19th May 2015

On the 13^th of May 2015, 24 national experts participated in the Lifelong Learning Hub regional Forum in Spain for constructive discussions and providing concrete policy recommendations for further developments of Lifelong Learning in Spain.

After a general presentation, experts discussed four topics in separate sessions while devided into two groups:

Session 1: National Frameworks for lifelong learning: towards flexible pathways and comprehensive education and training systems;

Session 2: lifelong Learning actors: taking the jump towards learner-centered systems;

Session 3: lifelong Learning communities: partnerships and shared responsibility;

Session 4: policy recommendations to improve the implementation of Lifelong learning.

The groups recognised the need to find concrete proposals to create a space for lifelong learning and to make policy recommendations at local, national and European level. One of the groups also discussed the need for Lifelong Learning to go beyond school – family learning should be integrated in educational institutions’ strategies and the need to include transversal themes in educational programmes. That personal development also has to be made more attractive to teachers was also stressed during the discussions.

The groups also touched on a topic which had not been widely discussed at the other LLL-Forums: Migration. One of the experts highlighted that the integration of immigrants through LLL has to be facilitated and that there has to be an investment in resources for immigrants because of the current crisis.

In general it was said that in Spain an effort needs to be made to improve the participation, the quality, the financing and the development of the sector of Lifelong Learning and that the efficient use of available resources has to be guaranteed.

The main outcomes of the meeting were the following:

• There is a need to simplify administrative procedures for training systems and to create requalification programmes to facilitate professional integration;

• No resources are shared between educational centers, even at municipal (local) level. We need more communication between centers and share best practices;

• Nowadays: Decisions and recommendations are taken from the top (government) to the bottom (us, teachers, learners). We have to change this and go from the bottom to the top; (Hay una implementacion desde arriba hacia abajo, hay que ir desde abajo hacia arriba);

• There is no entrepreneurial mindset. We need to find concrete funding programmes and to train teachers (a platform will be launched at national level called “Aprende a financiarte[1]” to help people finding public support, private financing and other financing tools;

• New technologies are very important: we need to train teachers;

• The recognition and validation of NFIL is a key strategy for Lifelong Learning;

• There is a need to recognise teachers: research is recognised but teaching is not recognised enough. Moreover, we have to modernise the educational system because teaching has changed.

[1] http://www.aprendeafinanciarte.com/

Event Programme