Foreword
Lifelong learning has been on the European agenda for more than a decade, but the recent economic and financial crisis and demographic changes in Europe have made it a priority for European universities. It is in this context that this report addresses the specific challenge faced by European universities to prepare citizens for their role in society and the economy by providing educational opportunities for professional and personal development. Download Engaging in Lifelong Learning - SIRUS - Shaping Inclusive and Responsive University Strategies.
The European Universities’ Charter on Lifelong Learning, adopted in 2008, provided the starting point of a project entitled “Shaping Inclusive and Responsive University Strategies” (SIRUS), which examined the processes of designing, adopting and implementing new strategies for lifelong learning from the perspective of higher education institutions.
29 universities from 18 different European countries have shared their experiences of creating or updating an institutional strategy for lifelong learning. They provide concrete examples of how universities are addressing these issues and the success and obstacle factors that they have encountered along the way.
It is hoped that their experiences documented in the present report can inspire other European universities to address actively the challenges of widening access and participation and lifelong learning. The project results indicate that, while national legal and financial frameworks play an important role for universities in the development of institutional strategies, the single most important push factor has been the active engagement of the university leadership in creating inclusive and responsive university strategies.
On behalf of the project consortium, which included the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU), the European Access Network (EAN), and the European University Continuing Education Network (EUCEN), EUA would like to thank all parties that have contributed to the project and this report. Jean-Marc Rapp, EUA President.
5.2 Conclusions
The project has shown that the European Universities’ Charter on Lifelong Learning has played an important role as inspiration for the institutional development of lifelong learning strategies. The results of the SIRUS project suggest that there is not one single road to becoming a lifelong learning or an engaged university but that there are number of supporting factors and drivers that can facilitate the strategic development of the lifelong learning agenda, whether that is considered to be an institutional, a national or a European agenda.
Nevertheless, the most difficult and persistent challenges identified by the participating institutions included:
1. embedding concepts of widening access and lifelong learning in institutional strategies
2. adapting study programmes to ensure that they are designed to widen and attract returning adult learners
3. providing appropriate guidance and counselling services
4. recognising learning, in particular prior learning
5. establishing sustainable external partnership.
This set of challenges remained unchanged during the life-span of the project and might be considered as core issues for implementing lifelong learning in European universities. In fact, these are also common challenges that universities face for their core mission of providing teaching and learning for all students. Many participants also highlighted the fact that their governments have been slow to respond to the government commitments of the Charter, especially when it comes to funding the development of lifelong learning activities in European universities (cf. 4.1). The lack of funding for higher education in general is an important brake to developing institutional strategies for lifelong learning.
This report weaves lifelong learning with the concept of the engaged university. Such a notion ties together the different strands of the project in describing an institution with a culture of inclusiveness and responsiveness that articulates its three missions through a mix of activities that fits its specific ecosystem. Such an institution is driven by a strategy that balances academic values and societal concerns and advances academic knowledge and individual and societal development. It balances the pressures for academic excellence, societal expectations, government policies and institutional survival in the increasingly competitive world of higher education.
The SIRUS project has made it possible to examine the processes of designing, adopting and implementing new strategies for lifelong learning from the perspective of higher education institutions. It has highlighted the fact that it is a time-consuming process to change the direction of a university even if the appropriate conditions are assembled. The widening participation and lifelong learning agenda is not only about changing and developing the provision of education and research; it is also about the time-consuming process of changing minds or institutional self-perceptions. Academic staff must be persuaded to develop new pedagogical approaches and to implement continuous development in partnership with external stakeholders in order to move LLL from the periphery to the centre of the institutional strategy, from the confinement of a continuing education centre to playing a central part at the core of the provision of teaching and learning to all students.
It is hoped that the SIRUS project will give European universities inspiration on how to move quickly through the different developmental stages of implementing new lifelong learning strategies.
See also: SIRUS - Shaping Inclusive and Responsive University Strategies.

EULLearN - the European University Lifelong Learning Network - funded by the EU Socrates - Erasmus programme - aims to make a European area of lifelong learning (LLL) a reality by identifying coherent strategies and practical measures to develop LLL, especially in universities. EULLearN is working to make traditional systems much more open and flexible and to promote equal opportunities, so that individuals will be able to find educational opportunities to suit their needs and interests throughout their lives. Case studies. Contents. Authors.
Introduction
This e-publication - European University Lifelong Learning: The Managers’ Handbook - is a practical guide on the management of LLL in European universities, frequently termed university continuing education. The Handbook is the result of collaboration between experts in 31 European countries and benefits from their experience and knowledge of LLL, which is reflected both in the text on important management topics and in more than 70 case studies reflecting good practice in LLL across Europe.
This new edition (the 4th) reflects the developments which are changing higher education and LLL in Europe, e.g. European policy promoting LLL; ECTS, the Bologna process, and AP(E)L; e-learning and ICT; regional development activities; and regional, national, European and international collaboration on LLL. The text has been thoroughly revised, there are new authors, almost half the case studies are new and others have been up-dated. The Handbook’s new format on the web makes it easier for readers to access the contents and to find what interests them.
The Handbook is designed not only for those who are involved in deciding policy on LLL or who manage LLL in higher education, but also for students and teachers on the many courses concerned with LLL and e-learning. Although it principally concerns universities, much of the Handbook is also relevant to other providers of LLL for adults, such as colleges, employers, LLL businesses, the professions and voluntary organizations.
The Handbook provides a range of challenges for those involved in shaping both policy and practice which will promote the further development of LLL within higher education. It seeks to examine the contribution which university LLL can make to meeting new challenges in a knowledge society.  It examines the range of programmes and services which are provided for individuals, business and society and provides a resource for exchanging good practice and experience. Its also contributes to the European Commission’s database on good practice, providing knowledge and expertise from all over Europe.
In The Managers’ Handbook, the authors of chapters - Helka Urponen, Valerie Mitchell, Mick Brennan, Danguole Rutkauskiene, Frank Moe and Rob Mark - address the following key aspects of the management of LLL:
Chapter 1. THE MANAGEMENT OF UNIVERSITY LIFELONG LEARNING: AN OVERVIEW.
Chapter 2. A POLICY FOR LIFELONG LEARNING.
Chapter 3. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND UNIVERSITY LIFELONG LEARNING MANAGEMENT.
Chapter 4. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES.
Chapter 5. E-LEARNING MANAGEMENT FOR LIFELONG LEARNING.
Chapter 6. MARKETING.
Chapter 7. STAFF AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT.
Chapter 8. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT.
Chapter 9. QUALITY ASSURANCE.
Chapter 10. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: UNIVERSITIES AND LIFELONG LEARNING IN THE NEW EUROPE.
In addition, over 120 contributors from across Europe have contributed over 70 case studies on these topics, illustrating both the wealth and diversity of LLL and its management across Europe. Through the case studies, the Handbook provides examples of how Europe’s universities are responding to the new economic, social, political, cultural and environmental challenges posed by the new Europe and the knowledge society. These include changes in policy, regional development projects, ICT strategies, organizational changes, regional and European collaboration, marketing, developments in curricula and in teaching and learning, quality and accreditation models, and much more. There are also some case studies from non-university providers of LLL. In short, the Handbook provides policy makers and practitioners in LLL with a wealth of new ideas on how to implement change. We hope that you will use the Handbook, comment on it, and submit your own contributions to it in the future.

Brussels, 14 October 2011. 30th in the series “European Policy Seminars” of the Academic Cooperation Association.
Theme
Social concerns have traditionally played an important role in the discourse on European higher education. After a boom in the social rhetoric in the 1970s, the issue re-emerged in Europe in the context of the Bologna Process. Introduced by student representatives as a counterweight to demands for ‘competitiveness’, the social dimension was first strongly associated with the notion of higher education as a ‘public good’ and a ‘public responsibility’ (Prague 2001). The Bergen summit of 2005 referred to it as a “constituent part” of the Bologna Process and the London Communiqué for the first time provided a quasi-definition and formulated a goal: “the student body entering, participating in and completing higher education should reflect the diversity of our populations”.
Stated aims and ambitions are one thing, but how about the reality on the ground? Are our universities and colleges accessible for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds and immigrants and cultural minorities, to mention just three groups that play a role in the ‘social discourse’? Or is the social dimension, as a report of 2009 found, a rhetorical rather than a real success, and is it true that it is still not the “ability to learn but the ability to pay” which determines participation in higher education? Do universities and governments in Europe have policies for participative equity in place, and are these policies effective?
These are only some of the questions which this ACA European Policy Seminar will address. Key experts will present latest research findings. Among them are a soon-to-be released EURYDICE study on the issue, the brand new EUROSTUDENT 2011 report and the external evaluation of the social dimension in the Bologna Process. The seminar will also showcase the work of the 'Official Bologna Working Group' on the Social Dimension. The European Commission will present its latest policy position paper on higher education and the OECD will provide intelligence on if and how our universities and colleges are catering to students from migrant communities. Two institutional representatives will provide insights on access and diversity ‘from the field’.
Speakers
Bernd Wächter is the Director of the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA), a consortium of European and global agencies which support international cooperation in higher education. ACA is a think-tank which promotes innovation and internationalisation in higher education. Bernd was born in Giessen (Germany) and studied at the universities of Hull (UK), Giessen and Marburg (Germany).  He lives in Brussels (Belgium) and is married to Thora Magnusdottir, a delightful lady from Iceland. Bernd’s career has been focused on international higher education. In his first post, at the University of Kassel (Germany), he devised international degree programmes in cooperation with universities abroad. He later joined the British Council, before becoming the Director of the international office of the Fachhochschule Darmstadt. Moving on to Germany’s internationalisation agency DAAD, he became the head of this organisation’s European section. He subsequently became Director of Higher Education in the Brussels Socrates Office, with overall responsibility for the Erasmus Programme in Europe. In 1998, he took up his present post as the director of ACA. Bernd has published widely on international matters in higher education, and he is a frequent speaker at European and international education conferences. He is the editor of the ACA Papers on International Cooperation in Higher Education.  He also works, as an expert advisor, for many international organisations.
David Crosier joined Eurydice, the EU's education information network, in September 2008. He is responsible for the network's studies on higher education, and in particular for a study on Funding and the Social Dimension that will be published in the autumn alongside the European Commission's Communication on the Higher Education Modernisation Agenda. He is also currently working on the official report to be produced for the Bologna Ministerial Conference in Bucharest, 26/27 April 2012. This will offer a comprehensive picture of progress towards agreed higher education objectives across the European Higher Education Area. Before joining Eurydice, David worked for the European University Association where he was responsible for a variety of projects focusing on different aspects of implementation of the Bologna process. He managed EUA's Trends reports, and was co-author of the Trends V publication in 2007.
Brian Power is head of Student Support and Equity of Access to Higher Education at the Irish Department of Education and Skills and is currently Co-Chair of the Bologna Working Group on the Social Dimension of Higher Education. He has held a number of senior posts in the Department of Education and Skills, including in international and EU affairs and has served with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Education Attaché in the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU in Brussels. Until recently, Brian was also Co-Chair of the Bologna Network of Experts on Student Support in Europe (NESSIE). He has previously served as a member of the EU Education Committee and the Education Committee of the OECD. He holds an MSc in Public Service Innovation Management from the University of Ulster and the Letterkenny Institute of Technology and represents Ireland as a member of the High Council of the European University Institute in Florence.
Yasemin Yağcı is a doctoral student in the International Centre for Higher Education Research, University of Kassel, Germany. Her dissertation is on the social dimension of the Bologna Process, focusing on policy impacts in Finland, Germany and Turkey. Ms. Yağcı has worked as a junior researcher in different international research projects on the Bologna Process, e.g., Bologna Beyond 2010 and The Bologna Process Independent Assessment. Yasemin Yağcı earned her BSc in Political Science and Public Administration at the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey in June 2005. She completed her master’s studies in the Institutions and Social Mechanisms Programme, at the University of Turku, Finland in September 2007. Further information can be found at http://www.incher.uni-kassel.de/.
Lene Oftedal has served as a Seconded National Expert in the Directorate-General for Education and Culture at the European Commission in Brussels since 2008. In the Unit for Higher Education and Erasmus, she is working on policy development for reforms in higher education, both within the Europe 2020 Strategy and the Bologna Process. Ms. Oftedal is in charge of facilitating the open method of coordination for higher education as coordinator of peer learning activities. She also works on policy issues related to lifelong learning, the social dimension in higher education and recognition. Prior to her secondment, Ms. Oftedal was working on international cooperation in higher education in the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research. She was previously seconded to the Nordic Council of Ministers in Copenhagen, where she worked on tasks related to international cooperation in higher education. She has a Master of Social Science from the University of Oslo.
Dominic Orr. Coming soon.
Dirk Van Damme currently is Head of CERI (Centre for Educational Research and Innovation) in the Directorate for Education at the OECD in Paris. He holds a PhD degree in educational sciences from Ghent University and is also professor of educational sciences in the same university (since 1995). He also was part-time professor in comparative education at the Free University of Brussels (1997-2000) and visiting professor of comparative education at Seton Hall University, NJ, USA (2001-2008). His main fields of study and research have included comparative education, lifelong education and higher education policy. He has been professionally involved in educational policy development as deputy director of the cabinet of the Flemish Minister of education Luc Van den Bossche (1992-1998), as general director of the Flemish rectors’ conference VLIR (2000-2003), as expert for the implementation of the Bologna Declaration for Ms Marleen Vanderpoorten, Flemish Minister of education (2002-2003) and as director of the cabinet of Mr Frank Vandenbroucke, Flemish minister of education (2004-2008). In 2004 he served also as executive director of the RAGO, the organization of public schools in the Flemish Community of Belgium. Besides that, he has served as an expert for several national and international organisations. In recent years he has served as board member of QANU (the quality assurance agency for the Dutch universities), as member of the scientific board of AQA (the Austrian Quality Agency in higher education), as expert member of the OECD review of schooling in Scotland, and as member of the Committee for the external evaluation of the University of Luxembourg. His current interests focus on educational policy, innovation in education, comparative analyses of educational systems, new developments in the learning sciences and knowledge management in education.
Maurits van Rooijen. Since 2009, Prof. Dr. Maurits van Rooijen FRSA has been the Rector Magnificus of Nyenrode Business Universiteit. He is also the CEO of Universiteit Nyenrode BV. Van Rooijen worked previously in academic positions; at his alma mater Utrecht University and a variety of visting positions at universities around the globe. He held senior managerial positions at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Leiden University and University of Westminster, London. Van Rooijen also holds various international administrative positions. He is, for example, Co-Chairman of the World Association for Co-operative Education (Boston MA, USA), which supports work-integrated learning. Furthermore, he is President of the Compostela Group of Universities (Santiago de Compostela, Spain), an association that stimulates cooperation and dialogue in the field of higher education. Van Rooijen is also Vice President of the London-based European Access Network, that encourages under-represented groups to participate in higher education, and Chairman of the Managing Board of the Euro-Mediterranean University in Slovenia, an initiative of the European Parliament.
Erich Thaler has joined the University of Basel in 2007. He heads the Department of International Affairs and is responsible for marketing and developing the presence of the University internationally. He works within a team of eight to nurture a world wide marketing and recruiting network, coordinates the Swiss – South African bilateral research programme SSAJRP, overviews the joint doctorate activities of his university and is a Uni Basel delegate to the EUCOR network of Upper Rhine research universities. Before this position, Erich has held responsibilities of marketing and teaching at higher education institutions and education providers in Vienna, Munich, Paris, Seoul and Berlin. He lives in Basel, is married and father of a 4 year old boy.

Europe-wide web platform for supporting the mobility of apprentices
Euroapprenticeship is a project aiming at building and developing a network of competent bodies and intermediary organisations which provides expertise, information, help and support to any learning mobility project promoted by Vocational Education and Training providers, for the benefit of SMEs, Skilled Crafts Companies and of apprentices.
Euroapprenticeship is not a programme directly dedicated to apprentices, since it does not directly provide money for mobility projects and it does not propose direct placements for young people. But it provides information and contacts to find the right support and the best adapted solutions for each young people.

I - ABOUT THE CONTEXT
THE INCREASING IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING MOBILITY
“…every young person should have the opportunity to take part in some form of mobility, whether this be during their studies or training, in the form of a work placement, or in the context of voluntary activities."
Conclusions of the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member states on youth mobility, 20 and 21 November 2008 (OJ C 320, 16.12.2008),
The working environment of SMEs and Skilled Craft Companies undergoes profound changes. Professional and technical expertise is in itself no longer an assurance of survival and success. It must be accompanied by new mindsets geared towards more adaptability and new competences that allow both management and labour to cope with permanent changes and to interact with partners and competitors with diverse cultural backgrounds. One must possess social, intercultural and communication competences, be capable of creativity and innovative thinking, have sufficient ability for self-directed learning and last but not least have enough self-confidence and self-reliance to act in an unpredictable environment. Such competences cannot be taught using school-based approach.
Placements abroad rightly fit as a new and valuable tool for better adapting European VET-systems to labour market needs. Transnational mobility in the context of VET is therefore considered as a meaningful didactic tool to foster competences of the participants such as foreign language proficiency, intercultural and personal (broad, generic) competences. The use of placements abroad is now a regular feature of many national VET-systems, as well as the focus of the EU-programme Leonardo da Vinci and of various regional funding schemes.
Competent bodies and Intermediary organisations have already developed since years activities aiming at increasing the number and the quality of European training pathways.
Among those organisations, Regional Authorities, Professional/Sector Organisations or Chambers of Skilled Crafts Companies have played a major role as they are involved in the implementation of training programmes for apprentices. The representatives of SMEs and Skilled Crafts Companies on the one hand, some regions and regional authorities on the other hand, recently made strong political decisions that aim at enhancing European pathways for apprentices and people in alternate IVET systems. They also got committed on a concrete level by developing services and tools to support field players in implementing mobility schemes.
In December 2008 the General Assembly of UEAPME1 voted a resolution on mobility of apprentices and young people in initial VET, which strongly called for the European Commission to equip the current and future education and VET programmes for the period 2014-2020 with measures allowing to increase the transnational mobility in VET.
In May 2009 some regions from 15 Member States and territorial authorities approved the Barcelona Declaration on the contribution of the regions and territorial authorities regarding the organization and promotion of training mobility of individuals in initial vocational education and training.
THE ACTION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
In 2009 on the basis of an open call for proposals, the European Commission selected APCM together with UEAPME and its members to be in charge of setting up a “network of mobility networks” and a web platform called Euroapprenticeship to support the mobility of apprentices. Its ultimate aim is to make placements abroad a realistic and feasible option for apprentices in all Member States of the European Union and even beyond.

II. OBJECTIVES OF THE EuroApprenticeship PROJECT
The main objective of EuroApprenticeship is to build and organise a network of competent bodies and intermediary organisations which provides expertise, information, help and support to any learning mobility project promoted by VET providers, for the benefit of SMEs or Skilled Crafts Companies and for the benefit of apprentices or people in alternated training systems.
More specifically, the EuroApprenticeship project aims at:
- supporting VET-providers in creating sustainable European partnerships,
- giving an added value to the companies through transnational mobility projects,
- implementing a coherent quality system,
- proposing appropriate methods and tools for the recognition of mobility periods as a recognized part of the domestic education and training (curriculum approach/added value approach),
- providing expertise on legal, financial, administrative and other practical issues,
- supporting “new comers” with identifying suitable and experienced host companies and training centres
- enhancing the role of intermediary organisation in motivating and supporting companies.
In order to achieve these objectives, the EuroApprenticeship Project is developing a network and a web-based collaborative platform. This work is based on already existing mobility projects, tools and networks that have been successfully implemented by the partners of the project or associated organisations during the last years, among others EURONAVER (www.euronaver.net), MOBIVET-REGIO Forum and peer learning activities, PRO MOBILITY Network, App-and-Go, Mobility-EU, SME-Master (more detailed information on those projects and networks is given in the Partner’s description part).
On an operational level, the specific activities of the project are:
1. Setting-up a web-based platform that provides information and tools supporting mobility:
- Basic information in the main EU languages about mobility and apprenticeship, accessible from the open part of the web platform. This information is targeted towards apprentices, companies and VET Providers.
- Specific information and tools accessible to the members of the EuroApprenticeship Network in the restricted area.
2. Elaborate and implement modalities, work processes, quality criteria and tools for the coordination and development of the EuroApprenticeship Network:
EuroApprenticeship will work as a “club”, which members can access to specific information, agenda, newsletter ... and tools through the web platform. They will also be able to participate to peer learning activities and networking seminars.
3. Provide services and tools to support the creation of sustainable partnerships and mobility activities for VET providers (including companies):
For some intermediate organisations and competent bodies, getting information and tools on the Web Platform is not enough to easily deal with all the dimensions of mobility. In this case, adequate tools and services will be provided, such as training for trainers, fund raising, partners-finding, technical support, recognition, guidance, …
4. Setting-up an observatory of mobility in Apprenticeship:
To develop and monitor its own activities, the EuroApprenticeship Network needs to collect and analyse information on such issues as qualification systems and framework, alternated training systems and methods, mobility programmes, mobility data and figures, … This information will be shared with all the stakeholders and policy-makers in the field, through the implementation of an Observatory on learning mobility for apprentices.
The Observatory will provide indications about the evolutions of the fame or “brand awareness” of mobility, through a periodical EuroApprenticeship Barometer.
5. Create and disseminate a “Trademark” for European Mobility of Apprentices:
In order to give more visibility to learning mobility EuroApprenticeship should develop as a brand and provide specific communication tools (logo, visual aid, quality charters, etc…) to valorise the role of VET providers and companies in the implementation of mobility.
This activity will be closely linked to the existing communication tools, especially those implemented by the European Commission in the framework of the Lifelong Learning Programme.

III. TARGET GROUPS AND BENEFICIARIES OF EuroApprenticeship
Target Group : Competent bodies and Intermediary Organisations:
They can be Competent Institutions involved
- in the elaboration of training policies and the organisation of the training / apprenticeship systems: (e.g. : Skilled Crafts, Professional organisations, Branches, Regional and National Authorities) ;
- and/or in the organisation of mobility.
The project will provide adding value to them by:
- supporting and guiding those organisations without any experience to get into mobility
- incorporating them in the EuroApprenticeship Network, so that they can develop mobility on a wider scale.
Other beneficiaries of EuroApprenticeship
- VET-Providers,
- Individuals: persons such as apprentices, persons in alternated based IVET systems
- Enterprises: SMEs and Skilled Crafts companies
- Mobility Networks: Existing Apprentices-Mobility Networks mainly at regional and sectoral levels.

By Aisha Labi. As global financial markets gyrate and national economies on both sides of the Atlantic face unfamiliar perils, the potential implications for higher education in Europe are worrying.
European higher-education systems remain for the most part publicly financed, and as cash-strapped governments have cut public spending in recent years, universities in several countries have suffered the consequences. This latest wave of economic turmoil could further hinder public financing for universities and alternative revenue streams, including philanthropy, on which many institutions have become increasingly dependent. Stubbornly high unemployment rates in several countries mean that young graduates are less likely than ever to find work, putting further strains on already-stretched social safety networks and pushing colleges to focus more on teaching job skills. And a readiness by young Europeans to take to the streets to protest austerity measures, as in Britain, Spain, and other nations, adds an unpredictable dimension to an already-volatile situation.
The European University Association, a Brussels-based organization that represents higher-education institutions and rectors in 47 countries, has been tracking the global economic crisis and its impact on higher education since 2008. In a report published in June, it said that, although the extent to which different countries have been shaken by the volatility varies considerably, "the economic crisis has left few higher-education systems unaffected." Public money accounts for, on average, 75 percent of European universities' income, and such reliance on government financing "means that any change in this funding source can potentially have the highest impact," the report says. As with previous analyses, the association's most-recent report emphasizes that the impact of the financial turmoil on higher-education systems has varied significantly across Europe.
In some countries, including England, Greece, Italy, and Ireland, universities have been subjected to cuts of more than 10 percent. Greece's youth-unemployment rate of more than 40 percent is among Europe's highest, and its economy has been the focus of concerted European bailout efforts for the past several months. The report calls the situation there "critical," noting that the Greek student population "has been increasing while the government has been cutting higher-education funding by up to 35 percent over 2010 and 2011." International focus has shifted in recent days to the ailing economy in Italy, where universities are facing severe cuts of 14 percent over the next two years, according to the report. "The situation appears critical as some 25 universities already face a default risk in the near future," the report says.
Each of the countries that has made what the report described as "major cuts" in higher-education spending has faced increasing financial pressure as the summer has progressed, amid fears of economic contagion spreading across Europe and growing speculation about which economies might be next in line for a costly bailout. Governments won't make decisions about budgets for several months, so exactly how the latest turmoil will hit higher education won't be known for some time. However, there can be little doubt that universities will eventually feel the impact.
France has been a bright spot, singled out by the European University Association for its government's ambitious stimulus package for higher education. The report noted that "the prospect for 2011 remains positive," with an additional projected increase of €4.7-billion, or $6.7-billion. But with rumors swirling of a potential downgrade of France's credit rating, following Standard & Poor's reduction of the U.S. rating, and with the French government seeking ways to trim its public deficit, universities in France could see a change in their fortunes. Despite the uncertainty, some education experts are hopeful that universities will be able to ride out the economic upheaval largely unscathed.
"No one enjoys turmoil in the markets, " Joanna Motion, vice president for international operations at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, wrote in an e-mail. The organization helps institutions with their fund raising. "But universities, by definition, are focused on big issues," she said. "They're here for the long haul."
As universities rely more on philanthropic giving to replace public financing, they have reason to remain optimistic that donations will continue to flow in, she said in an e-mail. "University campaigns these days are driven by transformational, high-end gifts. Money of that kind is genuinely global and fluid—and to some extent finds shelter from the storm."

The 30 Stakeholders’ Coalition initiated by EUCIS-LLL and the Youth Forum following up on “Erasmus for all” gathered on 2 July and decided to increase the pressure on MEPs concerning a sustainable administrative support for European organisations. A letter has been sent to MEPs of the CULT Committee to defend the EU added value of European organisations and express their essential need for new funding schemes if operating grants were to be cut in the next programme. Stakeholders remain flexible to discuss eligibility criteria; Commissioner Vassiliou also showed some openness for further negotiations. See EUCIS-LLL and the Coalition’s positions and amendments. See also below (“institutional news” section) the intervention of MEP Marie-Christine Vergiat on this issue during the last CULT Committee.
30 STAKEHOLDERS’ PROPOSALS TO IMPROVE THE DRAFT REGULATION “ERASMUS FOR ALL”
Contact: Audrey Frith, EUCIS-LLL, on behalf of the coalition, +32 2.234.61.38, Audrey.Frith@eucis-lll.eu.
“Erasmus for All” is the new programme proposed by the European Commission on 23 November 2011 for education, training, youth and sport. The draft regulation is now being discussed at the European Parliament and Council. The coalition praises the proposed budget of 19 billion EUR while acknowledging that it is a minimum allocation necessary to have a real impact in the current economic crisis and to match the ambitious targets of the Europe 2020 strategy. It also welcomes the commitment to simplify the programme. However it considers that some adjustments could be brought to the proposed Regulation in order to ensure a greater impact and European added value. This concerns the need to reinforce the lifelong learning dimension and the recognition of key and transversal competences and skills gained through non-formal education, to strengthen the complementary aims of learning – active citizenship, social inclusion and employability as equally important. Furthermore, it is crucial to better acknowledge the importance of civil dialogue and civil society and the support to them. The coalition invites EU institutions to take into account the arguments that underlie each of these statements. It also presents very concrete proposals in order to simplify the management and administration of the future programme.
Key Messages
As developed in this position paper
PART 1: CONTRIBUTIONS ON THE GENERAL APPROACH & STRUCTURE
1. Why we should reinforce the lifelong learning approach and how to do it
2. Why we should reinforce the social dimension and how to do it
3. Why we should reinforce active citizenship and how to do it
4. Why we should reinforce civil dialogue and how to do it
5. Management and simplification
PART 2 – ADMINISTRATIVE AND MANAGEMENT SIMPLIFICATIONS
1. Simplifying application procedures in 4 steps
2. Simplifying the financial management of projects
3. Ensuring the sustainability of EU projects and networks
4. Guiding principles for authorising officers
5. Specific rules for operating grants
PART 1: CONTRIBUTIONS ON THE GENERAL APPROACH & STRUCTURE
1. Why we should reinforce the lifelong learning approach and how to do it
The coalition welcomes the idea to have a programme that supports a lifelong approach to learning but we consider that the proposed Regulation is insufficiently reflecting this approach in terms of opening the programme to all type of learners from early childhood to seniors. It also observes a lack of coherence especially on indicators and definitions. Lifelong learning is a continuum that the programme should reflect with a genuine integrated approach. We can only achieve this if all the sectors are covered and their actors encouraged to work together.
1.1. All sectors should be given equal importance. EU programmes give a positive impulse and are complementary to the work that is done at national, regional and local levels in all the sectors – secondary and higher education, vocational education and training, non-formal education and adult education. All the target groups from the current programmes should have adequate opportunities to continue to receive EU support. For instance, the transnational mobility of primary and secondary students, of adult learners should be promoted together with that of higher education and vocational training students and of young people involved in non-formal activities (article 7.1(a)). Clear mechanisms that will guarantee this equal access, for example by planning to allocate a certain proportion of funding to the various target groups, should be mentioned in the Regulation itself. It will ensure that small organisations – which are primarily found in the school, youth work and adult education fields – have opportunities to participate alongside bigger institutions. Appropriate indicators should also be defined for each target groups (article 5). Finally, internationalisation should concern all the sectors (article 8) and not only higher education. Furthermore, the structure needs to be clarified in order to ensure that the programme is tailor-made for each learner group. This means that the three types of actions (article 6) be implemented in a way that is relevant to each target group.
1.2. We call for a clearer recognition of non-formal education. We regret that this sector is not mentioned in the scope of the programme (article 1) or in the Communication that accompanies the Regulation whereas it plays an important role, including in the outreach to disadvantaged groups. Today more and more learning takes place in non-formal or informal settings. Civil society organisations that provide quality non-formal education, notably youth organisations, should thus be supported at national and European level. It is also important to recognise and validate these learning outcomes. Furthermore; we ask for a clarification in the use of “non-formal learning” when in fact it should refer to the “non-formal education” sector (notably in article 2 Definitions).
1.3. Cooperation for innovation and good practices should aim towards common goals. We feel it is important to look at remaining barriers within educational systems to encourage more flexible lifelong learning pathways. The Regulation focuses too much on partnerships between the education and business worlds. Furthermore it creates a distinction between higher education and VET (article 8 b). We recommend that the goals of partnerships be focused on modernising education and training systems, on capacity building for organisations from all sectors and on learners’ personal development, active citizenship and social inclusion. Applicants should be encouraged to build projects with various types of actors: educational institutions, civil society organisations, social partners and local authorities. Indeed the format of these partnerships should depend on the challenges identified and on learners’ needs. As the High Level Group on Lifelong Learning (High Level Expert Group, “Analysis of critical factors for the implementation of Lifelong Learning strategies and policies”, 2010) concluded: “lifelong learning can only succeed if (these) parties work towards common goals and complement each other. Therefore, cooperation, consultation, consensus building and fruitful partnership are crucial.” This is even more important if we really want to achieve an integrated approach. In the same way, the aims of learning mobility should be clarified (article 7). More emphasize should be given to personal development, social inclusion and active citizenship and a specific mention to intercultural learning and to language teaching should be made.
1.4. Most of our networks feel that the denomination “Erasmus for All” is not appropriate. For many people it refers to higher education and students’ mobility whereas lifelong learning covers formal, non-formal and informal learning. We are concerned that, by using a brand name which is so strongly affiliated to a specific programme, it could lead to misconceptions and end up being misleading for the general public. Furthermore it goes against the EU priority to raise awareness on lifelong learning – and we know a funding programme is a great leverage to do so. “Lifelong Learning” or “Learning Europe” might be more appropriate brand names and would allow continuity with the current programme that has proved to be successful; many actors in Europe know the name already. Download 30 STAKEHOLDERS’ PROPOSALS TO IMPROVE THE DRAFT REGULATION “ERASMUS FOR ALL”.

Europass mobility
What is the Europass Mobility…
- The Europass Mobility is a document which records a period of time spent in another country for the purpose of education, training or work. It constitutes added value in the sense of international experience. The document is issued for experiences acquired in the EU, European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and candidate countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Rumania, Turkey). If you apply for a job or for a place in some education institution, you can attach the Europass Mobility to other documents which testify about your skills and competences acquired abroad.
- The Europass Mobility records all essential data: about the sending partner (which is – the organisation responsible for the mobility experience in the country of origin of the individual who wishes to gather experience abroad), the host partner (which is – the organisation hosting the individual), the individual undergoing the mobility experience, as well as about the skills and competences acquired during the mobility experience.
- The Europass Mobility is a successor of the Europass Training document which was launched in the EU in 2000, while Slovenia started to issue it in 2004. The Europass Mobility marks an improvement from the previous document since it is also available in electronic form. What is more, it also provides a more detailed description of acquired skills (language, social, organisational, computer and other skills). The first Europass Mobility documents in Slovene will be issued at the beginning of 2006, while their predecessors, i.e. Europass Training documents, will replace them until then.
Where can you obtain the Europass Mobility…
- The sending partner responsible for the mobility experience submits a request to the National Europass Centre. The application form can on the printed form which could also be sent to you in paper form upon request. You cannot ask for the document individually, the application form has to be filled in by the sending partner, responsible for the mobility experience. Application form - Adobe Acrobat format (152 KB), Application form – Word format (238 KB).
- The document is to be completed by the sending and host partners. Afterwards, the user receives it in a special Europass folder. The sending partner normally submits the request for the document prior to the mobility experience abroad. The mobility experience has to satisfy certain quality criteria: predetermined objectives and tasks, duration and monitoring. But there are no limitations in terms of age or status.
- Document preview: in Slovene language: Europass Mobility, in other European languages: examples of Europass Mobility.
Benefits of the Europass Mobility are...
- improved sections for the description of acquired skills and experiences (in comparison with its predecessor – the Europass Training)
- electronic and paper form
- every person participating in the European programmes Leonardo da Vinci and Erasmus can acquire it without any difficulties
See also: Europass CV, Europass language passport, Europass Diploma Supplement, Europass Certificate Supplement.

ECA has been founded in 2003 with the primary aim of mutual recognition of accreditation decisions. Twelve mutual recognition agreements between ECA members were signed in 2007. ECA was renewed in 2008. The ENIC/ NARICs of ECA member countries have been involved in the project in order to strengthen the link between accreditation decisions and recognition of qualifications. The members of ECA have agreed on their aims, project organisation and main activities in the Agreement of Cooperation 2008.
Projects
CA is a project in itself. But in order to facilitate its cooperation and to contribute to achieving its aims ECA is continuosly carrying out projects within the fields of QA and recognition of qualifications. ECA is currently carrying out the projects; JOQAR and E-TRAIN. Other recent projects of ECA are the TEAM projects.
Joint programmes: Quality Assurance and Recognition of degrees awarded (JOQAR)
ECA is currently carrying out the EU funded project JOQAR. The overall purpose of the project is to ensure that Erasmus Mundus programmes (and joint programmes in general) are facilitated in two specific areas: accreditation and recognition. The project partnership consequently includes quality assurance/accreditation agencies (QA/A agencies) and recognition bodies (ENIC-NARICs.  * Read more.
European Training of QA Experts (E-TRAIN)
E-TRAIN is another ECA project which is funded by the EC. The main aims of E-TRAIN are to develop a European training programme for QA experts and to develop a database with QA experts. * Read more
Transparent European Accreditation decisions and Mutual recognition agreements II (TEAM II)
Autumn 2010 ECA finalised the TEAM II project. The main aims of TEAM II were to explore recognition of qualifications from joint programmes and facilitate single accreditation procedures of these programmes. In order to achieve the aims of the project a variety of activities were carried out. E.g. a focus group consisiting of ENIC/NARICs analysed practices related to the recognition of qualifications from joint programmes. Additionally a proposal for a methodology for single accreditation procedures of joint programmes was put forward. The outcomes of TEAM II were presented at a dissemination conference in Graz on 10 and 11 June, 2010. * Read more
Qrossroads
Qrossroads is actually the result of the TEAM projects but deserves some special attention here. The main aim of Qrossroads is to present the qualifications awarded by programmes and institutions that were quality assured and accredited. The members of ECA have implemented a system in which their databases can communicate all the relevenant information to a central database. In return they can gather information from that central database to be used in their own database. * Visit Qrossroads
Transparent European Accreditation decisions and Mutual recognition agreements (TEAM)
TEAM was a project conducted by ECA partners in the period from  September 2006 till July 2008. The project was funded with support from the European Commission. The main objectives of the TEAM-project were the development of Qrossroads, the introduction of accreditation statements in English and the dissemination of information about mutual recognition of accreditation decisions. * Read more.
Joint Declaration concerning the Automatic Recognition of Qualifications
Click here to consult the Joint Declaration concerning the Automatic Recognition of Qualifications signed by ECA members and the corresponding ENIC-NARICs.
Joiman Project
Joiman is not a project of ECA, but is a European Commission funded  LLP project focusing on Erasmus Mundus programmes. Joiman aims at providing a platform in which an experienced group of partners could share knowledge and know how on the solutions found for the problems faced during the first stage of the Erasmus Mundus Programme. Joiman website.
Cooperation agreements
ECA has entered into cooperation agreements with other QA networks.

MODERN is a three-year EU-funded project (2009-2011) under the Lifelong Learning Programme (ERASMUS), which aims to respond to the Modernisation Agenda of the European Union and to the need to invest in people, support future leaders and encourage the professionalisation of higher education management (HEM) at all levels.
Under the leadership of ESMU (European Centre for Strategic Management of Universities) MODERN is a consortium of 10 core and 29 associate partners joining forces to provide a common answer to the fragmentation in the supply of management development programmes and of organizational support to HEIs, their leaders and managers.
MODERN is a web-based community project. The European platform is intended as an interactive information and meeting point for HEM providers, experts, target group learners and interested stakeholders. Other activities of the platform will include a survey on needs and demands for HEM programmes, five thematic conferences (governance, funding, quality and internationalization, regional innovation and knowledge transfer) as well as peer learning activities.

Training needs for leadership and management professions in European Higher Education Institutions
Survey info
European higher education is going through a transition period in which a new relationship between society and higher education institutions is being developed. As part of this new relationship the leadership and management structures and functions of higher education institutions are expected to become more professional. For this professionalisation specific investments and actions are needed. This questionnaire is part of an EU-funded project aimed at supporting the professionalisation by creating an open European Platform as an instrument for the dissemination of good practices and joint actions with respect to institutional leadership and management in higher education.
MODERN – European Platform Higher Education Modernisation – is a three-year EU-funded project (2009-2011) under the Lifelong Learning Programme (ERASMUS), which aims to respond to the Modernisation Agenda of the European Union and to the need to invest in people, support future leaders and encourage the professionalisaion of higher education management (HEM) at all levels.
Under the leadership of ESMU (European Centre for Strategic Management of Universities) MODERN is a consortium of 9 core and 30 associate partners joining forces to provide a common answer to the fragmentation in the supply of management development programmes and of organizational support to HEIs, their leaders and managers.
The questionnaire is specifically aimed at indentifying concrete training needs that higher education institutions in Europe have when it comes to their staff involved in leadership, management and administration functions.
Please take part in the MODERN survey and fill in the online questionnaire. Answer the questions by ticking the respective boxes or using the text fields for other answers in writing.  The questionnaire takes about 10 minutes to complete and is available here. All data will be treated confidentially. Should you have any questions, please contact: Crina Mosneagu (programmes@esmu.beThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it).