Enhancing Cooperation between UIL and the University of Hamburg

The Adult Education section of the German Society for Educational Sciences marked its 40th anniversary at its annual meeting on 22 September 2011. Speaking at the event, UIL Director Arne Carlsen expressed his intention to intensify UIL’s fruitful collaboration with the hosts of the meeting – the University of Hamburg.

In his speech he emphasised that adult learning and education are key components of an overarching and comprehensive lifelong learning system. Such a system integrates formal, non-formal and informal learning, and addresses – explicitly and implicitly – both youth and adult learners. He argued that only an informed, literate and active citizenry can effectively meet the challenges our societies are facing – and that this is only possible by placing adult learning and education at the centre of policy and action, as a transversal agenda that cuts across policy domains and resource allocations.

The University of Hamburg and UIL have undertaken steps to concretise and strengthen their collaboration, including follow-up work to the leo Level One study ; on adult literacy skills in Germany.