CONTEXT & RELEVANCE AE policies and strategies are set by EU and National governments but are implemented by regional/local authorities: in EU, regions are responsible for education and training, and it is at local level that decisions are taken and put in practice. Regions manage the EU Social Fund: in 2007-13 EU regions spent only 47.4% of allocated ESF funds for AE; with significant variation in the use of funds certified as of March 2014: from 12% in RO to 69% in LV (DG-EMPL 2014 “ESF Expert Evaluation Network: Main ESF achievements 2007-2013”). Despite available financial resources, regions still face the challenge of developing appropriate AE policies. DG-EAC “Mind the Gap: Education Inequality across EU Regions”2012 reports major geographic disparities in AE across and within EU regions: “big regional disparities persist in terms of [AE] opportunities and achievements in the EU” The above lead to a clear policy recommendation: “more systematic (comparative) research on governance of lifelong learning, especially related to learning at regional level, is urgently needed”, DG Research, 2012 “New skills and jobs in EU: Pathways towards full employment” Regional/local authorities are the closest-to-citizen public authority and can redirect citizens to education and training. There is an immediate need to overcome such regional disparities by empowering regional/local authorities to design effective AE policies and programmes –in cooperation with social and private actors- and embed them in local development strategies. CREATE is fully in line with Erasmus+ - Sustainable investment, performance and efficiency in education, Programme Guide, p. 121 - Social inclusion as it promotes evidence based AE policy making and enhances access, participation and performance to education, Programme Guide, p. 120 - Activities set by the Guide, p.124: “cooperation between regional authorities to promote development of training systems and their integration in local and regional development” OBJECTIVE CREATE originates from the need to identify and exploit success factors to improve effectiveness and impact of AE with the overall objective of reducing geographic disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes across and within EU regions. CREATE’ will enhance policy formulation and promote evidence-based AE policy and practice, also by further aligning strategy, policy and funding of AE. PARTICIPANTS CREATE brings together regional/local authorities (including a EuroRegion), academia, third and private sectors involved in AE to build cross-sectoral synergies for the realisation of a truly EU project: - 9 partners - 8 countries CREATE directly involves 29 regional/local authorities from 9 countries and is devoted to the target group of local policy makers involved in formulation, implementation and monitoring of AE ACTIVITIES a) Benchmark and comparatively assess AE policies for regional development b) Extrapolate best practices, lessons learned, effective policy options and tools c) Build CREATE ToolBox for policy makers on how to embed AE in regional economic development strategies METHODOLOGY CREATE hinges on the “collate -> develop -> deploy” methodology applied to policy tools and solutions RESULTS CREATE main results are the 1. CREATE network, platform and virtual community for enhanced cooperation between regional authorities to promote development of adult education systems and their integration in local/regional development 2. CREATE ToolBox for closer alignment of adult education to economic development strategies at regional level IMPACT & BENEFITS CREATE will produce immediate impact and benefits on the participating organisations as it will serve as a privileged platform for policy dialogue and cross-border collaboration to enhance the labor-market relevance of AE and its integration in local economic development policies. In addition, CREATE will widen and expand its scope and scale as it will become a platform on which other regional actors and authorities will be invited to share their practices and use the CREATE ToolBox for enhance AE policies and systems. CREATE sustainability and impact is guaranteed by establishment of a permanent network for structured inter-regional and cross-border cooperation across EU: the ToolBox will be available in 7 languages and will capture best practices, lessons learned and practical examples of policy and programmes for AE in the diverse regions of Europe. Such wealth of knowledge and policy tools will be made widely and freely available through the CREATE OER to widen and deepen the impact of the project also beyond the cofinancing of Erasmus+. Such medium to long-term impact will also increase the benefits of the CREATE Platform and ToolBox by empowering regions and local authorities to better shape AE systems and embed them in regional economic development and potentially overcome the fragmentation and disparities captured by DG-EAC “Mind the Gap: Educa
The project CREATE was inspired by the results of a previous project REGIONAL, which found that regional and local adult education did not necessarily only suffer from lack of funding, but also from a disconnect between AE policies and local economic development, resulting in inefficient use of funds. CREATE aimed and still aims to enhance performance and efficiency in adult education by addressing the gap between EU/national strategies and local/regional implementation as well as the challenge of formulating appropriate AE policy. The goal is to enable policy makers to better coordinate and plan policy, share experiences and enhance inter-regional and cross-border cooperation. To that aim the CREATE consortium created an open resource Toolbox containing useful tools, best practice cases as well as networks. The Toolbox is accompanied by an Implementation Package containing documents and templates that enable users to directly apply the content of the Toolbox alongside instructions on how to join the Virtual Community and how to propose new tools for the Toolbox. Documents include a memorandum of understanding, letter of intent, invitation for consultation and open call for proposals and there are examples and instructions alongside templates. The consortium was keen to make all resources as easily accessible and as directly applicable as possible so users could reap immediate benefits. the consortium itself represented different perspectives and agents of the AE sector: providers and practitioners to strengthen practical relevance and applicability, government administration and umbrella organisations to provide the link to the policy level and an academic partner to guarantee methodological accuracy. Partners started by mapping the ‘tool landscape’ of the AE sectors in their countries and regions. A survey sent to central stakeholders in AE helped map current practices on policy tools, measures and strategies by asking recipients to recommend and rate the efficiency of tools and networks known to and used by them. This was crucial information for the creation of the repository (the Toolbox) but also allowed partners to identify needs and opportunities for further development along the way. Participants were also asked to point out gaps where they would like to see tools and useful resources to help them navigate the area. The results of the survey were published in a report which also contextualises them through country reports outlining the AE systems in partners’ countries and regions. This presents a useful framework for readers which allows them to compare their own systems and strategies and helps them identify useful tools and approaches for their specific context. Through the mapping process and their own analyses partners identified “policy tools” available within partners' regions and territories and beyond. The tools proposed were vetted for inclusion in the Toolbox as partners were keen to only include items of high value, accessibility and applicability. The Toolbox currently contains 60 tools and will be extended over the coming years; every user can suggest new additions. It is searchable by keyword, category or phase of the policy cycle. To help users implement new ideas and strategies directly, the consortium created an Implementation Package containing useful documents that can be adjusted to the users’ specific needs. The Toolbox and Virtual Community offer a framework for enhanced cooperation and exchange among policy makers as well as other agents in the AE sector. As such it is a novelty and addresses a real need for sharing and exchanging experiences, good practices and strategies instead of every agency going it alone. The cooperative approach, which stresses communication and inclusion of practice, will make these processes much more sustainable, time-efficient and create programmes much better informed by the real needs of the sector. The website, including the Virtual Community, the Toolbox and Implementation Package all come in the seven languages represented in the consortium. Partners welcome suggestions for further translations if new members would like to volunteer their services. The website, Community and Toolbox will be active for four years beyond the project lifetime and will be kept up to date by the original partnership. Partners have started to grow the Virtual Community during the project lifetime and will continue the promote it in the years to come with the goal of creating a thriving international community of exchange and cooperation consisting of agents active in strategic policy processes for adult education. Main results: - Project Website feat. the Virtual Community Platform (http://www.projectcreate.eu/) - Report on Mapping and Assessment of Policy Tools - Toolbox as a searchable repository of tools useful for the AE policy process - Implementation Package containing useful documents and templates to facilitate uptake