EPALE is an online community for adult learning professionals in Europe that is funded by the Erasmus+ program. During the COVID-19 pandemic, EPALE encouraged members to share solutions and best practices to help the adult learning sector rapidly adopt online learning techniques. This included blogs, interviews, community stories, resource kits, webinars and discussions on topics like digital skills, social inclusion, barriers to learning and more. EPALE also organized a three-day online conference focused on digital learning, lifelong upskilling and social inclusion through keynote speeches, panels and workshops.

1. EPALE
Digital Transformation & Upskilling:
Inspiration from the EPALE Community
Brian Cochrane and Claudia D’Eramo

2. What is EPALE?
EPALE is a European, multilingual, online
community of adult learning professionals:
● Adult educators and trainers,
● Training organisations,
● Guidance and support staff,
● Researchers and academics,
● EU & National policymakers.
EPALE is funded by the Erasmus+ programme as part
of the EU’s strategy to promote more and better
learning opportunities for all adults.

3. EPALE - COVID-19 Campaign
Coronavirus is having a disastrous effect on the Adult Learning sector across Europe.
We encouraged the Community to share solutions and best practice, helping each other to
rapidly adopt new online learning techniques and improve their own digital skills.
• Blogs, News, Resources &
Events on digital skills
• EPALE Interview Series
• Resource Kits for Upskilling
• Community Stories
• Online Discussions
• Webinars on Online Learning
• Podcasts, OERs & MOOCs

4. EPALE Interviews
Discussions with experts to explore specific aspects of access to digital learning, active citizenship,
social inclusion, barriers to learning, mobility and training provision.
Interesting professional pathways are shared with the community to highlight best practice in specific
disciplines of Adult Learning, especially during COVID-19.
We like to share a broad spectrum of expertise and to involve experts with different backgrounds and
from different countries.
The potential embedded in accessible culture:
The challenges for educators
Digital exclusion of learners with intellectual
disabilities.

5. EPALE Community Stories
The aim of this successful initiative is to gather stories, experiences and solutions so that the whole Adult
Learning community can benefit from them.
Stories inspire strategies to enhance e-learning opportunities, online teaching and re-thinking of adult
learning provision. Our aim is to make users share ideas and encourage positive actions!
We collected 121 stories in less than 5 months!

6. EPALE Resource Kits
EPALE is very rich in content and we wanted to help our users to find relevant best practice resources
and digital upskilling opportunities quickly and easily.
The initiative consists of a series of PDF Resource Kits that package and promote resources, tools and
best practice to help members deal with the rapid digital transformation of adult education.
3 kits have been launched, 4th will be out soon!

7. You can find relevant Digital Skills / e-Learning
resources by using the Search Bar on EPALE.
Digital Skills & e-Learning Resources
You can also click on the tag ‘e-learning’ to find all
related content.
You can can also start from the following blog posts:
• COVID-19 is reviving the need to explore online teaching and learning opportunities
• Key competences for lifelong learning: resources for online education
• EPALE Resource Kit #1 - Distance Learning

8. The conference will focus on Digital Learning, Lifelong Upskilling and Social Inclusion; with an
engaging mix of Keynote Speeches, Panel Discussions and Interactive Workshops.
Open to the entire Adult Learning
Community in Europe.
The online format will allow wider
participation and active
contributions from a broad group
of Stakeholders.
Day 1 - Digital Learning & Skills: Managing change, embracing transformation
Day 2 - Joining forces to provide lifelong upskilling: building stakeholder collaboration
Day 3 - Social Inclusion & Democracy: Opportunities for change

9. Thank you!
Any Questions?
Brian and Claudia for the
EPALE CSS team.
https://epale.ec.europa.eu