The impact of lifelong learning strategies on professional higher education.

The objective of the project FLLLEX is to identify challenges and implications of Lifelong Learning (LLL) incorporation into European Higher Education institutions (HEI’s). Lifelong Learning opens up a multitude of new possibilities for HEI’s, but its impact on organisations is: What is the role of higher education in the wider landscape of Lifelong Learning? What are the institutional changes envisioned for the future? What strategy and policy advise can the project propose to other HEI’s as well as European and national players?

On the basis of an overview of the different strategies concerning LLL and assembling policy and expectations of the involved states, a survey will be conducted: the survey targets on gaining knowledge on the expectations of important stakeholders in LLL: the learners, the businesses and the business training providers will be asked about their motives and/or barriers to engage in LLL. Differences and matching goals in relation to the national policies will be identified.

This information furthermore shall serve HEI’s in better defining their role within the LLL landscape: A self-assessment tool will be developed, so that HEI’s will be able to asses if they match up with the expectations of the different stakeholders (according to policy, learner’s needs, curricular aspects …). The results will be reviewed by a panel of experts. The goal is to provide benchmarking for the individual institutions and to test the tool before further dissemination in Europe.

The FLLLEX project is an EU funded project within the framework of the Transversal Programme. It has started in January 2010 and will run until the end of August 2012.

The project was initiated and is supported by EURASHE, the project coordinator is KHLeuven – Leuven University College. The consortium includes 24 partners from 10 European countries. The project is supported by a grant within the EU funded Lifelong Learning Programme.

You can discover further information on the FLLLEX project at http://www.flllex.eu/