Policy documents
Relevant policy papers compiled by the European Commission that related to the issue of lifelong learning and active participation can be found here.
It is never too late to learn
Promoting lifelong learning is part of the Lisbon Strategy and can help to foster social inclusion, active citizenship and personal development but also increase productivity and competitiveness. However, the number of adult learners and especially of older people in Europe remains below the target set. The document “It is never too late to learn” addresses the challenges and different types of actions in order to face these challenges and highlights the importance of adult learning as a key competence of lifelong learning.
Action plan on adult learning – It is always a good time to learn
The action plan focuses particularly on those who are disadvantaged (e.g. migrants, older people, women or persons with a disability).
The general objective of the action plan is to implement the five key messages established in the Communication “It is never too late to learn”, which are to:
- Remove barriers to participation
- Increase the quality and efficiency of the sector
- Speed up the process of validation and recognition
- Ensure sufficient investment
- Monitor the sector
Key competences for lifelong learning
The Key Competences for Lifelong Learning – A European Framework is an annex of a Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on key competences for lifelong learning. Competences are defined here as a combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the context. Key competences are those which all individuals need for personal fulfilment and development, active citizenship, social inclusion and employment.
Declaration of Copenhagen
Here you can find the Copenhagen Declaration which is a declaration of the European Ministers of Vocational Education and Training, and the European Commission, convened in Copenhagen on 29 and 30 November 2002, on enhanced European cooperation in vocational education and training. Here you can find further information on the "Bruges-Copenhagen process".
The definition and selection of key competencies
The OECD’s Definition and Selection of Key Competencies Project was designed to bring a wide range of expert and stakeholder opinion
together, to produce a coherent and widely shared analysis of which key competencies are necessary for the modern world. It complements and is linked to two large international assessments of these competencies, PISA and ALL.
Terminology of European education and training policy
This multilingual (English, Spanish, German, French, Italian and Portuguese) glossary of terms used in education and training policy is intended for researchers and more generally for all those involved in education and training policy. This glossary is an updated and extended version of the ‘Terminology of vocational training policy’, published by Cedefop in 2004. This publication is also available online on Cedefop’s website (www.cedefop.europa.eu), where other languages will be soon added.
