Rural skills & jobs through continuing education &

lifelong learning

Pete HodgsonVice President EfVET

Corporate Director Norton Radstock College, UK

Key aims

To identify skills & job issues in rural areas

To consider models to reduce the gaps identified through learning initiatives

To reflect on accreditation and validation of learning

The skills/jobs challenge ?

Limited local job opportunities Low average earning levels Low skill levels Seasonal part-time jobs Exodus of young people/influx of

retired people

other rural challenges

Inadequate electronic communications Need for local economic sustainability Lack of rural commercial infrastructure Accessibility to local services, transport Accessibility to Learning opportunities

Learning initiatives Develop IT skill levels to meet changing job

needs

Offer courses relevant to sector: tourism, hospitality, crafts, food production, childcare, land based occupations.

Offer variety of local settings for learning – flexibility – take learning to the learner

Encourage lifelong learning for skills development

All need to address the key concerns to lead to sustainable rural communities – both social and economic

Target programmes to meet specific needs

To Rural SMEs encouraging skills development in ICT, marketing and business development

To Young people to build confidence & skills

Rural Tourism and sustainability Skills for life – Key competences

Local rural business development – Trans Rural course

Blended learningTrans-Rural example

Workshops – networking/external speakers/sharing good practice

Self-study - explorative questions & analysis

Newsletters – to encourage communication & maintain motivation

Individual Business Planning ‘Green’ issues

Importance of accreditation and validation

Validation should be competence based- offering Validation of prior learning, skills and experience- needs to be relevant to the learner

2 examples: see www.efvet.org National e.g. Trans-Rural European e.g. ERTD

A feeling of achievement

Sharing good practice in Europe

Useful contact points for sharing good practice in Vocational Education and Training and Lifelong Learning

www.efvet.org

www.eucis.net

Thank you for listening