The ELLI index is an annually updated composite indicator summarizing the state of lifelong learning for European countries.
The ELLI IT platform is an online portal that provides access to regional data related to learning and socio-economic outcomes in Europe.
The variables used to create the ELLI Index describe the different learning environments of school, community, work and home life.
[2] The ELLI project references the conceptual framework developed by UNESCO's International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century under the leadership of Jacques Delors.
This pillar also measures learning outcomes from traditional core disciplines such as math, science and reading in secondary schools, as well as completion and attainment rates for post-secondary education.
[7][8] This dimension measures the participation rates, learning opportunities and investment (by employers, government and individuals) in job-related skills.
[9][10] This dimension predominantly measures adults’ continual professional development at their place of work through formal, non-formal and informal learning opportunities.
This dimension measures individual-level attitudes and dispositions that promote social cohesion such as trust, intercultural competence and political and community engagement.
[13] The investment of individuals, families, communities and countries is often much more hidden for the learning to live together dimension as there are fewer exams and qualifications in this field compared to traditional subject-based disciplines.
Ultimately, participation in lifelong learning is largely voluntary, which means that those who choose to engage in it are more likely to be motivated by the interests of personal growth and development, which is the focus of this dimension.
[16] According to this perspective, the objectives of learning need to reflect a holistic understanding of the individual and combine a variety of knowledge, skills, values and attitudes.
The ELLI Index should be interpreted as the a summary of the context and outcomes of lifelong learning as they relate to the social and economic well-being of regions.
[17] This method uses a combination of principal components analysis and linear regression to produce the values for the sub-indices representing the separate learning dimensions.
This methodology was developed for the CLI and subsequently validated by an independent review and sensitivity analysis [19] The overall ELLI Index results show that the Nordic countries Denmark, Sweden and Finland and, in addition, the Netherlands rank highest.
Slovenia, a former communist country and new member of the European Union, performs well, scoring above the EU average and on par with Germany.
[32] Additionally, The ELLI project has received support from many public political and academic figures, including Gerhardt Stahl and Andreas Schleicher.