Abstract:

From “rhetoric to practice“ to “make lifelong learning (LLL) a reality“. This aim remains a key priority on the European policy agenda while offering crucial challenges in professional practice for all educational institutions and stakeholders. But how can universities do justice to their responsibility and role as “important social actors contributing to the better integration of adult learners, in particular through the recognition of informal and non-formal learning”? How could universities be supported “to invest more in services for learners” and to “better use their partnerships and effectively communicate the results of their cooperative activities”? How can they become truly LLL universities?

The highly praised results of the BeFlex Plus project (www.eucen.eu/BeFlexPlus/index.html) made clear recommendations in response to these questions and produced excellent training materials as a valuable learning resource targeted at university staff and their partners and stakeholders – both actual and potential - to reflect on their institutional situation, to develop action plans, and to IMPLEMENT changes. The materials cover 5 key topics:

• Diversity in LLL
• Institutional Development
• Curriculum in partnership
• Regional development
• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Over 2 years (January 2011 to December 2012) the IMPLEMENT project aims to further disseminate and actively exploit the results of the BeFlex Plus project. The approach is based on the idea that the potential for transfer and implementation is strongest when key partners are supported to act as multipliers, to adapt and to work with the materials according to their own needs and the specifics of their home university and national context. The objectives are:

• to add value to the existing training materials on the 5 topics by adapting them to national needs, using them in real training at institutional, national and transnational events, and
• to develop and deliver an online version of each topic in order to provide a sustainable and dynamic solution for the longer term exploitation of the learning resources and best practice examples.

The results achieved so far are:
• the materials adapted and piloted at institutional events in 5 countries
• 16 new case studies prepared and used as resources in these sessions
• checklists prepared for engaging learners and for using case studies in training
• transnational workshops held in Genoa (IT)
• a first draft of the on-line version of one of the topics – RPL – presented in a transnational event (Genoa, IT) and feedback obtained
• face-to-face workshop on the topic of Curriculum in partnership and presentation of a draft of the on-line version of the topic Regional development at a trans-sectoral event in Graz in May 2012
• a public website for dissemination set up: http://implement.eucen.eu
• Development of the online versions of the 5 topics

Next actions:
• Open testing of the online topics from 17-28 September 2012
• Face-to-face workshops of the 5 topics in a transnational event in Malta, 7 – 8 November 2012

Keywords:

Lifelong Learning Universities, Staff training and development, Diversity in lifelong learning, institutional development.