Upskilling pathways targets adults with a low level of skills, e.g. those without upper secondary education and who are not eligible for youth guarantee support. They may be in employment, unemployed or economically inactive, with a need to strengthen basic skills. Member states may define priority target groups for this initiative depending on the national circumstances. Great post. Thank you so much for sharing this information. Very useful.

Hello,

I'm from Italy. I'm a consultant of internet communication.

FP

Hi Simon and colleagues

Very sorry to have missed the real time virtual gathering this afternoon. A quick read through though has given me plenty of ideas so thank you for sharing your thoughts and projects.

A couple of comments to offer over and above the blog on writeon.ie referenced on p2.

Its important to consider digital in its widest sense and see how content can be repurposed across many platforms, some very cheap and accessible. In Ireland we have found that TV producers (like us all) must find ways to do more with less and through collaborations with NALA and others, it has been possible to explore linking basic skills content to nature programmes, health programmes, consumer programmes. Think Open University for upskilling but financed through State support for public broadcasting. Its a very attractive hook that can ease access to more formal learning. We will be looking at it in relation to how it might address letting the nation know about learning opportunities.

David Puttnam, a man who knows a lot about this area, is Ireland's digital champion and you can hear his views on the subject in an excerpt from a recent 4 part documentary NALA contributed to called Making Ireland Click https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/living/2016/1027/827338-making-ireland-click-with-david-putnam/ 

Thank you to everyone that has taken part, I think we can all agree that this afternoons discussion has covered lots of interesting information. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Thematic Coordinator Simon Broek for his time and input, who will be closing the organised discussion now. We will however be leaving comments open so please feel free to continue the discussion.

thnaks

We discussed two issues:

How do we ensure that digital tools provide a valuable contribution in providing basic skills for all adults (i.e. making ‘upskilling pathways a reality’)?

We saw that many of you have examples of good practices on using digital tools in basic skills acquisition.

The discussion also highlighted some factors for success, such as:

• learning needs to be relevant
• learning needs to be tailored to life of the learners
• accessible (via own device/phone)
• supported or provided in a blended way
• professionals need to be qualified and have expertise in using digital tools
• Learning needs to be individualised, not based on stereotypes. Every learner is an individual.

What is needed at the level of the adult learning professional; the level of the institution; the policy level to ensure effective use of digital tools?

Here we moved towards what needs to be done at different levels to make better use of digital tools for basic skills acquisition.

We saw that many of you have clear ideas where there are challenges:

• Digital is definitely not for all (some might miss out if provision is primarily online). Policy makers need to be aware of this
• You need professionals that can deal with digital tools
• Digital needs to be used for quality reasons not out of efficiency reasons
• All learning (also digital learning) should be attuned to individual needs
• Intergenerational learning could provide an answer in the workplace

This is definitely not the end of this discussion; rather I hope it is the start for continued fruitful exchanges (either bilateral or on EPALE) and that it adds to the knowledge base of all those involved in adult learning in Europe.

To speak for myself, I learned a lot! Thank you,

Simon

I guess this is also something to be aware of DigComp 2.0

https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/digcomp/digital-competence-framework

Five basic digital skills ..

in our DigiUp project (EU-project) its the fundement and gives a lot of challenges!

Interesting discussion today thank you! //Ulrika

This is a very important issue of our discussion today. Digital learning is often a pre-requisite to any other kind of learning nowadays, especially for adults that are not familiar with technologies and their advantages. Therefore if they learn how to utilize those digital tools, they already have gained skills. Only then, policy makers, developing institutions and trainers can make the other step of using digital tools of adults to help them acquire other skills.

In April our regional group will be engaged in a mobility activity in Finland. The aim is to explore how Finnish schools use technologies to improve L2 teaching and learning and to enhance migrants inclusion.

We are interested in visiting projects and groups working in the same issues.

Thanks a lot for this inspiring discussion, feel free to contact me

Hello Everybody,

I am Roseline Le Squère, expert EPALE,from the university of south brittany.

I am working about relations between education and employement.

Digital is THE topic at this moment.

Digital is changing our practices.But it also calls into question the modes of management, the accompaniment of professionals in the continuity of their tasks.
The university of south Brittany is a partner of the NetMe-In project, which aims to create a community of European practices on the uses of social networks as a tool for employability : @NETME_IN
The region of  South Brittany  has also set up a collective of professionals and citizens to improve the digital transitions: RN165.

In terms of what can be changed on a provider level: The JISC guide is a great example for how skills providers can make the most of digital technology to support their learners to gain employment and progress in their careers. The report is structured around five themes:

• Developing your digital vision
• Building a robust digital environment
• Developing staff digital capabilities
• Empowering and engaging learners
• Embedding technology within inclusive curriculum and assessment practices

Rumen

Motivation to learn is most important for older people and socially socially excluded. It's important that success stories would reach those who are demotivated to learn. An example from Lithuania: when implementing a project "Libraries for innovation" (implemented with support from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, similar projects have been implemented also in other European countries - Poland, Latvia, Romania) there was a motivational movie "1000 Opportunities" created. Storyline is based on 3 true life stories that reveal the daily life in villages and efforts to improve life quality and opportunities by gaining digital competences. These examples were selected out of almost 500 stories that were told by library visitors who got trained on computer literacy. Thousands of people have been encouraged to learn.

Dear all, thanks for your comments and inputs! I am Cristina Santini and I work as assistant professor @ an open University, the Università San Raffaele in Rome, Italy.  

I am resposible for graduate program and I have found your comments extremely useful. 

Thanks again. 

Feel free to contact me @ cristina.santini@unisanraffaele.gov.it 

Cristina Santini 

Something I sometimes hear is that institutions are interested in going digital as a means to safe (staff) costs. This is not the right reason and not true.

I conducted a study once (on digital in HE) and developing digital content in the right way is very costly: it requires you toe rethink and re-structure your instructional design, digitise materials and allow the training to be tailored and responsive.

The right reason (as indicated in eealier comments) for providers to go digital is quality (meaning relevance, accessibility, effectiveness etc.)

In his President’s Lecture for 2016, Simon Nelson explores how increasing access to education, delivered online in a flexible way, can help towards addressing some of the world’s future needs. He suggests the transformation that needs to take place to make the education system fit for purpose, and outlines new approaches to emerging societal challenges that will ensure generations of learners are inspired, engaged and empowered.

It's quite a long video but maybe people can save it for later:

In sweden we have the problem of that people that made decsions about digital upskilling belive tha people already are digital included. Its a problem when they only talk about the technical side. There are so much more about it that concearns the knowing and understanding skills of how to - why to - what to skills. 

The more people centred view, work with people so that they could be part of the digital society are perspektive left out. The decionsmakers the people in leadership of organizations neglect the problem with those who have acsess to but don´t know how to use....

The PIACC survey did show this problem a bit but here should be even more statistic about what kind of divide and costs it´s consecvensis give. It will give costs for the european socitey in different ways if we dont take people further on the pathway. We need more statistics.

It needs funds to day a lot of people do this work to support people voluntary. Yes its good but to come further on there need to be a greater funding to initiatives and organisaations to do the work.

Leadership need to get aware about the real situation and focus on this need in the strategical programme before its to late. Programmes toward leadership on the situation and needs needs to be made. 

All of our contires need to get people in diffrent courses and training programmes to be equipped with 

digital skills to be active citizens in the society for : everyday life, working life, life in the society and for lifelong learning. Its a huge challenge! But theres no other way...

//

Just a reminder that this (fairly) recent report from experts around Europe has a lot of useful ideas in it.

/en/system/files/attachments/wg_al_2015_final_report_final_.pdf

When we talk about the need to upskill teachers in their digital competence, we often forget that teachers are busy and that their time costs money. We need efficient, pragmatic and flexible systems for the professional development of staff. 

One way of doing this is facilitating communities of practice where good didactic approaches can be shared. Very much what we are doing here right now, but maybe with a narrower focus on a particular target group.

In Norway there is a very successful Facebook group for teachers of initial literacy to adult migrants. I am often surprised at the richness of the peer learning that goes on there!

I think adult teachers need to be patient, courageous and courious in order to try out new things. They need to value steps forward and not loose courage and then going back to old learing styles

Hello everybody, my name is Martin Dobeš, I am in the EPALE expert team of the Czech Republic and for the past 10 years, I have been been trying to bring innovations and new approaches in adult education, mostly being part of the NGO sector. I see one of the theme of the disscussion is smart technology and how to make it use widely in the population. 

Some reflections to the theme - I am not an expert on the theme, so please take it as only some ideas. Not only here in the Czech Republic, but basically anywhere in the world, the issue of digital inclusion of adults is not so much about IT or hardware skills or even about having the right hardware – it is much more about motivation. As I have travelled long time in countries generally considered as developing countries, I have seen that more and more people even from the bottom social classes are in possession of a smart phone or a simple PC in many cases and they do have some basic IT skills. We all have seen pictures and videos of refugees arriving in Europe with smart phones in their pockets, communicating via Facebook in a desperate effort to get as much information about their potential future as possible. Most of these people belong to younger generation, however. They use social networks, Skype, Google, and they know how to get information there which they need. I have encountered numerous situations where young people, adults or youngsters from countries like India, Pakistan, Syria, Oman etc. deal with their smart phones, computers and other devices with ease, while their parents and grandparents live in a completely different world. These elderly people often have fears from the digital world, they are often much more conservative than their Western counterparts and do not have a motivation to upskill digitally. To a certain extent, this applies to elderly people in Central and Eastern Europe as well.

As we already move into discussions on what is needed to facilitate basic skills acquisition through digital tools, let’s discuss the second topics of our discussion which concerns:

What is needed at the level of the adult learning professional; the level of the institution; the policy level?

Here I would like to discuss:

• What is needed in terms of skills and confidence for adult learning professionals to use digital tools?
• How can institutions support the use of digital tools?
• How can policies support the use of digital tools in upskilling those with low levels of basic skills?

Please share your experiences on this!

In Sweden we, FSO, have made a digital guide for teachers and pedagogs to be safer and comfortable in using digital methods and digital tools in the groups and classrooms. Sorry it´s in Swedish but you find it here

http://flexikon.folkbildning.net/

We do Workspace tranings as follow ups. Workspace are what it say: Working time on a safe place together with collageues where you can develop the knowledge and digital materials you need to come on the track of using digital tools in your classes and courses. Practical in a supportive environment for one or two days. 

We are still making even more material for teachers in adult education to give basic knowledge of basic usages of digital tools as a result of what we find out many times when we meet teachers.