Even in times of corona-related closings and restrictions, institutions for further training aimed at the common good have developed creative solutions in order to be able to continue their work. The state government would like to support the resulting innovation potential with the funding program “The Crisis as Opportunity – Innovations in Further Education”. A jury of experts has now selected eleven out of a total of 43 project applications that are to be funded. If the application process has been successfully completed, the projects will receive an individual grant of up to 15,000 euros. A total of around 141,000 euros are provided for funding from the state.
“As the state government, we want to promote new concepts and creative ideas in continuing education aimed at the common good. There is potential for new teaching formats, especially in adult education. Whether it is the use of an educational app or newly thought-out hybrid forms of teaching – the selected projects are a fine example of how educational offers can be innovative, digital and accessible to everyone. In addition to this funding program, we also want to ensure more innovation in further education in the future with the amendment of the North Rhine-Westphalia Further Education Act ”, says Klaus Kaiser, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Science.
The call for funding “Innovations in Further Education” was published for the first time in mid-October 2020. The projects to be submitted should, if possible, have an impact beyond the organizational area of an institution or a national organization and thus meet the requirements of cross-agency cooperation in a special way. The projects should also be innovative and give new impetus to further training aimed at the common good. Adult education centers in North Rhine-Westphalia and institutions recognized by other sponsors under the Further Education Act (WbG NRW) could apply.
The application process is structured in two stages. The applicants first presented their project with an expression of interest (level 1). An expert jury evaluated the applications and selected the projects that they considered most promising. The successful institutions will now be notified and called upon to submit a formal funding application (level 2) to the relevant district government by the end of February. The implementation of the funded projects is planned for the period from April to the end of December 2021.
More information can be found here.
Selected expressions of interest
1. Akademie Klausenhof gGmbH: Cultural events and political education as a low-threshold offer of further training
2. current forum eV: The DIGI-MACHER
3. Bildungswerk variety / WMDO eV: reality check digital Developing, testing and establishing digital and hybrid educational offers
4. Episcopal Academy of the Diocese of Aachen: Development of a new and participatory didactics in further education with digital tools
5. Kolping-Bildungswerk Paderborn gGmbH Sociopolitical Academy: differentZUSAMMEN
6. Multicultural Forum eV: Frau * Sein
7th Adult Education Center of the City of Bielefeld: Virtual Spinning Mill
8. Volkshochschule Dülmen – Haltern am See – Havixbeck: Lockdown – log in; Video workshop for course instructors
9. Adult Education Center Cologne: Reading Mementor Cologne – Digital Learning Worlds
10. Neuss Adult Education Center: We enable learning – online and analog.
11. Further education institute Ruhr sponsored by WIR eV: Digital tools in creative therapy further education
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