The objective of EPALE -Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe – is to establish an interactive web-based multilingual information platform on adult education in Europe. The EPALE shall prepare and provide information, e.g. about new materials, best practice examples and projects from individual member states based on information from National Support Services (NSSs), which will be set up by the EU in 2014.
The coordinator of the winning bid is ECORYS, from the UK, and the EBSN’s Secretariat, Hungarian Progress, is a partner in the consortium. The fact that the EBSN Secretariat will be able to act as channel for contributions from the whole network, has been specifically mentioned in the evaluation as one of the reasons why this bid has been accepted. Given the current importance of basic skills in the context of the Agenda, the Commission wanted to make sure that the basic skills sector was appropriately represented. This is something the EBSN can be proud of, but it represents also a challenge: we are collectively responsible to populate the future platform
The development of EPALE will be based on experience from other interactive platforms already used in other EU sectors, like eTwinning, and aims at offering a common reference point for information and resources on adult education and a space for cooperation between stakeholders of all sectors in Europe.
EPALE is to be opened to the public in the first half of 2015. The EU will be providing three million euros in total for the first contract period. A pool of experts will be supporting the project, among them several colleagues from EBSN member institutions.