ESREA Research Network on Adult Educators, 
Trainers and their Professional Development

ReNAdET operates as a research network of the European Society for Research on the Education of Adults (ESREA)

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It is common knowledge that adult learning staff in general have a variety of backgrounds. Many of them enter the profession without any specific training, though they often have experience in other work settings. There are several educational pathways offering entry to the adult education professions (training offered by universities, by adult learning institutions or by employers of adult learning staff). In other words there is no standard pathway for becoming an adult learning professional (i.e. and adult educator or trainer). Yet, it is important to mention that a high percentage of adult learning staff have a higher education degree in a specific field, such as management, language, health, or environment issues, although this percentage varies between countries, between the formal and non-formal parts of adult education and even between providers. In general, the occupational field of adult educators and trainers is poorly regulated on national level. In many countries and settings, no specific qualifications are required for becoming an adult educator, not to mention other positions such as managers, counsellors and supporting staff.
As yet considerable differences can be detected between the formal and non-formal part of adult education this particular area of interest. In some countries, there are national regulations and legislation concerning the necessary requirements (competences) for people working in the formal part of adult education (in particular for staff active within second chance formal education, if we exclude staff working in the universities). Apart from regulations at national level initiatives can also be found at the level of associations. But over the last years, work at European level has mainly focused on teachers in general education and in initial vocational education.
The bottomline is that today attention is increasingly being paid to adult educators and trainers in VET, especially after the Maastricht Communique has stressed the need to make the profession more attractive. Most preliminary efforts and some work in progress in this appealing area, show that there are many pathways to become an adult educator, VET trainer or practitioner, the profession is not sufficiently valued within formal career structures, and hence is scarcely attractive. A number of elements that may be distinguished in this respect are more explicitly focusing on learning, identity, training and professional development of adult educators as well as VET trainers and practitioners in our field. Distinctively and compared with other educational subsystems, adult education in Europe is characterised by high percentages of part-time staff (and people working on a voluntary basis), who may have few career prospects and are frequently paid on an hourly basis. The recent joint report on progress with the Education and Training 2010 work programme expressed regret at the fact that the professional development of vocational teachers and trainers continues to pose a real challenge in most European countries. The report could justifiably have extended the expression of disappointment to the professional development of educators active in the field of non-vocational adult learning (NVAL) which is to some extent formal, but to a much larger extent is non-formal. Consequently, little attention has been paid to defining the content and processes for initial training of adult education staff.

Below you will find a list of published material (journal articles, books, proceedings and study reports) that can be of interest to all adult educators and trainers. The material only refers to documented research in the area of adult education and VET in Europe with specific focus on adult educators and trainers. In some cases -as in study reports and published research that is the result of an EU funded programme- this material is accessible for downloading. Certain material is licensed and it cannot therefore be downloaded. In these cases the full citation and a relevant link for possible access to the material is provided. A short description of the publication is included. Site members and ESREA|ReNAdET supporters are encouraged to contribute with their knowledge and expertise to the dissemination of any type of research (empirical, biographical, historical, comparative, etc.) that focuses on issues that are relevant to adult educators and trainers in Europe (i.e. professionalisation, education methodologies, teaching material, working conditions, identity issues, policy research, etc.) at a national or a trans-national level.  Material in European languages other than English is also very welcome as long as a short description in English is provided. All contributions must be submitted to [email protected] and must include the following:

  • Author/s name/s
  • Year or date of publication
  • Full title of the material
  • A summary or short description (up to 300 words)
  • Place of publication
  • Publisher
  • ISBN or ISSN (when available)
  • Mode of accessibility (if applicable)
  • For papers published in refereed scientific journals or other licensed material, the full citation will suffice.

Published material for adult educators and trainers in Europe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
This list only serves as a point of reference for all website visitors and has no commercial value. Unless otherwise stated, all the material herein are protected by national and international copyright laws.
General presentation of documented research and relevant published material

The professional development and the improvement of the quality of adult learning staff have been recognised as a priority at European level. However, at European and national levels there is not always a clear view of the competences needed to fulfil the professional tasks in adult learning, partly due to the diversity of the field. In several European countries, competence profiles and standards for adult learning staff (referred to as adult learning professionals) have been developed and implemented, although their scope of application differs considerably between institutional and regional levels. Therefore, the European Commission decided to finance a study on key competences for adult learning staff. The aim of this study is to come up with a set of key competences which can functions as a reference for Europe and which can be used by Member States on a voluntary basis.
This study has been carried out by Research voor Beleid in partnership with the University of Glasgow, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and the University of Leiden. During the last year the research team has studied a large number of documents on the duties, tasks, responsibilities, roles, competences and work environments of adult learning professionals, described them in a narrative, organised an expert meeting for modelling the key competences and discussed the outcomes of this modelling exercise with a broad group of stakeholders all over Europe. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/education/more-information/doc/2010/keycomp.pdf

The aim of this study is to provide a deeper understanding of the state of professionalisation and professional development of the different groups of practitioners working in Non-Vocational Adult Learning across Europe (trends and developments). The findings are used to identify key issues and problems as well as areas where action is most urgently needed to make adult learning professions more attractive.
Throughout the last decade national governments as well as the European Commission have stressed the importance of lifelong learning. It has been acknowledged that adult lifelong learning is of vital importance to help Europe become one of the most competitive and knowledge productive powers in the world. A long series of documents underlines this importance. In September 2007 these policy documents were made operational in a document drawn up by the European Commission, called the Action Plan on Adult Learning: "it is always a good time to learn." The action plan sets out how Member States and other stakeholders can be supported at the European level to improve, implement and/or develop efficient adult learning systems, and to monitor the results. Adult learning staff play a key role in making lifelong learning a reality. It is they who facilitate learners to develop knowledge, competences and skills. However, not much is known about this particular group of practitioners. At the European level there is a lack of information about various aspects of the profession, such as who they are, how they are recruited, what competences/skills/qualifications they are expected or required to possess, what their specific roles and tasks are, what their employment status is, how their professional development is organised, how they are assessed, and how attractive their profession is. Therefore, the European Commission decided to contract a study on adult learning professions in Europe.
This study has been carried out by Research voor Beleid in partnership with PLATO (University of Leiden), both based in the Netherlands. For the execution of the country studies and the composition of the country reports the research team made use of cluster/country experts. All these experts are members of the European Society for Research on the Education of Adults (ESREA). Overall, the research team?s opinion is that this study has triggered an intensive and stimulating professional debate. It has allowed us to gain insight into ways of stimulating adult education and lifelong learning, and it has strengthened the bonds within a professional network that currently only exists in a rudimentary form. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/education/moreinformation/doc/adultprofreport_en.pdf

This is the result of a Europe-wide study on Trainers in Vocational Education and Training (VET). The study concerns a part of this field of study. The focus has been on: Instructors and trainers working in (labour market) training institutions supported by governments and public authorities, often with a strong focus on social inclusion and basic occupational competences; Instructors and trainers working in other organisations, such as chambers of commerce, sectoral training institutions or privately-run training companies and providers that focus on upgrading technical competences, training in communication skills and so forth. The study embraces a segment of the total group of vocational trainers and instructors. The reader should keep this in mind when reading this report, and the annexes. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of this area of VET, which until now has not been researched as such. The findings are used to identify key issues and problems as well as areas where action is most urgently needed to make working in this specific field of VET more attractive. VET staff play a key role in making lifelong learning a reality. They are the ones who transfer knowledge, competences and skills to the learners. However, not a lot is known about this particular group of practitioners. At European level, there is a lack of information about various aspects of the profession, such as how staff members are recruited, what competences/skills/qualifications they are expected or required to possess, what their specific roles and tasks are, what their employment status is, how their professional development is organised, how staff are assessed and how attractive the profession is. To improve the body of knowledge concerning this field of activity the European Commission commissioned a study on Trainers in VET in Europe. This study has been executed by Research voor Beleid in partnership with PLATO (University of Leiden), both established in Leiden in the Netherlands. For the execution of the country studies and the composition of the country reports the research team made use of cluster/country experts. Overall, the research team?s opinion is that this study has triggered an intensive and stimulating professional debate. It has allowed us to gain an insight into ways of stimulating Vocational Education and Training and it has strengthened the bonds within an incomplete professional network. Available at: http://www.esrea-renadet.net/VETTrainers.pd

 

 
 
 
 

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