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Genesis of the Project
In January, 2003 our Cutting the Diamond work-group on Lifelong Learning completed its report. This led, in March 2003, to the birth of the EVTA Lifelong Learning Centre of the Future ‘Community’ .
In October of the same year a seminar on the subject was held in Budapest, to which high-level representatives from all of our member organizations came to reflect upon and debate a number of proposals that were presented to them by EVTA in the form of a story entitled “Costas and Benoit”, which describes the processing and training of two European trainees of the future.
The central concept of the story was that of a virtual space of linked European sectorial centres.
Starting from this point, the Budapest seminar participants suggested that a virtual space of the type proposed could be based on the currently operational Belgian ‘Skill Centre’. They further concluded that, for such a concept to be applicable, a dynamic, cost-effective support system of multiple training and employment networks would be required.
When the seminar closed it was agreed that energies should now focus on establishing a framework that could lead to a concrete Lifelong learning centre pilot project.
The keywords: ‘creativity, ‘innovation’, ‘collaboration’
By its very nature, a system based on the principles described would be in a state of constant evolution and thus all personnel associated with its implementation would have to be trained to think in terms of creativity and of innovation at all times. This will be the subject of Professor Pancho Nunes’, cconference here in Athens.
Our second speaker, Professor Stephanie Young, from Scottish Enterprise (Glasgow), will speak about the contribution that vocational training can make to urban development and renewal within a context of integrated collaboration between vocational training, education, academia, local government and industry.
The next step : a pan-European Lifelong Learning pilot program
It may thus be safely stated that all of the primary elements necessary to begin development of an implementable Lifelong Learning program, from the standpoint of vocational training, have been at least partially assembled by EVTA : a Lifelong Learning ‘mindset’, a conceptual framework, an overall vision, a versatile knowledge-sharing tool, technical development teams, ongoing close cooperation and consultation with the European Union institutions, and active participation in civil society initiatives linked to the Lisbon and Copenhagen objectives.
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