Welcome to USBM

Taking the next step in lifelong learning!

Lifelong learning is about developing structures for continuing education that fit the realities of professional life and helps complete the knowledge that people acquire during their careers and renew or develop their existing knowledge. It is about all those phrases we use in speeches like “unlocking the knowledge of universities” and “making university education responsive to the needs of business”. Lifelong learning is broadly embraced throughout Europe.

Although lifelong learning is a concept broadly supported and strongly recognised by universities, governments and the EU, it is still in the initial phases of being implemented. Lifelong learning is not widely implemented yet.

Most universities are not sufficiently prepared to deliver lifelong learning. This can easily be explained when looking at their principle task and target groups. In general, universities are bound to their conventional business models focussing on research and innovation and educational programmes in the BA/MA structure. This is the right strategy for the target group of traditional students. To reach a new target group of LLL-students we need to develop new strategies and new business models.

This explains for the most part the hesitation of universities to take the next step in organising lifelong learning. The USBM consortium is bringing together university strategies and business models for lifelong learning that already fulfil the conditions for successful implementation.