On 26 September 2013 more than 100 study visits organisers and participants, national agency representatives, social partners, members of the Lifelong Learning Committee and European Commission officials met at Cedefop premises to draw lessons from the study visits programme, one of the most successful European initiatives addressed to policy-makers and practitioners.
The value of a peer-learning programme such as study visits is that it offers a rare opportunity to people employed in similar capacities in different countries to see how their peers and colleagues across Europe deal with similar challenges. They are able to compare experiences, discuss ideas and create networks around issues common to all. Participants can then bring these new ideas and networks into their own working lives, and help devise new ways of working in their own countries.
The programme, the first of its kind in the European Union (1978), is coming to an end, with the last of the visits to be held in June 2014. Under the lifelong learning programme (LLP) 2007-2013, the study visits involved over 15 000 people in positions of authority in education and training. The successor to the LLP, Erasmus+, will bring together various programmes under three Key Actions: learning mobility, cooperation for innovation and good practices, and support for policy reform.
What these changes mean for the people who have found value in the study visits, and how the advantages of the study visits can be integrated in Erasmus+, was the focus of Cedefop’s conference Promoting change in education and training policy and practice – The value of peer learning.
The core of the event was 13 groups structured like ‘mini study visits’, with former organisers/participants detailing what had been of value to them in the programme and drawing suggestions for Erasmus+.
Opening the conference, Cedefop Acting Director Christian Lettmayr said: ‘Participation of civil society in the implementation of any policy change is of paramount importance. We should find an alternative way to retain the benefits of peer learning, which helps to build a European identity.’
Anna-Maria Giannopoulou of the European Commission said that Erasmus+ continues the study visits ‘in spirit and impact’. But because both EU and national contexts have been streamlined, the new programme needs to focus on the systemic level, where the policy impact is expected to be stronger; and on the EU targets of Europe 2020.
Participants made a strong case for the study visits format, pointing out that the impact of the visits, though not easy to measure, was widespread and significant: it could be seen not only in the long-term benefits of networking with peers across Europe, but also in the increased confidence and drive that came from finding new solutions to common challenges.
Social partner and local authority representatives expressed their eagerness to assume a significant role in Erasmus+, considering their importance in bridging education, training and employment.
The European Commission representative said that the new programme would not be adopting a ‘top-down’ approach and that social partners would retain an active role in Erasmus+ and have many opportunities to participate in the various actions.
The study visits team and all of us at Cedefop wish to thank all participants for an inspiring conference.