Die Strategie für das Lebenslange Lernen ... - EUROlocal

214 R3L-INITIATIVE
University of Stirling (coordinator)
INDICATORS
I. Problem area
The overall aim of the Indicators project was to engage five
Lifelong Learning expertise centres in five countries in the
joint design, development, field-testing and implementation
of indicators for Lifelong Learning progress in their own
regions. More specifically the project consisted inter alia of
the following subsidiary objectives:
• to greatly increase the awareness and understanding of
Lifelong Learning in municipalities and regions with the
aim of transforming them into ‘Learning Cities, Towns
and Regions’.
• to sensitise leaders within the stakeholder sectors and
city/regional administrations to the implications of implementing
Lifelong Learning concepts.
• to provide audit tools usable by many organisations in
regions to enable them to become learning organisations
contributing to the region’s Lifelong Learning develop -
ment and growth.
II. Solutions
Two versions of each of five stakeholder audits for schools,
universities, small companies, adult education colleges and
for local and regional authority administrations have been
developed:
• a short version to give a general impression of the impact
of lifelong learning on the organisation and to highlight
the need for change.
• a full and comprehensive version to assist organisations to
develop new policies and strategies based on a detailed
baseline understanding, and to implement changes over
a period of time, which could in some instances involve years.
The primary purpose of the field trials was to evaluate
whether or not the stakeholder audits satisfied the objectives
of giving information and provoking reflection leading
to an awareness for new or modified strategies.
Results from piloting of audits revealed a strong sense of
commitment to concepts such as social inclusion and social
justice. Later versions of the audit tool have been consider
ably revised to ensure that all the language used reflects current
and future standards in this area.
III. Perspectives
The tool itself is a continuously evolving creature and will
respond to issues as they arise from further testing.
The concept of the learning region maps well on to the
activities of local and regional authorities, and it might be
that future work in this area should use the natural boundaries
of these organisations more explicitly to avoid confusion,
as might occur in attempting to define the region of
(e.g.) a University. Conversely, as several respondents pointed
out, the concept of partnership often requires crossboundary
working, and it is therefore important to avoid
making ‘Local Authority’ and ‘learning region’ synonymous.
Finally, the responses to the pilot project indicate that
on-going co-operation with Local Authorities and other
stakeholders is itself the essence of what the learning region
is about. More research and co-operation is needed on the
use of Audit tools, but we are satisfied that, this project has
made a significant advance towards our understanding of
what a learning region is and the consultation processes
that must underpin it.
The project benefited greatly through the establishment
of co-operation between a number of stakeholders and
regions across Europe. A key factor in the sustainability and
extension of the network will be the establishment of a permanent
infrastructure. The Observatory PASCAL may provide
the locus for this.
Partners
• United Kingdom, Stirling, University of Stirling (lead
agency)
• France, Toulouse, Ecole Supérieure Commercial
• Ireland, Limerick, University of Limerick,
• Italy, Catania, Universita degli Studi di Catania
• Norway, Akershus, Hogskolen Akershus
www.obs-pascal.com