“BSR SMART LIFE” is a new emerging flagship initiative under the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) what was initiated by Vidzeme Planning region in 2016.


Important stakeholders from different countries gathered together and by sharing their experiences and knowledge agreed on basic principles to expand the concept of life-long learning in Baltic Sea Region countries.

 

 

Why life-long learning maters?

The demographic change with an aging population, calls for recruitment of personnel that can fill gaps when the present workforce reaches retirement age. Labor markets are changing, and they demand the workforce that shows constant growth and development of skills in order to keep up with the new technological and market advances. The availability of lifelong learning in a region is one of the most influential factors in its socioeconomic development.

The ambition of the initiative is to develop a cross-sectoral integrated, effective and inclusive adult education system in the BSR, that is closely linked to and supports the smart specialization areas of the macro-region

 

Main priority focus actions of the initiative are:

  • Strengthen transnational cooperation
  • Create a common platform
  • Achieve dissemination of successful methods
  • Inspire to new initiatives and projects

 

The most important achievement so far

-          First initial meetings of the flagship have been held and the most important stakeholders have been gathered in order to share their experience and knowledge.

-          In June 2017, VPR organized discussion “Connectivity of skills and competencies for smart specialization as driving force for sustainable development in Baltic Sea Region”, it was part of Baltic Sea Region 8 Strategy Forum in Berlin, gathering together most important players of the field. The seminar focused on such central themes like life-long learning in the Global Knowledge Economy: skills and competencies of the future economies; life-long learning as a driving force for regional development and specialization and lifelong learning in the digital age.

-          The importance of working in partnership with all stakeholders has resulted in a common project application for Seed Money Facility. The project has analyzed the situation on life-long learning in Baltic Sea countries (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden) focusing specifically on labour market needs in the Balc Sea Region. The obtained data in each country will be an important basis for the larger scale project proposal being possibly financed by EU programmes or other financial instruments. Potential target groups of the project will be not only adults who are involved in life-long learning, but also entrepreneurs, educational providers, policy makers and regional and local authorities.

 

The initiative brings together partners from Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden working together to identify the necessary improvements in the lifelong learning domain and to implement them in the Baltic Sea Region. So far the process is ongoing and other stakeholders on local, regional and national levels, in public and private sector who are in some way related to the field of adult education are welcome to get involved to develop the initiative further.

 

How to become a member?

We invite all the stakeholders in the Baltic Sea Region to join the cooperation with the emerging 

flagship initiative “BSR Smart Life”. You can work with us in different ways:

  • subscribe to receive information about our organized workshops and seminars
  • share your good practices and come up with new solutions
  • search peer development partners for your new project ideas
  • join the emerging Flagship as a full member

>> READ or DOWNLOAD our brochure "BECOME PART OF AN EMERGING FLAGSHIP!" (.pdf)


 

Contact us:

 

Lelde Ābele

Coordinator of BSR SMART Life 

 Vidzeme Planning Region

E-mail: lelde.abele PIE vidzeme PUNKTS lv 

Mobile phone: 00 371 29266757