Tuesday, 29th November 2022 | 10am – 12:30pm | Zoom webinar
Susana Galvan, Executive Director, Taith
Jenny Macaffer, Chief Executive Officer, Adult Learning Australia
Helen Prosser, Director of Teaching and Learning, National Centre for Learning Welsh –
Gwenllian Lansdown Davies, Chief Executive, Mudiad Meithrin
Andrea Bernert-Bürkle, Head of EU projects – Volkshochschulverband, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Willie McAuliffe, Co-chair of Cork Learning city and Chair of Cork Lifelong Learning Festival
Yvonne Jänchen, Programme Coordinator VET, Movetia, Switzerland
Noelia Cantero, Director, EARLAAL
Jaume Puigpinos, International Relations Officer, La Taula, Catalonia
The Volkshochschulverband Baden-Württemberg e.V. (vhs BW) is the regional association of the Volkshochschulen (public adult and further education centres) in the German Bundesland Baden-Württemberg (BW). The Volkshochschulen are the biggest non-profit providers of adult and further education in Germany. Educational offers range from vocational training to language classes including German as a foreign language, classes for adults to obtain school degrees, courses in visual arts and creativity, health education and sports, political education, etc. Among the participants, there are people at risk of social exclusion like migrants, refugees, jobless people, low-skilled adults and young people who have left general education. Volkshochschulen also offer training in cooperation with companies and public employers. In addition to training courses, Volkshochschulen increasingly provide individualised services such as educational and career guidance for adults. More than 2 million participants visit training courses of the Volkshochschulen in Baden-Württemberg every year. Andrea Bernert-Bürkle: Volkshochschulverband, Baden-Württemberg e.V.
Cork is a UNESCO Learning city. We hosted the 3rd International UNESCO conference on Learning cities in 2017 following Beijing and Mexico. We have a steering committee consisting of the Presidents of both universities in the city (University College Cork and Munster Technical University, Cork Education and Training Board, Cork City Council, Health Service Executive and the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals. The Lifelong Learning Festival was the beginning of our learning city in 2004 and has continued to grow and involve thousands of citizens in activities throughout a weeklong series of events every year, all free of charge. Our motto is, ‘Investigate, Participate and Celebrate’. Over the years, 5 areas in the city have developed Learning Neighbourhoods where each area explores what learning means for them and develop accordingly. Each one is quite unique to the area. We have also developed a link with local businesses and industries, Cork Access Network (CAN) where regular breakfast meetings have facilitated meetings between various businesses where a sharing of learning approaches is discussed, and networks formed. We have developed an all-Ireland network of Learning Cities with Limerick, Dublin, Belfast, and Derry/Strabane where regular meetings and visits to each other’s cities have built bonds and the sharing of good practices. More recently, we are involved in a government led Shared Island Project and are working on developing projects with communities in Derry and Belfast. Willie McAuliffe, Co-chair of Cork Learning city and Chair of Cork Lifelong Learning Festival
Movetia is the national agency for the promotion of exchanges and mobility in the education system within Switzerland. Movetia encourages and supports exchange, mobility and cooperation activities in the different sectors of education, as well as promoting extracurricular activities worldwide. Movetia supports mobility projects within the Adult Education sector, as well as Cooperation partnerships. Mobility projects allow teachers, as well as managers and counsellors to participate in structured training, job shadowing and teaching activities in all countries. Adult education staff from abroad can also be invited to take part in a learning mobility in Switzerland. Cooperation partnerships allow institutions to explore a relevant topic in depth over a longer period and through several meetings, and if applicable to develop joint solution approaches and tools. The aim is to promote quality and innovation in adult education in Europe. Yvonne Jänchen, Project Coordinator VET. Presentation
European Association of Regional & Local Authorities for lifelong learning (EARLALL) is a Brussels-based network of regions aiming to contribute to EU policy-making and cooperate in projects in the field of lifelong learning. Based on the unique strengths of every region and local authority, EARLALL facilitates regional collaborations and partnerships, as well as an open and rapid exchange of knowledge. The network was established in 2001 under the initiative of regional governments willing to build cooperation in the field of lifelong learning. Indeed, EARLALL believes that regions and local authorities have a privileged role in designing and implementing strategies related to it, since they are in direct contact with educational institutions, the business environment and citizens. Noelia Cantero, Director. Presentation