Programme Objective 2

Objective 2: Define strategies for a renaissance of adult and continuing education in the framework of lifelong and lifewide learning

This Objective is based on Academic and Institutional partnership. The Chair can benefit from the results of an important international event hosted by the University of Florence: International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame Conference. The main aim of the IACE Hall of Fame Conference, organized from 7 to 9 November 2024, was to develop opportunities for cooperation between participants and their home organizations to revitalize adult continuing education for positive social change and personal fulfilment.

Ten working groups were organized related to the following topics:

• Marrakech Framework for Action: Towards an inclusive data collection process;
• University LLL and inter-university partnerships;
• Adult learning and education in immigrant settlement and integration;
• Understanding and integrating adult learning principles in learning contexts and sector professionalization;
• Micro-credentials and individual learning accounts;
• Learning cities; Journal cooperation;
• Gender equity, leadership and ageing;
• Education and social action to implement bottom-up countermeasures against organized crime;
• Cooperation and involvement of stakeholders for ALE.

All these themes opened and require a transdisciplinary approach and the Chair will benefit from the follow-up phase of the conference. In particular, the event has created premises for the establishment of think-tank (Club of Florence), a group of scientists, governmental and non-governmental lifelong learning organizations, private sector, civil rights activists, senior international public officials to analyse the actual geopolitical and social trends with the aim to elaborate lifelong learning strategies for dealing with challenges in contemporary society.

Members of this think-tank are components of the International Advisory Board of the Chair and they will support the Chair in developing cooperation with UNESCO Offices and Institutes on the results.