A common European direction and support for everyday work

The European education and youth sector networks and bodies EPALE - Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe, European School Education Platform/eTwinning, Europass, Euroguidance and Eurodesk support the objectives and implementation of the Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps programmes. This year, all of these bodies are celebrating major anniversaries.

The networks and bodies created in the context of the Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps programmes respond to the various needs of many different target groups. They all share a common objective: to strengthen skills and competence, inclusion and internationalisation in Europe. These networks and bodies bring the EU's education and youth policies closer to everyday life and build bridges between individuals, organisations and countries. Together, they support the aim of making skills and competence accessible, visible and effective – now and in the future.

Competence development with the power of networks

The key objective of the networks and bodies is competence development. To this end they provide training, materials and peer support to strengthen learning and professional growth. Instead of focusing only on formal education, their aim is to view skills and competence broadly – as everyday experiences, community-oriented development and continuous learning.

The EPALE online platform offers adult learning professionals with free-of-charge access to blogs, webinars and podcasts, among other things. These materials are particularly important for small organisations that do not have much resources to train staff. The European School Education Platform and the eTwinning community operating on it offer a wide range of opportunities for developing skills and competence both online and face-to-face. eTwinning allows children and young people to interact with their peers under the direction of teachers. Both platforms serve as mirrors for examining national competence and development work in relation to the rest of Europe.

The Euroguidance service strengthens the professional skills and competence of guidance professionals by supporting international competence development through information, training courses and guidance tools. When guidance professionals possess personal understanding, it is easier for them to support and encourage the people that they guide on the paths to internationalisation. The Eurodesk youth information network shares information to youth about internationalisation possibilities and encourages young people to be active EU citizens. Young people can access the skills and competence that they accumulate in projects using the Youthpass online tool, with adult support.

Europass is a comprehensive digital service that supports the identification and recognition of skills and competence in all education sectors. It allows users to describe and structure their skills and competence in a goal-oriented way by creating a skills profile that helps link talent to open opportunities. The Europass profile supports internationalisation and makes it easier for employers and educational institutions to assess the skills competence of applicants in a uniform manner.

Strengthening inclusion and regional equality at the heart of the activities

Alongside strengthening skills and competence, inclusion is at the heart of these bodies – the idea that everyone has the right to international experiences and to develop their competence, regardless of background. This principle is concretised in many different ways in the everyday operations of the bodies.

EPALE and eTwinning provide teachers, learners and experts with opportunities to meet and work together in a virtual environment. The blogs and working spaces of these platforms are low-threshold channels for sharing experiences and expertise – especially for voices that would otherwise remain unheard in mainstream discussions.

The purpose of Euroguidance is to enable equal opportunities for international learning for all young people. Study guidance offered to everyone is an excellent way of pursuing this goal. Eurodesk, for its part, works alongside young people who do not independently seek out international opportunities. With support provided by professionals, they can discover their own potential and build their path in the European community. Eurodesk, in cooperation with youth organisations, focuses particularly on reaching young people in rural and low-population areas. International projects, such as solidarity projects and youth exchanges, also take into account the needs of vulnerable young people.

Professional networks – developing together

These networks and bodies do not only build the competence and inclusion of individuals; they also support community growth and professional networking. Having actors operating in different parts of Europe meet gives rise to new ideas, cooperation and long-term development.

EPALE provides a platform for new encounters, project partnerships and long-term cooperation both nationally and internationally. Euroguidance, in turn, brings together guidance professionals both in Finland and across Europe. Through its network, Euroguidance provides international information and tools for developing guidance.

Over the years, eTwinning has grown into a community that provides teachers not only with access to a digital workspace for international cooperation, but also opportunities to find international partners. Through eTwinning, millions of teachers and pupils have participated in projects whose impacts are reflected in new learning methods and in the strengthening of professional self-esteem, among other things.

Common direction and effectiveness in the future as well

One thing that all the networks and bodies celebrating anniversaries this year have in common is that they all strengthen the competence of Finnish people and lower their threshold for participation. Providing professionals with the space to meet and engage in discussion and development together results in new innovations and permanent networks. These networks build bridges between individuals, communities and countries and bring European competence cooperation closer to everyone’s daily lives.