© UNESCO
The European Union’s new Agenda for Adult Learning was launched by the European Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou at an event in Brussels on 28 February. It focuses on providing second-chance opportunities for poorly-qualified adults by strengthening their basic skills, such as literacy, numeracy and digital knowledge.
The Agenda predicts that, by 2020, adult learning systems will be faced with a strong demand for access to high-quality lifelong learning opportunities and an enhanced role for local authorities, employers, social partners, civil society and cultural organisations. Among the issues targeted for action in the Agenda are improved quality assurance, viable funding, accessible information and guidance, and the validation of non-formal and informal learning. The Agenda also has a focus on well-developed learning provision for seniors to support their active aging and to enable them to contribute to society for longer.
The European Union target for average participation in lifelong learning across the EU is 15% by 2020, for adults aged 25-64. The average participation in 2010 was 9.1%. Chairing the panel “Promoting lifelong Learning – the role of policy-makers”, UIL’s director Arne Carlsen suggested looking at how policy is made and by whom, in order to better secure its implementation. He stressed the importance of municipalities and city councils in developing learning cities and regions.
