The project



Summary

Our proposal stems from the fact that knowledge and expertise regarding the development and implementation of lifelong learning strategies is unevenly distributed at European level and is often fragmented, so that it cannot easily be used or transferred to other contexts. Communication between relevant stakeholders (both at national and at transnational level) is difficult, and information regarding recurring problems and challenges, as well as envisaged solutions, is not sufficiently disseminated.

The present project intends to identify critical factors for the successful implementation of national lifelong learning strategies. These factors can be specific to each national context or they can have trans-national relevance. In any case, their identification should be the result of a critical analysis by each partner at national level, of exchange of experience and collaboration in finding common ways of overcoming difficulties in the implementation of NLLS.

The project focuses on the identification of problems, difficulties, crises faced by the partner countries in the development and implementation of the strategy, and on solutions proposed. It relies on the assumption that, while there is great deal of difference between national contexts, many difficulties as well as solutions have a relevance that goes beyond a specific context. We believe that the identification of critical success factors is largely based on identifying recurring problems and ways of dealing with them.

While our project includes partners with extended experience in implementing NLLS and partners which are in the process of developing a strategic document for lifelong learning at national level, we believe that our proposal proves useful for each of them. It is useful for states which have already implemented a NLLS, since it will give a good opportunity to look critically at what has been done so far and to reconsider and maybe adjust the way to go ahead. It is also useful for states which are just beginning to develop a comprehensive NLLS, since it will “pave the way" for a smoother future implementation, by giving due consideration to critical factors of success and avoiding, as far as possible, already identified traps and difficulties.

The main results of our project are the booklet with success stories from partner countries, the guidelines for successful implementation of NLLS and the project website, which will function both as a communication tool within the partnership and as a forum for promotion and dissemination of project outcomes.

Project justification

Expertise regarding the development and implementation of a lifelong learning strategy is unevenly distributed among Member States: while some of them have already implemented such a strategy several years ago, others are just beginning to draft it. We believe that collaboration and transfer of expertise is essential in order not only to speed up the development process and take advantage of the knowledge, methodologies, tools, networks already developed, but also to avoid problems and challenges that were already faced in other national contexts and to take advantage of the solutions already developed, tested and implemented. On the other hand, collaboration with Member States is important in order to streamline the implementation of lifelong learning strategies at national level and ensuring convergence with European political priorities.

Another problem is the fragmentation of efforts (at European level as well as at the level of many Member States) focused on developing and/or implementing a lifelong learning strategy and ensuring its inclusiveness and convergence with European policy priorities. Our project addresses this issue by putting together all important stakeholders (decision makers, policy developers, teachers, trainers, learners of all ages, organisations active in employment etc) and making sure their views are included in the analysis and reflected in the outputs.

At European level, the last report on the implementation of the Education & Training 2010 initiative (http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/2010/natreport08/council_en.pdf) has shown that, while many Member States have made progresses towards developing and implementing a national lifelong learning strategy, there is still a lot to be done: national strategies are not always comprehensive (for instance, they focus on formal learning or on vocational education and training), there are not sufficient mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of these strategies, and their development is uneven among Member States.

The present project intends to identify critical factors for the successful implementation of national lifelong learning strategies. These factors can be specific to each national context or they can have trans-national relevance. In any case, their identification should be the result of a critical analysis by each partner at national level, of exchange of experience and collaboration in finding common ways of overcoming difficulties in the implementation of NLLS.

The project focuses on the identification of problems, difficulties, crises faced by the partner countries in the development and implementation of the strategy, and on solutions proposed. It relies on the assumption that, while there is great deal of difference between national contexts, many difficulties as well as solutions have a relevance that goes beyond a specific context. We believe that the identification of critical success factors is largely based on identifying recurring problems and ways of dealing with them. The present project is intended to act as a catalyst of various fragmented efforts at national level and could improve convergence with European policy priorities, by exchanging experiences on difficulties in implementing NLLS and solutions developed to overcome them and developing common guidelines on critical factors for successful implementation.

Aim and objectives

Aim: identify the main factors for successful implementation of NLLS in partner countries

Objectives:
1. to identify the common/recurring difficulties and challenges in the implementation of NLLS and the solutions developed to overcome them
This initial phase is critical for the future project development, since it provides most of the data for further analysis. The critical analysis at the level of each partner country will be followed by common workshops focused on identifying the trans-national relevance of identified problems and solutions, and to propose guidelines for a successful implementation of NLLS.

2. to initiate and sustain transfer of knowledge and expertise from European partners regarding the implementation of NLLS
We intent to use the knowledge and expertise of other Member States in the development and a quality assured implementation of lifelong learning strategies. This not only reduces the costs (in terms of resources, time) for strategy development, but gives access to practices, methodologies and tools that have already been tested and successfully implemented in other national contexts.

3. encourage cooperation between key actors involved in the development of a national lifelong learning strategy
Networking between key stakeholders and improved communication are essential for developing inclusive strategies that respond to real needs in education, training and also employment.

Envisaged results

1. Reports on the identification of problems and solutions in the implementation of NLLS, at the level of each partner country. They will form the basis for all subsequent discussion during workshops.
2. Workshops focused on exchange of good practices and transfer of expertise and development of joint guidelines
The workshops will include:
• Joint analysis of results from national reports (see above),
• Identifying critical factors for success,
• Establishing common guidelines for a successful and a quality assured implementation of NLLS.
Each workshop report should be integrated in the project progress report in real time, so that project partners and stakeholders should have a clear view of the overall progress.
3. Project conference
The conference aims to present the project’s results so far and to gather feedback for their further adjustment and refining, as well as to ensure that the results are visible at the level of the stakeholders and are likely to be used in further policy development. It is focused on dissemination and exploitation of project outcomes, involving a wider circle of stakeholders from all partner countries (decision makers and professionals involved in policy development, teachers and trainers, public authorities at national and regional level, organisations active in the labour market). Each partner will be responsible for the selection of its respective national participants.
4. Publication 1: booklet with problems, challenges as well as success stories in implementing NLLS at European level
This document aims to map the most common problems and challenges faced in the development and/or implementation of NLLS and offer access to good practices related to the implementation of lifelong learning strategies in partner countries and to highlight different approaches and priorities that underline these national strategies.
The booklet will be printed in 1600 copies. The coordinator will have the overall responsibility for the drafting and publishing of the booklet, as well as for sending it to each partner.
Each partner will be responsible for distributing the booklet at national level.
5. Publication 2: guidelines for a successful implementation of national lifelong learning strategies.
An essential outcome of the project, this document should serve as a reference base for both ‘beginner’ and ‘advanced’ countries in the implementation of NLLS. It will describe different ways of dealing with these identified problems, give access to professional recommendations gathered from the invited consultants/experts and propose ‘tried and tested’ solutions to recurring problems and common difficulties.
This publication will be printed in 1600 copies. The coordinator will have the overall responsibility for the drafting and publishing of the booklet, as well as for sending it to each partner.
Each partner will be responsible for distributing the publication at national level.

The methodology is based on the following principles:
• Pooling the expertise of different categories of stakeholders, in order to ensure a wide consultation and an extensive feedback for project outcomes (workshops, conference, booklet on success stories in implementing NLLS, guidelines for a successful implementation),
• Bottom-up approach: data is to be collected from policy developers and other stakeholders involved in the development of national lifelong learning strategies, including the educational community and the labour market; they will be directly involved in data analysis and the assessment of its relevance,
• Networking between different categories of stakeholders: not only in the context of project workshops and conference, but also throughout the project lifetime, through involvement in promotion, dissemination, exploitation activities,
• Synergic effects: workshops organized throughout the lifetime of the project aim to emphasize, through debate and consultation, the synergies between strategies developed in different national contexts,
• Sharing and transfer of knowledge: all project activities are designed in order to facilitate transfer of knowledge between categories of stakeholders from all partner countries,
Identification of critical factors for successful implementation of NLLS through analysis of difficulties and challenges and different solutions developed to overcome them.

Target groups

1. Persons involved in policy development in education and training, at national and regional level
Professionals, experts, consultants involved in policy development in education and training, as well as labour & employment; overall, we intend to involve at least 80 representatives of Ministries, governmental agencies and other public bodies.

2. Decision makers (Ministries of Education, public bodies involved in policy and curricula development)
The direct involvement of decision makers, especially at the level of Ministries of Education, is essential for ensuring not only that their views and feedback are taken into account throughout project development, but also that the project outcomes will receive the necessary political support and visibility. We plan to involve at least 40 decision-makers, focusing on Ministries of Education and Ministries of Labour and Social Affairs.

3. Organisations and professionals involved in curricula development, evaluation and/or accreditation, in order to ensure relevant feedback from – as well as visibility at the level of - the educational community. We plan to involve at least 40 persons from all partner countries.

4. Organisations active on the labour market and organisations connecting the education and training system with the labour market: Ministries of Labour and Social Affairs, governmental agencies, employment services and employers’ associations etc.
The perspective of representatives of the labour market and of social/employment services is essential in the development of all project outcomes. The identification of critical factors for successful implementation can only be made in close cooperation with stakeholders active on the labour market. We intend to involve at least 20 organisations from all partner countries.

Sustainability

All project partners have made a commitment to support project activities and ensure visibility and exploitation of project outcomes beyond its lifetime. This will include support for the exploitation of project results and maintenance of project website after the end of project lifetime. Given the compatibility of project activities with the current operations of each partner organisation, the costs for further support of project activities will be minimized.
The involvement of Ministries, LLP National Agencies and other public bodies with an important role in the management of the education and training systems will also ensure the necessary institutional and inter-institutional commitment for the future exploitation of project outcomes.
The exploitation activities, notably the conference with the involvement of decision makers and professionals involved in policy development, will act as a catalyst for further collaboration between stakeholders. While our project includes partners with extended experience in implementing NLLS and partners which are in the process of developing a strategic document for lifelong learning at national level, we believe that our proposal proves useful for each of them. It is useful for states which have already implemented a NLLS, since it will give a good opportunity to look critically at what has been done so far and to reconsider and maybe adjust the way to go ahead. It is also useful for states which are just beginning to develop a comprehensive NLLS, since it will “pave the way" for a smoother future implementation, by giving due consideration to critical factors of success and avoiding, as far as possible, already identified traps and difficulties.
The quality assurance mechanisms, embedded into the recommendations, will raise the feasibility of the future NLLS for the participating countries.

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