Sharing knowledge

One of the principles of solidarity economy is ideally to reach full employment, i.e. to give everyone an opportunity to work and to contribute to the proper functioning of the society in which he or she lives. Vocational skills can be boosted through lifelong learning. But training can also lead to development and self-fulfilment at a personal level and contribute to the well-being of the individual in his or her private and working life.

Lifelong Learning: personal and professional development

OPE encourages all its staff to extend and strengthen continuously their personal and vocational capacities in terms of becoming self-sufficient and assuming responsibilities. In its capacity of employer fully aware of its social responsibility, OPE counts on staff who contribute continuously to the development and organisation of training courses and lifelong learning. Quality partnerships have been established with many institutions and organisations that provide training.

OPE has been accredited as an organiser of continuing vocational training courses by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. The network is capable of organising, in cooperation with the different partners, including the Ministry for Family and Integration, a preparatory, pre-qualification course for family-helper duties.

Close cooperation of long standing with the Department of Employment and the professional chambers has enabled the associations of the OPE network to take on, as employer, apprentices under legal apprenticeship arrangements leading to the technical and vocational aptitude certificates for nursery/landscape workers, administrative employee and qualified IT technician.

Community education

Lifelong training and community and solidarity education are at the heart of the OPE network’s responsibility. The aim of solidarity education is to get people to discuss and to choose as responsible citizens by offering – not dictating – choices to them. Community education aims to promote “living together with respect.” Everyone has knowledge, everyone can learn from everyone else. Exchanged and shared, such knowledge helps one and all to move forward and thus adopt an individual stance, where the approach is based on an open mind and a deliberated choice. Community education does not entail a vertical transmission of knowledge, but a cross-sectional construction.

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