Learning: the strategic background

European Ministers of Education have agreed on three major goals to be achieved by 2010 for the benefit of citizens and the EU as a whole. These goals are to:

The 2006 EU Communication Adult Education: it's never too late to learn (European Commission, 2006a) calls on countries to promote adult learning in Europe and to place it firmly on the political agenda. A planned Action Plan on Adult Learning will aim to promote this goal, thereby contributing to personal benefits of development and fulfilment, raising skill levels, reducing social exclusion, promoting active citizenship and supporting employability and mobility in the labour market. Among the major challenges identified is lifting the barriers to participation affecting all groups, but especially the ageing population and migrants.

One of the major pillars of Europe's i2010 (European Commission, 2006b) initiative calls for ‘inclusion, better services for citizens and quality of life’, and emphasizes the enhanced use of information and communication technology (ICT) for lifelong learning and social inclusion. A flagship initiative under this encourages a focusing of research and deployment efforts in the field of ‘digital libraries’, specifically to use high-tech tools to make Europe's rich heritage available to as many people as possible, in order to combine individual creativity with ICTs.

The European Union's e-learning initiatives also promote ‘digital literacy’ as one of the basic skills of all Europeans, alongside the contribution of ICT to learning in general, especially for those who, owing to their geographical location, socio-economic situation or special needs, do not have easy access to traditional education and training. ‘Digital literacy’ is sometimes held to encompass the following:

In European society, it can be difficult to separate the processes of learning from the practice of education. Heavy investment in schools, colleges and universities leads to an almost inextricable relationship between the idea of learning and the issue of how schools should be organized, managed and run.