Nordplus Adult Project „Step forward into growth“ started in 2016 as a cooperation between three providers of adult training and education from Baltic countries - Adult Learning Centre Vestifex (Estonia), Ligatne Municipality (Latvia) and Vilnius Adult Education Centre (Lithuania).

 

The name of the project „Step forward into growth“ originates from the quote of Abraham Maslow: „In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety“. Life is a constant interchange between both. We cannot be brave every single moment of our life. We have moments where we need to retreat and others where we must push ahead out of our comfort zone. Adult learning requires courage to step out of the comfort zone, because it often leads to changes – changes in the amount of knowledge we have, changes in skills and competences, changes in the way we communicate and understand each other, changes in our sense of self, and changes in our social world. On this path to growth adult educators and learning facilitators could support and encourage the learner.

 

Workplace learning should address the whole person, incorporating much more than a development of technical and functional skills. For that reason project partners bring the expertise and experience of adult educators to the workplace fostering cooperation between adult education providers and employers and ultimately contributing to the quality of individuals' professional and personal life.

 

With this project we would like to apply the principles of andragogy, self-direction in learning and non-formal education in order to contribute to the quality of workplace learning, increase opportunities for development of transversal skills and employability, foster cooperation between adult education providers and employers. As the main outcome of the project we collect, adjust and develop tools for supporting self-directed learning in the workplace.

 

We focus on transversal skills (sometimes referred as core skills or soft skills) are the cornerstones for the personal development of a person and relevant to a broad range of occupations and sectors. Transversal skills and competences (critical and creative thinking, innovativeness, collaboration skills, cross-cultural competency, reflection and self-assessment) are the foundation for the development of the "hard" skills and competences required to succeed on the labour market.

 

Learning is essential for individual well-being and organisational advancement, and workplace learning should be broader than simply a process of training and development for specific tasks. Workplace learning should address the whole person and be driven by the learners themselves.