Enhancing Individual Learning Accounts in Europe
On 17 and 18 February 2025, Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini was represented at a meeting of the Individual Learning Account (ILA) Mutual Learning Programme, held in Brussels at the Berlaymont premises of the European Commission.
This meeting was the latest in a series of online and in-person gatherings, designed to facilitate knowledge sharing and support countries actively considering or implementing ILAs as part of their vocational education and training (VET) offer – following the lead of France, the first EU country to launch an ILA, now celebrating its 20th anniversary.
The programme is sponsored by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL), which provided introductory presentations, including findings from a survey on public employment services' (PES) perspectives on ILAs.
Representatives from several Member States – including Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and Slovakia – attended, providing updates on the progress of their ILA schemes and highlighting key challenges in their development. Germany also attended as an observer.
FGB associate Paul Jeffrey was invited to present insights from the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) project, led by Fondazione Brodolini in 2023 and 2024.
While the TSI project specifically supported the development of ILA in Hungary, Jeffrey shared lessons applicable to all ILA initiatives, covering aspects such as governance and leadership, resourcing, funding, action planning, stakeholder engagement, integration with VET tools and policies (including guidance), and the development of accredited qualifications.
