- 2015Approved/Agreed
- 2016Implementation
- 2017Implementation
- 2018Implementation
- 2019Implementation
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Completed
Background
Adult education programme was one of the nine (eight since 2019) programmes implementing the Estonian Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020.
Objectives
The aim of the programme was to motivate adults to learn and to create high-quality, flexible learning opportunities that consider the needs of the labour market.
Description
The programme was adopted in 2015 and comprises three measures:
- reintegration of adult dropouts into formal education and creation of preconditions for their retention in, and acquisition of, formal education;
- increasing access to non-formal training and improving the quality of training;
- development of the occupational qualifications system and creation and support of lifelong learning formats in adult education.
Under the first two measures, the adult education programme provided training courses to adults without secondary education and/or professional training, or with outdated skills. The target for 2020 was to have 66 500 adults participating in flexible training courses for the low-qualified, less competitive or other disadvantaged groups, and to have 53 500 of them completing successfully. The programme has been successful in targeting less competitive or disadvantaged groups of learners with 70% of all learners belonging to such groups.
Under the third measure, the quality of occupational qualifications system was developed.
The programme budget for 2015-19 was EUR 22.4 million from the EU (ESIF) and the State budget.
Since 2015, all three measures of the programme were being implemented as planned. As a result, the participation rate in lifelong learning has increased in recent years. In 2019, 20.2% of the population aged 25-64 participated in lifelong learning. The share of adults with lower levels of education in lifelong learning has increased to 9.1% in 2019 compared to 4.1% in 2015.
In 2020, the implementation of the Adult education programme continued. However, both the participation of the adult population (age 25-64) and the share of adults with lower levels of education in lifelong learning have decreased: from 20.2% in 2019 to 17.1% in 2020 and from 9.1% to 6.5% respectively. The decrease was likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to many training courses and other forms of non-formal learning being cancelled or postponed. For many people, participation in lifelong learning was also complicated by their deteriorating economic situation.
Following the COVID-related fall in 2020, the participation rate of adults in lifelong learning has risen again to 18.4% in 2021, thanks to rapid adaptation to digital tools and environments.
The progress made in 2021 is described in other policy developments corresponding to the main activities of the programme (see policy developments in initiatives to support adult key competences and participation in lifelong learning, and Estonian qualifications system.
For progress as of 2022, see related policy developments.
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Education and Research
Target groups
Learners
- Adult learners
- Older workers and employees (55 - 64 years old)
- Unemployed and jobseekers
- Persons in employment, including those at risk of unemployment
- Low-skilled/qualified persons
Thematic categories
Governance of VET and lifelong learning
This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.
This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.
The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.
This thematic sub-category refers to further development of national quality assurance (QA) systems for IVET and CVET, for all learning environments (school-based provision and work-based learning, including apprenticeships) and all learning types (digital, face-to-face or blended), delivered by both public and private providers. These systems are underpinned by the EQAVET quality criteria and by indicative descriptors applied both at system and provider levels, as defined in Annex II of the VET Recommendation. The sub-category concerns creating and improving external and self-evaluation of VET providers, and establishing criteria of QA, accreditation of providers and programmes. It also covers the activities of Quality assurance national reference points for VET on implementing and further developing the EQAVET framework, including the implementation of peer reviews at VET system level.
Supporting lifelong learning culture and increasing participation
Lifelong learning refers to all learning (formal, non-formal or informal) taking place at all stages in life and resulting in an improvement or update in knowledge, skills, competences and attitudes or in participation in society from a personal, civic, cultural, social or employment-related perspective (Erasmus+, Glossary of terms, https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-d/glossary-common-terms). A systemic approach to CVET is crucial to ensure adaptability to evolving demands.
This broad thematic category looks at ways of creating opportunities and ensuring access to re-skilling and upskilling pathways, allowing individuals to progress smoothly in their learning throughout their lives with better permeability between general and vocational education and training, and better integration and compatibility between initial and continuing VET and with higher education. Individuals should be supported in acquiring and updating their skills and competences and navigating easily through education and training systems. Strategies and campaigns that promote VET and LLL as an attractive and high-quality pathway, providing quality lifelong guidance and tailored support to design learning and career paths, and various incentives (financial and non-financial) to attract and support participation in VET and LLL fall into this thematic category as well.
This thematic category also includes many initiatives on making VET inclusive and ensuring equal education and training opportunities for various groups of learners, regardless of their personal and economic background and place of residence – especially those at risk of disadvantage or exclusion, such as persons with disabilities, the low-skilled and low-qualified, minorities, migrants, refugees and others.
This thematic sub-category refers to providing the possibility for individuals who are already in the labour market/in employment to reskill and/or acquire higher levels of skills, and to ensuring targeted information resources on the benefits of CVET and lifelong learning. It also covers the availability of CVET programmes adaptable to labour market, sectoral or individual up- and reskilling needs. The sub-category includes working with respective stakeholders to develop digital learning solutions supporting access to CVET opportunities and awarding CVET credentials and certificates.