Continuing Education for Socio-Economic Stakeholders – The GOAL@SU Project

 A New, Dynamic and Strengthened Collaboration

Launched in September 2023, the GOAL@SU project (Global Oriented Ambitious Learning) aims to position the Sorbonne University Alliance as a key player in continuing education in France. Led by Sorbonne University and funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) as part of the France 2030 investment plan, this new initiative seeks to better address the needs of continuing education for today and tomorrow. Through academic excellence and cutting-edge research, the project aims to bring knowledge closer to the concrete needs of professionals and companies.

GOAL@SU supports labor market developments by responding to the expectations of socio-economic stakeholders and providing learners with the skills they need to adapt to changes in the professional world. The project aspires to build a shared and sustainable vision of continuing education among its partners while accelerating the development and deployment of innovative solutions. It also supports all involved actors and related activities, from the design to the deployment of training, including the marketing and commercialization of these offerings.

Main target audiences supported by the GOAL@SU project:

• Recent graduates, looking to supplement their initial education with a specialization aligned with market demands and improve their job prospects.
• Professionals at all career stages, seeking new skills, recognition of prior learning, or wishing to redefine their career path.
• Operational managers, aiming to strengthen their competencies to better fulfill their daily responsibilities.
• HR and Training Managers, responsible for developing employee skills and optimizing talent management.
• Executives and decision-makers, interested in an Executive Education offering that enriches their strategic thinking through scientific general culture and research insights to anticipate future challenges.
• Policy makers and journalists, whose missions of information and decision-making require a comprehensive understanding of major contemporary issues.

Actors and Partners

The consortium brings together 7 higher education and research institutions:

• Sorbonne University
• National Museum of Natural History (MNHN)
• University of Technology of Compiègne (UTC)
• Insead
• Higher School of Artistic Education Paris Boulogne-Billancourt (PSPBB)
• France Education International
• ENSCi-Les Ateliers

Along with 3 national research organizations:

• Inserm
• Inria
• IRD

The Strength of a Collaborative Network

GOAL@SU relies on the complementary strengths of its institutions and organizations to design an innovative continuing education catalog tailored to current and emerging needs. The project encourages exchange among experts, promoting the sharing of best practices and mutualization of knowledge.

By placing professionals at the center of its programs, GOAL@SU offers a multidisciplinary and holistic approach, integrating the latest scientific, technological, and managerial advances. This approach better meets learner expectations in terms of format (compatibility with professional activity) and pedagogical methods (distance learning and integration of new technologies).

The Project's Ambition

The project gives the Sorbonne University Alliance the opportunity to create a shared unit dedicated to continuing education strategy, composed of experts in business development, marketing, instructional design, and training management. This unit is tasked with structuring and harmonizing the training offer to meet the current and future needs of the market.

The main areas of work include:

• Accelerating the development of existing programs,
• Strategically repositioning training offers and entering new market segments,
• Designing new modules,
• Valuing knowledge from research laboratories.

A Two-Phase Dynamic

The project unfolds in two phases:

• 2023–2026: Acceleration of development and repositioning of the existing offer. This phase directly involves Sorbonne University, the University of Technology of Compiègne (UTC), and the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN).
• 2026–2030: Development of new training modules and an Executive Education-format offer. This phase will involve all partner institutions.

Ultimately, GOAL@SU will strengthen the position of the Sorbonne University Alliance in the continuing education market and, consequently, offer socio-economic actors a training offer designed and deployed by a major player in the public academic world.