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The programme “Learning Regions – Providing Support for Networks” Download Programme Presentation in English (2 MB)The Future Task: Organising Lifelong Learning International comparative studies reveal that Germany has not yet been sufficiently successful in developing and using all talents, in particular those of disadvantaged people. The educational offer does not appeal to all, although continuing learning has become imperative in a knowledge society. Whether young or old; up-to-date knowledge is indispensable for taking new chances – without it, there is the threat of social exclusion and unemployment. Thus, it is necessary to build the foundations as early as possible in order to be able to develop competencies and gain qualifications throughout a whole lifetime. This requires interlocking all educational sectors and comprehending education as a continuing process. Institutional borders have to be overcome so that learning can take place within demand-oriented structures. Making Lifelong Learning feasible is the common target of the Federal Government, the states and the European Union. The point is to create the structural conditions for an open access to the learning worlds of tomorrow. Making Lifelong Learning feasible through networking and co-operation The Federal Ministry of Education and Research Action Programme “Lifelong Learning for All” and the recommendations of the “Forum Bildung”, which elaborated strategic proposals for the quality and sustainability of education in Germany, pave the way for a “learning society”. Their main ideas are: - Strengthening the learners’ personal responsibility and self-management - Motivating disadvantaged groups that are currently less involved in education - Strengthening relations between all educational sectors - Co-operation of educational providers and users - Improving the quality, quantity, and structure of offers, in order to promote user-orientation in particular. Co-operation and networking offer educational providers and organisers a chance to actively create a structural change for Lifelong Learning. Learners and companies’ changing expectations, individualisation of educational requirements, and reforms in labour market policy demand new offers and innovations that cannot be initiated by single and small providers on their own. With its programme, “Learning Regions – Providing support for networks”, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research promotes regional co-operation and networking. The objective is to bring together important players from different educational sectors in order to jointly develop new offers for Lifelong Learning within the scope of a regional strategy. This includes: - General and vocational schools, institutions of higher education, funding agencies and institutions offering out-of school education and off-the-job or inter-firm training, trade union’s and industry training organisations, adult education centres, education funding agencies of the churches, commercial providers and other educational institutions - Companies, chambers, trade unions, business development organisations - Education counselling institutions, youth authorities, employment offices and other administrations - Cultural and socio-cultural institutions - Teachers and learners. The delineation of the regions is determined on location depending on physical and functional relations. It is required that all relevant partners should engage in the networks and follow up on existing experiences and co-operation structures. With this decentralised promotion approach, each network can adapt perfectly to the regional point of departure and develop their own best strategy. Regional networks become Learning Regions Through regional co-operation, the players complement one another and benefit from a size advantage: For example, common education marketing campaigns advertise possibilities for qualified training and further education, thus leading to an increased participation in education within the region. Lifelong guidance and quality development activities help individuals orientate themselves, and motivate and introduce learners into the network. Central learning management systems allow for virtual learning at different locations and are also available to smaller suppliers via the network. Recognition of informal skills and the networking of learning locations promote permeability between educational and life spheres. The close co-operation within a regional network creates common ideas and trust in one another, which are both decisive conditions for the readiness to accept institutional changes and for the development of a learning culture which is effective even beyond the network. A Learning Region is developing in which education, as a regional location factor, is improving and new perspectives are emerging that previously may have been hidden. This can particularly help small and medium-sized enterprises within the region to cover their demand in skilled employees and to stimulate their innovative power. Promoting Sustainable Innovation Networks 71 networks are currently promoted within the scope of the programme “Learning Regions – Providing Support for Networks”. The two selection rounds were launched following open tendering processes in 2000 and 2001. The most promising concepts for the one-year planning stage were jointly selected at federal and state level. The goal was then to develop the networks and to elaborate innovative measures. In 2002, 49 networks from the first round, and one year later 24 networks from the second round, entered the 4-year implementation stage. During this phase, the networks have to implement their measures and raise a steadily increasing financial contribution of an average of 30%. This means that sustainable organisational forms of co-operation, entrepreneurial thinking, and convincing business models are essential. Within the scope of the programme, the planning and implementation stages together add up to a maximum promotion period of five years. For the overall programme, approx. 118 million EUR has been made available until 2007, of which approx. 51 million EUR is derived from the European Social Fund. Within the networks, the support focuses on a main project whose principle task is to develop and co-ordinate the network. In most cases, this is carried out by a professional agency which at the same time develops central counselling services and conducts marketing activities. Several sub-projects are generally connected to the main project. Their goal is to develop services in single specific subject or business areas to promote Lifelong Learning. The necessary technical and organisational work is carried out on the average by four to six people, others are temporarily involved. In many cases, the development of the network is initiated by an adult education center, but also the chambers, institutions of higher education and business development societies often gave the decisive impulses in the regions. In order to ensure lasting co-operation, most networks operate, according to their objective, in the form of registered associations (eingetragener Verein, e.V.), non-profit limited liability company (gGmbH) or foundations. All networks are open to additional members. Impulses from the Learning Regions The goal of the “Learning Regions – Providing support for networks” programme is to find optimal solutions for the structural challenges of Lifelong Learning. Solutions which will not only benefit the promoted networks but which can also be assumed and continued by others. At the same time, results from other programmes should be adopted and implemented within the Learning Regions. The structure-building and sustainable approach of this programme is also generating lively interest on an international level. Exchanging results is organised in the form of programme-wide thematic networks. They represent the “rails” via which the results are systematically revised: - Developing sustainable structures and organisations of regional networks for Lifelong Learning, quality development in networks - Education marketing: improvement of exchange processes between providers and users, advertising for Lifelong Learning, development of trademarks - Lifelong guidance: qualification and education counselling, increasing transparency - New learning worlds: innovative forms of teaching and learning, new learning locations and e-Learning - New transitions between educational phases, recognition of informal learning, improvement of the permeability between educational sectors - Involvement of and co-operation with small and medium-sized enterprises. Within the scope of the thematic networks, programme-wide symposia and conferences are organised, single projects are systematically compared, success factors are derived, models are introduced and reviewed in a general form. The most important media for the programme-wide result transfer are, among others, “inform – The Magazine for Learning Regions” (“inform – Das Magazin für Lernende Regionen”) and the internet platform of the project management agency within DLR www.lernende-regionen.info. Learning Regions are also directly involved in an international exchange: Some of them operate on a cross-border level or had successfully applied to the R3L initiative (Regional networks for Lifelong Learning) of the European Commission. Four of the 17 European networks are co-ordinated by German networks. Within R3L, a total of 120 partners participate in the exchange of Lifelong Learning issues for a period of 18 months. The central players within the programme Overall strategies for Lifelong Learning require a joint procedure for all players involved. Within the management committee of the programme “Learning Regions – Providing Support for Networks” - like in other programmes and initiatives for Lifelong Learning, the federal and state governments as well as the social partners co-operate closely. They jointly select the projects to be promoted and decide on programme development principles. The states actively support the Learning Regions, promote intra-regional exchange and interlocking with their own measures. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research has charged the project management agency within DLR (PT-DLR) with the supervision of the single projects and the programme-wide transfer. PT-DLR is a service provider within the German Aerospace Centre (DLR - Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt), a research enterprise of the Helmholtz association. The project management agency is specialised in counselling and in the operational business of project promotion. The education research division provides structural innovation support and counselling within the Lifelong Learning policy field. At the same time it supports the expert commission “Financing Lifelong Learning” and supervises the programme “Vocational qualification for target groups with special support requirements” (BQF programme). The endeavours of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research to develop Lifelong Learning is also supported by other PT-DLR divisions, i.e. the areas “New media in Education” and “Innovative Services”, which – among other things – are concerned with international standards for educational services. Policy for a Lifelong Learning System The Federal Ministry of Education and Research has launched further initiatives in order to improve the conditions for Lifelong Learning. Their success depends on the development of coherent strategies - this fact was underlined by the joint conference with the OECD on “Policies to strengthen incentives and mechanisms for co-financing Lifelong Learning” in October 2003. On the one hand, emphasis should be placed on the individual and on strengthening their power of demand; on the other hand, a comprehensive, structure-building approach across several policy fields should be followed, making access to education possible for everyone, in particular for those who are currently less involved in learning or for slow learners. This not only concerns public authorities but also social partners, companies, financial institutions and additional players who bear responsibility in this area. Regarding the general structural conditions for Lifelong Learning, the programme “Learning Regions – Providing Support for Networks” is the largest common measure at the federal and state level so far. This programme interrelates with other initiatives that mainly target the strengthening of the individual’s demand and selection options. This includes, among others: - The joint projects at the federal and state level (Bund-Länder-Verbundprojekte): “Further Education Passport (Weiterbildungspass) - Certifying Informal Learning” and “Learning-oriented qualification approval in further education” within the scope of the model programme “Lifelong Learning” of the Bund-Länder Commission for Educational Planning and Research Promotion (BLK) - The Infoweb Weiterbildung, an internet database which has developed information standards and a meta search tool for all further education databases - The further education test of the consumer organisation Stiftung Warentest - The programme “School-Industry/Working life” - The guiding project within the scope of the initiative “Utilisation of the globally available knowledge for initial and continuing training and innovation processes”. The Federal Minister of Education and Research has charged an expert commission to develop recommendations and proposals on issues of resourcing and financing Lifelong Learning. These recommendations were presented on 28 July, 2004. Both the individual and society benefit from investments in competence promotion and expenditures in Lifelong Learning. In combination with the development of networks and supporting structures, these are the central components of an overall system of Lifelong Learning that is being implemented at a European level.  Presentation at the World Education Market, Lisbon 2003 European Conference "Regional Partnerships for Lifelong Learning Structural Innovations in Education and Training", Berlin, 8/9 November, 2004Examples of good-practice (see catalogue of the exhibition accompanying the conference in Berlin) |
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