Lifelong Learning in Europe: Policy

1
Lifelong Learning in Europe Policy Social
Cohesion

• John Holford, Laura C Engel Helena L Wilson
• School of Education Staff Conference 2008

2
Includ-ED

• Strategies for inclusion and social cohesion in
  Europe from education
• FP6 project 2006-11
• Spain (Co-ordinator), Austria, Belgium, Cyprus,
  Finland, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Lithuania,
  Malta, Latvia, Romania, Slovenia, United Kingdom
• Six projects
• Nottingham involved in Projects 1, 2, 5, 6

3
Includ-ED Aims

• What characteristics of school systems and
  educational reforms generate low (or high) rates
  of educational and social exclusion?
• What components of educational practices decrease
  (or increase) rates of school failure?
• How does educational exclusion affect areas of
  society such as employment, housing, health,
  political participation, and what can be done
  about this?
• How does educational exclusion affect vulnerable
  groups in society (women, youth, migrants,
  cultural groups, people with disabilities), and
  what kinds of provision can help overcome this?
• Which mixed interventions (educational/social)
  help overcome social exclusion and build social
  cohesion?
• In what ways are community approaches helping
  reduce inequalities and marginalisation, and
  foster social inclusion and empowerment?
• To improve educational policies - for policy
  makers, managers, teachers, students, families,
  and Lisbon process

4
Includ-ED Projects

• European educational systems connecting
  theories, reforms, and outcomes
• Effective European educational practices How is
  education contributing to overcoming or
  reproducing social exclusion? (Commences July
  2008)
• Social and educational exclusion and inclusion
  Social structure in a European knowledge based
  society
• How social and educational exclusion intersects
  in vulnerable groups experiences the role of
  education
• Connecting educational policies to other areas of
  social policy
• Nottingham lead (commences 2010)
• Local projects for social cohesion (1 case/year)

5
Includ-ED Reports

• Nottingham team reports
• P2 Effective European Education Policy 3 case
  study reports (Secondary school, Vocational
  Training programme, Special Education programme)
• P6 Local Projects for Social Cohesion 2 case
  study reports (Primary school)
• All reports included_at_nottingham.ac.uk
• Includ-ED project team reports
• All country and comparative reports
  http//www.ub.es/includ-ed/

6
LLL2010

• Towards a Lifelong Learning Society in Europe
  The Contribution of the Education System
• FP6 project 2005-2010
• Estonia (Co-ordinator), Austria, Bulgaria, Czech
  Republic, England, Flanders, Hungary, Ireland,
  Lithuania, Norway, Russia, Scotland, Slovenia
• Five sub-projects
• Nottingham involved in all of these

7
LLL2010 Aims

• Achieving a better understanding of the tensions
  between a knowledge-based society, lifelong
  learning and social inclusion in the context of
  EU enlargement and globalisation
• Analysing the role education systems play in the
  enhancement of lifelong learning and in
  particular, the role institutions play in this at
  micro, meso and macro levels
• Providing an analysis, based on evidence, of the
  adequacy of lifelong learning policies for
  different social groups (especially the socially
  excluded)
• Developing policy proposals, relevant both to the
  EU and to national governments, as to how
  lifelong learning strategies can play a role in
  decreasing social exclusion and what
  implications this has for other areas of social
  and economic policy
• Strengthening the international and
  multi-disciplinary research infrastructure in
  relation to lifelong learning and
• Developing transnational data sources.

8
LLL2010 Sub-projects

• Review of literature and policy documents
• Co-ordinated by JH
• Participation non-participation of adults in
  formal learning (basic, secondary, vocational,
  universities)
• based on Eurostat Adult Education Survey
  (2006-2007) (or EU-LFS ad hoc module on lifelong
  learning)
• Survey of adults studying in formal education
  system (basic, secondary, tertiary)
• Nottinghams work subcontracted to NIACE
• SMEs participation of workers in formal
  learning
• interviews (Commences July 2008)
• Vocational, secondary, university management,
  officials other stakeholders in adult education
• interviews

9
LLL2010 Reports Outputs

• SP1 Review of literature and policy documents
• All country and project team reports
  http//lll2010.tlu.ee/
• Patterns of Lifelong Learning Policy Practice
  in an Expanding Europe by J. Holford, S. Riddell,
  E. Weedon, J. Litjens, G. Hannan (Vienna Lit
  Verlag, in press)
• SP4 SMEs participation of workers in formal
  learning (commences July 2008)

10
Now for a taste of the product ...

• Arising from LLL2010, Sub-project 1
• Work and Citizenship in EU Lifelong Learning
  Policy Globalisation or Path Dependency
• Or some such title ...

11
EU lifelong learning policy

• Lifelong learning re-emerged in 1990s
• strongly economistic (HRD in drag - Boshier)
• EU now a major international policy-maker
• shares economistic approach
• Dominant explanation
• globalisation, neo-liberalism
• e.g., Growth, Competitiveness, Employment seen as
  key not Teaching and Learning Towards a
  Learning Society (Brine, Field)

12
The Argument

• This oversimplifies complexity of EU position
• EUs economism originates in 1950s
• European Common Market
• driven by founding treaties, core institutions
• path dependency, rather than globalisation
• Provides space for pursuit of wider goals
• equity, citizenship, European identity
• subsidiary, but important
• cf. European educational space new cultural
  space new European meanings in education are
  constructed (Lawn)

13
Rome to Maastricht

• education taboo in EU until early 1970s
• 70s, 80s creative conflation of educn as
  universal value with econ. needs of market
• e.g., 1974 education ministers declaration
  co-operation in key sectors, but preserve
  originality of educational traditions and
  policies in each country
• 1980s incremental expansion
• ECJ decisions bureaucratic growth (DG)
• Focus on better school curricula, European
  content
• Little on lifelong ed. (only school-to-work
  transitions, adult literacy)

14
Maastricht New Competence

• Maastricht Treaty (1992 ) gave EU competence
  to
• contribute to education and training of quality
  and to the flowering of the cultures of the
  Member States
• subsidiarity remained, but specific activities
  European dimension defined, esp.
• language teaching student and teacher mobility
  recognition of qualifications exchanges of youth
  and socio- educational instructors distance
  education
• lifelong learning still limited, and economic
  vocational training and retraining better
  access, better integration with labour market,
  firms, etc.

15
Importance of Lifelong Learning

• 1990s LLL strongly economistic
• but this provided space in EU for non-economic
  LLL
• closer to EU mainstream concerns (common
  market)
• intervention in member states had to be justified
  in terms of founding treaties
• Growth, Competitiveness, Employment
• globalisation ICT Asian, US competition
• saw LLL, continuing training, essential
• Teaching Learning Towards a Learning Society
• rationale for LLL within this framework
• programmes with trans-EU dimensions
• LLL as organising policy theme

16
Lisbon Strategy - from 2000

• Aim most competitive and dynamic
  knowledge-based economy in the world ... with
  more and better jobs and greater social cohesion
  by 2010
• education and training systems to adapt to the
  demands of the knowledge society and to the need
  for an improved level and quality of employment
• Open Method of Co-ordination
• timetables, goals, indicators, benchmarks
• monitoring, evaluation and peer review
• Increase in volume, detail, specificity of
  policy-formulation in LLL

17
The argument restated

• Central features of EU LLL policy in step with
  international trends since early 1990s
• For EU, this can be traced back to founding
  market orientation
• path dependency rather than globalisation
• EU LLL had maintained concern with social
  inclusion, citizenship, social cohesion
• given limited legal competence in Education,
  often framed in language compatible with market
• Related to bureaucratic development role of DG

18
A Crisis of Lisbon?

• By 2005, progress lagging on Lisbon goals
• Robertson Kok report, etc., represents new
  crisis discourse and led to shift towards
  globally-oriented education policies
• A shift from citizenship/inclusion to
  globalisation/ markets?
• Efficiency and Equity (2006) Courses for
  unemployed and those who have not succeeded in
  compulsory education important in equity
  terms.
• Adult Learning It is never too late to learn
  (2006) Adult learning relevant to
  competitiveness, demographic change, and social
  inclusion.
• Key Competences for Lifelong Learning European
  Reference Framework (2007) - reference tool for
  policy-makers
• specifies knowledge, skills, attitudes across
  eight areas, including social and civic
  competences and cultural awareness and expression
• References to knowledge economy knowledge
  society
• Efficiency and Equity KS 2 knowledge based
  economy society 1.
• Adult Learning 0.
• Key Competences KS 2 KE 0 knowledge-based
  society 1.

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Conclusion Efficiency or Equity?

• EU education policy mainly vocational,
  market-oriented
• reflects founding treaties path dependency not
  globalisation
• Social inclusion, citizenship, social cohesion
  have become important (if subsidiary) themes
• Since early 1990s, EU LLL policy has parallelled
  concern to build European identity
• Economic competitiveness orientation of
  international LLL provided space for EU LLL
  policies/programmes emphasising citizenship and
  social cohesion
• Recognise EUs maintenance of space for wider
  social concerns