Social Justice and Lifelong Learning in Europe: mid-way findings from the EU Sixth Framework funded project LLL2010

Author(s):

Linda AhlgrenJacky BrineSheila Riddell

Conference:

ECER 2008

Network:

2. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)

Format:

Symposium

Session Information

02 SES 08A, Social Justice and Lifelong Learning in Europe: mid-way findings from the EU Sixth Framework funded project LLL2010 (Part 1)

Symposium, to be continued in session 02 SES 09A

Time:

2008-09-12

08:30-10:00

Room:

BE 014

Chair:

Discussant:

Sheila Riddell

Contribution

Lifelong learning serves a number of functions within Europe. It is seen as a means of developing human capital and is one of the few economic levers over which national governments and the EU believe they have some degree of control. At the same time, lifelong learning is seen as a means of building social capital and promoting social justice, another espoused goal of the EU and member states. In addition, many member states use lifelong learning as a means of social control, requiring welfare claimants to undergo education and training as a condition of benefits receipt. Similarly, workers in areas such as health and social care may be required to undergo prescribed training in order to find and retain employment. Finally, individual learners may see lifelong learning not simply as a means of avoiding risk and securing economic advancement, but also as a means of fulfilling their personal desire to forge and renegotiate identity. The Sixth Framework funded project LLL2010 (www.LLL2010.tlu.ee) has a number of inter-connected strands, all of which are intended to illuminate the contribution of the formal education system to the formation of a knowledge society in thirteen countries in western, eastern and central Europe. This symposium reports findings from three specific strands: the cross-European review of policy and practice in the field of lifelong learning (sub-project 1), the survey of returners to formal education (sub-project 3) and the qualitative investigation of lifelong learning in small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (sub-project 4). In addition to the presentation of findings from particular countries, which illuminate similarities and differences across member states, the symposium includes theoretical and methodological reflections.

Method

The presentations that form part of this symposium examine aspects of life long learning in Europe using a variety of methodologies: Analysis of European policy and literature in “old” as well as “new” member states Quantitative data: survey data and secondary data, e.g. Labour Force Survey, was analysed in order to compare participation and experiences of adult learners in 13 European countries. Qualitative data: in-depth semi structured interviews with employers and employees’ were analysed to examine formal learning in SMEs in 13 European countries.

Expected Outcomes

In addition to the presentation of findings from particular countries, which illuminate similarities and differences across member states, the symposium includes theoretical and methodological reflections.

References

Acemoglu, D. & Pischke, J.-S. (1999) Beyond Becker: Training in Imperfect Labour Markets. The Economic Journal, 109, 112-42. Ananiadou, K., Jenkins, A., and Wolf, A. (2004) Basic skills and workplace learning: what do we actually know about their benefits? Studies in Continuing Education. 26(2) 289-208 Backes-Gellner, U. & Mure, J. (2005) The Skill-Weights Approach on Firm Specific Human Capital: Empirical Results for Germany - Working Paper. Blunt, A. & Yang, B. (2002). Factor structure of the Adults of the Adult Attitudes Towards Continuing Education Scale and its capacity to predict participation behavior: Evidence for adaptation of a revised scale. Adult Education Quarterly, 52 (4) 229-314. Brine, J. (2006) Lifelong learning and the knowledge economy: those that know and those that do not – the discourse of the European Union. British Educational Research Journal 32(5), 649-665. Denison, D. G. T., Holmes, C. C., Mallick, B. K. and Smith, A. F. M. (2002) Bayesian Methods for Nonlinear Classification and Regression. Wiley Series in Probability and Statistics. John Wiley & Sons. Edwards, R. (2002) Mobilizing lifelong learning: governmentality in educational practices. Journal of Education Policy 17(3), 353-365. European Commission Directorate-General for Research (2007) Social Sciences and Humanities in FP6. All calls 2002-2006. Luxembourg: Office of Official Publications of the European Communities. (http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/pdf/ssh- project-synopsis-fp6_en.pdf) Field, J. (2006) Lifelong Learning and the New Educational Order, 2nd edition. Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books. Fuller, A. and Unwin, L. (2004) Expansive Learning Environments: integrating personal and organisational development, in H Rainbird, A Fuller and A Munro (Eds) Workplace Learning in Context, London: Routledge Payne, Jonathan (2006) The Norwegian competence reform and the limits of lifelong learning. Journal of lifelong education, 25 (5), 477-506. Robertson, S.L. (2007) Embracing the Global: Crisis and the Creation of a New Semiotic Order to Secure Europe’s Knowledge-Based Economy. In N. Fairclough, R. Wodak and B. Jessop (eds) Education and the Knowledge-Based Economy in Europe (Netherlands: Sense Publisher)

Author Information

Linda Ahlgren

University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Jacky Brine

University of the West of England, United Kingdom