This project has been funded with support from the European Commision. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

PROJECT SUMMARY

The overall objectives of the proposed project correspond with the specific and operational objectives of the Grundtvig Sectoral programmes:

· To respond to the educational challenge of an ageing population in Europe

· To help provide adults with pathways to improving their knowledge and competencies

· To improve older learner’s quality of life by providing them with an integrated programme

· To support the development of innovative ICT-based content, services pedagogies and practice for lifelong learning

· To improve pedagogical approaches and the management of adult education organisations

· To facilitate the development of innovative practices in adult education and their transfer, including from a participating country to others

· To assist people from vulnerable social groups and in marginal social contexts, in particular older people and those who have left education without basic qualifications, in order to give them alternative opportunities to access adult education

To achieve these objectives, the partnership has identified a number of key issues and has mapped those onto the expertise of the different partners. During the mobilities, this expertise is shared during a series of workshops and demonstrations of good practice involving both staff and learners. Themes of the workshops include the following:

1. working beyond the traditional age of retirement

2. learning beyond the traditional age of retirement

3. methods and ways to transfer experience to younger people

4. profiles and self-evaluation of competencies of teachers and learners

5. moving on, Second chance, career decisions…

6. teacher training in older learners in adult education

7. using innovative ICT with older learners

Between the mobilities, each of the partners disseminates and applies the outcomes of the workshops and demonstrations of good practice within their own institution. The results are made available through this website and via a virtual community of practice.

Other key objectives of the ACE-project are

· To improve the quality and accessibility of mobility throughout Europe of people involved in adult education and to increase its volume, so as to support the mobility of at least 7,000 of such individuals per year by 2013

· To improve the quality and to increase the volume of co-operation between organisations involved in adult education  throughout Europe

· To raise awareness of the challenges aging poses to adult education throughout Europe

· To work with teachers, trainers, institutions, organisations and corporations…on how to keep older learners socially, intellectually and professionally active as long as possible.