KU Leuven, 5 other universities of applied sciences are giving a strong boost to lifelong learning
The cooperation on lifelong learning that was set up in 2021 by the KU Leuven Association has been a success. With an annual growth in enrollment of 10%, it is now time for a new step in the collaboration between KU Leuven, Luca School of Arts, Odisee, Thomas More, UCLL and VIVES. The existing platform ikblijbij.be, which until now bundled the range of training courses, will become Continue and at the same time much more than a website. Behind the central hub, a professional team is now working on the development of new offerings, close contacts with the professional field, and better access to the wide range of courses for those who want to retrain, reorient or deepen their knowledge.
At home and abroad, more and more employers, employees, professionals and citizens are becoming aware of the importance of Lifelong Learning. Developing yourself further and retraining is a necessity and an asset in the rapidly evolving labor market. The enrollment figures for the more than 1,000 courses offered by the KU Leuven Association for this purpose on 23 campuses in Flanders and Brussels reflect this evolution with an annual growth of 10 percent.
The combination of a professional, practice-oriented offer from the colleges with the research-based offer from the university reaches a wide audience. Also abroad: the MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and the micro-credentials play an important role in this. Lifelong Learning can indeed be taken literally with participants aged 17 to 79 years. It proves how broad the interest is, how dynamic the market is, and how great the potential.
Collaboration with the professional field
In order to provide an answer to this social demand, KU Leuven and the five partner universities of applied sciences are investing further in depth (a state-of-the-art access and structure of the range) but also in breadth (the variety of additional training, postgraduates and further education ).
The recent evolutions in artificial intelligence show once again how quickly technology will influence our society and jobs. Without a sufficient familiarity with the possibilities and risks of generative AI applications such as ChatGPT, you may soon get stuck, both in a high-tech environment and in the classroom.
Lifelong Learning forms the link between these rapid developments, the latest scientific insights and their professional translation to the professional field. That is why the supply responds sharply to the demand, and we join forces to meet the needs of society and the business community as best as possible. For example, the successful postgraduate course in Digital Didactics, a collaboration between KU Leuven and Vives, familiarizes teachers with the latest educational technology (ranging from AI and VR to online learning solutions), and teaches them to use it thoughtfully and sustainably.
In the 23-24 academic year, Continue will start with a ‘Battery Technology’ course at the request of the technology federation AGORIA. KU Leuven, Odisee, UCLL , VITO and guest lecturers from industry join forces for a series of lessons that focuses on energy and sustainable development.
As the largest education network in Flanders, we can switch quickly and bring partners together to provide substantive strong answers to the challenges of tomorrow. Furthermore, Continue is a close-meshed network, spread over 23 campuses in Flanders and Brussels, and offers courses at both professional and academic level. We want to play these trumps even better and in a more demand-oriented way.
Koenraad Debackere, chairman of the KU Leuven Association
Investing, even in challenging times
The Continue hub that is now being launched is also more user-friendly and makes the offer more accessible and verifiable to user needs. Pages for specific target groups such as education or healthcare professionals and companies will ensure that visitors quickly find an offer tailored to their needs. Those who register can also receive notifications when new courses are available.
These are challenging budgetary times for Flemish Higher Education. Nevertheless, we see it as our duty to continue to invest in Lifelong Learning. Continuous has an essential role in today’s knowledge society.