Social and economic developments (e.g. digitisation, refugee flows) require an increasing internationalisation of adult learning and education (ALE). To meet global challenges, it is necessary for all people active in ALE to see the “bigger picture” and to have cross-border exchanges, networks and cooperation projects.

It is precisely these activities which are the focus of EPALE – Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe. It was initiated by the European Commission in the autumn of 2014 with the aim of helping to promote the quality and professionalisation of people involved in ALE. In every country there is an EPALE coordinating office to promote the platform and its objectives at the national level. The Austrian coordinating office was set up at the start of 2015 at the National Agency Erasmus+ Education and, since then, has pursued the goal of combining the promotion of EPALE with an extensive campaign to support the internationalisation of ALE. The activities it has organised include a series of events in November and December 2015 with the title “Seeing the bigger picture: internationalisation and opening of adult education”, the results of which have also appeared in a publication. In the future, annual themed conferences will also cover other important aspects which promote the European dimension of adult learning and education (e.g. in 2016: “ALE in the Context of Flight and Migration”).

By setting up the EPALE coordinating office at the National Agency Erasmus+ Education the aim is to ensure more intensive use of synergies between these service points. The reason is that the “Adult Education” section within the Erasmus+ programme supports the main goal of EPALE – the internationalisation of ALE – by promoting mobility projects (Key Action 1) and cross-border cooperation as part of Strategic Partnerships (Key Action 2). The programme is aimed at general ALE establishments and their staff in particular.

Learner mobility

The Erasmus+ programme in the “Adult Education” section focuses on ALE establishments and people who are active in general adult education. But under certain conditions learners (i.e. participants in ALE) can, via Strategic Partnerships (Key Action 2) of the ALE establishment, also become mobile as part of teaching, learning and training activities. These activities have to contribute to the overall objective of the Strategic Partnership and be an integral part of the project in any case. Individual, project-independent mobility stays for learners in ALE are not possible in Erasmus+.

Teacher and trainer mobility

Via Key Action 1 of the Erasmus+ programme, ALE establishments can send their staff (teaching staff and non-pedagogical staff) to periods abroad. During such a trip, teaching assignments, job shadowing or observation periods can be carried out. It is important for the sending organisation to pursue a strategic approach with the mobility projects: the periods abroad have to serve the purpose of modernisation and internationalisation of one’s own institution, and the personnel development needs have to be clearly identified here.

The mobility projects can be characterised as follows:

• They can be between two days and two months.
• They can be either in public or private establishments which are active in general adult education.
• At least two organisations (a coordinating sending establishment and a host establishment) from at least two countries participating in the Erasmus+ programme have to cooperate in a mobility project.
• The sending organisation submits the application to its own national agency.
• Funding can be provided for travel costs and living expenses, costs for organising the mobility project, course fees and costs for particular requirements.

As part of Strategic Partnerships (Key Action 2), stays abroad are also possible for people who are active in general ALE.

Key Action 2 promotes the internationalisation of ALE as organisations from different countries work specifically to produce results for a period of one to three years and/or have structured exchanges on specific themes relevant to ALE. Key Action 2 is geared towards the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and towards the strategic framework for Education and Training 2020. Cooperation and exchange at the European level aim to increase the quality and efficiency of education systems in Europe.

The Strategic Partnership projects can be characterised as follows:

• At least three European establishments work together on such a project over a period of one year up to three years in order to achieve specific goals.
• The project can have the “exchange of good practices” on topics, methods, tools, etc. as its content.
• But it can also be a “project to promote innovation” in which entirely new materials are created.
• In the projects it is of key importance to work on contents which have a lasting effect, e.g. learning materials and handbooks. The dissemination and distribution of the project results are just as important elements here as the integration of stakeholders and multipliers in the sustainability strategy.

According to the Annual Report 2015 of the National Agency Erasmus+, in the 2015 application round in Key Action 1 for mobility a total of 22 projects with 140 mobility stays were funded (funding amount EUR 174,113.00).