The deadline for the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RFF) is coming up. It’s necessary that all member states include an appropriate percentage for adult learning and education (ALE). The money should also be foreseen for systemic and methodological reforms and initiatives rather than hardware and existing programmes. EAEA therefore calls on the member states to include ALE in their plans and the European Commission to insist on its proper inclusion.

Over the last year, we have seen the severe effects the COVID-19 pandemic had on all aspects of society. The life of millions of people has changed drastically. Adult education in Europe experienced an especially hard cut-back with providers being forced to either move their activities online or close them down. This resulted in a big loss of opportunities for people to exchange, learn and socialise. It is of utmost importance to counter the negative consequences adult learning experienced in 2020 and provide the political and financial support needed.

The EAEA Grundtvig Award 2021 aims to raise awareness on the digital transformation of our society and how it impacts adult education. In particular we want to highlight initiatives that promote democracy with the help of digital media and internet.

EAEA welcomes the Council’s conclusions on improving the well-being of older persons in the era of digitalisation during the covid-19 pandemic and highlighting the opportunities and potential risks for older persons in a digitalised world. EAEA believes that it is essential to support the elderly during these challenging times as well as moving forward in the aftermath of the pandemic. EAEA agrees that the aspect of ageing will need to be considered in all policy fields and older persons will need to be involved in decision-making processes in order to foster inclusion.

Five years after the adoption of the EU Council Recommendation on ‘upskilling pathways’, the European Commission started an evaluation process on progress made in its implementation in the EU Member States. The recently published UP-AEPRO toolkit will come in handy in preparing your response to the public consultation on the Recommendation.

EAEA had an active year in 2020. Find out more about our work in our infographic.

EARALL, EfVET and EAEA organised a workshop on the topic of green competences during the Lifelong Learning Week 2020. The discussion focused on how to provide an effective green competences framework that has an impact across education sectors and helps build more sustainable societies. This article is originally published by EARALL.

The European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) is convinced that the European Pillar of Social Rights is a fundamental social strategy for the European Union to move in the direction of raising a community of solidarity which ensures and promotes the social rights of all citizens. EAEA welcomes the fact that the European Pillar of Social Rights is now a cornerstone of the European Semester.

The experiences of EAEA members clearly demonstrate that outreach and access have only become more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-isolation and social distancing, digital exclusion, precarious employment situations and a general feeling of uncertainty have mounted new barriers that keep adults from learning. Once again, those who lose out are adults most in need of better (basic) skills.  Statement on improving outreach and access to adult learning in times of COVID-19 concludes EAEA’s thematic work in 2020.

In a statement published in November 2020, EAEA welcomed the Communication on the European Education Area, launched by the European Commission as a cornerstone of European education and lifelong learning policy for the period until 2025. However, EAEA notes that adult learning and non-formal education receive little coverage throughout the communication.