Adult Educators, Trainers and their Professional Development

Aims and themes of the network

The ESREA Research Network on Adult Educators, Trainers and their Professional Development (ReNAdET) aims to provide input on how to improve the conditions needed for the personal and professional development of adult educators and trainers, enhancing the attractiveness of their profession and therefore strengthening the idea of quality in adult education in Europe. This is to be achieved by stipulating some insight into key issues and challenges related to the adult educator and related staff, and by highlighting essential areas of action, current trends, good practices, initiatives and relevant policies. On these grounds the aim of the network is threefold:

• To bring forward the experience from all around Europe, on issues pertaining to the multiple roles, practices and settings in which adult educators and related staff act and grow.
• To report on current European projects and stimulate research in this area.
• To explore the ways in which policies develop and analyse their possible impact.

The Network meets every second year starting from 2009. A variety of issues are addressed within the network such as initial education and training of adult educators and related staff; access, recruitment and career paths for adult educators & trainers; ageing and gendering of the adult educator; professionalisation and attractiveness of their profession, employment situation, working environments and working conditions; continuing and in-service education and training for adult educators & assessment of their role; duties, roles and identities for adult educators and related staff; methods and qualities of practice, reflectivity and reflective practice; adult learner/participant – adult educator interaction & issues of power and authority; trade unionism, collaboration and networking among adult educators and related staff; policy making and its impact on adult educators’ roles and practices.

History of the network

The founders of the network are its current co-conveners. The network was originally founded in 2008. The Network is open to both ESREA and non-ESREA members alike. Interested parties can participate to conference meetings the themes of which are normally announced a year prior to the event. The meetings last no more than three (3) days and essentially are organised during weekends for the convenience of the participants. ESREA and network members as well as all interested parties will be constantly informed on the activities of ReNAdET, through the website https://renadet.weebly.com/, but also through the ESREA website and the ESREA newsletter.
In the list below you will find general information on the meetings that have been organised so far: 

• Thessaloniki (Greece), 6-8 November 2009 – Educating the adult educator: Quality provision and assessment in Europe
• Tallinn (Estonia), 9-11 November 2011 – The futures of adult educator(s): Agency, identity and ethos
• Bonn (Germany), 1-3 November 2013 – Professionalisation of Adult Educators. International and Comparative Perspectives
• Larnaca (Cyprus), 11-13 November 2015 – The role of higher education in the process of professionalisation
• Tallinn (Estonia), 18-20 October 2017 – Learning Journey Adult Educators and Social Changes
• Thessaloniki, 16-18 October 2019, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Adult educators in times of changing cultures: embracing diversity for empowerment and inspiration. 6^th Biennial Conference of the ESREA Research Network for Adult Educators, Trainers and their Professionalisation (ReNAdET),
• Online conference. 29 October 2021. Adult Educators in Time of Crisis: Well Being, Changes in Identity and Professional Practice in European Adult Education. The 7th Biennial conference (online) of the ESREA Research Network for Adult Educators, Trainers and their Professionalisation (ReNAdET).
• Tallinn, Tallinn University, 8-10 November 2023. Educating and Learning across the Lifespan. Adult Educators and Older Learners Perspectives. Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. First First joint conference of the ESREA Networks ELOA and ReNAdET.