Like no other educational sector, ALE employs thousands of freelance trainers who have to struggle with this situation. This particular employment model, which is precarious for many freelance trainers even without a crisis, is the result of insufficient structural and financial support for ALE providers over a long period of time, in almost all European countries.
Although courses and training programmes can still be continued online in some contexts, a large part of them had to be cancelled. Non-formal ALE not only provides knowledge, skills and competences but is also a key measure for the social inclusion of the most vulnerable groups in society. These groups suffer most from the crisis as they most likely do not have access to ICT equipment and strong internet connections. Moreover, in this difficult economic and social situation, people’s priorities are shifting towards satisfying their most urgent basic needs and those of their families.
EAEA, the voice of non-formal ALE in Europe, will closely monitor the situation and advocate for measures to mitigate the impact of the crisis. We expect national governments and European institutions to take effective measures to enable ALE providers and staff to cope with the consequences of this unpredictable crisis. Europe needs a strong ALE sector to meet the economic, social and environmental challenges of the coming years, now more than ever!
This is what EAEA members say about the coronavirus crisis:
- DVV International: Crisis response
- Swiss Federation for Adult Learning (SVEB): Effects of the Corona crisis on the continuing education sector and SVEB’s demands [German]
- Norwegian Association for Adult Learning (NAAL): Response on measures to deal with the corona situation [Norwegian]
This page will be updated regularly.