The eucen 2014 Conference which took place in Warsaw (PL) at the Warsaw School of Economics from June 11th to 13th in 2014, was jointly organised by eucen and the Warsaw School of Economics, the Educational Research Institute, the University of Gdansk and the Polish Universities for Lifelong Learning.

The recently recommended “Social Investment Package” means policies designed to strengthen people’s skills and capacities and support them to participate fully in the labour market and society. However, it also evokes the need for a critical approach. This conference provided an opportunity for Lifelong Learning Universities (LLLU) to discuss and define their understanding of “social investment”.

The main topics of discussion during the conference were:

 – Innovations in developing the skills and competencies of learners
 – Reconciliation of work-education-family activities in the life course
 – Examples of “social investment” as LLLU contributions to the knowledge bank of good practices
 – The returns of investing in lifelong learners