The Association consists of:
– the General Assembly (GA)
– the Executive Committee (EC)
– the Secretariat.
The General Assembly is the EBSN’s legislative organ and it delegates the running governance of the network to the Executive Committee.
All eligible members are entitled to participate with one voting member per institution at the annual General Assembly (GA).
A Secretariat has been established to assist the Executive Committee in its functions.
Secretary General
Zoltán Várkonyi
Secretary General European Basic Skills NetworkZoltán is one of the initiators of the Hungarian Association for Lifelong Learning and had a decisive role in developing and promoting the Network of Open Learning Centres in Hungary. Zoltán is a co-founder and director of Progress Development Co., which also functions as a knowledge centre for basic skills teaching & learning for the Network. Progress accommodates EBSN Secretariat in Budapest. He was a member of the EBSN Executive Committee between 2013-17 and the Head of the Secretariat between 2017-23, and he has served as Secretary General since May 2023. As Project Leader for the EBSN Professional Development Series, Zoltán coordinates the production and piloting of OERs & MOOCs in international collaboration.
EBSN Executive Committee
Treasuer
Alex Stevenson
National Learning and Work Institute / L&W, UKAlex Stevenson is a Head of Programme at Learning and Work Institute (L&W), leading the organisation’s research and development work on adult basic skills and learning in communities. Alex has worked on a range of projects for clients including the Department for Education, the Home Office, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Greater London Authority. Alex’s recent basic skills projects include advising the Government on the feasibility of an online basic skills checker, producing new ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teaching and learning resources for refugees with limited literacy skills, and resources to support volunteers with the delivery of non-formal English language conversation clubs. He led L&W’s development work on the Citizens’ Curriculum, and currently leads a project in the London boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark, which explores how the Citizens’ Curriculum can benefit residents with long-term health conditions. Before joining L&W, Alex taught, managed and developed adult basic skills and ESOL provision for over 13 years. Alex is an executive board member at the European Association for the Education of Adults and an executive committee member at the European Basic Skills Network.
Alex is member of the EBSN EC since 2020.
Caroline Meier
Swiss Federation of Adult Learning / SVEB, SwitzerlandCaroline Meier is an expert in the field of basic skills learning with more than ten years of experience in national and international projects. Caroline works in various networks to promote basic skills and the professionalization of trainers in the field. Additionally, she also has many years of NGO management experience.
Daiana Huber
Center for Promoting Lifelong Learning / CPIP, RomaniaPedagogue and capacity building trainer, working on Lifelong Learning and ERASMUS Programs. Specialised in crimial correctional justice, with targetted interventions in the role of practitioners delivering learning contexts. Since 2006 working in the CPIP Team as project developer and fund raise. Active advocate for the adult education sector and for the recognition of educational sciences in the sector.
Daiana is member of the EBSN EC since 2023.
Damian Fäh
Flying Teachers, SwitzerlandDamian Fäh is a certified education and training manager with seven years of experience in various fields of adult education. He is currently an innovation manager and product developer for Flying Teachers in the fields of basic skills provision, German as a second language and teacher-training. In this function, he is involved, as a consultant, in the modernization of the fide teacher-training modules, the subject of his presentation at this year’s conference. He is also an active teacher-trainer in EUROLTA, SVEB and fide certificate courses, and in basic skills trainings focusing on digital literacy. Before his current position, he managed an integration program for adult refugees, where he developed content, curricula and quality management processes for German, intercultural competence and job-application training and also worked as a trainer in these subjects.
Damian is member of the EBSN EC since 2023.
Dr. Luis Carro
University of Valladolid, SpainLuis Carro brings over 35 years of distinguished experience as a professor specializing in research methodology in education and career guidance. His work primarily focuses on initial teacher training and adult education, where he has demonstrated profound expertise and commitment.
He has a strong track record in managing the research group on “Professional Qualifications, Employability, and Social Entrepreneurship.” His leadership in this area highlights his capacity for handling complex research initiatives and fostering academic excellence.
In 2008, Luis founded the Spanish Observatory of Validation of Professional Competences, a pioneering institution in Spain. Since its inception, he has been an active participant in numerous conferences and has successfully supervised over 15 doctoral theses and numerous other final dissertations focused on the validation processes of prior learning.
Luis is member of the EBSN EC since 2024.