Lifelong learning has increasingly gained importance in recent years. It is an essential part of UGent’s societal role and offers the opportunity to bridge the gap between academic excellence and the needs of a dynamic labour market. Due to the constant evolution of scientific insights, technologies, and labour market developments, continuous education is essential. Lifelong learning enables professionals to keep up with these developments and further develop both personally and (inter)professionally. University programmes also bring together people from diverse fields and generations, creating valuable networking, collaboration, and career opportunities.
UGent has long offered various forms of lifelong learning, such as postgraduate and continuing education programmes. The Nova Academy—a collaboration between our university, VUB, and UAntwerpen—and the faculty academies stimulate the further development of this necessary educational offering. They ensure that, in addition to the existing offerings, microcredentials, lectures, study days, and other programmes are also highlighted.
UGent has already made significant strides in this area, but there are still numerous opportunities to further exploit its potential and increase its impact. We advocate for a more strategic and integrated approach. This is necessary to position ourselves as a leader in lifelong learning and thus contribute to the societal and economic progress of Flanders and beyond. To achieve this goal, we propose the following policy measures:
- Further support for faculty academies
In a rapidly changing world, it is essential that everyone has the opportunity to continue their education. An efficient and flexible approach to lifelong learning is therefore necessary, firstly for the learner who must be able to combine education with work and/or other obligations. Secondly, this also applies to the faculty academies. Without limiting the substantive autonomy of the faculties and departments, they must be more supported by the university services. This allows us to realise economies of scale, for example, by sharing (IT-)infrastructure, professional marketing, and streamlined administrative processes. This enables the faculty academies to focus on the programmes themselves.
For the management of programmes, enrolments, payments, evaluations, etc., we believe an integrated and digital platform is appropriate. This platform should be a user-friendly environment where automation reduces administrative burdens and lowers operational costs. This allows the focus to be entirely on the content and quality of the programmes involved. Such a platform is also necessary for learners. In times of digitalisation, we must invest in hybrid educational forms that seamlessly combine physical and online learning experiences. This increases the accessibility of the offerings as learners are less dependent on specific contact moments. UGent already has the necessary platforms for this—Oasis and Ufora—and we will work with the relevant staff to determine if these platforms need adjustments for optimal operation.
Sustainable funding is crucial for the successful development of lifelong learning. The funding generated by the programmes involved should, in principle, be able to cover their costs. We additionally seek collaborations with the professional field to generate extra funding where needed. When funding allows for it, we can then work towards a pricing policy with discounts for alumni and group enrolments through companies and other organisations. This way, we make lifelong learning not only financially accessible but also ensure that it remains feasible for everyone, now and in the future.
- Dynamic interaction between researchers and professionals in the field
We stimulate dynamic interaction between researchers and professionals by linking lifelong learning to academic activities such as public guest lectures, doctoral defences, symposia, or workshops. By promoting knowledge sharing, we increase the societal valorisation of scientific research. Through these activities, we offer the opportunity to directly translate scientific insights into knowledge and applications relevant to a broader audience. This strengthens the impact of academic research and creates a learning environment where researchers, alumni, and professionals can continuously connect with each other.