When: Wednesday 17 February 2010, 09:30 - 16:00

Where: Woburn House Conference Centre
London WC1H 9HQ

Overview:

• Only a small proportion of the 50 plus age group is involved in formal educational study.
• Whereas the market for undergraduate study for older learners is largely untested in the UK it is a major growth area in the US.
• With the proportion of over-65s expected to reach a fifth of the population by 2026, the market for older learners is likely to increase significantly.

Is your institution ready to respond to this opportunity?

Universities UK and The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) are hosting a one-day conference on engaging older learners in education and training on Wednesday 17 February 2010.  The conference will be held at Woburn House Conference Centre, London WC1.

The day is for those responsible for the development of university strategy as well as those interested in running educational programmes for older people.  It’s also for those who want to expand programmes for professionals who provide care for the elderly.

Speakers include:

• Angela Eagle MP, Minister of State for Pensions and the Ageing Society, Department for Work and Pensions (invited)
• Professor Dame Janet Finch, Vice-Chancellor, Keele University
• Professor Stephen McNair, Associate director (older learners), National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE)
• Professor Chris Phillipson, Professor of Applied Social Studies and Social Gerontology, Keele University
• Tom Schuller, Director of the Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning and former Head of the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, OECD
• Sir David Watson, School of Lifelong Education & International Development, Institute of Education

A new Universities UK report, produced by Professor Chris Phillipson, will be launched at the conference, which examines the future potential of this market for the higher education sector.

Both the report and conference will look at the ways in which your institution can develop programmes in this area, with a series of discussion groups led by universities that already have programmes in place.

Website: http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Events...