EU launches Lifelong Learning Programme

The European Union has allocated seven billion euros to a new Lifelong Learning Programme that will commence next year and will run for a period of seven years. The decision came into force yesterday after it was signed last month.

The Lifelong Learning Programme is the successor to the current Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and eLearning programmes, Odile Quitin, director general for Education and Culture of the European Commission, said last week on the occasion of the launch of the 20th anniversary celebrations of Erasmus.

Mme Quintin explained that the programme is built on four pillars. The first is the Comenius programme, well-known among local schools and teachers. A total of €1,047 have been allocated to this programme which addresses the teaching and learning needs of all those in pre-school and school education up to the level of the end of upper secondary education. The European Commission hopes to involve at least three million pupils by the end of the programme.

The second pillar is the Erasmus programme, which will receive €3,114 million for the teaching and learning needs of all those in formal higher education. It is hoped that at least three million students will have participated in Erasmus by 2012. The third is the Leonardo da Vinci programme which addresses the teaching and learning needs of all those in vocational education and training. The Commission hopes to increase placements in enterprises to 80,000 per year by the end of the programme, for which a total of €1,725 million have been allocated.

The fourth pillar, which will receive €358 million is the Grundtvig programme which addresses the teaching and learning needs of those in all forms of adult education. The target is to support the mobility of 7,000 individuals involved in adult education per year by 2013.

The Lifelong Learning programme, which has been described a single programme that will cover learning opportunities from childhood to old age, will also include a "transversal programme" (€369 million allocated), which will seek policy co-operation and innovation in lifelong learning, the promotion of language learning, the development of innovative ICT-based content, services, pedagogies and practice for lifelong learning, and the dissemination and exploitation of results of actions supported under the Lifelong Learning Programme and previous related programmes, and exchange of good practice.

Mme Quintin explained that all the pillars will then be complemented by the new Jean Monnet programme (€170 million allocated), which supports institutions and activities in the field of European integration.

The Commission will shortly publish a Call for Proposals 2007 for applications for grants under the programme.

In a separate communication last month, the Commission urged member states to promote adult education, and said it will be working closely with the member states next year to publish an Action Plan on Adult Learning.

"Adult learning is vital for guaranteeing Europeans' continued employability and mobility in the modern labour market. Apart from the personal benefits of development and fulfilment which it brings, adult learning also helps avoid the problems of persistent social exclusion that are often the consequence of people having only basic skills," said Commissioner for Education and Culture Ján Figel'.

The Commission said that pressures of demographic change, globalisation and the emergence of newly industrialised and highly competitive countries meant that adult learning must be placed firmly on the political agenda.

Furthermore, it expressed its concern that the participation of adults in lifelong learning activities is still unsatisfactory in many member states.

"In addition in most countries, education and training systems are still largely focused on the education and training of young people. Adult learning has not yet gained the recognition it deserves in terms of visibility, policy prioritisation and resources."

The aim of the Action Plan on Adult Learning is that of supporting European adult education with high quality information, guidance and assessment systems, excellent learning content and delivery mechanisms.