At a time when the importance of continuous education is increasingly recognized, many higher ed institutions in Europe are still grappling with the integration of lifelong learning into their core frameworks. But there is a group of institutions looking to combat this issue and provide lifelong learning models across the continent. In this interview, Friedrich Faulhammer discusses how continuing education has evolved in Europe and the lifelong learning framework approach many institutions are looking to implement across various countries.
The EvoLLLution (Evo): How has continuing education evolved in recent years, especially when it comes to lifelong learning?
Friedrich Faulhammer (FF): If you look over the last 20 years, so many governments and institutions have spoken about the importance of not only educating young people but also facilitating lifelong learning activities at different institutions. Unfortunately, not much has actually happened.
There are hardly any institutions with lifelong learning as a core competence and activity. They are few and far between, like the University for Continuing Education Krems, which is almost exclusively dedicated to lifelong learning. In research and in teaching, our institution is structured to offer student-centered programs. The university focuses on giving learners the opportunity to return throughout their lifetime. It is important not only for Europe but also beyond to focus more on reeducating and retraining university graduates.
Evo: What are some of the challenges within the continuing ed space, specifically in Europe?
FF: Most higher ed institutions are not focused on continuing education and spend more time on the primary education for young students. When these students leave after their bachelor’s or master’s degree, that’s it. Similar to North America, institutions may have a continuing ed division, but it’s always a very small section, more of an appendix. Some people may even work on continuing ed as a side desk task rather than it being at the core. What we try to do within our alliance is convince the university system to open up for more activities in lifelong learning and put it closer to the center.
The second challenge is the financial framework. In most cases, basic academic education is free of charge in Europe. There are no tuition fees for higher ed, or if there are it’s a small amount. This is not the case for continuing ed programs, even at the public universities in Europe, where you don’t have to pay for your primary academic education. When you return years later to study in continuing ed programs, you have to pay. We need financial support for lifelong learners as well.
Evo: What are some characteristics of an ideal lifelong learning approach or framework that can overcome these obstacles?
FF: A lifelong learning framework depends on the content. Our learners typically have ten to 15 years of professional experience before they enter the programs. The average age of our students is 40 years old, so they have specific needs to advance their careers and activities. It’s important for us to meet these needs and create compelling content that helps them.
Since this is also education they have to pay for, lifelong learning students have high expectations. These learners require flexible schedules and support services that work for them. We need multiple approaches to serve these learners, finding ways to provide online and in-person activities that keep them engaged.
Evo: Can you briefly describe what EU.ACE project is and its goals to provide a better lifelong learning experience?
FF: The transnational alliance European University for Academic Continuing Education consists of a consortium of eleven universities in Europe. This network is based on an initiative of the European Commission to improve the quality and visibility of the European higher education system.
There are a large number of different higher ed institutions in Europe. You can be more visible as an institution if you are of a certain size, so the idea is to bring institutions together to work on certain issues.
We now have a network of nearly 200,000 students across Europe working and studying at our network universities. Our specific focus is on enhancing activities in lifelong learning at European universities. Of the ten universities, two institutions strongly focus on lifelong learning—our university in Krems, Austria, and one in Paris, France. We then have nine universities that want to move toward offering more programs for lifelong learning students. This is the general approach of this collaborative activity.
Evo: What impact will this collaborative shift in continuing education have on institutions and learners across Europe?
FF: The impact on institutions would be enormous, especially for those who aren’t currently geared toward lifelong learning. This is a collaborative learning experience because we’re moving in the right direction for other universities to follow.
In Romania, for example, lifelong learning is not yet an issue, but there is one Romanian institution in our network convinced that lifelong learning offers many opportunities. Here we can see the potential for great impact if we successfully work together and help this university establish lifelong learning in the higher ed system. We see a similar situation in Spain as well. With partners in various European countries, we support each other in integrating this innovative approach into the different education systems across the continent.
Evo: What is some advice you would share with higher ed leaders in North America when it comes to improving a lifelong learning type of framework?
FF: The importance of lifelong learning will continue to grow for demographic reasons alone because there is a decreasing number of young students as our population ages. This not true in all parts of the world at the same time, but in principle our population is aging. So, it’s important for institutions to look for other target groups of students, especially those who have been neglected. It’s critical to put more effort into continuing ed. At the same time, we are experiencing times of change in which further education is a way to remain competitive and deal with the current uncertainties.
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