Newsletter #83 – June 2014

EUCIS-LLL new premises !
Visit our new premises located in Mundo J – rue de l’Industrie 10, 1000 Bruxelles. You can join us at 0032 2 893 25 15.
On 30 June  EUCIS-LLL coalition on Erasmus+ will meet in order to assess the results of the online survey meant to give a constructive feedback on the first round of calls for proposals. It will be followed by the CB4LLP project presentation during which the various tools will be presented such as the methodology on how to use successful results from the Lifelong Learning Programme. It will be followed by a networking reception (only upon invitation).

EUCIS-LLL new position paper on validation
EUCIS-LLL has issued its latest policy paper on validation of non-formal and informal learning. EUCIS-LLL welcomed the 2012 Council Recommendation on VNFIL’s political impulse and encourages Member States to speed up the building of well-functioning validation systems in partnership with stakeholders so that their commitment for 2018 is respected. EUCIS-LLL has also set up a task force to follow up on the Recommendation’s implementation. In its updated policy paper, EUCIS-LLL recalls the importance of validation to improve access to education and training and invites national authorities to consider 10 key principles when defining or revising their systems.

EUCIS-LLL “LLL HUB” project moving forward

The Lifelong Learning Hub (LLL-HUB) is a LLP project (2013-2015) coordinated by EUCIS-LLL and engaging 10 partners. It aims to foster national and transnational public spaces for debates and mutual policy learning, involving the grassroots level in a genuine reflection with decision-makers on the design and implementation of coherent and comprehensive lifelong learning strategies. A research phase and a seminar will take place in partner countries on four specific themes related to lifelong learning, involving key LLL experts and policy-makers. They will be then invited to Brussels to gather for transnational policy learning and the elaboration of key political messages, in real bottom-up, democratic settings. The 1st online partner meeting took place on 17 June and the research phase (LLL Labs) was launched. Find soon more information on this great initiative on EUCIS-LLL website and the project website.

European elections: supporting our Manifesto “Building together the Future of Learning” is more important than ever
In the wake of the European elections where record abstaining and rise of extremism reflected political disengagement and social distress, it is more than ever important for MEPs that are about to take seat to commit on their vision of education for the next parliamentary term. We need a sustainable investment to ensure our education and training systems deliver better for economic development, social and civic participation, personal fulfilment and well-being. The European Parliament and civil society should further engage together in the future of learning. EUCIS-LLL Manifesto “Building together the Future of Learning” comprises 12 principles for lifelong learning that more than 30 candidates supported during the campaign. If you are a newly elected MEP and willing to support our manifesto contact us or click here. We also encourage educational stakeholders to keep on echoing our campaign and convince their new MEPs to take action to defend the Manifesto principles – already available in (EN) (FR) (DE) (NL) (PT) (PL) (TR) (IT) (CRO) (SER) (ES) (CAT)

/// NEWS FROM MEMBERS AND PARTNERS ///

ESN Story Project // 12 September, Brussels
The Erasmus Student Network announced its final conference for itsSTORY project which will take place at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in Brussels on 12 September.  The STORY project aims at creating policy recommendations on traineeships and a web meeting platform for trainees and companies. The conference entitled “ESN – How Traineeships and Trainees meet” will be attended by representatives of European Institutions, European civil society representatives and ESN delegates.

European Parents’ Association Conference // 19-20 September, Riga (Latvia)
The European Parents Association’s conference entitled “Creativity and Thinking Skills in Learning, Teaching and Management” will take place in Riga on 19-20 September 2014. The main subject that will be discussed will be how parents and teachers could become lifelong learners, and how they could empower their children and future students to become creative, critical thinkers and problem solvers. See the full programme and register here. Take also 5 minutes to reply to the School Cloud (working with EPA) survey on the usage of technology in education within the EU (target group: parents with children in the age between 6-17 years) in English, Spanish, French and Italian.

EURASHE’s Seminar on Professional Higher Education // 16-17 October, Otočec Castle (Slovenia)
The Seminar of the European Association of Institutions in Higher Education (EURASHE) will take place in Slovenia on 16-17 October and will deal with Professional Higher Education (PHE). During the Seminar, participants will have the chance to know more about the recent developments in the professional higher education sphere in various countries across Europe. More information will come soon on EURASHEwebsite.

Webinar preparation for European Citizenship Summit // 10 July
In order to prepare the 2nd European Citizenship Summit: “Beyond Europe’s Growth Obsession. Rights, Justice, Democracy for all” organised by the Civil Society Contact Group (CSCG – to which EUCIS-LLL belongs) on 23 and 24 September 2014, a webinar is organised on 10 July from Brussels. Between 1 and 2 pm (Brussels hour), you will have the opportunity to participate on the Citizens Summit website (link to come) or in the DEEEP project office in Brussels.

ETUCE Culmination event of the Unite for Quality Education Campaign // 22 September 2014, EESC (Brussels)
After one year, the Education International (EI) initiative for Quality Education campaign led jointly with ETUCE (European Trade Union Committee for Education) will reach its peak. To celebrate this special day, ETUCE will organize a Public Hearing on the Future of Quality Education in EESC in Brussels. During this event, you could assist to the first screening of ETUCE project film documentary “Development of Teacher Union Expertise in Exiting the Crisis through Quality Education” and also ask decision makers such as MEPs and European Commission representatives about their visions on the future of quality education.  More information will come soon on ETUCE website.

/// INSTITUTIONAL NEWS ///

Eurobarometer survey and Commission conference on a European Area of Skills and Qualifications
The conclusions of the public consultation (soon to be released) led by the Commission (read EUCIS-LLL position paper and full contribution) and of a Eurobarometer on a European Area of Skills and Qualifications were presented to stakeholders on 17 June in Brussels during a special conference. The survey notably reveals that EU citizens are aware of the fact that many skills can be acquired outside formal education, but only a third have heard of a European tool to document their experience. The consultation highlights that only 18% of respondents find the current landscape of EU recognition and transparency tools fully satisfactory and that there is a broad support for a genuine implementation of the learning outcomes approach. Read the full press release.

European Commission will launch the first European week of sport
The Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou presented on 11 June the Commission’s ambitions concerning the first European week of sport for September 2015. The idea of a European week of sport was launched on 2012 by the European Parliament and the Member States. A recentEurobarometer on sport and physical activity (March 2014) revealed that 60% of European citizens never practice sport or rarely; a European Week of sport would raise awareness of the importance of regularly practising a physical activity. Under the Erasmus+ programme next year, a special call will be dedicated to the event and other projects supporting the Week will be funded, along with an envelope for each Member State to support at lease one national event. See the details of the initiative here.

eTwinning formation and European meetings // 19-21 September, Konya (Turkey)
Enseignement.be eTwinning programmes and meetings are a unique occasion to discover eTwinning resources and improve competences in sharing and European collaborative work with new communication and information technologies. For its next European meetings, in Konya (Turkey) from 19 to 21 September 2014, European eTwinning meetings propose to teachers with pupils from 11 to 15 years old to participate to its seminary entitled “Intercultural comprehension and eTwinning”. During these two days, participants will have the opportunity to find partners, listen to others eTwinners experiences and become familiar with eTwinning (work language:English). You can candidate and find more information here.

/// RESEARCH & INNOVATION ///

Two new Eurydice reports on Early Childhood Education and Care and Instruction Time
Eurydice launched two new key data reports about “Early Childhood education and care” (see also the European Commission press release) and “Recommended Annual Instruction Time in Full-Time Compulsory Education in Europe” for 2013-2014. Both reports are the results of precise analyses and statistical data in 32 European countries and results can be browsed by countries, subjects and topics criteria. Interestingly, only eight countries guarantee every child a legal right to early childhood education and care (ECEC) after their birth and parents have to pay for ECEC in almost all European countries.

LLinE puts forward Nando Miranda’s research: Why the educator must think and act as a salesman? 
LLinE is a Lifelong Learning in Europe journal dedicated to adult education, a combination of a scientific journal and a magazine directed at the whole of the adult education field, bridging across the different sectors. The recent Lifelong Learning in Europe (LLinE) newsletter puts forward the research of the marketing professional and educator, Nando Miranda. According to Miranda, educators should act as sales professional in order to convince others of their ideas such as a new course, a project application, a research proposal, etc. See Miranda’sfull “The birth of a salesman” research in 8 concrete steps.

New Cedefop briefing note: The hidden potential of level 5 qualifications
The latest briefing note of the Cedefop tackles “The hidden potential of level 5 qualifications” referring to the European Qualifications Framework and its eight levels of classification of learning outcomes. Level 5 is particularly interesting in the sense that the complex and various learning outcomes recognised under this level can be acquired through extremely diverse pathways depending on countries, from formal short-cycle higher education to VET or even through non-formal education. The note shows in that sense that level 5 is of particular importance, to value precious skills required by employers among for instance non-traditional learners, and to increase flexibility and permeability of learning pathways. Read the full briefing note and the full Cedefop study: “Qualifications at level 5: progressing in a career or to higher education”

EUROCLIO’s New Free Teaching Resource
During its Annual Conference on 3 April 2014, EUROCLIO officially launched the first English-language edition of the teaching resource from Western Balkans “Once upon a time…We Lived Together. Joint work in a multiperspective approach. 23 Workshops on 1900-1945″. This book, also available in Albanian, Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Serbian and Slovenian will be distributed to history teachers’ associations between August and October. You can download this book freely.

NORRAG report: Teaching and Learning, achieving quality for all
After EFA Global Monitoring Report, NORRAG points out in its reportthat a good quality education system needs good quality teachers; nonetheless most disadvantaged children do not benefit of it in most cases. In order to correct inequalities, NORRAG report proposes 10 recommendations to the education community. To know more about the recommendations and the report, see NORRAG website, and view the full issue to go further.

/// EU FUNDING ///

EASME calls for Pan-European Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative
European Commission Executive Agency for Small and Medium–sized Enterprises calls for the creation of a pan-European network of entrepreneurship educators. The aim of this initiative is to support entrepreneurial education and training, to give youth the necessary entrepreneurial knowledge and skills and to educate the future generations of entrepreneurs. You can find more details and submithere.

/// PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS ///

Public Consultation on Europe 2020
In the framework of the revision of the Europe 2020 strategy, aconsultation has been launched by the Commission to collect stakeholders’ views on the lessons learned from the early years of the Europe 2020 strategy and on the elements to be taken into account in its further development, in order to build the post-crisis growth strategy of the EU. Read soon EUCIS-LLL contribution to the consultation. Deadline 31 October 2014.

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