1. Alan Smith Acting Head of Unit EAC-B3 European Commission Cedefop Seminar on older workers, Brussels, 22 September 2011 Active ageing as a dimension of European policy and programme for LLL: Some emergent issues

2. 2 Overview  Frameworks for EU involvement: –Policy –Programme  Thematic issues relating to older adults  Pedagogical issues  Delivery, supply and organisational issues  Coordination issues for policy and practice  Implementation principles for EU

3. 3 Frameworks for EU involvement  Policy frameworks: –Adult Learning Action Plan 2008-2010 + European Agenda for Adult Learning 2012-14 –Copenhagen Process: continuing VET strand  Programme frameworks: –Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013: Grundtvig + Leonardo da Vinci –Education Europe 2014-2020

4. 4 Thematic issues  Boosting participation of older adults in LLL  Developing older adults’ skills and competences (wide spectrum embracing basic skills, literacy and numeracy / work-related / higher qualifications)  Specific functional « literacies for ageing » (health, IT, consumer, finance, coping with administration, retirement planning etc.)  Learning and caring (addressing semi-professional and personal learning needs of informal carers; learning in care homes etc.)  Harnessing the knowledge, experience and life-skills of older adults for the good of society as a whole (incl. volunteering, active citizenship, culture & heritage etc.)  Inter-generational and family learning (incl. life stories)  Entrepreneurship (incl. Social entrepreneurship)

5. 5 Pedagogical issues  Methodologies for empowering older adults to learn  Challenges for initial training and further professional development of adult education staff  Use of IT as a teaching and learning resource

6. 6 Organisation and delivery issues  Creation of effective and attractive learning learning environments (formal, non-formal, informal)  Accompanying services (guidance, validation etc.)  Data collection & monitoring (extend data to >64 etc.)  Emphasis on special target groups (older men, older migrants, lowest skilled & marginalised etc.)

7. 7 Coordination issues  European level (inter-DG coop. Etc.)  National level (inter-ministry, inter- agency)  Regional level (older adults as a dimension of the « learning region »)  Local level

8. 8 EU implementation principles  See older adults as: –part of society: no ghetto –more than just workers –more than just a problem  Nothing about us, without us: involve older adults in defining issues and solutions  Concentrate on where we can make a difference (but don’t forget the rest…)  Choose the appropriate methods (policy cooperation tools, projects & networks, individual mobility)  Work together with other actors, not in isolation