The Position and Range of the AEMP 2021–2030
The AEC is a traditional professional meeting of adult educators within the LLW, which typically addresses professional and research topics related to AE. This year, it was designed in a somewhat different way: less professional and more governance-related. This decision was based on our awareness that the time when we will have to design, create and justify a new AEMP for the period 2021–2030 is rapidly approaching. The associates of the SIAE play a fairly important and responsible role in these processes.
The various factors and activities of social development planning are increasingly intertwined and interdependent. Therefore, the preparation process of a comprehensive document such as AEMP, involves a great number of already adopted development plans in different areas, which in one way or another, define the social and systemic environment in which adult learning or, more broadly, lifelong learning, is placed. These considerations will need to be taken into account in drawing up the AEMP.
Due to the above-indicated, this year’s AEC was entitled the Position and Range of the AEMP. The awareness that the environment, in which AEMP will be created is not void, is of utmost importance. Existing strategic plans in many areas can actively affect the options in defining the AEMP objectives and the paths in this respect, and simultaneously limit them. It is a concept of strategic planning in the development at the level of the entire country, which must be hierarchically designed from the top down. Interconnections, dependencies and subordination should be pre-determined. Overlap and reluctance should be prevented; furthermore, coordinated action at all levels must be ensured.
Therefore, as part of this year’s Colloquium, we wanted to identify both the systemic and decision-making environment that set out the position and range of the AEMP to come
Upon designing the content of this event, the following already adopted documents were identified as important.
- In 2018, the OECD, in cooperation with the MESS, completed the second phase of the Skills Strategy for Slovenia project dedicated to the governance, and published a comprehensive report entitled Skills Strategy Implementation Guidance for Slovenia with specific recommendations for improvement, some of which directly relate to the design of the AEMP.
- In December 2017, the Slovenian Development Strategy for 2030 (in Slovenian), was adopted, in 2017 which includes Learning for and throughout Life among 5 strategic guidelines and places Knowledge and Skills for Quality Life and Work in the second place within 12 development goals. In that regard, it is important that the document envisages the establishment of the Development Council by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, which, in our opinion, should also cover adult education. It was envisaged that action plans for the Strategy implementation would be drawn up in 2018; however, they have not yet been published. In that regard, it is important that these action plans are in line with the AEMP, or vice versa, at least as far as the aforementioned guidelines and objectives are concerned.
- The Active Ageing Strategy was adopted, in 2017 which includes Labour Market and Education in four guidelines.
- The process of drawing-up the National Development Policy Programme is now under way.
- The Government has established a Working Group for Development Planning, which acts as a mechanism for horizontal cooperation within the draw up of Slovenian Development Strategy 2030 and other key strategic and implementing documents, and in harmonization and monitoring of the implementation of individual content in the field of development, which includes adult education.
Due to the existence of the indicated existing documents and established structures, the following questions were raised in the draw up of the AEC, for which answers were required:
- What should be the scope of the AEMP (what areas, forms and methods should it cover)?
- How will the AEMP correlate with the National Development Policy Programme?
- What is the correlation between the Action Plan, which will be drawn up for the implementation of the Slovenian Development Strategy (for the respective strategic guideline and development goal), and adult education?
- How do or how will the existing working groups or appointed bodies: (envisaged) Development Council, Interdepartmental Working Group for Development Planning, Adult Education Coordination, correlate?
In order to implement so designed AEC successfully and exhaustive, we invited relevant and competent speakers, who credibly presented the views on the AEMP preparation from different angles. The agenda was very fruitful:
- Contribution and legacy of the AEMP Resolution 2013–2020, Katja Dovžak, MSc, MESS,
- AEMP 2021–2030: Proposals related to the perspective of the Adult Education Expert Council, Dr Sonja Kump, President of the Adult Education Expert Council.
Documents that significantly affect the implementation and scope of the AEMP:
- Active Ageing Strategy, Dr Alenka Kajzer, Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development,
- Slovenian Development Strategy 2030, Nataša Kobe Logonder, Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy,
- Recommendations for Adult Education Governance (OECD Skills Strategy), Ema Perme, MESS,
- Upskilling Pathways and renewal of European strategies, Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc, SIAE.
Contributions of stakeholder representatives and social partners:
- Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia, Branko Meh: Towards a Harmonized System of Adult Education by Strengthening Cooperation,
- Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, Samo Hribar Milič, MSc: From Strategies to a Recipe for Adult Education,
- Employment Service of Slovenia, Damjana Košir: Changes in the Labour Market and Adult Education,
- The Public Scholarship, Development, Disability and Maintenance Fund of the Republic of Slovenia, Irena Kuntarič Hribar: Importance of Lifelong Learning and Adult Education.
Morning visit and contribution of the Minister of Education, Dr Jernej Pikalo, further contributed to the importance of the event.
In the afternoon, we held a panel discussion entitled Knowledge and Skills for Life and Work (participants: Peter Beltram, MSc, Katja Dovžak, MSc, Samo Hribar Milič, MSc, Dr Petra Javrh, Damjana Košir and Dr Sonja Kump).
In my opinion, the AEC was a complete success. It involved 122 participants. Content and videos of individual contributions (in Slovenian) are available at the website.
Peter Beltram, MSc (peter.beltram@acs.si), SIAE
