This paper reports on research carried out by a network of nine European institutions and their associate partners (eLene2learn) into the use of ICT to support transition into higher education and the development of life long learning to learn competencies. The approach taken and results drawn from the first two phases of a three year EU project will be presented and discussed.

As lifelong learners, it is highly likely that many of us will face a number of transitions throughout our lives, moving from secondary school to university, entering employment, moving back into training or education to increase our knowledge and understanding and to reskill or upgrade competencies. Such transitions represent a challenge for any learner in adapting to new physical and virtual environments and different teaching and learning approaches as well as learning to live and work within new communities. Not every learner succeeds in the transition to higher education as illustrated by the high dropout rates in the early years of HE OECD (2010). While a number of efforts to bridge the gap between SE and HE are being made across Europe, examples of activity exists mainly in pockets and at a disciplinary level (remedial support in mathematics, access to university lectures for 6^th form pupils). Similarly, other initiatives focus on practical support (open days, virtual campus guides).

Given the strategic priorities of the European Union to increase access to HE and develop transversal competencies such as digital literacy and learning to learn, mirrored by national education priorities and actions across the Member States, this project is developing a multi-stakeholder network in order to explore and promote the contribution of ICT and digital media in supporting the development of learning to learn competencies in lifelong learning transitions.

The eLene2learn project addresses priority 1 for KA3: ICT Networks: “European-wide stakeholders' communities promoting digital competence and other key transversal competences for life and employability”. Aspects of the network activity can be found in all three of the example topics given in the 2011-2013 LLP strategic priorities: sharing knowledge, exchanging good practices; providing advice and support on transversal issues which apply to the use of digital content services in formal, non-formal and informal learning settings such as e-portfolios; developing recommendations on the changed nature and added-value of ICT for transforming education and training systems towards the needs of the future knowledge society.

eLene2learn also offers a response to one of the four main benchmarks of the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020), namely that ‘the share of 30-34 year olds with tertiary educational attainment should be at least 40%’. One way to increase participation of adult learners in lifelong learning at tertiary level is to bridge the gap by developing non-disciplinary 'learning to learn' competencies through ICT.

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