All presentations and recommendations from the conference are available through clicking the link of the appropriate part of the programme.

The discussions and recommendations have been a vital basis for the "EUCEN Policy Recommendations for LLL in the Bologna Process" which are now available on http://www.eucen.org

1. Conference aims and themes

The conference aims to bring lifelong learning back onto the agenda of the Bologna process. It will address the challenges of higher education institutions in providing lifelong learning opportunities for all and in designing targeted professional development programmes. These challenges also include the opening up of higher education institutions through the recognition, validation and accreditation of non-formal and informal learning.
Hence the conference will focus on three main themes: Continuing professional development/education, Recognition of non-formal and informal learning, and Open and distance learning/e-learning, all seen from three perspectives, a policy perspective (EU and Government), a strategic perspective (institutions, organisations and businesses) and a practice perspective (academics, trainers, practitioners).

2. The conference working style and outcomes
In the main body of the conference the three main themes are addressed in depth in three parallel strands, each including presentations as well as workshops. The conference aims at involving the participants in group activity, debate and collaboration. The expected joint outcomes of these activities are recommendations to policy makers for further action within each field. Prior to the conference a preliminary document with be worked out, proposing possible recommendations for further actions. These recommendations will be available for the participants as a starting point for their discussion and collaborative work. The conference organisers will summarise the recommendations from each strand and forward them to the Bologna Co-ordination group and other policy makers at national and European level.

3. The roles of the rapporteurs and the group chairs

The rapporteurs
The viability of the chosen conference model is strictly dependent on competent rapporteurs, one within each strand (ie one for CPD, one for Recognising learning, and one for ODL/e-learning).Each rapporteur will, for his/her strand:

• Prepare and edit the preliminary document of proposed recommendations

• Prepare and perform the initial presentation of the theme and focus of their respective strand, i.e.
   •present the preliminary recommendations while
   •referring to EU documents and declarations as well as
   •referring to the key note speeches

• Facilitate and moderate the whole process and outcomes of the work in their strand, in the group sessions as well as in the strand plenary sessions
• Weave and report from the same process. A report/document is to be presented orally at the end of the conference.
• Complete their written report to the organisers immediately after the conference.

The group chairs
The group chairs will be chosen among the participants before the conference. There will be 3 within each strand, which means 9 in total. The group chairs will have comparatively the same role within the group as the rapporteurs have within their strand - i.e. during the workshop process (third and fourth bullet points), but not before and after the conference. This means that they are expected to
• Facilitate and moderate the whole process and outcomes of the work in their group sessions

• Weave and report from the same process. A report/document is to be presented to the rapporteur as an input and underpinning of the final rapporteur report.