The eucen conference addressed methods of supporting lifelong learners to upskill and fill gaps in the labour market
Staff from the School of Education and Lifelong Learning at South East Technological University (SETU) Waterford recently took part in the European University Continuing Education Network (eucen) autumn conference in Barcelona.
eucen aims to contribute to the social, economic and cultural life of Europe through the promotion and advancement of lifelong learning within higher education institutions, and to foster universities' influence in the development of lifelong learning knowledge and policies.
Re-skilling and up-skilling to meet new demands
The theme of this year’s conference was ‘University Lifelong Learning (ULLL) as enabler of talent enhancement. Re-skilling and up-skilling to meet new demands’.
According to eucen, there is growing recognition that education is a lifelong process, and that it plays a crucial role in addressing Europe’s most significant challenges. While technology has been indispensable in tackling societal challenges, including the pandemic, the digitalisation process must also ensure citizens’ active participation in democratic decision-making, help create positive work environments, and support sustainable development. Micro-credentials could help certify small, tailored learning experiences to support lifelong learners in rapidly upskilling to fill gaps in the labour market.
European Basic Skills Network Professional Development Series
The School of Education & Lifelong Learning is involved in several initiatives and projects on the theme of micro-credentials including the European Basic Skills Network (EBSN) Professional Development Series, which Neill Wylie presented to attendees at the event.
The aim of this Erasmus+ project is to support policymakers and stakeholders involved in implementing the European Commission’s Upskilling Pathways recommendations by collaboratively developing a professional development series for basic skills teachers. The professional development series will consist of six online micro-credentials and a collection of Open Education Resources (OERs) that can be used to upskill basic skills teachers.
Developing basic skills teachers’ training will help adults with basic skills needs to acquire minimum levels of literacy, numeracy, digital and other relevant skills. "The micro-credentials and OERs developed as part of this project will contribute to the experiences and knowledge in basic skills teachers’ training and construct a training pattern for supporting teachers to work with adults with basic skills needs," said Dr Helen Murphy, Head of School of Education and Lifelong Learning at SETU Waterford.
Recognition of Prior Learning
Laura Widger and Dr Valerie Brett also presented another School of Education and Lifelong Learning project at the conference: ‘Scaling the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for greater access and inclusion for lifelong learners’.
National and European education policies underpin the concept of RPL, but the application of RPL to lifelong learning has been slow. It is believed increased awareness of RPL within Higher Education will embed RPL practices and participation. RPL requires significant resources and investment, and risks being a peripheral activity supported by goodwill, and not embedded by institutional frameworks and processes. As such, RPL needs to be practitioner oriented in order to succeed.
This project aims to enhance the measures that support RPL in the Irish Higher Education system, including the development of an RPL portal in partnership with Walton Institute. Through the portal applicants can gain recognition for learning which is equivalent to the minimum entry requirements, or the learning of some modules, for six different SETU awards.
The micro-credentials in the EBSN project are openly licensed and will be widely available for use in spring 2023. The RPL portal is also available to view here.
If you wish to learn more about either initiative please contact Neill Wylie, Laura Widger or Valerie Brett for more information.