On 23-24 October, the European Commission is organising the "ESCO goes live" conference in Brussels.
Watch the LIVE webstream of the conference online now...
The conference will officially launch ESCO, the classification of European Skills/Competences, Qualifications and Occupations, and the ESCO Portal. It is the first time that ESCO will be publically accessible.
ESCO will serve as a common language facilitating cooperation and dialogue between education/training and labour market stakeholders. Operating in 25 European languages, ESCO offers an opportunity to further European cooperation in these policy areas. ESCO has been jointly created by European and national stakeholders and the European Commission. More...

The clock is ticking down to the highly anticipated launch of the Open Educational Resource university (OERu) website. It will be unveiled for the first time on 1 November, 2013. OERu is a virtual collaboration of like-minded institutions committed to creating flexible pathways for OER learners to gain formal academic credit.
At the OER university, anyone with an internet connection and the motivation to learn can study world-class courses for free. Even better, those courses will count towards real qualifications. All of the courses are based on OERs, so students can access the materials freely online without having to pay for textbooks. The courses are designed for independent study, but learners can support each other through the networking channels available.
On Friday November 1, Sir John Daniel will officially launch the OER university website. The institutions of higher education that form the partners of the Open Education Resource university initiative are doing all of their planning for the launch event in the open.  It is important to note that it is not a conference but rather an implementation planning meeting.
In addition, anyone can register to attend the launch event online.

On 25 October 2013, two new studies on translation and multilingualism will be discussed by experts in legal translation and in intercultural studies. The first is a topic close to the heart of many translators working with institutional texts: "Document quality control in public administrations and international organisations" reviews best practices in a selection of legal environments and makes recommendations. The second study, "Translation and language learning", argues that translation today is back in fashion in language teaching, as a tool for motivation and for enhancing intercultural skills.
Young people will also be in the limelight: four young researchers from the EMT (European Master's in Translation) universities will make poster presentations of their research projects on related topics. Directorate-General for Translation’s new interns from Brussels and Luxembourg will join in the open discussion.
Participants include representatives from universities, the language industry, language institutes and professional associations.
Watch the event online!

The new brefing note of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) provides advice on helping low-qualified adults out of unemployment.
"Return to learning, return to work" is available in various languages (Spanish, German, Greek, English, French, Italian, Lithuanian, Polish and Portuguese) and two formats (Pdf or eBook optimised for tablets and smartphones). It can be downloaded for free at the Cedefop website.
The three previous Briefing Notes include:

The Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) has learned that the Title VIII program – a U.S. State Department program that funds language training and research in Eurasian and Eastern European studies – did not receive an appropriation for the federal fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. Because the money is typically allocated one year and spent the next, that means a significant reduction in the number of fellowships and grants available in 2013-14. Read more...

EUA’s Secretary General Lesley Wilson earlier this month took part in a symposium on staff development in academia organised by RWTH Aachen University in Germany. The event brought together different stakeholders from across Germany to discuss different elements and challenges of human resources (HR) management in universities.
Lesley Wilson was asked to provide a European perspective on the topic – and in her presentation stressed that human resource development at all levels was a crucial issue not only for universities in Germany but also across Europe and worldwide, as institutions seek to attract talented staff and students. She underlined that one of the important aspects for universities to compete in a global higher education environment, was that they should have the autonomy to decide freely on issues related to human resources management, including recruitment, salaries, dismissals and promotions. EUA’s autonomy scorecard study had shown that there are still wide divergences across Europe in terms of staffing autonomy, she added, and that this does not always make it easy, for example, to promote mobility or recruit staff from other countries. More...