Individual Learning Accounts – A Guide to Implementation

New publication summarises key insights and good practices from the ILA workshops of EU Member States within the framework of the “ILA Mutual Learning Programme” (2023–2025).

To achieve the EU target of incre­a­sing annual adult learning par­ti­ci­pa­ti­on to 60 % by 2030, Member States have stepped up their efforts in recent years. Despite a positive trend, par­ti­ci­pa­ti­on rates remain too low in most countries. According to the European Commission, insuf­fi­ci­ent financial support is one of the main barriers to par­ti­ci­pa­ti­on in training activities.

In 2022, the EU Council adopted a recom­men­da­ti­on on Individual Learning Accounts (ILA). The aim is to provide indi­vi­du­al entit­le­ments for labour market-relevant training, career guidance, and vali­da­ti­on oppor­tu­ni­ties. ILAs are not only seen as a financing instru­ment but also as a mechanism to review and further develop adult learning systems.

Since 2023, the European Commission has supported Member States through the “ILA Mutual Learning Programme”, which includes a series of deve­lo­p­ment and capacity-building workshops. Mariya Dzhengozova from 3s par­ti­ci­pa­ted as Country Expert for Bulgaria.

The brochure includes ten thematic dis­cus­sion papers developed as input for the ILA workshops, as well as two synthesis reports sum­ma­ri­sing the workshop outcomes. In addition to a guide for imple­men­ta­ti­on, it covers approa­ches to sus­tainable and stable financing models for national ILA systems and issues related to quality assurance. It also addresses enabling con­di­ti­ons such as national portals and brings together insights from suc­cessful pilot projects.

The reports are based on country examples from inside and outside the EU and dis­cus­sions at the events. Overall, they represent a com­pre­hen­si­ve source of infor­ma­ti­on and inspi­ra­ti­on for the deve­lo­p­ment of Individual Learning Accounts.