia for European Higher Education Are Integration – EHEA
Deadline: 3 September 2013
Youth support systems – Partnerships – Sub-action 4.6
Deadline 5 September 2013
Expertise in the field of vocational education and training, with special focus on governance, quality and financing
Deadline 5 September 2013
Call for Proposals – for the establishment of 4-year framework partnership agreements with EU-level NGO networks active in the promotion of social inclusion and poverty reduction or active in the promotion of microfinance and social enterprise finance
Deadline 6 September 2013
Governance and financing of apprenticeship
Deadline 9 September 2013
Support to Youth Workers’ Mobility – EACEA/15/12
Deadline 10 September 2013
Call for proposals – Two new EIBURS sponsorships under the EIB Knowledge Programme
Deadline 13 September 2013
Implementation of the European strategic objectives in Education and Training (ET 2020) – EACEA/04/2013
Deadline 16 September 2013
European strategic objectives in education and training – stakeholder cooperation, experimentation and innovation
Deadline 16 September 2013
ETF initiatives for human capital development
Deadline 17 September 2013
Call for proposals – Cedefop’s European Network for Vocational Education and Training
Deadline 24 September 2013
Open Call – European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) – COST 2013-3
Deadline 27 September 2013
Youth in Action Programme
Permanent calls for proposals 2013
/// PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS ///
Public consultation on health and safety at work
DG Employment has launched an online public consultation on health and safety at work in order to evaluate the European Strategy on Safety and Health at Work 2007-2012 and help to identify current and future challenges and solutions in the occupational safety and health area. Regarding education and training, the consultation also covers questions related to the integration of occupational safety and health in the curricula. The public consultation will run until 26 August.
/// AGENDA ///
Lifelong Learning week from 2 to 6 December.
Find more education and training events in Europe on our website
