The world of work is changing and people of working age are facing challenges of adapting to new requirements. A GRUNDTVIG AWARD 2019 participant, collaborative project ICARO (Innovative Curriculum on Soft Skills for Adult Learners), set a goal to address the issue of long-term unemployment and developed a wide range of useful teaching and learning tools and supporting materials. The project demonstrates an example of successful cooperation that resulted in extensive work which made reaching out to various target groups possible.  In the following interview, Alicia Gaban from EfVET, one of the project partners, describes the ideas behind the project, its impact and best practices.

In June EAEA and its members celebrated the winners of GRUNDTVIG AWARD 2019 in Copenhagen. The winner of the European category, project OpenITup, addresses a very topical and hot issue of today’s’ job market: unemployment. The project promotes the idea of entrepreneurial thinking and self-employment as a solution to the high demand for jobs and low job market capacity. The project partners found a way to teach entrepreneurial skills through a humanistic approach, making learning comfortable, convenient and personally relevant to different categories of people, including both educators and adult learners. In this interview, the partners of the project give more insight into its agenda and what it has achieved so far.

In 2019 EAEA GRUNDVIG AWARD was celebrating the development of life skills in non-formal adult education. The applications we received demonstrate brilliant examples of how non-formal education can motivate adults to participate in learning, support their personal growth and well-being, and boost positive self-beliefs, changing lives of individuals and impacting society. Today we will talk about the winners of the national projects category, the project “Street University”, coordinated by Unieda, an association of popular universities in Italy, an innovative approach in breaking walls between adult learners and education.

EAEA’s has welcomed four new associate members who received their membership certificates at the General Assembly 26.6. in Copenhagen. The new members come from Austria, Germany, Lissabon and the Nordic countries.

The online course on policy and practices for Upskilling Pathways has reached about 100 people so far and engaged them in interesting discussions about the various aspects of the initiative in their countries. Two out of four modules were successfully completed before the summer, the others will be carried out in the autumn. Interested participants are still very on time to join as the content is all available online.

We need to be more flexible and creative in our learning provision, if we want to increase participation in adult education. Fun might be the key, as well as a holistic approach to learning, said our speakers at the Annual Conference in Copenhagen.

Dr. János Szigeti Tóth, president of the Hungarian Folk High School Society (HFHSS) and former president of the European Association for the Education of Adults, passed away on 25 June 2019.

MEDIA RELEASE. The 16th annual Grundtvig Awards were given to projects which successfully embrace the life skills approach in adult education.

“A safe environment with flexible learning pathways, with no curricula or exams, and an equal focus on individual needs of learners as well as the integrity of the group.” Jette Borgstrøm from Kursutrappen and Stine Hohwü-Christensen from the Danish Adult Education Association shared with us inspiring stories and reflections on the key concepts that underpin life skills.

European elections are just around the corner. EAEA is inviting MEP candidates, EAEA members, adult learners and educators to post their views on how to strengthen adult learning and education at the European level.