Transcript AONTAS The National Adult Learning Organisation

AONTAS COMMUNITY EDUCATION NETWORK
:
Community Education Network Meeting
Date: Tuesday 24th March 2015
Time: 10.00am – 3.00pm
OVERVIEW
Aim: To reconvene the CEN and explore current issues
Objectives:
• Overview of the lobbying and advocacy work for community
education
• QQI reengagement for community education legacy providers
(previously FETAC providers)
• Issues facing community education as voiced by CEN members
• Community Education in a Digital Era
• Reflection on community education practice
Outcomes:
1. Detailed list of demands for QQI
2. Highlight any other areas for advocacy work
3. Explore new methods to engage CEN members virtually
4. Information about an online learning model
5. Collective solidarity and support
AGENDA
10am
10.15am
10.30am
11.00am
11.30am
11.45am
12.15am
Registration
Meeting starts
Overview of the work of the CEN to date
QQI reengagement - group discussions
Tea/coffee
Current issues facing community education
practitioners - group discussions
Strengthening the CEN to address issues at regional
and national level
 New structures at local level (Nora Fahy, Roscommon Women’s Network)
 Mapping out networks within the CEN – how can we strengthen these?
- Discussions
12.45pm
1.30pm
Lunch
Community Education in a Digital Era
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2.45 pm
Strengthening the CEN and local community education groups through online networking
(Michael Hallissy, H2 Learning and Chairperson D8CEC)
How to support community education groups to engage in online learning provision (An
Cosan example) Liz Waters and AONTAS President
Reflection on practice: Reflections on Community
Education Research
Update and dialogue on research – Camilla Fitzsimons (Community Education
Practitioner, CEN member, PhD student and Lecturer at Maynooth University)
3.00pm
Meeting Close
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Name
Organisation
Expectation for the meeting
CEN – COLLECTIVE LEVELS OF WORK
European and
International
• European Policy
National Policy
• SOLAS
• QQI
Regional Decision
• LCDC
• ETBs
Local/Organisation
Practice
• Organisational
• Classroom
INFLUENCING POLICY REGARDING COMMUNITY
EDUCATION (NATIONAL AND EUROPEAN LEVEL)
UNESCO
OECD
Leargas
EU
NGOs
Teaching Council
POBAL
QQI
HEA
DES
SOLAS
Community Education
Adult Learners
ETBI
Practitioners
INFLUENCING POLICY REGARDING COMMUNITY
EDUCATION (NATIONAL AND EUROPEAN LEVEL)
UNESCO
OECD
EU
NGOs
Community Education
Adult Learners
Policy Work at European Level
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How? Through the European Association for the Education
of Adults (EAEA) - Membership organisation for non-formal
adult education advocacy/policy influence
Why? Influence European and International adult learning
and education policy
Who? Mainly European Commission and European
Parliament
 European Commission
European Social Fund co-funding e.g. BTEI and SICAP
 New policy alignment/cohesion Country Specific Reports (e.g.
participation in lifelong learning lower EU average (7,3%, as
compared with 10,7% in 2013)
 EAEA – Civil Society Response including Ireland
 European Agenda on Adult Learning (EAAL) – Onestepup.ie
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European Parliament
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Create an interest group on lifelong learning amongst MEPs
Also international influence: OECD, UNESCO
In collaboration with International Council of Adult
Education (ICAE)
European Commission
PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, JEAN-CLAUDE
JUNCKER
1.
A new boost for jobs, growth and investment
2.
A connected digital single market
3.
A resilient Energy Union with a forward looking climate change
policy
4.
A deeper and fairer internal market with a strengthened industrial
base
5.
A deeper and fairer Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)
6.
A reasonable and balanced free trade agreement with the United
States
7.
An area of Justice and Fundamental Rights based on mutual trust
8.
Towards a new policy on migration
9.
Europe as a stronger global actor
10.
A Union of democratic change
Reference: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/EPRS/EPRS-Briefing538963-Setting-EU-Priorities-2014-19-FINAL.pdf
Policy Work at European Level
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What about Community Education?
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Ensure the wider benefits of community education are
recognised
Ensure European Commission policy includes nonformal adult education
Ensure European funding is targeted to non-formal
adult education e.g. ERASMUS+
Ensure policy is influenced by the social action model of
adult learning
Ensure projects are developed to support evidence base
for non-formal adult education
Ensure proposed funding models will support the need
of community education e.g. funding
Strengthening the capacity to be a recognised, valuable
for of education provision
INFLUENCING POLICY REGARDING COMMUNITY
EDUCATION (NATIONAL LEVEL)
QQI
HEA
SOLAS
SOLAS
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Berni Brady on SOLAS Board
National Adult Learner Forum
Specific working groups
Adult Learners
Higher Education Authority
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Representation on the Access Advisory
Group
Part-time fees issue
Provision of higher education by
community education organisations
Widening participation
COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND QQI
QQI
Community Education
Adult Learners
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Update on the no
fees for reengagement
campaign
Outline of what
groups need in
order to prepare for
reengagement
Discussion groups
- What specific
information do you
need from QQI
Scenario 1: Community education legacy provider engage directly with QQI
Scenario 2: Community education legacy provider goes under the ETB QA
Scenario 3: Consortium approach with other community education legacy
providers
Scenario 4: Community education legacy provider does not re-engage with
QQI and finds alternative methods for accreditation (e.g. City and Guilds,
other education institutions with their own QA)
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Since 2013, over 20 submissions for • September – Research undertaken
Green and White Papers have been and detailed Paper on scenarios for
made to QQI
re-engagement of legacy FETAC
providers produced in advance of
May – QQI fee issues emerging
DES meeting
from the CEN
28th May - CEN focus group
meeting on QQI issues
June - Campaign started
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October 8th – Meeting with
Department of Education (Brian
Power, Principal Officer,
Qualifications and Equity of Access
to Higher Education at DES, Huge
Geoghegan (HEO), Wendy Ross)
June - Position Paper developed –
very detailed paper on the issue
used as lobbying tool with template
 20th October – Meeting with David
letter. CEN members distributed it
Treasy, Education Officer at
to their local representatives
CDETB
July – Huge momentum building,
 Meeting 9th December 2014 with
high degree of PQs on the issue
DES and QQI (Niamh O’Reilly and
(mainly Sinn Fein)
Tara Farrell)
23rd September – Letter from Jan
O’Sullivan to meet with DES to
look at issue
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Community education is on the political agenda: local TDs,
policy makers in DES, QQI
Greater awareness about community education
Greater voice for influencing QQI decisions that impact on
the community education sector
Open engagement with key civil servants in DES and the
QQI about accreditation policies that impact on community
education
A hold to the fees issue until there is an appropriate
roadmap for community education groups to re-engage
We are at the table to get full information about what is
involved in the re-engagement process so that groups can
make an informed decision on their best course of action
We are working towards engaging in a meaningful dialogue
with QQI in order to ensure groups can reengage
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Effectiveness of the advocacy work of the CEN and community
education organisations
Prompted groups at local level to come together and perhaps
develop local networks, which is a great development that we
will support.
The benefits for groups are important for QQI work: if reengaging independently, they have a source of support and
expertise at local level: if going to go under the ETB’s QA, they
can come together to negotiate as a collective with their ETB
regarding this process (easier for groups and the ETB, they can
look at coming together as a consortium to apply for their own
QA. But also, it supports greater strength of community groups
at local level, a greater advocacy voice which is important for
community education groups in the future.
Leverage for supporting legacy providers with QQI engagement
– seek funding for groups dedicated to QA support
Policy Work Regarding QQI in 2015
QQI reengagement of voluntary legacy providers will
now take place in 2016; we will be supporting the CEN
in the preparatory process.
 Outcomes from the meeting with the Department of
Education and Skills from 9th December
 QQI Community and Voluntary Working Group on
reengagement
 QQI reengagement for community education groups
 Broader context issues relating to QQI reengagement
 Sharing experience of Tara Farrell and Suzanne Kyle at
the QQI C/V working group, meeting 3rd March
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QQI Response to Scenarios Paper
175 providers self-identified as community and voluntary
 QQI is examining this list and seek assistance of
Working Group
 Concept of ‘Capacity’ was described
 Fees are still on the table
 That Quality Assurance is context dependent and not
dependent on size or ability
 Concern about the level of activity by community and
voluntary group (programme certification/validation question for QQI about QA systems.
 No direct provision of support from QQI to providers
about reengagement but will work with stakeholder and
providers especially around communication
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QQI Response to Scenarios Paper
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The Joint Working group is mentioned throughout the paper, especially
regarding supporting the development of QA Guidelines, models of
reengagement including consortia.
Do we want to be part of the ETB QQI Forum to discuss the crossovers
between community education QA/going under the ETB etc.
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They are interested in the potential of regional networks to support QA
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Reengagement will not happen until 2016 at the earliest
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Scenarios:-
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QQI developed documentation which will be discussed at the Joint Working
Group in April 20th
 Draft QA guidelines for FET are already available
Draft QA Guidelines for the ETBs area available and they are discussing
reengagement with ETBs at ETB QQI Forum
Joint Working group will example this - For a consortium, one must be a
legal entity
Joint Working Group could help inform decisions (their recommendation)
Concept of Capacity
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The concept of capacity requires the providers to show, amongst other
things, that, they:
established legal entity, with education and training as a principal function
have appropriate and up-to-date governance systems in operation
can evidence structural and internal quality assurance systems, to ensure
that sustainable provision of education and training programmes, that meet
the criteria as outlined in the QA guidelines,
can design, develop, provide, monitor and review programmes
can assess learners, ensuring the achievement of learning outcomes
consistent with QQI requirements
can continuously self-evaluate towards service improvement
can engage with the formal external review process of QQI (as a provider
entity in its totality). This cyclical formal review is the agreed legal
requirement of all providers with QQI. Current legislation also requires
that the findings and outcomes of all of these reviews must be published.
QQI reengagement
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Views/comments on the QQI Response Paper
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What issues do you face regarding this process?
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What do you need to know from QQI?
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What can AONTAS do?
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What can you do?
Community Education in a Digital Era
Strengthening the CEN and local community education
groups through online Networking
Dr. Michael Hallissy (H2 Learning and Chairperson of D8CEC)

How to support community education groups to engage
in online learning provision
Liz Waters (An Cosan and President of AONTAS)
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Reflections on Community Education Research:
Update and dialogue on research

Camilla Fitzsimons (Community Education Practitioner, CEN
member, PhD student and Lecturer at Maynooth university)