e-n#vičke
Summer 2013
Dear readers, please find attached the Summer edition of the online bulletin edited by the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education (SIAE), available also at http://www.acs.si/bulletin_e-novicke. The content briefly presented here is a result of our creative energy and momentum. We wish you pleasant reading, Nevenka Kocijančič, executive editor, and Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc, editor-in-chief
SIAE Projects and Events.......................................................................................................................2-8
LLW 2013: Another success story! ..................................................................................................................2
New version of LLW newsletter ......................................................................................................................2
17th Adult Education Colloquim .......................................................................................................................3
Implementation of the European Agenda on Adult Learning...........................................................................4
Enthusiastic reception for Learning Parades ....................................................................................................4
Two new videos available now: There are opportunities! and Handmade stories ...........................................5
There are opportunities! ....................................................................................................................................5
Handmade stories .............................................................................................................................................6
Educational films on basic skills ...................................................................................................................... 7
Expert external evaluations in adult education.................................................................................................7
International Cooperation ....................................................................................................................8-15
CODA Project - a pathway to language learning for marginalised groups......................................................8
Know Your Lifestyle - Introducing Sustainable Consumption in 2nd Chance Education ................................9
Standard project STUDY CIRCLES - overview of principal activities in 2012 and 2013 ............................10
Participation in the Grundtvig project European InfoNet Adult Education III ..............................................11
First 2013 meeting of EAAL national coordinators .......................................................................................12
Slovenia participates in PIAAC - international OECD research ...................................................................12
Annual conference of European InfoNet Adult Education III........................................................................13
35th SGIB meeting ..........................................................................................................................................14
Future Forum 2013 .........................................................................................................................................15
Relevant Publications ................................................................................................................16-17
European Peer Review Manual for Guidance and Counselling in Adult Vocational Education..................16
Competence-based Training for Adult Educators ..........................................................................................16
Slovenian Adult Education Scene.............................................................................................17-18
Lady Cafe in Ljubljana City Library ..............................................................................................................17
SIAE PROJECTS AND EVENTS
LLW 2013: Another success story!
The figures for Lifelong Learning Week (LLW) 2013 once again far outstrip last year's figures: the calendar of events (in Slovene) contains nearly 9,400 events (compared to around 7,800 last year), organised by 1,290 providers (last year 1,095). About 35% of the events took place during LLW itself (the third week of May), with the others taking place in the rest of May and June. LLW prides itself on extensive media support at both the local and national level. The same is true for the support of local authorities and representatives of the Ministry of Education and Sport. The festival enjoyed the patronage of the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO and the active participation of other institutions of national importance such as the Employment Service of Slovenia and the national Centre for Mobility and European Educational and Training Programmes (CMEPIUS).
The most attractive LLW event was once again the national opening ceremony, which this year took place on 10 May and was organised by the Nova Gorica Adult Education Centre in cooperation with SIAE. The theme - not only of the opening but also of the more than 60 events that followed in the next two weeks in this area - was Female Energy - Energy of the Future. The opening ceremony featured excellent speakers from some of the above-mentioned institutions, the singer Julija Kramar (winner of Slovenia's Got Talent 2012), and five new winners of SIAE awards for the promotion of knowledge and learning (photo). Photographs and impressions of the event were posted on the website and Facebook page in order to spread the word about LLW and the award-winners across the country and even worldwide.
In the afternoon following the LLW opening, the first Learning Parade took place in Nova Gorica. Both events were attended by Martina Ni Cheallaigh of the European Commission. She later gave an interview for participants of the Gorenjska Lifelong Learning Centre's Conference, where she comments on the Nova Gorica events (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsmhJ5TQ7zA; the English part starts at 1'59").
Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc (zvonka.pangerc@acs.si), SIAE
New version of LLW newsletter
The LLW newsletter (TVU novičke), aimed at adult education and learning providers who share an interest in Lifelong Learning Week (LLW) and participate actively in the campaign, first appeared in 1996. For reasons of economy, we stopped producing an English version in 2000 (a bilingual version was available in 2009), while in 2012 we did not publish a Slovenian version either.
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In 2013 we relaunched the newsletter as an e-publication. The first issue, produced at the end of April, covers various aspects of this year's LLW, with a particular emphasis on Learning Parades. The second issue will be available in the autumn and will concentrate on reports from LLW venues. For the time being there is no English version of the newsletter but a summary in English is expected to be included in the next issue.
Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc (zvonka.pangerc@acs.si), SIAE
17th Adult Education Colloquim
The Adult Education Colloquim is the main event of the Lifelong Learning Week in Slovenia. The theme of this year's Colloquim was Education of Migrants in the Light of the European Year of Citizens. The event took place on 5 June 2013 at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.
Plenary speakers included Jernej Pikalo, PhD, the Minister of Education, Science and Sport, who spoke about citizenship in the global era, emphasising that we need a new definition of citizenship. The other plenary speakers came from research institutes and universities and spoke about equal (educational) opportunities and cultural diversity, intercultural relations as active citizenship, and migrations and criminality.
After the plenary lectures, five examples of good practice were presented: Learning Human Rights and Active Citizenship, Strategy for the Inclusion of Migrants in Adult Education (adopted in Slovenia in 2013) and the Step In! Project (Building Inclusive Societies through Active Citizenship), Early Integration of Migrants in the Obalno-Kraška Region, Role of the Counselling Centre in Novo Mesto in the Integration of Immigrants through Education, and Intercultural Dialogue and Active Citizenship in Bela Krajina. Presentations of the experience of immigrating to Slovenia by two British citizens who now live in Bela Krajina and are role models for good practice in intercultural dialogue and active citizenship were an added value to the Colloquim.
The Colloquim concluded with presentations by representatives of four ministries: the Ministry of Labour, Family Affairs, Social Relations and Equal Opportunities (Info Point for Foreigners at the Employment Service of Slovenia); the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport; the Ministry of the Interior, and the Ministry of Culture. The ministry representatives spoke about current projects regarding migrants and their future plans.
More than 80 participants attended the Colloquim. More information about the Colloquim, abstracts of the presentations, an introduction to the Colloquim theme and photographs from the event are available online at http://tvu.acs.si/ak/2013/index.php?nid=614&id=472.
Dr Natalija Vrečer (natal jia.vrecer@acs.si), Mateja Pečar (mateja.pecar@acs.si), both SIAE
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Implementation of the European Agenda on Adult Learning
Based on the 'Council Resolution on the renewed 'European Agenda for Adult Learning 2012-2014' (EAAL), designed in accordance with the 'Europe 2020' and 'Education and Training 2020' strategy, EU member states designated national coordinators who designed projects for the implementation of EAAL and are responsible for their realisation.
The Slovenian project, coordinated by SIAE, is intended for the popularisation of EAAL's key messages and educational policy measures at EU and national level. Above all, it is a contribution to the awareness raising for the importance and omnipresence of adult education and learning. Project activities are related to existing national endeavours, mainly to the Slovenian Lifelong Learning Week (LLW). Through examples of good practice, the importance of high quality adult education staff and provision, programmes for the development of basic skills and key competences, guidance and recognition of non-formal learning, community learning, e-learning, the learners' voice, and other aspects are being emphasised. The project addresses several target groups, e.g. representatives of policy, practice and profession, learners, media representatives and the widest public, special attention being paid to the low skilled and educationally deprived ones.
In the following articles two strands of project activities carried out in the first half of 2013 are presented, i.e. Learning Parades and two video-publications.
Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc (zvonka.pangerc@acs.si), SIAE
Enthusiastic reception for Learning Parades
The seven Learning Parades (LPs) confirmed our expectations that via these events LLW would experience another breakthrough and increase its promotional effects. When planning the LPs (the photograph is from the Nova Gorica LP), we were encouraged by the experience of a similar event held in Ljubljana in 2005. Even so, the incredible commitment of the LP coordinators, their various partners and the local media took us by surprise. In addition, direct contact with adult learners was very valuable for members of LLW staff at SIAE, who attended all the LPs.
Thousands of LLW events throughout the country has been one of the distinctions of Slovenia's learning festival for 18 years and we are proud that in this way we have been able to reach both urban and rural populations. Now, through the LPs, we have tried the opposite approach, with concentrated presentations of lifelong learning in public venues in seven towns around Slovenia: Nova Gorica, Žalec, Jesenice (left), Slovenj Gradec (below), Novo Mesto, Murska Sobota and Radeče. A combination of the two approaches could well be the
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right recipe for the future. Encouraged by the response of visitors, LP coordinators have already announced similar events for next year, while seven new LPs will be staged in seven new locations, as planned under the EAAL 2012-2014 project.
During the summer we will collect and publish photos and other materials on the LLW and EAAL websites and Facebook. A more detailed report will be published in the Learning Parade bulletin in the autumn.
We noticed at the LLW and LP venues that discussion was not only centred on learning, education, knowledge, skills, etc. Equal attention was given to subjects such as hope and trust, the ethics of participation, interconnection and cooperation, facing the new and the unknown, actions for the benefit of the individual and society as a whole etc. There was also a general determination to overcome the present unfavourable circumstances with the help of knowledge, understanding and wisdom.
Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc (zvonka.pangerc@acs.si), SIAE
Two new videos available now: There are opportunities! and Handmade stories
We have released two (out of four) videos as part of project Implementation of the renewed European Agenda on Adult Learning (EAAL) 2012-2014 in Slovenia. The videos are:
•	There are opportunities! Training programmes for the unemployed, showing examples of cooperation and partnerships among numerous stakeholders in three localities - Ajdovščina, Črnomelj and Murska Sobota (a detailed presentation can be found in the next article);
•	Handmade stories, Rural areas as an opportunity for the development of basic skills and key competences, presenting an example of good practice from the Soča Valley in the implementation of a Rural literacy programme (for a more detailed presentation see below).
Both videos are available to view on the Learning Parade website. We have prepared a trailer and a booklet for both. You can choose between Slovene and English subtitles.
Ajda Turk (ajda.turk@acs.si), external associate of SIAE There are opportunities!
The promotional video There are opportunities! is about the design, preparation and pilot implementation of three new training programmes for the unemployed as examples of good practice. The video includes examples of cooperation and partnerships among numerous stakeholders at the local level.
The new training programmes for the unemployed were prepared in 2010 and 2011 within the project
Development of Quality Educational Provision for the Unemployed in Selected Regions. The project was
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Learning Parade
Days of Learning Communities May 10-19
2013
managed by the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education (SIAE), with funding provided by the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs. Introducing new programmes into the local environment (pilot implementation) has been financially supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and began in 2012.
The core of the approach developed in this project is a partnership model involving all relevant stakeholders in the region (regional offices of the Employment Service of Slovenia, development agencies, businesses, educational and other organisations, etc.) in identifying the needs of the selected target groups and developing and implementing new educational programmes. As well as the underlying approach to the design and preparation of the new programmes, There are opportunities! shows the experiences of three institutions that prepared the programmes, along with their pilot implementation. It also includes genuine stories of the first participants in these programmes. The video portrays the real situation of an unemployed person who is unable to find work, while preserving the authenticity and dignity of the participants in the programmes, who share their stories with others in this video. At the end of the film, the participants address other unemployed people with their own messages and, with a great deal of optimism, show and highlight possible exits from the situation of being unemployed.
Jasmina Orešnik Cunja (jasmina.oresnik.cunja@acs.si), SIAE
Handmade stories
Rural areas of Slovenia are facing numerous development challenges that offer people new opportunities for development. On the other hand they also represent a danger of marginalisation and loss of identity. SIAE has designed the Rural literacy programme which offers adult residents of rural areas the opportunity to strengthen their basic skills and knowledge in order to realise business ideas and complementary activities in rural areas on the basis of their in-depth knowledge of their local environment and discovery of their own abilities. The programme has been implemented in various environments around Slovenia, including the Upper Soča Valley. The Soča Valley Development Centre is a prime example of the successful implementation of the programme in a local environment.
The video Handmade stories presents, as an example of good practice, the implementation of the Rural literacy programme in the municipalities of Tolmin, Kobarid and Bovec in recent years. The cooperation and coordination of teachers, cultural, educational, administrative and development institutions, and, above all, the participants in these training programmes are crucial for success. Each implementation of the programme is a story unto itself, woven from the knowledge and experiences of the participants. Stories that motivate and integrate participants and teachers in each implementation of the programme have gone beyond the walls of classrooms and found their way from raw materials to products and produce. Participants gladly pass their knowledge on to the next generation.
Ajda Turk (ajda.turk@acs.si), external associate of SIAE
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Educational films on basic skills
A small production team has begun producing the first educational films for adults from vulnerable groups, who will be able to use them as learning material. The first of four educational films on basic skills from the On the Path to Success series was completed at the end of last year. This year we are in the middle of preparing the next three films.
One of the aims of the new films is to educate members of vulnerable groups about selected basic skills in a modern way. Each educational film will therefore contain a series of didactic elements enabling the effective use of the material both in educational groups and individually. The films are also a good means of promoting basic skills and their importance for every adult.
The first film, Learning to Learn, presents Simon's story. He tells us about the period when he was still working in a factory, about the crisis he had to overcome when he unexpectedly found himself without a job, and the change that enrolling in adult education has represented for him. Through this story, the user of the learning material spontaneously follows the basic skill of 'learning to learn' from the moment in which Simon is still full of prejudices about becoming a learner again, through the feelings of relief when he finds himself in the role of adult learner in a suitable group of other adults, right up to the final part in which Simon confides to the viewer some of his boldest dreams for the future.
In the second educational film, former school dropout Nejc talks about initiative and enterprise, two elements which have changed his life. In the third film we introduce Danijela, a dauther of migrant workers who on returning to her home country confronts the problem of how to improve her ability to communicate in her mother tongue. The fourth film features a retired married couple who will demonstrate how mathematical skills and competences in science and technology can help save money and fill everyday life in third ages with challenges.
Dr Petra Javrh (petra.javrh@acs.si), SIAE
Expert external evaluations in adult education
For the second year, SIAE will conduct expert external evaluations in adult education. Last year we began a pilot implementation in two adult education organisations - Murska Sobota Adult Education Centre and Šentjur Adult Education Centre - and trained six expert external evaluators to conduct the process.
In 2013 we published a call for participation, inviting educational institutions to take part in expert external evaluations on a voluntary basis. Three adult education organisations were selected (Razvojni izobraževalni center Novo mesto, Srednja šola za farmacijo, kozmetiko in zdravstvo Ljubljana and Srednja zdravstvena šola Celje). A preparatory meeting was held in May and in September we
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will carry out additional training for the external evaluates who participated last year. The expert external evaluations will be conducted in October and November.
As well as conducting and coordinating the external evaluations, we are improving existing tools for the process and preparing a promotional brochure.
More at http: //kakovost.acs.si/incentives/external_evaluation
Alenka Jurič Rajh (alenka.iuric.raih@acs.si), SIAE
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
CODA Project - a pathway to language learning for marginalised groups
Consolidation, Outcomes, Dissemination, Agency (CODA) is a reincarnation of two earlier projects Access to Language Learning by Extending to Groups Outside -ALLEGRO and Voices for Inclusion, Voices for Access in Language Learning and Cultural Education - VIVACE funded by the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission. It builds on the work of the two earlier projects, which in six years managed to bring language learning to more than 700 learners of all ages from disadvantaged groups of all kinds, through the participation of more than 70 institutions in 10 countries.
The goal of CODA is to share the experiences gained with new audiences, including those outside the education sector, in order to bring language learning to a variety of learners who have never had the opportunity to learn a foreign language and enable the organisation of inclusive language learning in a variety of contexts.
In order to reach this goal, the consortium plans to prepare a range of online and printed publications and to organise training for adult educators and teachers in primary and secondary schools, as well as for students of different languages. As support for the training modules, we will produce short video clips which will be made available on the project's website. A major conference will take place in Nottingham (autumn/winter 2013/14), bringing together stakeholders from all sectors with an interest in inclusive language learning. It will showcase outputs and results, provide information and practical advice, and offer support to participants on the topic of inclusive language learning.
More information on CODA is available on the project's website.
Darijan Novak (darijan.novak@acs.si), SIAE
CODA
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Know Your Lifestyle - Introducing Sustainable Consumption in 2nd Chance Education
Thinking about how we live can have different starting points and focus on different aspects of our lives. How many times have we asked ourselves about our own way of living - how we travel, what we eat, whether we are satisfied with our work, our lives, do we feel like a master or a slave in our own life?
The partners in the European 'Know Your Lifestyle' project are concerned with the issues surrounding the relationship between human beings and the environment, including nature and other people in the society. We attempt to answer key questions such as: What is my/our lifestyle? How can we realise a sustainable lifestyle, avoiding harmful consequences for the environment? In Slovenia we also consider the importance of the emergence of green jobs. A job is in itself an important part of a person's self-realisation. We therefore introduce elements of vocational guidance to encourage participants to engage in the creative and active creation of green jobs. The project also incorporates the principles of global learning and collaboration.
The main objective of the project is to create four educational modules for adults in second-chance education. The modules address various aspects of sustainable consumption (development) such as the value chain of goods and fair trade, sustainable use of energy, mobility, transport and climate change.
In Slovenia we are cooperating with participants and mentors in the PLYA programme (Project Learning for Young Adults). There are eleven PLYA organisations in Slovenia. The crucial theme we have chosen is associated with the sustainable use of energy, and we have given the module the deliberately provocative title 'Don't Save (Your) Energy!' in order to encourage people to use their own physical, mental and spiritual energy in the context of sustainable development of the self and the environment that surrounds us.
Other important partners without whom the project would not be possible include non-governmental organisations operating in the field of sustainable development. We are very pleased to have been joined in the project by Umanotera, one of the oldest NGOs operating in this field in Slovenia, and probably the most active one. Their expertise and an active commitment to the values articulated within the module undoubtedly contribute to its quality and will help generate lifestyle changes for those who take part in it.
The project is expected to run for three years (2013-2015). The partners are: DVV International (the Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association - the initiator and coordinator of the project), the European Association for Adult Education (EAEA), based in Brussels, the Association of Community Adult Education Centres of Carinthia (Austria), the Estonian Non-formal Adult Education Association and the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education.
The project is supported by the European Commission (the program of European Aid) and the authorities in each country (in Slovenia by the Ministry for Education, Science and Sport).
Natalija Žalec (natalija.zalec@acs.si), SIAE
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Standard project STUDY CIRCLES - overview of principal activities in 2012 and 2013
A project is currently taking place on the border between Slovenia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia and in the Veneto region of Italy which is focused simultaneously on collaboration and learning. This name of this project is STUDY CIRCLES (Cross-border laboratory for the development of human resources and cooperation networks promoting local resources) and it involves the pilot testing and implementation of study circles in the cross-border area. The study circles training methodology is a typical form of non-formal adult education. It encourages the active involvement of participants and has been applied to adult education in Slovenia. Project activities began in 2012 and will be completed in October 2014. By that time ten pilot study circles (SCs) will have been realised (four of them at the cross-border level) on the key topics of tourism, crafts, cultural and natural heritage, sustainable agriculture and typical local products, and a local support network and information points for identifying learning demand in the local area will have been established.
Overview of the main activities from the beginning of the project to July 2013:
•	Spring 2012 - activities began with the preparation of guidelines, methodologies and a programme for monitoring pilot testing and the development of the cross-border model of study circles; project was presented at a press conference in Gorizia.
•	Summer 2012 - meetings within WP 5 were organized - awareness-raising and identification of learning needs in the local area; project partners prepared the programme for the basic training of SC mentors. article on SC operators' competences was published in the European Journal of Research on Education and Teaching (Vol X, No 2, see at website
http://www.pensamultimedia.it/pensa/index.php?option=com virtuemart&Itemid=82&lang=it).
•	Autumn 2012 - selection of candidates for mentor training was done; basic training for 29 mentors (10 from Slovenia and 19 from Italy) began with a two-day meeting in Tolmin; project was presented at the Barcolana regatta in Trieste.
•	Winter 2012/13 - training for SC mentors/tutors continued in e-classroom and through meetings (in Ljubljana at SIAE and in Nova Gorica at LUNG); meeting of experts and presentation of the project to representatives of local and state institutions was organized by a leading partner in Gorizia;
•	Spring/summer 2013 -awareness-raising activities and identification of learning needs through meetings continued as well as signing of letters of intent and promotional activities; Learning Parade was organised in Nova Gorica; Study Circles Caravan in Črnomelj provided presentation of the new model and the first international experience with it to a Slovenian study circle network; publications were provided in local Slovenian and Italian newspapers and a new three-lingual brochure was published; two cross-border SCs began in May (one on fruit-growing and one on local crafts).
Find more information and the latest news online at http: //www .study-circles.eu.
Mateja Pelikan (mateja.pelikan@lung.si), Nova Gorica Adult education centre
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Participation in the Grundtvig project European InfoNet Adult Education III
The overall objective of the Grundtvig project European InfoNet Adult Education III, which runs from October 2012 to September 2015, is to maintain a comprehensive information portal on adult education in Europe. This includes exchanging information on best practices in the participating countries and on European adult education projects. The project involves 35 partners from 29 EU member states and some associated countries (Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey). The project coordinator is the Catholic Federal Association for Adult Education (KBE) in Bonn, Germany. SIAE participates in the project as a partner, in the role of correspondent, and is also involved in the dissemination of information related to InfoNet. The contact person for InfoNet in Slovenia is Mateja Pečar.
At the end of 2012, following a year's break, InfoNet resumed its activities and relaunched its website. In January 2013 the first issue of the InfoNet Newsletter (Issue 1/2013) appeared. The newsletter will be published electronically six times a year and is a new version of the former InfoLetter, published between 2005 and 2011. Articles from Greece, Ireland, Portugal and the United Kingdom are published under the heading Effects of the economic crisis. The authors of the articles present the effects of the economic crisis in adult education. Other articles describe trends and development in Cyprus, Denmark, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Slovenia. Peter Beltram of SIAE publishes an article on the latest trends in adult education in Slovenia entitled Slovenian Master Plan Focuses on Non-Vocational Learning. As the title of the article suggests, the emphasis is on the preparation of the Resolution of the National Programme of Adult Education in Slovenia (ReNPIO) for the period 2012-2020. One of the objectives is to increase the participation of adults in lifelong learning. Specific measures will be aimed at non-vocational learning in general, and in particular at the promotion of low-skilled participants. The Resolution is the result of numerous discussions among stakeholders in adult education. This article has received a lot of attention, which demonstrates that European readers continue to monitor developments in Slovenia with interest. Another aim of InfoNet is to provide information on important pan-European trends, including discussions and decisions linked to adult education in the European Union. These are presented in the section European policies in adult education. In the Science section, InfoNet intends to upgrade the coverage of science and research in adult education. With this issue of the newsletter, InfoNet introduces a new feature: the periodic publication of articles on adult education policies and practices outside Europe.
You are invited to read the articles by the SIAE correspondents and other articles on adult education in other European countries offered by InfoNet on the European InfoNet Adult Education website.
More at http: //arhiv.acs.si/clanki/InfoNet.pdf
Mateja Pečar (mateja.pecar@acs.si), SIAE
EUROPEHFI inFDflET RDLJl—T EDUCRTIOn
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First 2013 meeting of EAAL national coordinators
Last year we reported on the activities conducted by the European Commission's Vocational Training and Adult Education unit for the purpose of setting up a network of national coordinators responsible for the implementation of the European Agenda for Adult Learning (EAAL). Since then, nearly all member states have designed projects, received financial support via the Lifelong Learning Programme and begun implementation. Slovenia's project is described in the first section of the newsletter.
With the aim of exchanging information on ongoing projects, the European Commission (EC) met the national coordinators in Brussels on 6 March 2013. The first part of the meeting was dedicated to a discussion of progress and interim results, and focused on the role of national coordinators as a kind of extension of the EC at the national level, acting both as a source of information and as the initiator of collaboration and discussion among various stakeholders at the national, regional and local levels. We came to the conclusion that conditions differ considerably from member state to member state. For Slovenia, the country's small size, good governance of the adult learning (AL) system and a relatively efficient network of AL providers have proven to be advantageous. In some larger countries, national coordinators have a difficult time carrying out their role. The majority of national coordinators come from ministries, where greater authority is an advantage, but on the other hand they are not so familiar with AL actors and practice. The opposite is true for national coordinators from national AL institutions such as the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education (SIAE).
In the second part of the meeting, the Commission informed us about the latest policy developments, AL trends, upcoming events and the electronic platform which will serve for mutual communication and the promotion of events and outcomes. The first project year ends this summer. We will evaluate our interim reports in November and meet at a conference in Lithuania in December to present some of our results to a wider audience.
Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc (zvonka.pangerc@acs.si), SIAE
Slovenia participates in PIAAC - international OECD research
The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport ensured the participation of Slovenia in the second round of the most comprehensive international survey of adult skills ever undertaken. Organised by the OECD, the survey is part of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competences (PIAAC). In Slovenia the project is run by a consortium of partners selected in January 2013 on the basis of an ESS call for participation in a project called Measuring the effectiveness of the system of education and training for the development of competences of adult educators. This project is financially supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, and by the European Commission through its Lifelong Learning Programme. The Slovenian Institute for Adult Education (SIAE) is the lead partner of the
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Lifelong Learning Programme

PIAAC
Program za
mednarodno
ocenjevanje
kompetenc
odraslih
consortium, which also includes the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia and three faculties of the University of Ljubljana - the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of Arts (Department of Education).
The PIAAC survey is the biggest adult education survey ever conducted. More than 155,000 adults (aged 16-65) from 24 countries took part in the first round. Nine new countries, Slovenia among them, joined the project in the second round. For Slovenia the PIAAC project is of national importance, with more than 6,000 adults (aged 16-65) from every region of the country due to take part in the survey. Slovenia is currently carrying out preparatory fieldwork and implementing the pilot phase of the project.
The PIAAC survey includes a number of new elements. Four kinds of key competences are measured: problem-solving in technology-rich environments, literacy, numeracy and reading components. Another new element is the assessment of competences which are needed in the workplace: reading, writing and mathematics skills, the use of information technology, communication and presentation skills and competences needed for group work.
Dr Natalija Vrečer (natalija.vrecer@acs.si), SIAE
Annual conference of European InfoNet Adult Education III
The annual conference of the European InfoNet Adult Education III, a Grundtvig network project, took place in Tallinn, Estonia.
The general aim of the three-year project, which began in October 2012, is to maintain a comprehensive network of information on adult education in Europe. This includes exchanging information on good practices from member states and comprehensive information about European adult education projects. The coordinator of InfoNet is the Catholic Federal Association for Adult Education (KBE) based in Bonn, Germany. SIAE acts as a correspondent and participates in the dissemination of information.
The conference was attended by 31 partners from 22 European countries, including Mateja Pečar as contact person and correspondent for InfoNet in Slovenia.
The four-day conference began with a meeting of the editorial board and continued with workshops for new correspondents on key information about InfoNet, writing for the European reader and quality criteria. Once all the correspondents had arrived, we proceeded with team-building. This was followed by consolidation of correspondent subgroups and discussion of workflow, communication patterns/channels, current issues and feedback. During the plenary session all the working groups presented their work and the results of the workshops from the previous day. We listened to some interesting keynote speakers and were given an opportunity to get to know the relevant regional stakeholders and institutions. A report on general developments was presented and some important decisions were made. Another significant new element was the adoption of a cooperation agreement between the Lifelong Learning in Europe journal (LLinE) and InfoNet. Under this agreement, four joint editions will be produced during a test phase lasting
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one year. The quarterly journal will be produced in Finland and InfoNet will prepare current reports from the different countries.
Various workshops took place on the third day of the conference. These were prepared and moderated by the chairpersons of the respective work packages. All members were invited to share their expertise in order to contribute to the development of InfoNet.
The focus of the first two workshops was editorial work in science and research and editorial work on the Bonding in Europe! topic, involving cross-cultural articles. The topics of the next three workshop sessions were internal and external networking, communication and management, sustainability and quality management and, finally, dissemination and marketing.
The final plenary session started with a presentation of the outcomes of the workshops and concluded with a discussion of the results and challenges for the future. The conference ended with a meeting of the steering committee, where it was decided that the next conference will probably take place in Prague in early May 2014.
Mateja Pečar (mateja.pecar@acs.si), SIAE
The European Commission's Standing Group on Indicators and Benchmarks (SGIB) convened in Brussels on 3 and 4 June. In addition to the activities and achievements of Eurostat, Eurydice, CRELL, Cedefop and OECD, we discussed contents that will shape the further monitoring of implementation of the Education and Training 2020 programme. First among these was the revision of the list of 16 core indicators and eight benchmarks in line with political priorities and the availability of relevant data sources. As a result of rationalisation measures, five of the eleven expert groups set up to monitor specific areas of education will be abolished. A new group will, however, will be set up to monitor investments in education and training.
Information on the political context in European education and training suggests that international surveys, which represent a heavy financial burden and a significant commitment for member states and the Commission, will be subjected to scrutiny. The growing importance of a smooth transition from education and training to the labour market has resulted in a focus on indicators measuring skills relevant to this process, including indicators on vocational education and training.
The Education and Training Monitor 2013 - illustrating the above changes - will appear in the third week of October. The results of the first round of the international PIAAC survey will be released on 8 October. Slovenia's adult population skills are being currently measured via the second round of the PIAAC survey.
Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc (zvonka.pangerc@acs.si), SIAE
35th SGIB meeting
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Future Forum 2013
The fifth international Future Forum (FF) seminar (title: Responding to the Crisis? Challenges for Adult Education!) took place in Innsbruck from 3 to 5 July and was organised by the Austrian Association of Adult Education Centres (VÖV), in conjunction with VHS Tyrol. The more than 60 participants included representatives of Austrian and German adult education centres and adult education experts from other European countries.
Three excellent keynote speeches introduced the activities of each day. On the first day, Ingibjörg E. Guömundsdottir of Iceland's Education and Training Service Centre presented the consequences of the crisis in Iceland and the response to them, which has been involving increased cooperation among all stakeholders and the use of approaches and tools that began to be developed back in 2003. Mary Murphy, lecturer in Irish Politics and Society at the National University of Ireland, presented Irish experiences in seeking answers to the crisis and examined the cross-sectoral Claiming Our Future movement. Murphy defined adult education as a tool for building resilience, political imagination and the capacity to define and promote alternatives. In his speech, Education Against Poverty, Clemens Sedmak, professor of philosophy at King's College London, offered two theses, namely that education makes sense only if it is an internalised part of one's personality, and that education against poverty is not meant only for the poor but also for complementary sections of the population.
Working group participants exchanged information on the impact the crisis has had in their countries, solutions that have proved successful and initiatives considered necessary. The European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) is in the process of preparing, in collaboration with its members, a report on the role of adult education in overcoming the crisis. EAEA representatives moderated the next series of working groups dedicated to the following questions: Is adult education a service or can it develop into a movement? If yes, how? What would you do if you could act radically differently? How would you act if you could give up the usual polite and friendly attitude of adult educators?
The event's programme and materials are available on the FF 2013 website.
The next Forum will take place in Bolzano, South Tyrol between 2 and 4 July 2014. It will be dedicated to various aspects of professionalisation in adult education.
Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc (zvonka.pangerc@acs.si), SIAE
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RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS
European Peer Review Manual for Guidance and Counselling in Adult Vocational Education ap d Training
In the previous edition of the e-Newsletter we presented the cooperation of SIAE with partners from Portugal and Finland in the EuroPeerGuid project, whose main purpose is to expand the peer review methodology to adult education guidance and counselling. We would now like to devote particular attention to the European Peer Review Manual for Guidance and Counselling in Adult Vocational Education and Training that was a key result of the EuroPeerGuid project and was prepared on the basis of the past projects, manuals and lessons learned from peer reviews. The manual contains a definition of peer review as a method for assessing and developing the quality of education and counselling, a description of the peer review process by stages, areas of quality and a definition of the role and tasks of peer reviewers. Annexes contain the templates/forms required at various stages of the peer review process. The manual is therefore essential for every peer reviewer, and at the same time useful to everyone involved in quality processes or counselling adults.
The manual is available in English, Slovenian, French and Finnish from the EuroPeerGuid website. Alenka Jurič Rajh (alenka.iuric.raih@acs.si), SIAE
Competence-based Training for Adult Educators
Last December, as part of the ESF project Education and training for adult education professionals 2011-2014 (within the Training and professional development for adult education activity), we published a study entitled Competence-based Training for Adult Educators by Sonja Klemenčič, Tanja Možina and Natalija Žalec.
In recent years, all of us who work in education have frequently confronted the question of how to develop and provide education that will train the individual to function effectively in professional, personal and social interactions. The competence-based approach when preparing education represents a search for an answer to this complex question.
The publication, which is aimed at everyone working in adult education, contains:
•	the most important findings of the study on the competence-based training of adult educators carried out at SIAE in 2009;
•	a definition of competences as a base for planning the training of adult educators;
•	the model of a competence-based approach to the training of adult educators, which we then used as a tool for evaluating the training programmes for adult educators offered by SIAE;
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• methodological starting points for planning training programmes for adult educators taking into account the competence-based approach.
Alenka Jurič Rajh (alenka.juric.rajh@acs.si) and Jasmina Orešnik Cunja (jasmina.oresnik.cunja@acs.si),
learning partnership along with several other European public libraries and educational institutions on a project called 'Lady Cafe - motivating activities for women aged 45+'. The project is the result of cooperation of partners from Spain, Bulgaria, Ireland, Turkey, Latvia, Italy, Romania and Slovenia.
One of the compulsory elements of the partnership is partner meetings. These meetings take place in partner countries and consist of the following:
•	working meetings, in which we discuss project activities, results, progress, dissemination, outputs;
•	exchange of best practice - presentations of local women's associations, projects, institutions, programmes already implemented in each country etc.
•	development of European added value on the basis of experiences of cultural heritage, national cuisine and visits to historical sites and monuments.
Four partner meetings have so far taken place - in Bulgaria, Italy, Slovenia and Ireland.
The third partner meeting took place at LCL from 17 to 21 April 2013. As Slovenia's biggest public library, with well-developed learning activities, we gave presentations of the Centre for Lifelong Learning, with activities as the Knowledge/Learning Exchange, the Employment Information Service, the Autonomous Learning Centre, Points of Lifelong Learning and programmes such as ICT literacy for adults, book clubs etc. Our partners were impressed by the Knowledge Exchange and the Autonomous Learning Centre, which is part of a network and a common concept for the whole of Slovenia. For the visiting trainees/learners (women aged 45+) a staff member from the Ljubljana Knowledge Exchange organised a creative workshop called 'Slightly different cups', which the participants enjoyed very much. We also visited our branches and presented their activities, and organised visits to Ljubljana's cultural and tourist sights.
The most important part of the project is the organisation of learning and motivating activities for this target group. At LCL we have already organised six workshops/courses, mainly on ICT-related topics: How to
SIAE
La dy Cafe in Ljubljana City Library
Women aged 45+ are the target group for this project. Ljubljana City library (LCL) has many years of experience in the field of adult education. The obvious next step was to expand and develop our adult education services by sharing and exchanging our experiences with other institutions on an international level. The opportunity arose to collaborate and participate in an EU-funded Grundtvig
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make a photobook, How to use Picasa, How to use a camera, How to use SketchUp, Digital stories and Slightly different cups. To date, 52 participants have taken part in these activities.
On the basis of our positive cooperation in this partnership, we have teamed up with some of the other partners (from Bulgaria, Ireland and Romania) to prepare an application for Leonardo da Vinci partnerships in 2013. We have also developed other common activities (e.g. the exchange of Slovene and English books with Irish partners). The Romanian partner invited us to the international conference Biblio 2013 in Bra§ov and we are currently discussing possibilities for training Romanian librarians at Ljubljana City Library during 2015. Cooperation in this partnership is thus extremely fruitful.
Simona Sinko (simona.sinko@mklj.si), Ljubljana City library
Published by Slovenian Institute for Adult Education (SIAE), Šmartinska 134a, SI-1000 Ljubljana | Editor-in-chief: Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc (E: zvonka.pangerc@acs.si) | Executive editor: Nevenka Kocijančič (E: nevenka.kociiancic@acs.si) | Editorial board: Nevenka Kocijančič, Dr Tanja Možina, Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc, Andrej Sotošek, MSc, Tanja Vilič Klenovšek, MA, and Margerita Zagmajster, MSc | Translation: Amidas d.o.o. | Design: Larisa Hercog | Corrective reading: Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc | W: http://www.acs.si/bulletin e-novicke
ISSN 2232-2612
The publication was co-financed by the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.
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