The labour market is changing rapidly and requires employees to stay up-to-date with knowledge and skills. That is why it is important that workers and job seekers continue to develop. Erasmus University Rotterdam is already working on this but has now received a 2 million euro subsidy through the government project LLO-Katalysator (Leven Lang Ontwikkelen) to do this even better.
This subsidy from the National Growth Fund enables the university to professionalize the Lifelong Learning organisation (LLL). As a university, we offer tailor-made learning solutions. It becomes easier for workers to find relevant courses and education is also better suited to today's professional learners.
Continue to learn & develop
It must become self-evident for everyone to continue developing throughout their lives, even after completing initial education. A well-educated workforce is one of the foundations of the Dutch economy. In the Netherlands, but also worldwide, we are facing major social transitions that require innovative solutions. Socio-economic, social and technological changes are occurring at a rapid pace. People must therefore continually acquire knowledge and new skills. Whether it concerns the energy transition or the influence of AI: more and more workers need to re- or upskill. The government therefore had Lifelong Learning on the agenda for quite some time now.
Rector Magnificus Annelien Bredenoord is happy with the subsidy: 'Our university is a place where knowledge and ideas come together, and we strongly believe in the value of continuous education. After all, you are never too old to learn. The Lifelong Learning project fits in perfectly with our mission to create positive societal impact as a civic university. With this subsidy we can support professionals even better in their further training and personal development. All so that they can continue to deliver top quality in an ever-changing labour market. As a university, we are proud to play an active role in promoting lifelong growth and development.'
Get started
With this subsidy, Erasmus University Rotterdam will make the course offerings more accessible to people who previously could not find their way to university, expand it for new target groups (start & mid-career) and further develop its own expertise in LLO. The proposal for which we received the grant 'Crossing Bridges, Unlocking Knowledge' enables the university to accelerate this process.
There will be a general Lifelong Learning service organization that will better bundle the LLL activities and offer them more clearly and transparently for a broader group of professional learners. The university will, among other things, work on the connection with the region in relation to LLL. We do this by appointing a LLL knowledge broker, setting up and streamlining our digital systems and processes and making it easier for professional learners to find us. We also use the subsidy to professionalize our teachers in teaching professionals.
Positive social impact
'I am extremely proud that we can boost Lifelong Learning at EUR with this subsidy. We can now (further) accelerate the development of our LLL organization to make our offering better and more accessible. By doing this we strengthen our positive social impact in the region and beyond.'
Daniël van Vliet
Programme Director Lifelong Learning
Who are the courses and training for?
Erasmus University sees it as its task to provide courses and training for the working population. We translate the latest scientific insights into the workplace, whether it concerns technicians or economists.
The target group is starters on the labour market and people in the middle of their career. But also, mbo or hbo students who have been working for a while and now want to continue with a university level course or training. Within the program we can also offer courses within existing degree granting programmes instead of someone having to follow a complete program and it is suited to the professional learner. This makes the entry to university level education more accessible, and we can reach as many people as possible.
The aim is to make them better able to organize and supervise complex change processes. In its strategy, Erasmus University Rotterdam focuses on broadening and making academic education more accessible for professionals who want to develop either professional knowledge or more 'soft' skills, which are essential in the major change processes in the region.
In this way, the university can contribute to changes in the region by providing the working population with knowledge. And that is ultimately precisely the role of the university: adding knowledge on important social themes and thus feeding and supporting the debate and the associated change processes.
- More information
View our current offerings. The overview is not yet complete and a new website will be launched soon.
For general questions about Lifelong Learning and this project, please email us.