6th eucen Global Seminar – Online

Online seminar, Wednesday 29 April 2026 at 14:00CET

Investing in Lifelong Learning: New Paths to Sustainable Funding

Lifelong learning is a cornerstone of economic growth, social cohesion, individual wellbeing, and vibrant democracies. But one question remains central: how can we ensure that lifelong learning is truly lifelong and inclusive, rather than constrained by financial barriers?

Funding continues to be one of the greatest challenges facing lifelong learning. For many individuals and organisations, the cost of training remains a significant obstacle. For institutions and policymakers, the debate over who should bear the cost—the learner, the employer, or the state—often remains unresolved.

The 2026 eucen Global Seminar, jointly organised by eucen, UPCEA, AAACE and CAUCE, has welcomed new collaborations from Asia. We have looked at how different countries are addressing this pressing issue. Through real-world examples and policy insights from several continents, we have explored innovative approaches such as learning accounts and training leave schemes.

Find the presentations and a summary of the questions asked and answered in the chat below.

PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME

14:00CET – Welcome: Pascal Paschoud, President of eucen

14:05CET – SAMUELE Data on Funding Challenges on ULLL.
Lyndsey El Amoud – University College Cork (IE). Member of the Steering Committee of eucen

14:15CET – Setting the Scene: Financing Adult Learning in Europe.
Mantas SEKMOKAS and Patrycja LIPINSKA – CEDEFOP (link to the presentation will be soon available)

14:35CET – Panel:

Corina CARACCIOLI – AAACE (US)
Amy Heitzman, Deputy CEO, UPCEA (US). Presentation
Jo-Anne CLARKE – President of CAUCE (CA)
Renee TAN – Institute for Adult Learning Singapore (SG)
Mary MAHONEY – UALL (UK), National Network of eucen. Presentation

15:25CET – Open discussion. Moderator: Tamer Atabarut, member of the SC of eucen

15:50CET – Thanks and Closing: Pascal Paschoud

Questions & Answers and Links from the Chat during the session.

Event organised by eucen with the collaboration of UPCEA, AAACE and CAUCE.

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