Dear UNICA Members,
Please note: Due to the air traffic problems related to the Icelandic ash cloud, the meeting is scheudled 7 June 2010. Please find hereby the programme of the meeting. (last update : 4 May, 12:00).
The European Commission wants to reach out for consultations and expertise in order to investigate the issue of adult education, especially regarding those adults who were affected by the outcomes of the economic crisis. This group needs to up-grade or acquire its qualifications to face the current requirements of the job market. To this end, specialisation courses, post-graduate studies, workshops and trainings organised by universities aiming at developing or strengthening entrepreneurial skills have emerged as an urgent need. Also recent graduates are especially vulnerable to unemployment due to insufficient professional experience or entrepreneurial skills. The statistics across Europe call for immediate actions to resolve the problem by providing diversified educational offer for adults.
The European Commission along with the Santander Group, the Compostela Group and UNICA Network would like to map out the present situation in the field of adult education by collecting information on the existing or expected forms of support for adult learners at different European universities. This tool will serve as a starting point for the policy makers to design special measures, to prevent unemployment and to foster the competitive position of the recent graduates and adult learners. Therefore, we would like to invite our members to send us CVs of specialists in adult education. In this way we will create a pool of experts which will be consulted by the Commission on different issues and will work jointly on the development of new policies and programmes to encourage adult education.
The specialists in adult education should have experience in university career services or in one of the following areas: recognition of prior education, recognition of studies, curricula development, entrepreneurship and professional skills development, student placement programmes, university-industry relations or academic entrepreneurship.
The first joint initiative which will gather policy-makers and university and industry representatives will be a workshop on the University – Enterprise Cooperation for Adult Education organised in Brussels on 27th April. The meeting will aim at answering the question of “How University – Enterprise cooperation instruments could benefit Adult Education?” and will take the form of an open forum to discuss current needs and reflect on future activities. Deadline for registration is 22 April!!!
For further information on the conference and registration, click
here or see below the programme of the workshop in attachment.
For a better understanding of the current developments in adult education at European universities, the Networks, with the support of the European Commission, have prepared a short survey to be circulated among the relevant faculties or divisions at your universities. The survey shouldn’t take longer than 5-10 minutes!!!! You will receive the survey from the UNICA Contact Person at your University.
This tool will enable to map out current trends and your answers will help the Commission design specific measures to support this target group. The voice of the Networks is very important and will be presented in the form of a special report at the meeting on 27th April. We would be grateful for sending us the CVs and filling in the surveys by 22nd April.
The CVs can be sent to the UNICA Secretariat: office@unica-network.eu
