[EPALE newsletter] Making Time for the Space Between
 Dear EPALE members, This month, we are exploring in-between spaces: those moments of transition between the life that no longer fits and the life that has yet to begin. These are the encounters, pauses and turning points that reshape how we see ourselves and the world.Yes, this is where learning takes place. But let’s be honest: a lot of the time, it is also an uncomfortable place to be. Familiar ways of thinking and working no longer seem sufficient, while new possibilities remain difficult to imagine.And change rarely arrives when we feel fully ready for it. As technological shifts and changing labour-market demands increasingly require us to learn, adapt and reinvent ourselves, becoming something new can feel less like a choice than a necessity imposed on us. Paradoxically, it is often precisely when we need to change the most that we find it hardest to embrace the unfamiliar.Time adds another layer to this tension. When work and family commitments compete for our attention, learning must find its place among many other demands. And even when we find the time, meaningful learning requires more than fitting a course into a busy schedule: it calls for reflection, questioning and room to reconsider what we thought we knew.This month’s selection explores these tensions from different angles: through personal stories of becoming and belonging, the challenges of adult reskilling, new ways of understanding lifelong learning, and the role of time in shaping educational practice.If change is inevitable, why is learning still so difficult to make room for? Explore this month’s picks and join the conversation on EPALE.Heini Huhtinen – EPALE Adult Learning Expert  The Space Between: 2026 EPALE Community Storybook  The 2026 EPALE Community Storybook has been released, inviting you to view learning from a different perspective: the space between who we were and who we are becoming. The book brings together stories from adult educators and learners across Europe and follows three movements: Becoming explores personal transformation, Belonging looks at the communities that sustain us, and Bridging considers what we can build together once we have found ourselves and each other. Each story captures a pivotal moment, be it a hesitation, a second chance, or a question finally asked. ► Watch the book trailer and download your copy! Building Europe’s Adult Reskilling Ecosystems via Stronger Labour Market Links  Employment across the OECD is at a historic high. So why are employers still struggling to find the skills they need? Drawing on the latest OECD and Cedefop evidence, this article explores skills mismatches, an ageing workforce, and a 35-point training participation gap. It also explains why those most exposed to change are often the least likely to undertake training. It then presents the new Skills Partnerships for Adult Reskilling (SPARKs), which were proposed by the European Skills High-Level Board, and introduces the concept of a “literacy-friendly” workplace. This is a must-read for anyone working at the intersection of adult learning and the world of work. ► Read the full article!Lifelong Scope for Measuring Lifelong Learning  We talk about learning throughout life, in various settings such as classrooms, workplaces and communities, yet the way we measure it still relies on a few narrow indicators: participation rates, qualifications and one-off skills assessments. This article examines a recent OECD report which questions what we consider to be worth measuring in the first place and proposes a framework based on demand, supply and coordination. It also clarifies what a life-wide view of learning means for practitioners – from documenting outcomes such as confidence and well-being, to tracking learners long after they have completed a programme – and explains why adult learning organisations must play a part in making informal learning more visible in future data.► Find out more! Towards Time-Sensitive Professional Practice in Adult Education  In an age where information arrives in seconds but understanding still takes time, what happens to adult learning and education? In this reflective piece, Sabine Schmidt-Lauff considers time as a pedagogical dimension that has often been overlooked in adult education, despite “not having enough time” being the main reason adults give for not participating in learning. She asks how educators can balance the convenience of microlearning and AI-driven instant answers with the depth of reflection and transformation. The article concludes with practical questions designed to help educators build temporally inclusive learning environments, as accommodating different life rhythms is also an effective way of making learning more inclusive. .► Dive into the article!What’s New On EPALE Starting with this edition of the newsletter, we’ll be sharing the latest technical updates and new features implemented on the EPALE platform. This time, we’re introducing Rocket.Chat, the new chat functionality available within Groups! Group members can now communicate through private and group conversations, making it easier to exchange best practices, ask questions and stay connected.► Join an existing Group or request the creation of a new one and give Rocket.Chat a try! |
