EPALE-zine Strengthening life skills in the EU by Karine Nicolay

Strengthening life skills in the EU

EPALE Online magazine October 2023 in cooperation with the National Coordinators for the European Agenda for Adult Learning

Photo by Juan Monte for project One Of Us, carried out by Blenders, with support of Europa WSE’

ec.europa.eu/epale

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In this magazine

• Introduction 3 • General information on life skills

• How do NCAL’s strenghten life skills? 8 • Input from EPALE on life skills 14

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Dear readers This EPALE magazine presents the activities of the National Coordinators of Adult Learning who have focused their activities in 2022-23 on ‘skills for life’, in Belgium (Flanders), Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia the Netherlands and Slovakia. It is also a contribution of their organisations to the theme of skills, which resonates in policies of the European Union and is currently highlighted in the European Year of Skills 2023. The focus on skills is a consequence of the current changes in our society and the labour market driven by technological development, green transition, information pressure combined with demographic changes, which all place increased demands on individuals. In the labour market, this translates into an emphasis on the skills that people can apply in the workplace, regardless of their educational background or degree. Skills for life, which are not directly connected with job performance, represent a broad set of skills that help individuals to cope with different everyday situations and to lead a full and satisfying life - personal, professional or social. The range of topics included in the concept of skills for life is broad, most commonly relating to: • basic skills (literacy, numeracy and digital skills financial and health literacy) • multilingualism and multicultural skills • personal and social skills (e.g. critical thinking, communication with others, developing relationships, empathy towards others, etcera) • learning skills • citizenship skills • entrepreneurial skills. Find out much more about skills for life in this EPALE magazine! Happy reading! The national coordinators, members of the Skills for Life cluster

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1. Skills for life: bringing learning closer to vulnerable learners

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EU calls on Member States to work together towards a broad and holistic vision of adult learning that places the learner at the centre “Have you taken a training or participated in any other learning activity in the past year?” By 2030, at least 60 out of 100 adults (between 25 and 64) should answer this question with a loud and strong ‘yes, I did’. The European Union has set this ambitious target as one of its goals to achieve an inclusive, sustainable, more socially just and resilient Europe. With the launch of the new European Agenda for Adult Learning 2021-2030 (NEAAL2030), the European Commission calls upon all Member States to work together towards a broad and holistic vision of adult learning that puts the learner at the centre. This vision encompasses all sectors and all forms of learning – formal, non-formal and informal learning – are equally important. NEAAL2030 draws attention to the importance of continuous learning and development. People who are willing to regularly train or retrain can better adapt to rapidly changing circumstances and pick up new skills needed in their job or to increase their chances of finding work more quickly. But lifelong learning doesn’t just offer benefits for work. The social involvement of (life)skilled people increases and their personal development, health and well-being benefit from it. To raise the awareness of the importance of adult and lifelong learning, the European Commission supports a network of national coordinators through the Erasmus+ programme. The national coordinators are designated to facilitate cooperation in implementing NEAAL2030 and the relevant initiatives of the European Skills Agenda. Their work contributes to promoting adult and lifelong learning within their respective countries, providing policy advice and collecting and sharing best practices with national authorities. Each national coordinator sets out a work programme that identifies the specific actions their organisation will take to implement NEAAL2030 and the relevant initiatives of the European Skills Agenda in their country. The Erasmus+ programme of the European Union supports this implementation with a dedicated grant. To address current and future challenges effectively, NEAAL2030 also urges all Member States to work together to build a single European Education Area (EEA) to remove barriers to learning and improve access to quality education for all and with a prominent place for formal, non-formal and informal adult education. The focus topics of the EEA are improving the quality and equity of education and training, enhancing the recognition of teachers, trainers, and school leaders, and promoting digital and green education.

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Picture Gerd Altmann via Pixabay

Learning as a right Share strategies to bring learning closer to people How can vulnerable adults engage in learning life skills to better navigate life, now and in the future? In March 2022 a working group of 40 people representing 12 countries and nine organisations from the field of (adult) education and from museums, public libraries, and European agencies joined in a peer learning activity about ‘Skills for Life: bringing learning closer to vulnerable groups’. With Skills for Life, the focus was on a broad set of skills, competences, attitudes that individuals might need to confront present and future challenges in navigating life effectively. Action 8 ‘Skills for Life’ of the European Skills Agenda is particularly dedicated to it, gaining additional momentum from the European Pillar of Social Rights (lifelong learning as a right). The participants shared ‘Skills for life’ approaches put in place by non-formal and formal adult learning providers in several European countries. Read more

Peer learning in Bratislava National coordinators work together to gain more insight and promote skills for life In June 2023 national coordinators of NEAAL2030 from 11 countries met in Bratislava to focus on the concept of skills for life. The meeting served as a platform to engage in dialogue on several pivotal topics within the thematic cluster and exchange experience. Present were the national coordinators from Slovakia, Belgium/Flanders, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, the Netherlands and Serbia. The participants also shared updates on the current status of their projects, developments and other initiatives within the EU context and agreed on future activities. Read more

A visit to an adult education provider active in developing life skills and a meeting with the Representation of the EC in Slovakia were part of the agenda. The event was also a good opportunity for informal networking.

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Bratislava Conference Promoting skills for life in a changing world “Resilience and readiness for change, critical thinking, the ability to evaluate information and adapt to technology represent significant challenges for the future” stated Ľubica Gállová of the State Vocational Education Institute in Slovakia. The “Promoting Skills for Life in a Changing World” conference held in June 2023 was one of Slovakia’s contributions to the European Year of Skills. The event addressed the broad topic of skills development, particularly focusing on the concept of skills for life. The conference aimed to explore what skills for life entail, why they are essential, and how they can be enhanced among adult populations. A range of Slovak and foreign speakers shared their view and further discussed it with the conference participants. There was also space dedicated to showing the results of the work of national coordinators of NEAAL2030. Read more

Life skills for Europe (LSE) Erasmus+ project collected good practices to help understand what works and how to make it work The LSE-project, coordinated by the European Association for the Learning of Adults (EAEA) aimed to improve basic skills provision in Europe by explaining, developing and upscaling the life skills approach. The project final beneficiaries were people of disadvantaged backgrounds, refugees and people resistant to ‘foreigners’ and intercultural exchange. In addition to a collection of good practices, the project also collected tools to promote and enhance life skills and intercultural understanding. Read more

The LSE consortium put together an awareness raising kit that addresses a number of target groups.

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In the picture In 2023 EPALE pusts he spotlight on 3 important topics. The national EPALE teams and members collect interesting articles, useful materials and practical examples about these topics.

THEMATIC FOCUSES

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2. The NCALs contribute to strengthening life skills

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Germany National Coordination Point (NCP) of the European Expanding knowledge, The Agenda for Adult Learning (NEAAL2030) in Germany unleashing potential shares information about the content and goals of the Adult education plays a vital role in driving the green transition and sustainable development in Germany.

NEAAL2030 through its activities and initiatives, thereby integrating European educational policy concerns and priorities into the national discourse and vice versa. This is achieved through communication, collaboration with relevant stakeholders and other forms of public engagement. The NCP in Germany facilitates meetings among stakeholders, ministries, and associations through various event formats. Through its actions the NCP in Germany is also fostering a transformative movement. Through innovative events and publications, they’re championing essential life skills. These life skills are not just shaping personal skills but the very fabric of society. “Expanding Knowledge” meets “Unleashing Potential”. Together they symbolize the journey of personal growth, selfempowerment, and the ability to make a meaningful impact on society. Read more

Belgium/Flanders Learning so fantastic you would not want it to stop Support an innovation network to change the way we think about living, learning and working The workplan of the national coordinator in Flanders is inspired by the transition vision for learning, living and working in 2050. The national coordinator’s website ‘Long Live Learning’ highlights inspiring frameworks, methodologies, practices, actions, projects and European policy instruments that give body to this vision. Pioneers are invited to share their own examples that reflect ‘the future now’ to inspire others to follow their example. In March 2023 all European national coordinators gathered in Leuven for a peer learning activity about learning communities and innovative learning spaces. Pieter Sprangers, the speaker at the event, left a lasting impression with his inspiring ‘ode to stunning learning’. Read more

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Finland ‘How to teach adult basic skills’ – videos From simple and cheap webinars to teaching material for VET teachers in five easy steps. 1. Co-operate with local vocational education and training (VET) teacher education colleges. Offer the opportunity to participate for free. 2. Organize webinars and record the speakers. 3. Edit the material, make subtitles, add questions and tasks for the students, together with the representatives of the colleges. 4. Publish the videos in a library of Open Educational Resources or similar. 5. Do some marketing together with the VET colleges, and count the downloads. Read more

Picture Michal Jarmoluk via Pixabay

In October 2023 EPALE hosted its international Community Conference The EPALE community celebrated the ongoing change, growth and evolution behind lifelong learning and skills acquisition, in the context of the European Year of Skills. The 2023 Conference revolved around three themes.

Watch the plenary sessions! Workforce with the right skills Skills for democratic life Inclusive skills opportunities

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Estonia All-Estonian learning events to share and inspire Discovering learning obstacles, motivation and needs from the adult learner’s point of view The national coordinator in Estonia organized countrywide learning events. In 2022, a total of 20 community learning events were organized, with 522 adults participating. The purpose of these community learning events was to motivate people to share knowledge and skills, fostering a lifelong learning mindset. Common themes included promoting healthy lifestyles and mental well-being.These events featured various formats such as study circles, workshops, study tours, seminars, trainings/lectures, guided discussions, debates, and more. Another activity was a discussion-seminar on the development of digital competences for adults, exploring topics such as strategies for developing digital competences, reducing the number of individuals lacking basic digital skills, motivating diverse target groups, and engaging them in training programmes. Community learning event: fathers and sons studying together; coping in a crisis situation.

Cyprus Interactive online modules about life skills on Moodle Accessible to adult learners enrolled in the Adult Education Centers, Cyprus’ largest non-formal adult education provider In Cyprus, four interactive online modules were made available in a digital learning environment. One of these modules is about ‘Skills for Life’. It is accessible by all adult learners of the Adult Education Centers, the largest non-formal adult education provider in Cyprus. The course is to enable adult learners to explore fundamental life skills topics in an interactive manner. After finishing the course, participants are expected to comprehend how acquiring life skills transforms them into active contributors in both their personal and professional lives. Read more

The course is to enable adult learners to explore fundamental life skills topics in an interactive manner.

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Latvia Resources to support digital and green skills The national coordinator in Latvia has developed ‘Guidelines for designing non-formal education programmes’. In cooperation with the Baltic Computer Academy, a non-formal education programme titled ‘Digital Services for Everyday Life Situations’ (comprising 7 modules) according to DigComp2.2 was designed and prepared for implementation. Three seminars for adult education coordinators and adult educators were organized to pilot the programme. These seminars focused on effective strategies to reach, engage, involve, and support adults on their learning journey, as well as suitable teaching and support methods for individuals with low skills and learning experience All 43 local municipalities were invited to pilot the programme. The programme was piloted in 21 local municipalities, with each organizing at least one group of at least 8 learners. The piloting results were analyzed leading to programme improvements. Finally, the programme was published on the project’s webpage (LV). Using this experience and following the FinComp framework, the national coordinator is collaborating with financial education experts from Latvia Bank to design a new nonformal education programme titled “Planning My Personal Finances”. There will be 6 modules: My budget, Income and expenses, How to manage them on a daily basis, Savings and their types, My “Safety Bag”, My pension, Protect what is important to you, and Insurance. The methodological material has been designed and the programme will be piloted in local municipalities. It is also planned to design, pilot, publish and implement a new non-formal education programme on green skills using GreenComp.

Hungary Good practices in basic skills development The booklet shows good practices about e.g. financial awareness, self-help programmes for care workers, developing socialising and personal skills, financially ‘smart’ and consumerrelated issues, media literacy, and health literacy. In Hungary the booklet ‘Good examples of skills for life in Hungary’ shares a selection of good practices for empowering individuals to succeed in both society and the labour market by acquiring the right skills. Several partners running good practices share their experience about e.g. financial awareness, self-help programmes for care workers, developing socialising and personal skills, financially ‘smart’ and consumer-related issues, media literacy, health literacy, etcetera. Read more

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The Netherlands There’s no such thing as waste Circular craft centres offer an excellent circular educational environment where vocational students can develop their talents. By 2050, the Netherlands has set the ambitious goal of transitioning to a fully circular economy. In a circular economy we use fewer raw materials because we use them longer and reuse them for new products. To achieve this it is important that everyone learns how to live in a circular way. The network of Circular Craft Centers supports this by teaching adults and students about reusing and recycling products. It also helps students gain new practical skills that are useful for the labour market. Read more

Slovakia The mapping report

In addition to the formal learning tracks, non-formal activities are also important at the circular craft centres.

National coordinators Learning from each other about learning

The National coordinator of Adult Learning in Slovakia mapped the situation in skills for life development and summarised the findings and recommendations for policy makers and stakeholders in the report Skills for Life in Slovakia. It looks at the most significant shifts in the skills adults need for their everyday lives. It also identifies the main factors to be addressed by the national policies and funding in order to support effective lifelong learning environment

In March 2023 all national coordinators of the NEAAL2030 visited Leuven (Belgium/Flanders) for a peer learning activity about learning communities and innovative learning spaces.

WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE VISIT

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3. Find more about life skills on EPALE

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Safebook An educational board game about media literacy Plain language allows people to learn about Facebook in a playful way.

Media literacy is indispensable for safely navigating the world of social media and the online realm. Nonetheless, accessible and tailor-made content on media literacy is not always readily available, leaving many individuals without suitable resources. In Hungary, the development of the Safebook board game addresses this issue by offering marginalized groups equal access to content focused on safe media consumption. Originally conceived to assist individuals with intellectual disabilities, the game’s primary purpose was to teach them how to effectively use Facebook.. Read more

Debate Is the Netherlands ready for life skills? What is needed to take it to the next level? The term ‘life skills’ is positively charged: everyone needs life skills during their lives and everyone feels the need to develop these skills at some point in their lifetimes Is the Netherlands ready to embrace the concept of ‘life skills’? This was the theme of a debate between Bert-Jan Buiskool, Marlies Elderenbosch and participants of the Ontwikkeling Telt! Festival, which took place in The Hague. During the debate participants acknowledged the importance of basic skills, but also voiced their belief that national policy should broaden its focus. National policy should pay more attention to other skills such as green, financial, health, arithmetic and interpersonal skills. Read more Marlies Elderenbosch en Bert-Jan Buiskool

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EPALE focuses

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Erasmus+ project TRANSVAL-EU

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In the context of the European Year of Skills, throughout 2023, EPALE highlights the potential of adult learning and education to engage citizens in society and democracy, empower people to successfully navigate labour market changes, and include everyone in learning. To do so EPALE invites its community members to share their experiences on these thematic focuses: Engage: skills for democratic life, Empower: workforce with the right skills, Include: inclusive skills opportunities.

Transversal skills are an implicit part of existing validation and guidance processes. The aim of TRANSVAL-EU is to experiment on how to make those skills more explicit and to embed the lessons learned in validation and guidance provisions. TRANSVAL-EU proposes innovative approaches for the validation of transversal skills acquired through non-formal and informal learning (VNFIL), which were tested in 5 pilot countries – Austria, Belgium, Italy, Lithuania and Poland. The Transversal Competence Framework and other useful tools are available on the project’s website. The project was presented at the national coordinators cluster meeting in Bratislava in June 2023.

On the themes pages of EPALE you can find a wealth of contributions gathered by the EPALE community about several topics related to life skills. Share your own examples!

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Digital Learning Accounts for stronger life skills

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Two important challenges come to light: efficient soft skills training is crucial and AI development might require changing our approach to soft skills. Developing a supportive framework for individual learning accounts (ILA’s) based on the new technologies and, in effect, contributing to an increased number of adult learners, is the aim of the D-ILA in V4 project. The project’s key objective is to develop and test a data model that would allow using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for personalised training recommendations regarding soft skills and efficient budget spending. These recommendations will be channeled through the implementation of individual learning accounts. Read more

Seniors Perceive A Common Europe The SPACE project unites seniors from five European countries to help them understand different cultures and traditions better The European Union’s motto, ‘United in Diversity’, advocates for lifelong learning opportunities for all individuals in the region. Such learning means facing the changing conditions in one’s own areas of life, remaining curious and active in order to help shape one’s personal and social environment. Young people have already been taking advantage of the EU‘s offerings to participate in lifelong learning. However, is there also a possibility of a funded international exchange for older adults? SPACE provides this opportunity. It is an international partnership unifying five organisations specialising in education, research, active ageing and intergenerational support from five European countries. Read more

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Fight low literacy, unemployment, poverty

On learning parades and communities

How can art and creativity contribute to personal development and basic skills of young people and newcomers?

Learning is the nurturing process of learning communities, based on synergies among people and institutions

How can creativity connect people across cultures and strengthen one’s personal development and basic skills? How can each individual’s unique stories and emotions find expression? The partners of the Erasmus+ project Art as Leverage embarked on a journey of exploration to find answers to these questions, together with partners from formal and non-formal education. As a result they developed an innovative social-artistic learning method that can connect people in vulnerable situations.

In cooperation with the national coordinator of the adult learning programme, Slovenia organizes a Learning Parade during the annual Lifelong Learning Week. In 2023, the Parade marked its 10th edition and has become an essential annual celebration of learning opportunities in about 15 cities across the country. In its initial stages, significant efforts were dedicated to investigating the concept of learning communities and crafting a comprehensive definition. Read more

EPALE Community Stories 2023 How do you imagine and what do you wish for the future of education? How does adult learning need to change to prepare for the future? EPALE invited the adult learning community to share their view. Professionals in adult learning from all over Europe shared their stories.

Enjoy all stories and discover how often the importance of acquiring life skills plays a role in it.

EPALE is available in all official EU languages. Select your own language and discover all the stories that are shared in your language!

EPALE-zine Strengthening Life Skills in the European Union

National Coordinators for the European Agenda for Adult Learning are designated by EU Member States and other cooperating countries to facilitate their cooperation in implementing the New European Agenda for Adult Learning 2030 (NEAAL2020) and the relevant initiatives of the European Skills Agenda. Their work contributes to promoting adult learning in their respective country, providing policy advice and gathering and disseminating best practices to national authorities. Each National Coordinator sets out a work programme which identifies the specific actions their organisation is going to take to implement the new European Agenda for Adult learning and the relevant initiatives of the European Skills Agenda in their country. The Erasmus+ programme of the European Union supports this implementation with a dedicated grant. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE NATIONAL COORDINATOR IN YOUR COUNTRY

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.