Developments: New reform proposes training centres for newcomers
The situation of the two members in Spain is different, which shows the multiple voices advocating for adult education in the country. For the Spanish Federation of Popular Universities (FEUP) the situation has stayed the same and they are not aware of any new policies.
The Catalan Association for Education, Training and Research (ACEFIR) reported that the situation of adult learning and education in Spain has slightly deteriorated during the last year, mainly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, a reform proposed the establishment of new training centers for newcomers with low literacy rates and advocated for semi-attendance tuition.
The funding situation has slightly improved because new funding streams opened through projects and new voluntary collaborators. There are some policies for Upskilling Pathways and some that foster the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During COVID, the SDGs have become a lower priority because of other challenges. The report from the European semester partially mirrors the experience of ACEFIR and according to them, civil society in Spain is rarely consulted in policy making.
A poor relationship between civil society and the administration
It is important to mention that the implementation of policies is dependent on the respective (autonomous) community in Spain because Education, Health, Culture and Labour are decentralised.
In Spain there have been many initiatives sparked by the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), even under the COVID-19 situation. ACEFIR mentions that the EPSR does not play an important role in Spain, because the policies in the region are stronger than those proposed by the European Pillar. Civil society, including ACEFIR have not been consulted on the EPSR. In general, there is a poor relationship between civil society and the administration (ministries).