Learning for a better world
Posted: May 17, 2013 Filed under: Grundtvig | Tags: Adult Learning, Europe, grundtvig, Lifelong Learning Programme, NIACE Leave a comment »Ahead of Adult Learners’ Week 2013 which begins on Saturday, Grundtvig senior project manager, Ieva Mais, visited the NIACE Learning for a Better World Conference in Cardiff.
Learning for a better world
I attended the Learning for a Better World conference organised by NIACE in Cardiff on 28-29 April. It brought together practitioners, policy makers, researchers and adult learners from several European countries to discuss the UK’s contribution to the Agenda in three main areas:
Springing into sustainable and inclusive growth
Posted: March 20, 2013 Filed under: Grundtvig, Leonardo, Lifelong Learning Programme, Mobility | Tags: Europe, Europe 2020, growth, Inclusion, Leonardo Mobility, llpukecorys, senior volunteering, sustainable growth Leave a comment »Today is officially the first day of spring, the time where the roots have bedded down and the first shoots start appearing. This might be a rather tenuous link but it started me thinking about the opportunities for growth and how the lifecycle of our projects enable new branches to sprout and develop.
Growth is a priority under the EU2020 objectives with sustainable and inclusive growth a focus. Continuing on the theme of growth, I thought I’d highlight some of our projects that look at the greener side of things. Many of our projects focus on conservation, nature and the environment, working to help communities and individuals through green-centered education. Looking first at Leonardo, the 2011 Mobility funded Parks & Gardens Apprenticeship Scheme, organised by Cardiff Council, provided apprentices with a new understanding of the techniques and processes involved in horticulture: Read the rest of this entry »
Addressing the skills gap
Posted: February 8, 2013 Filed under: Leonardo, Lifelong Learning Programme, Transversal | Tags: Changing Lives, Europe, european commission, leonardo, Lifelong Learning Programme, llpukecorys, Partnerships, Rethinking Education, Study Visit, transversal Leave a comment »Our funding opportunities cover a range of sectors; at the heart of all of them is learning. Learning, improving and developing skills are important not just to us as individuals but to our local, national, and transnational communities.
Whichever opportunity you are involved in, whether it is a Transfer of Innovation project, a Senior Volunteering project, or a Study Visit, you are either developing your own skills or working to improve those of learners and staff involved. Skills development is a key priority across Europe. The hope is that improving skills will help to increase employability and remove barriers to the labour market while stimulating economic growth. Co-operation has been highlighted by the European Commission in their Rethinking Education strategy as a path to address the skills gap while providing the innovation needed to boost the labour market.
Co-operation to enhance education
Many of our projects have already forged strong partnerships between academia and business as well as across regions and countries. As part of our Changing Lives series we spoke to one such organisation, Embrace Cooperation, about how they work to enhance education and training: Read the rest of this entry »
European Year of Citizens
Posted: January 9, 2013 Filed under: Lifelong Learning Programme | Tags: Active citizenship, Citizenship, Europe, Europe 2020, european commission, European Year, EY2013 1 Comment »2013 is the European Year of Citizens. Launched by the European Union, the EY2013 will raise awareness of citizen’s rights and explore their vision for Europe.
It is the chance for everyone to understand their rights and the opportunities available to them, such as living and working anywhere within Europe.
The activities throughout the European Year will be organised at a grass-roots level, by citizens and civil society organisations. There is also an extensive resource library as part of the European Year website which provides more information on the Year and being mobile in Europe: http://europa.eu/citizens-2013/en/resources-library
It’s about Europe, it’s about You
For me, this European Year, and why it is important, is summed up by its tagline: ‘It’s about Europe, it’s about You.’
This is my, your, and everyone’s, chance to add our voices to the debate: http://europa.eu/citizens-2013/en share your views on the rights we all currently have and where we all want the EU to be by 2020.
Thematic Networking: Learning From Each Other
Posted: November 13, 2012 Filed under: Thematic Networking | Tags: Ecorys, ECVET, ECVET Experts, education, Europe, european commission, Leonardo Mobility, Lifelong Learning Programme, thematic networking, vocational education 1 Comment »Recently we wrote about our forthcoming Thematic Networking event. At each of these events we invite a range of decision-makers and education professionals from across the UK to attend and look in detail at recent policy developments during the day.
As part of each event we hold a series of workshop sessions that look, in detail, at four cross-cutting themes. The discussions during these workshops will inform future decisions with the wider professional networks of the group, both in the UK and across Europe. While attendance at these events is by invitation only, everyone who recieves funding from our projects can still get involved by reading, and disseminating, the outcomes from the event. Read the rest of this entry »
Learning from experience…
Posted: November 2, 2012 Filed under: Leonardo, Lifelong Learning Programme, Transfer of Innovation | Tags: Europe, funding, leonardo, Lifelong Learning Programme, llpukecorys, Start Up Seminar, tips, Transfer of Innovation, vocational education Leave a comment »One of the things that most interests me when I talk to participants is their individual list of ‘do’s and don’ts’ that they have for running a successful project. Usually built on experience, often these ‘top tips’ are relevant in all kinds of projects.
Recently, I attended a Leonardo Transfer of Innovation (TOI) Start Up Seminar, where I got talking to Ros Boyce from Belfast Metropolitan College who has recently taken over the reins as Project Manager of The BAREFOOT Trainer project, which is providing short, practical blended courses, useful for Vocational Education and Training (VET) teaching and training across diverse sectors.
Thematic Networking event: active citizenship, employability and an ageing UK
Posted: October 24, 2012 Filed under: Thematic Networking | Tags: active ageing, Ecorys, education, Europe, european commission, EY2012, Lifelong Learning Programme, llp, thematic networking 1 Comment »You may have read Emma’s recent post on Older People’s Day on the 1 October and the European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations (EY2012). What does an ageing population mean to the UK? What does it mean for employability and active citizenship? Our next Thematic Networking event will look into this topic in more detail from a UK perspective.
The forthcoming event, at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London on the 29 November, will bring together over 60 policy makers and Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) project practitioners. Delegates will have the opportunity to hear from Brian Keating, from the Department for Work and Pensions , on work currently being undertaken on active ageing by the UK Government. Read the rest of this entry »
