Council conclusions of 22 May 2008 on adult learning
Date: 2008-06-06
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: action programme, adult education, continuing education, continuing vocational training, economic and social cohesion

C 140/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

6.6.2008

Council conclusions of 22 May 2008 on adult learning

(2008/C 140/09)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

The Spring 2000 Lisbon European Council conclu-
sions (1) called for Europe's education and training
systems to be modernised in response to the demands
of a knowledge-based economy and the increasing socio-
economic and demographic challenges confronting the
Union in a globalised world.

The Spring 2002 Barcelona European Council conclu-
sions (2) urged Member States to ensure that all citizens
are equipped with basic qualifications, as well as to
increase opportunities for older workers to remain in the
labour market, in particular by guaranteeing real access
to lifelong learning.

The Council Resolution of 27 June 2002 on lifelong
learning (3) stressed that
lifelong learning must cover
learning from the pre-school age to that of post-retire-
ment,
formal,
entire
non-formal and informal learning.

spectrum of

including

the

The Council Resolution of 19 December 2002 on
enhanced cooperation in vocational
education and
training (4) noted that the adaptability and employability
including older workers, depend strongly on
of adults,
opportunities
new skills
throughout working life.

acquire

update

and

to

The Council Resolution of 28 May 2004 on strength-
ening policies, systems and practices in the field of
guidance (5) stressed that all European citizens should
have access to guidance services at all life stages, paying
particular attention to individuals and groups at risk.

The Council conclusions of 28 May 2004 on common
European principles for the identification and validation
of non-formal and informal learning (6), as established in
response to the November 2002 Copenhagen Declara-
tion, called for the development and dissemination of
to recognise non-formal and
European instruments
informal learning.

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

The Recommendation of the European Parliament and of
the Council of 18 December 2006 on key competences
for lifelong learning (7) is aimed inter alia at ensuring that
adults are able to develop and update their
skills
throughout their lives and that appropriate infrastructure
is in place for the continuing education and training of
adults.

The Council conclusions of 25 May 2007 on a coherent
framework of indicators and benchmarks in education
and training (8) called for the development of indicators
on adult skills to be pursued.

The Recommendation of the European Parliament and of
the Council of 23 April 2008 on the establishment of a
European Qualifications
an
approach to the description of qualifications based on
learning outcomes, regardless of how or where these are
achieved.

Framework (9) promotes

The 2008 joint progress report of the Council and the
Commission on the implementation of the ‘Education
and Training 2010’ work programme stresses that the
low level of participation in adult
learning of older
workers and the low-skilled remains a major problem.

The European Parliament Resolution of 16 January 2008
on adult learning: It is never too late to learn (10) urges
Member States to promote the acquisition of knowledge
and to develop a culture of lifelong learning, notably by
implementing gender equal policies designed to make
adult education more attractive, more accessible and
more effective,

WELCOMES the October 2006 Commission communication: It is
never too late to learn (11) and the September 2007 Commission
Action Plan — It is always a good time to learn (12), both of which
highlight the importance of adult learning as a key component
of
lifelong learning and call on Member States to remove
barriers to participation, to increase overall quality and effi-
ciency in adult learning, to speed up the process of validation
in and
and recognition and to ensure sufficient
monitoring of the field.

investment

(1) Doc. SN 100/00 REV 1.
(2) Doc. SN 100/02 REV 1, paragraphs 32 and 33.
(3) OJ C 163, 9.7.2002, p. 2.
(4) OJ C 13, 18.1.2003, p. 2.
(5) Doc. 9286/04.
(6) Doc. 9600/04.

(7) OJ L 394, 30.12.2006, p. 10.
(8) OJ C 311, 21.12.2007, p. 13.
(9) OJ reference to be supplied.
(10) (2007/2114 (INI)) — P6_TA-PROV(2008)0013.
(11) Doc. 14600/06 — COM(2006) 614 final.
(12) Doc. 13426/07 — COM(2007) 558 final.

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RECOGNISES the key role which adult
learning can play in
meeting the goals of the Lisbon Strategy, by fostering social
cohesion, providing citizens with the skills required to find new
jobs and helping Europe to better respond to the challenges of
globalisation. In particular, there is a need to:

1. raise the skills

levels of a still

significant number of
low-skilled workers, with a view to enabling all citizens to
adapt to technological change and future skills needs and
thereby contributing to improving overall economic perfor-
mance;

2. address the problem of the persistently high number of early
leavers by offering a second chance to those who
school
enter adult age without a qualification, focusing on areas of
particular concern, such as basic literacy and numeracy, IT
skills and language learning;

3. combat social exclusion due to circumstances such as low
levels of initial education, unemployment and rural isolation,
whilst paying more attention — in the face of current demo-
graphic and migration trends — to the lifelong learning and
training requirements of older workers and migrants;

4. ensure the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of adult
learning, with the aim of increasing active participation in
such learning, especially among disadvantaged groups, of
attracting sufficient public and private investment to this
area, and of encouraging the private sector to consider such
learning as a key component of workplace and business
development.

CONSIDERS that adult learning can make an important contribu-
tion to meeting such needs by providing not only economic
and social benefits, such as greater employability, access to
better-quality jobs, more responsible citizenship and increased
civic participation, but also individual benefits such as greater
self-fulfilment,
improved health and well-being and enhanced
self-esteem, and accordingly that:

1. adult learning should be given stronger emphasis and more
effective support at national level, as part of overall efforts to
develop a culture of lifelong learning;

2. the specific measures detailed in the Annex to these conclu-
sions could form a coherent framework for future action in

this field within the ‘Education and Training 2010’ work
programme;

3. further development and implementation of such measures
should fully respect the responsibility of Member States for
the content of teaching and the organisation of education
and training systems, and should use the open method of
coordination;

4. progress and monitoring of adult learning should be consis-
tent with the coherent framework of indicators and bench-
marks adopted by the Council in May 2007 and be included
in future joint progress reports on the ‘Education and
Training’ work programme;

5. the cross-sectoral nature, diversity, complexity and richness
of adult learning impose the need for an integrated approach
involving all
local and
stakeholders,
regional level, the social partners and NGOs.

including those at

Accordingly INVITES THE MEMBERS STATES to address the issues
relating to adult learning identified in these conclusions, in par-
ticular by implementing the measures outlined in the Annex
hereto in accordance with the specific context and priorities of
the Member States,

and INVITES THE COMMISSION to:

— support Member States in further developing and improving
adult learning in terms not only of increased opportunities,
broader access and greater participation, but also of more
relevant, results-oriented learning outcomes, using measures
such as those outlined in the Annex to these conclusions,

— ensure

complementarity

coherence between the
and
follow-up given to any such measures and implementation
of the Bologna and Copenhagen processes, insofar as these
relate to adult learners,

— strengthen and use existing research structures for the needs

of adult education,

and

— pursue and intensify cooperation with the international
organisations
bodies
working in this field, as well as establish links with regional
initiatives such as Europe-Asia cooperation and worldwide
initiatives such as ‘Education for All’ and the Millennium
Development Goals.

non-governmental

relevant

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Official Journal of the European Union

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ANNEX

SPECIFIC MEASURES FOR THE PERIOD 2008-2010

A. BY THE COMMISSION, WITH THE COOPERATION OF THE MEMBER STATES

1. Analyse reforms in education and training at national level, especially the development of national qualifications
systems in relation to the European Qualifications Framework and credit transfer systems relating to both formal,
non-formal and informal learning, with a view to improving adult access to qualifications systems.

2. Analyse the impact of national education and training reforms in terms of the distribution of funding resources

across the various age groups, in line with a lifelong learning approach.

3. Support the development of career opportunities, conditions and resources — based on existing good practice in
the Member States — for those working in the field of adult learning, in order to enhance the visibility and status
of the profession.

4. Carry out further research on the development of quality criteria for adult learning providers.

5. Draw up a common inventory of good practice and projects aimed at motivating those groups which are particu-
larly hard to reach, identifying key factors for their reintegration into the labour market and society, and enhancing
their self-esteem.

6. Identify good practice in the assessment of learning outcomes, particularly those of low-skilled and older workers

and of migrants acquired mainly outside the formal learning system.

7. Produce a glossary of agreed definitions used in adult learning and, drawing on existing data collections, including
those of the OECD, and remaining consistent with the 2008 Regulation on statistics on education and lifelong
learning (1), establish a set of European level comparable core data required to facilitate monitoring (The right of
participation of all Member States in this work should be ensured).

8. Support measures to strengthen the place of adult learning within the context of national lifelong learning strate-

gies.

9. Support campaigns aimed at raising awareness and motivation among potential learners and thereby increasing

overall participation in adult learning.

B. BY THE MEMBER STATES, WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE COMMISSION

1. Promote and support the exchange of good practice, mutual learning and the development of joint projects in the

adult education field between stakeholders in the Member States.

2. As part of the drive towards developing a culture of

lifelong learning, closely cooperate in identifying and
removing barriers to adult learning, and in establishing demand-driven, high quality provision and facilities for
the adult learning field, including e-Learning and distance learning opportunities.

3. Encourage both higher education and vocational education institutions to reach out more to adult learners, as
well as develop partnerships with the business community in order to motivate employers to organise, and
employees to engage in, adult learning in the workplace.

4. Work towards the objective of facilitating access to and increasing participation in adult learning by all citizens, in
particular those who leave initial education and training early and would like a ‘second chance’, those with special
needs and those with insufficient basic skills or low educational achievements, with the aim of encouraging them
to upgrade their qualifications.

5. Ensure effective and efficient use of the Lifelong Learning Programme, the European Structural Funds and other

similar sources of funding, in order to improve the delivery of learning opportunities for adults.

(1) Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008 concerning the production and development of statistics on

education and lifelong learning — Doc. PE-CONS 3659/3/07 REV 3. OJ reference to be supplied.

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6. Promote the development and use of lifelong guidance systems which can provide adults with independent infor-

mation and advice, individual skills analysis and personalised careers guidance.

7. Consider — from a cost/benefit point of view — the contribution of adult learning to social cohesion and

economic development.

8. Facilitate the development of methodologies and tools needed to assess key skills and competencies — including
those acquired mainly outside the formal learning system — and have them validated and defined in terms of
learning outcomes, whilst investing in the promotion of validation and recognition procedures.

9. Endeavour to ensure an adequate share for adult learning when allocating financial resources across the various

educational sectors, in line with a lifelong learning approach.

10. Promote the active involvement of the social partners and other stakeholders, including NGOs, in securing high
quality learning provision tailored to the needs of the various categories of learners. Special emphasis should be
placed on ICT learning approaches and the development of ICT skills.

11. Reinforce cooperation with Cedefop and the Unesco Institute for Lifelong Learning, as well as make full use of the

research capacities of other international institutions, in the area of adult education and learning.

12. Based on the results obtained after implementation of these measures, consider further possible action beyond

2010 in accordance with the follow up to the ‘Education and Training 2010’ work programme.