Weekly Roundup
A Europe of equals
The Commission presented an Action Plan to tackle the gender pay gap. A new Eurobarometer survey emphasises that gender equality is still not achieved in the EU Member States. Women in Europe are still paid on average 16.3% less than men.
To address this problem, the European Commission presented today an Action Plan to tackle the gender pay gap for 2018-2019. To get more information about this topic, please click here.
£76 million for new National Retraining Scheme
The UK Government HM Treasury is set to announce a new National Retraining Partnership as part of the autumn budget. The aim is to help adult’s access lifelong learning and gain skills for future careers.
The National Retraining Partnership is expected to be announced by chancellor Philip Hammond on Wednesday (22 November) during his Autumn Budget speech. The partnership between the Government, Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC), would see £76 million invested in digital skills courses and construction training programmes. For more information, please click here.
Festival of Learning 2018: Nominations now open
Festival of Learning is the biggest celebration of lifelong learning in England. The annual festival highlights the benefits learning can have for everyone, recognising the achievements of adults who have used learning to transform their lives.
Co-ordinated by the Learning and Work Institute and supported by the Department for Education and Hotcourses group, there are a number of nomination categories for individual learners, employers, tutors, and projects.
All nominations must be submitted by midday on Friday 5 January 2018.
Find more information here.
Defining, writing and applying learning outcomes
This Cedefop handbook is addressed to individuals and institutions actively involved in defining and writing learning outcomes in education and training. Its ambition is to act as a reference point for cooperation in this area.
It offers concrete examples of the use of learning outcomes and provides an overview of existing guidance and research material supporting the definition and writing of learning outcomes. The handbook also aims to promote dialogue between education and training and labour market stakeholders by building on material from different parts of the education and training system and bridging the gap between institutions and sectors.
Find out more here.
Join Erasmus Student Network on Facebook LIVE chat
Ever had difficulties during your Erasmus? Are you happy with your EVS experience? Why is it important for you to have an experience in another EU country and how could the EU improve it?What are the challenges YOU face when traveling in Europe?
Now you have the chance to ask an Officer of the European Commission’s Erasmus+ Unit what is being done on these issues!
As part of the DEEP-Linking Youth project, ECAS and the Erasmus Student Network invite you to submit your questions to the European Commission’s Lloyd Huitson on the subject of youth mobility in Europe and the future challenges to the Erasmus+ programme.
Just post your questions (in English) on the discussion board and Lloyd Huitson will reply on November 27!
Find out more about the project here.
Celebrating Success in Lifelong Learning
The 3rd of November marked the awards ceremony for the National Diploma in Teaching Adults – an event that was held at Xara Lodge that celebrated adult education. The diploma itself was launched in 2014 by the Directorate for Research, Lifelong Learning and Employability, with the specific remit of improving the quality of adult education in Malta.
If you are interested in the National Diploma in Teaching Adults, visit the website here.
Vocational education and training for adults
People, organisations and governments invest in VET because of its positive outcomes, such as higher wages, improved productivity and economic growth. In 2010, an estimated two thirds (66%) of enterprises in the EU provided continuing vocational training to their employees, however, this share varied widely between the Member States – from 22 % in Poland to 91 % in Denmark.
Check out EPALE’s thematic page Entrepreneurship and employability where the community and the national teams have gathered interesting articles, useful resources and case studies on the topic.
The importance of transition qualifications for adults
On 9-10 November 2017 the first CHAIN 5 seminar was held in Luton (UK). CHAIN 5 is an international community of practice that shares knowledge and experience concerning qualifications at EQF level 5.
For adults, EQF level 5 qualifications play a particularly important role. These qualifications provide transition pathways from school to work, from vocational education and training (VET) to higher education (HE), from work back to school. In addition, in Europe, there are a variety of different types of qualifications with different orientations (e.g., labour market access, further learning).
If you are interested in the seminar visit the website here.
Prepared by Magda Seidelmannová
