FOREWORD

In the ”learning society” the need for adult education is an increasing one because everybody is forced to update his competencies in order to be able to manage all the social, technological and informational accelerated changes. Therefor we need for specialised trainers in adult education field able to provide the necessary quality of training, as it is stipulated in one of the six key messages of the European Commissions Memorandum on Lifelong Learning (Oct. 2000).

In an Europe without borders the success of adult education is directly related by the level of the expertise of its workers.

Thus, the need for professionalization of the adult educators, with a common profile of competencies, is claimed at European level. That is why there is big demand for post-university training, coming from the teachers and from managers working in adult education institution, as well as for a common curriculum, compatible at European level.

In this context, the project Postuniversity Training in Adult Education - PTAE, coordinated by University of the West from Timisoara, aims to promote a joint European curriculum for post-university specialisation, with the help of specialists from the universities from Bucharest, Iasi, Timisoara, Duisburg, Marburg and Ostrava.

The study plan elaborated by the partners involved in the project is a complex one, allowing, beside the common compulsory courses, the further specialisation of the students in didactics/politics/media and new learning environments/and/or management of adult education.

The present course is part of the study plan, an example of joint curriculum development, and collaborative effort of academics from the partner universities, and thus, a support for the students attending a postgraduate psycho-pedagogical specialisation in adult education.

PhD Simona SAVA, PTAE coordinator