‘A galaxy of different solar systems’

Do adult learning initiatives reach the adults who need training or retraining most? A recent peer learning event  in Torino suggests that this may not be the case. In fact, many of the people we reach might not be the people we need to reach most.

The event, jointly organised by the ETF and the European VET associations EVBB, EfVET and EVTA , also concluded that countries are not good enough at learning from one another.  Many tackle similar problems differently, even within their own borders, and there is very little international cooperation.

According to the ETF’s latest key indicators on education, skills and employment, participation of adults in education and training in the EU neighbourhood is still very low , especially among people with low skills and in vulnerable situations . To draw a frame of reference for the event, the organisers therefore consulted  the participants beforehand on the challenges they face trying to provide education for adult learners in their countries.
The resulting list of challenges featured many of the persistent headaches of pre-service vocational education everywhere: the lack of popularity of vocational tracks, the lack of funding, cumbersome accreditation processes, the gap between what is taught in the classroom and what is needed by modern companies. Some points, however, uniquely referred to problems in adult education, and these were obviously the ones that this group of experts and practitioners from the EU and its partner countries would dig into.

Outreach and awareness

Florian Kadletz, Human Capital Development Expert at the Knowledge Hub Department of the European Training Foundation, was one of the meeting moderators. He was struck by the different ways in which all countries reach out to adults for training.

‘There is a misplaced understanding that people who need training will come on their own steam once you have raised some awareness,’ he said, ‘but it requires active empowerment of individuals and helping them to develop agency in order to be ready to take self-directed decisions about learning and work.’

Outreach is critical, but there is no gold standar  d for how to go about it. While the specific situation in each country may to some extent require bespoke solutions, putting representatives of centres of vocational excellence around the table with experts to find new solutions together at peer learning events such as these can accelerate progress.

One inspiring example of outreach comes from Slovenia, which will celebrate its 30th Lifelong Learning Week next year.

Nataša Potočnik is the director of the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education, which is the driving force behind the Lifelong Learning Weeks.

‘Our Lifelong Learning Week originally grew out of an initiative of UNESCO in the 1990s,’ she says.

‘The week has now become a five-week campaign in May and June, with a lot of activities in 14 or 15 towns, prizes for the best adult learners and videos of specific cases that are broadcast widely. We want to make it relatable. There are fairs and an andragogical colloquium whose theme will be peace education next year. The five weeks end in a big learning parade.’
One particularly interesting aspect of this national celebration of learning is that it is not limited to adults.

‘We strongly believe that adults must be prepared for a life of learning while they are young,’ says Nataša Potočnik. ‘So we target everyone in our work, including children all the way down to nursery schools.’

Diversity of learners and learning matter

Adult education must cater to diverse and specific needs. While general skills like basic digital literacy can be more universally relevant, retraining needs are usually unique to regions, trades, or even individuals.

Adults frequently require small and precise skill updates rather than comprehensive learning programmes. This presents challenges for systems accustomed to standardised curricula. Many of these challenges kept cropping up during the event in Turin. How can we develop and approve very small courses with constantly evolving content for fast-changing environments? How can we support and accredit those who teach them? How can we give people proof that they possess the required competences ?  How can we move away from traditional modes of teaching and towards methods that do not impede productivity?

Micro-credentials emerged as a potential solution, but they remain poorly understood. 

The expression micro-credentials is a family name for many different types of smaller credentials issued by a variety of providers, obtained either through a short specific course or through part of an education programme, or even on the basis of assessment of the results of non-formal and informal learning. 

The European approach to micro-credentials defines and guides the design and delivery of micro-credentials to improve their quality and recognition.

The ETF emergency support programme for reskilling and upskilling of internally displaced adults in the Dnipro area of Ukraine demonstrated on a small scale how building trust among local employers and training providers could pave the way for both applying micro-credentials at a national level and developing synergy with European policies.

Lack of experience of teachers in dealing with adults

Adults also have different teaching and learning requirements than children. Andragogy – pedagogy for grown-ups –  is the keyword here. Teachers who are good at teaching young students are far from automatically qualified to teach adults, who have specific needs in both learning content and teaching methodologies. The need to attract teachers from industry is even bigger in adult training than in pre-service education and these teachers need to be prepared, which requires their motivation and the understanding of their bosses.

Besim Xhaja, who is both the manager of a boutique hotel in Tirana and the business coordinator at Albania’s Hospitality and Tourism School, highlighted this challenge.

‘The biggest challenge for our school is to satisfy all the requests of the businesses. They are screaming for people who can clean rooms, but this is not something we have in our curriculum because few parents will want to send their kids to an education that trains them for a life of cleaning rooms.’

‘Another big issue in Albania is brain drain. Employers ask me why they should upgrade staff who will only move to Germany afterwards. But then I ask them if that is worse than being stuck with untrained staff for the rest of their lives.’

Ecosystems

Siria Taurelli of the ETF introduced the participants to the concept of learning ecosystems. The difference between vocational training networks and ecosystems was not obvious to everyone immediately. Networks describe a cooperation of partners, but ecosystems describe the interdependence of stakeholders. Inherent in the expression ecosystems is a suggestion of natural, ingrained and undisputed interaction. Countries that can achieve this clearly have an edge, if only because it makes the supply of education and training less chaotic for its beneficiaries.

Kutahya in Türkiye illustrates this approach. A ceramics-producing region, it integrates education, employment and industry stakeholders within a government-designated Industrial Zone. 

Yeliz Yurter is the R&D Department Project Coordinator of the Kutahya Provincial Directorate of the Turkish Ministry of National Education.

‘The ministry can open a vocational school in an Industrial Zone and İŞKUR, the Turkish employment agency, will be responsible for adult education. The latter is part-financed by factories and the authorities who also cooperate on the development of courses. İŞKUR teachers also work in industry but are trained and qualified as adult teachers. İŞKUR is responsible both for pre-service and in-service training of adults.’

The upshot of this thorough integration is that, according to Yeliz Yurter, ‘everyone in Türkiye knows where to go for training.’

A galaxy

Participants found the diversity of approaches at the event enlightening, if occasionally overwhelming. Paolo Nardi, Executive Director of the European Forum of Technical and Vocational Training, concluded: 

‘I learnt a lot. Adult education is a galaxy of different solar systems, both in terms of topics, levels, approaches and aspects. We must help each other to find approaches that work.’  

This event was a step towards that goal. The ETF will continue to provide a platform for sharing ideas and good practice, for example through its CNL New Learning Club on engaging and inclusive teaching methods for upskilling and reskilling of adults.