Continuum - Widening Participation

Conferences & Meetings

Schools and Employability: The Swedish Experience Seminar
University of East London, Docklands Campus
Tuesday 8th December 2009, 12.00pm - 2.00pm

Much has been written over recent months about the role of schools in relation to employability and as part of this debate, the experience of Sweden and its Free schools has been referred to extensively in the press. Continuum has been working closely with colleagues in Sweden, and has recently made contact with the work of the Baggium schools which run employment based schools throughout Sweden.

The seminar will therefore provide an opportunity to hear directly from both a senior manager and also two current students who are involved in the Free schools policy as part of Baggium schools. Katarina Mollberg is rector of the Nykvarns Praktiska Gymnasium and she will provide an overview of the work of the Free schools in general and the specific approach that Baggium schools have taken, in particular providing as they do a focus on employability. This will be followed by two students inputs and will then break into an open discussion of the issues and questions raised.

A buffet lunch will be provided on a first come first served basis.

Please confirm your attendance by emailing Nicola Stephenson, Centre Research Administrator.

Widening Participation at Postgraduate Level - Research, Policy, People
24th February 2010

Advance Notice: Continuum and the Graduate School are organising a one day conference on widening participation at postgraduate level.

Further details will be posted shortly.

INCLUDE Conference 2009

INCLUDE, the Swedish network for HE providers, and sister organisation to FACE, will hold it's annual conference on 1st and 2nd October 2009, in Norrkoping, Sweden.

For further details and a copy of the conference program, please see: http://www.include.nu/konferens09/

If you are interested in attending, please contact n.stephenson@uel.ac.uk

FACE Executive Meetings 2009/10

21st September 2009
7th December 2009
1st March 2010
7th June 2010

Meetings take place at the University of Westminster, 11.00am - 2.00pm.

Please see the FACE website for more details: www.f-a-c-e.org.uk

FACE Conference 2009: Towards a New Agenda for Lifelong Learning: Access, Diversity and Participation, 1st - 3rd July 2009


The Annual Forum for Access and Continuing Education (FACE) conference will be hosted by the Academic Development Institute and the Institute for Access Studies at Staffordshire University in Stoke-on-Trent .

Conference Themes

This conference will bring together the sometimes disparate and often closely integrated themes of access, diversity and participation in a bid to explore how these elements contribute to or possibly detract from a new agenda for lifelong learning.

Keynote Speakers include

Professor Stephen Gorard-Chair in Education Research University of Birmingham and principle author of Overcoming the Barriers to Higher Education.

Professor Christine King-Vice Chancellor Staffordshire University and leader of the DIUS commissioned report on part-time study

Professor Mike Osborne- Director of the Centre for Research and Development in Adult and Lifelong Learning, University of Glasgow and Co-director of the PASCAL Observatory

Further details of the conference content, timetable and packages available can be found at

http://www.f-a-c-e.org.uk/conference2009.html

Call for Papers - Submission of Abstracts and Workshop Proposals

Papers and workshop presentations are sought on any or all of the conference themes. Papers and workshops should address the over-arching theme of a new agenda for lifelong learning. Given the inter-relation of access, diversity and participation some papers will inevitably cover aspects of more than one of these and often other agendas as well. Papers and workshops that attempt to place the lifelong learning agenda within theoretical and policy contexts are particularly welcome as are practitioner and case study based submissions.

Abstracts and workshop proposals can be submitted using the form at www.staffs.ac.uk/faceconf/submissionform/

Registration can be made online using the form at www.staffs.ac.uk/faceconf/bookingform/  




For further information please contact the conference organisor, Peter Jones Tel: 01782 294941 Email: pete.jones@staffs.ac.uk

Early Bird Bookings All bookings made prior to the 28th February 2009 will receive a free copy of 'Marginality and Difference in Education and Beyond' edited by Michael Reiss, Renee Depalma & Elizabeth Atkinson published by Trentham books.

2009 FACE Conference 1- 3 July 2009

SPECIAL CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FROM EARLY CAREER ACCESS/WP PRACTITIONERS OR RESEARCHERS

FACE is delighted to announce that ESCalate the Education Subject Centre has kindly agreed to sponsor a full fees paid place at this year's annual conference. This includes all conference fees,university accommodation and access to the social programme. Travel expenses are not included.

So if you have been working in the areas of Access or WP  for less than two years you are eligible to apply for this sponsored place at this years annual conference which takes place at Staffordshire University from the 1st-3rd July.

For further information on the conference please go to the FACE website at www.f-a-c-e.org.uk  

Applicants should submit a title and abstract for a conference paper and will be expected if successful to give a full conference presentation and have the opportunity to have this include in the conference publication.

The closing date for applications will be the 13th May and applications should be sent electronically to Pete Jones, conference organiser at  pete.jones@staffs.ac.uk 

Applicants should provide the following information:
Name
Job designation
Address
E-mail address
Details of employment
Proposed conference paper title and abstract

Joint Continuum and Learning & Teaching Lunchtime Discussion Forum, 13th May 2009, 12pm-2pm Docklands Campus, Room KD.2.22

This discussion, entitled Knowledge Transfer and Community Engagement, will include colleagues from Malmo University in Sweden as well as a presentation by Janine Campbell, Administrative Manager of the McCaughey Centre in Melbourne, Australia.

The discussion will be facilitated by Professor John Storan, Director of Continuum and will be of interest to colleagues with a role in teaching and supporting learning and sharing good practice.

A buffet lunch is provided on a first-come first-served basis, served from 12 midday.

Please contact n.stephenson@uel.ac.uk if you are interested in this event.

Listening to Learners: Partnerships in Action, 22 April 2009, Docklands Campus, UEL

The conference will bring together practitioners, academics and policy makers working in a variety of contexts and settings who share an interest in learner voice. The innovative conference programme includes presentations from learners, keynote speakers, workshops and a panel session. In addition to learning about the latest award winning research on learner voice there will also be opportunities for critical discussions on learner voice in the workshop sessions and during the networking breaks.


For further details and online registration please click on the link: http://www.uel.ac.uk/listeningtolearners

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SCQF International Conference: 23-24 March 09

International Conference on National Qualifications Frameworks and Learner Mobility

Where: Radisson SAS Hotel, Glasgow city centre, Scotland

Theme: Breaking Barriers and Crossing Boundaries: the role of National Qualifications Frameworks in promoting learner mobility

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Partnership invites you to attend an international conference which will explore the role of National Qualifications Frameworks in promoting learner mobility across sectors and national boundaries.

The first day of the conference will focus on learner mobility across sectors. It will introduce delegates to the development of the SCQF and highlight some of
the incremental reforms which have been introduced and which can facilitate learner mobility, such as learning outcomes and credit.

Day two of the conference will turn delegates' attention to transnational mobility. It will centre on how the Bologna and European Qualifications Framework developments can contribute to better and wider recognition of skills and qualifications across national boundaries.

Registration for the event is now open and will close on 6 March 2009. Register now.

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Joint Continuum / Graduate School Seminar - 11 July 2008

Widening participation beyond first degrees.

Continuum and the Graduate School organised an invitation only seminar on widening participation and equality of access to study at postgraduate level.

For many graduates further study at postgraduate level offers the opportunity to differentiate themselves in a competitive labour market. In response many institutions see this as an important part of their operation and have increased provision accordingly. However at a time when student debt is increasing socio-demographics becomes an increasingly important determinant of who progresses to study at postgraduate level and consequently the need for widening participation beyond first degrees.

Factors discussed during the seminar included; family situation, intrinsic interest, income, long-term career opportunities, family history of post-graduate study, perception of employability and understanding what post-graduate study is.

Final Seminar Programme (MS-Word)
Speaker Profile (MS-Word)
Speaker Presentation

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2008 FACE Conference 2- 4 July 2008

Challenging Isolation: the role of lifelong learning

The 2008 FACE Conference promises to be filled with topical and stimulating sessions. It also provides an excellent opportunity for networking with delegates from the UK and across the world.

Click here to see the conference programme

This year's conference will be opened by Professor Dianne Willcocks, Vice Chancellor of York St John University and Professor John Storan, Chair of FACE. The conference includes:

- Keynote presentations by influential figures in the field including: Director General for Education & Culture, Odile Quintin; Professor Robert Cormack, Principal of UHI Millenium Institute; Professor Claire Callender, Professor of Higher Education, Birkbeck, University of London

- Roundtables on Aimhigher, Lifelong Learning Networks (LLNs), international issues and rurality

- Workshops covering mental health, rural and coastal communities, the unemployed and under-employed, sexualities, amongst others

- Examples of cross-thematic sessions include challenging isolation of minority ethnic families in rural and coastal areas
Social programme including a Gala Dinner and York Ghost Walk

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Continuum International Seminar - 2 April 2008

Continuum recently hosted an invitation only seminar - Engaging the disengaged and disadvantaged: Experience of working with younger learners from Australia, UK and Sweden.

Organised by Continuum this invitation only seminar included presentations by colleagues from Australia, Sweden and the UK. The aim of the seminar was for practitioners, through focussed presentations, to share their experiences of working in different contexts and settings. Copies of the presentations can be downloaded by clicking on the links below.

Seminar Programme (MS-Word)

Students as researchers (Derek Bland)
Stockholm's University for All - Medvind Project (Faezeh Khalaji & Maria Hulth)
Crossing Barriers - Effective Mentoring Works (Linda Leith)

A copy of Derek Bland's seminar paper can be downloaded by clicking on the link below.

Seminar Paper - Students as researchers (Dr Derek Bland)

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