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3. FINANCING THE INTEGRATION OF NEW TEACHING, MOTIVATION AND GUIDANCE
OUTREACH AND TOOLS INTO A COMPREHENSIVE DIGITAL STRATEGY FOR ADULT
EDUCATION CENTRES

This section provide advice on how to finance the integration of new teaching, motivation, and
guidance outreach and tools into a comprehensive digital strategy for adult education centers.

There is no doubt that financing digital education is the best decision an adult education centre can
take. Digitalization is not a cheap investment, but the investment return is worth it, as long as
consists in improving the quality of education and student satisfaction. The budget allocated for

adult learning programmes by the Education Ministry of each member state country in Europe is
usually smaller compared to the one for compulsory education of children and young people. Also,
when it comes to other non-education ministries, budgets for adult education are usualy absorbed
by other programmes such as health, labour market, or social support.

Under these circumstances, the EU initiatives such as Erasmus programme, the European Social
Fund, the European Regional Development Fund, the Digital Europe Programme, etc. offer a more
organized approach on the digital education challenge, together with EU funding programmes for

increasing access to digital technologies, infrastructure, and connectivity across Europe.

Digital transformation implies a lot of changes for the adult education centres that will make the
difference not only from the better-quality educational services, but also from competitive
advantage and efficiency point of view. 17

When thinking at this process, few investment directions come into focus:

1. Prioritization of the investments in digital technology,
2. Assessment of existing technologies and finding the best digitalization package to fit the
organization needs,
3. Increase online services for students and trainers to maximize their learning and teaching
experiences,
4. Innovation and development of adult learning services through bigger and wiser

investments,
5. Investment in security services and devices to protect learning platforms and guarantee the
access to digital education for everyone.

Taking education to the next level is not an option anymore. The digital age will push the
development further and everyone must adapt. It is a long time process, but one that cannot be
stopped. It requires investments and allocating resources for each organization involved in formal
and non-formal education services, but it will give everybody the chance to achieve their potential

and be prepared for the future.