EU boosts life-long
learning after Leonardo success
THE SUCCESS OF THE EU’S EDUCATION
PROVISION including the ‘Leonardo da Vinci’ vocational projects (see
issue 32) has led to a new life-long
learning programme being agreed
which will provide funds to the tune of €6,970 million in the period
2007 to 2013. At the same time the Commission, concerned about
competition from newly industrialised countries, has announced that an
action plan on adult education will be produced next year. For the
first time a comprehensive structure will include school and pre-school
(‘Comenius’), higher (‘Erasmus’) and adult education (‘Grundtvig’) as
well as the former eLearning programme and ‘Leonardo’. The overall aim
is to use life-long learning to develop the EU as an ‘advanced
knowledge society, with sustainable economic development, more and
better jobs and greater social cohesion’. Projects will be evaluated as
to whether they increase the mobility of individuals between Member
States, promote partnerships involving two or more countries, improve
quality and encourage innovation in education across the Community.
Each ‘pillar’ of the programme has a numerical target: Comenius should
involve three million pupils over the next seven years, Erasmus must
reach a total of three million students sent to other EU countries by
2012, Leonardo aims to increase its yearly work placements from 70,000
in 2005 to 80,000 by 2013 whilst Grundtvig should be supporting 7,000
adult education places in second countries by the same date. The
programme should begin on time as both the European Parliament and the
Council of Ministers have now approved it.
Meanwhile the European Commission and the Member States will consider
how to widen participation in adult education, ensure its quality,
recognise achievements by the learner, including attainment of European
qualifications, invest in the education of older people and migrants
and gather evidence so that both progress in and barriers to adult
learning can be analysed and measured.
Adult learning : It is never too late to
learn is available at:
