Writing by Ruby Cooney, Education Projects Officer
This project, “Upskilling Pathways”, is an EU initiative to help potentially progress towards a qualification.
The aim of the project is to influence adult education policy in Ireland and across Europe.
Recently, I went with our Conor, our Head of Advocacy and Policy, to a conference in Brussels, at the Pullman Brussels Centre Midi.
The conference focused on how Partner UP has contributed to increasing adult learners’ participation in lifelong learning opportunities, and also promoted cooperation among the stakeholders involved. A mix of policymakers, industry leaders, and project partners shared insights, outcomes, and explored the future of partnership-driven initiatives across Europe.
After opening words from project coordinator Regina Ebner, Secretary General at European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA), we heard from keynote speaker Ann Päivi Branch.
Ann who leads the European Commission team working on the EU Skills Agenda in the department for Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion.
She encouraged attendees to listen to the experiences of learners by taking a look at the “Real People, Real Skills” campaign.
We also heard from Laura Reznikova, Policy Analyst at the OECD Centre for Skills. Laura shared details of her current research which is focused on building stronger adult learning systems through social dialogue and the power of stakeholder engagement in education policy.
The event also included sessions of stakeholder mapping, engagement and cooperation building. Closing remarks of the conference were by Sylvia Liuti, Director of Internationalisation of FORMA.Azione.
The trip included the final Transnational Partner Meeting of the Partner UP project. All partners came together to review project activities and discuss the last steps of the project implementation. At the meeting, partners shared dissemination and implementation plans for this project.
If you are interested in learning more about this project, please visit the Partner UP website.