Workshop 2: Sharing best practice across Europe

Linking London Annual Conference 2013SOAS, London 24th May 2013

Gender Lifelong learning and Social class (GLAS) project partners

Background• €404k co-funded EACEA project• Active from 1 Oct 2011 – 30 Sept 2013• Project Partners:– Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain)– Zuyd, University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands)– ECHO (The Netherlands)– Linking London, hosted by Birkbeck College (UK)– Universidade Aberta (Portugal) – Associate partners

Project Objectives

1. To “reinforce the contribution of lifelong learning to social cohesion and active citizenship” through the examination of six core themes:

I. The accreditation of prior learning (APL)II. Work based learning (WBL)III. Social mobilityIV. Widening participationV. Civic and community engagementVI. Continuous professional development

2. To support the achievement of a European Area of Higher Education

Project Approach

• Information sharing via Skype e-conferences• Staff exchanges involving workshops led by experts

and a social dimension built into the programme• Regular and responsive email contact• On-line sharing and collaborative authoring via Moodle

site• Creation of a bespoke glossary of terms• Attempted creation of a Photographic diary• Encouraged use of extended networks• On-line surveys (pre and post project)

Results / achievements to date

• Reports on the state of play of the six core themes in partner countries

• Staff development packs • Case studies of good practice • Recommendations for policy

Plan for workshop

• Introduction √ • Headline findings• Case study 1: AP(E)L in The Netherlands• Case study 2: The social contract in Spain• Questions• Group activity– Prior workshop questions– Action points for LL partnership?

Headlines

– High participation rate in HE amongst young people, lack of focus on older people and lack of investment in alternative routes?

– Rhetoric around LLL is not backed up by policy, regional infrastructure, funding.

– Gender disparity (and social class in UK).– Reduced public expenditure and more diversity of HE

institutions being encouraged.– Acknowledgement that some of the tools and processes

already exist, we just need to use and fund them better.

Life Long Learning as a Widening Participation Strategy

Tools APL/WBL

Now too supply-oriented, too generalMore demand-oriented/targeted: females, migrant females, males, drop outs, unemployed, older employees…More tailor-made educational routes

Government EU2020-agendaIntroduce laws (which still enable flexibility/freedoms) to stimulate LLL, tax-policiesIntroduce national strategies – funds to stimulate LLL-infrastructureLong term longitudinal strategic planning

Universities More focus on 25+ year olds (decline of PT study, LLL)Stimulate more CCE, implement social role universities => Social Counsel (Spain)Cooperation educational institutions, (local) government, businesses, communitiesMore engagement target groups, make use of current students, alumni & employees to engageLearn from VETLong term longitudinal strategic planning

Learning system/environment

Current system is inflexible, make it more flexibleAdapt business model to LLLNot pipeline thinking, metaphor of roundabouts

Quality framework

National/regional approachFormalize informal learningData gathering and use

Draft Summary

Case studies

• URV – Spanish contract• Zuyd - APL

Universitat Rovira i Virgili

Spain’s University System

• From an elite university to a democratized university– 1984: 700,000 university

students– 2010: 1,555,377 university

students

• Geographical decentralization of public universities, from 30 in 1985 to 50 in 2012.

Universitat Rovira i Virgili overview

• Public university• Created in 1991 from

already existing faculties

• Official studies on offer:– 42 Bachelor courses– 49 master’s courses– 33 doctorate courses

• Located in 7 campuses in Southern Catalonia

• 14,474 students

URV into the territory

URV repeats the Catalan government decentralization process of HE to ensure equal access

As result widening participation in higher education amongst students from disadvantaged socio economic groups is now a reality

Why does URV have to work for and with society?

Because it has been stated both by the government:Creation laws of the Catalan “territorial” universities specifically state they must serve their territory:“… and its creation must serve as the driving force for the cultural, scientific and technical progress in Southern regions of Catalonia and specifically in the cities where its centres are located. “

And by the University itself:The URV statutes state, amongst the University functions:

Art. 5 e) Assuming the role of driving force of a human, responsible and sustainable progress, mainly in the social, cultural and economic fields of the Southern region of Catalonia, through independent research, transmission and application of knowledge.

How does URV relate with society?

1. Through the GOVERNANCE MODEL

•Role of society in universities’ governing bodies is stated by legislation

•National and autonomic regulations include the following statement:

The University Social Council is the body by which the society participates in the University

2. Through the SOCIAL CONTRACT•Role of URV in developing the local region.

University Social Council

• Members:– 9 representing society: including the Catalan

parliament and government, local institutions, trade unions, employer’s organizations and alumni.

– 6 representing University

University Social Council

• Operation. The University Social Council works:– The USC has control management functions over many procedures at

the University, such as the annual budget, the creation of new studies. It also promotes cooperation of society in university financing.

– The USC has projects:• Grants for students with special economic situations, grants for master’s

studies, grants co-funded with companies to assure access to underepresented groups and talented low-income students.

• Grants for academics and staff to assure CPD• Prizes to Secondary Education research projects for widening participation.• Other projects set up when any of the society representing members

perceives a need in society and proposes a project to address it.

URV Social Contract. Objectives for developing the local region

URV Campus Extens. Knowledge AntennasKnowledge into the territory

• In order to bring knowledge closer to people, the project aims to understand the needs of each territory and contribute to their progress by creating a network of knowledge antennas (AC).

• Antennas host:– Activities from URV, that are already in progress at the University– Activities specific for Campus Extens, designed for all the antennas– Activities specific for each territory, related with the needs and expectations of each location

and different for each Antenna• Strong collaboration with local entities:

– Full support of the local councils, which provide premises to house the antennas.– Funding by the Provincial Council of Tarragona. – Collaboration with a High School to facilitate contact between the university, the city councils

and study centres.

URV Campus Extens. Knowledge AntennasKnowledge into the territory

CEICSFostering local innovation since 2010• OECD example of a regionally engaged university.• The Campus of International Excellence Southern

Catalonia (CEICS) represents the strategic union of more than 80 organizations and structures involved in teaching, research, knowledge transfer and the productive sector in southern Catalonia.

• Aims to consolidate an international knowledge hub that can significantly contribute to the economic, social and cultural development of the region and to its international reputation as a knowledge region.

CEICS into the territory

LLL at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences

APL/RPL in the Netherlands

• APL since 1990• Life time employment became increasingly

unlikely• In 2000 a broader concept of APL was

stimulated by the National Government• Since 2001: The Knowledge Centre for APL (to

collect and share knowledge and good practice on APL)

• Sustainable infrastructure and national quality framework for APL

• Since 2005 regulation by the government especially regarding transparency of results and quality of procedures

• Since then closely tied to the needs of the labour market

• Effective finance mechanisms and subsidy schemes by the National Government

• APL providers have to work according the APL quality code and are evaluated by an independent evaluating organisation.

APL results

• Very structured system• Following a standard, consistent national

model and quality code• Staff is licensed to practice • Funds to finance APL (tax incentives)• National quality code and standard

Group activity 1

Q 1. Please tick which of the themes below are included in your institutions mission statement, pledge, strategic plan or operational objectives.

Recognition of prior learning Work based learning Continuing professional development Social mobility and widening participation Community and civic engagement

Very important role

Important role Not important/not unimportant

Not so important role

No important role

Recognition of prior learning

Work based learning

Continuing professional development

Community and civic engagement

Social mobility and widening participation

Q2. Can you specify for each theme which role it plays within the strategy of your institution?

Group activity 2

Group activity 3

Q3. What would you envisage being required to reduce barriers to participation from under-represented groups within your institution?

Group activity 4

• Action points for LL partnership– How can we present the findings of GLAS to be

most useful to the LL partnership?– Etc etc?

Conclusions from pre-project survey 1

Q. 1

Conclusions from pre-project survey 2

Q. 2