More, Different and Better

Informal adult learning should be like a box of Belgian chocolates. You should always know what you are going to get – excellent quality, a great selection and guaranteed satisfaction. But is the expertise to deliver this being lost?

Back in September 2011, tucked away in a three-storey town house on the Place de Luxembourg in Brussels, Europe led the agenda amongst a group of young, enthusiastic men and women, whose nationalities span Europe. Intense debates were held across meeting tables, animated discussions flowed during coffee breaks and lively exchanges took place over dinner. The topic of conversation was not the Euro but European adult education.

My colleague Al Lockhart Smith and I had been selected by NIACE to attend the first ever week-long, in-house training programme, aimed at younger staff working in the adult education sector and organised by the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA); a European non government organisation with 127 member organisations from 43 countries working in the fields of adult learning.

A key subject which emerged from the training programme was active ageing and the realised threat of a growing gap in skills and education between younger and older people, particularly as retirement age increases in line with the rapidly changing demographic landscape. It was acknowledged that it is seen as a serious issue in most countries across Europe and could be reflected by the situation within the current adult education sector, where anyone below the age of 40 is classed as ‘young staff’.

The aims and objectives of the training programme are to:

• Encourage delegates to exchange information and knowledge about each other’s organisations and adult education backgrounds.
• Learn about EAEA, the European Civil Society Platform on Lifelong Learning, and other key civil society organisations.
• Promote the development of adult learning and encourage co-operation in adult learning at a European level.
• Inform delegates about advocacy work at a European level including lobbying practices.

Since returning to Leicester, we have developed a Younger Staff Network through which ideas and information regarding different projects, campaigns and examples of good practice, are regularly exchanged.  It is hoped that the long term outcome of this training course – with the support of organisations such as NIACE, the EAEA, the Grundtvig programme, and of course our European partners – is the development of a network of young staff working in the adult education sector, to carry out research and projects across Europe whilst receiving mentoring from senior experts in the field of adult learning.

The aim of the network will be to ensure that good practices are shared widely, as well as to guarantee that knowledge is passed on from previous generations. This type of collaborative work will be more crucial than ever as we enter a future where active ageing, skills and employment, and workforce migration will all be major concerns and it is imperative that the UK does not get left behind. For us and our European colleagues this is just the beginning – the network is still in its infancy, but by infusing the knowledge of our peers with the thoughts and ideas of younger staff in adult education, informal adult learning has all the right ingredients to become the perfect box of Belgian chocolates. We’re here to ensure that it tastes just as good in many years to come!

Find out how to get involved in this year’s training programme.