"We have to discover learning all over again," said Astrid Jaeger, Director of OEB Global. "We need to rethink, reassess, and reshape it. Change is happening very quickly now in every sector. Automation and artificial intelligence are changing the world of work. They are also going to mean that human beings have more leisure time.

"Learning is going to become a much more important part of our lives. At the same time, adaptive learning, personalisation, and developments in analytics are pushing the boundaries of what is possible for learners. We need to come to terms with the fact that lifelong learning is no longer going to be some sort of luxury accessory for affluent societies. It is going to be fundamental. It will be at the heart of our existence."

In an appeal to "thinkers, innovators, and do-ers to lead the discussion at OEB Global" by submitting their proposals for presentations to the conference, Ms Jaeger stressed that new forms of learning, many of which are still being developed, are likely to shape the future of education and training. This year’s OEB Global will focus on many of these, and the organisers are keen to hear from anyone with imaginative ideas and proposals.

And she added, "We have to reshape the way we learn. Learning will be much more collaborative, and there will be a lot more cooperation and learning across sectors. Learning will have to be flexible and adaptive, too, and the systems of the future will have to reflect this.

"OEB Global, which has now successfully integrated Learning Technologies Germany, is a unique forum for discussion of these ideas and for sharing proven practice because we not only bring together practitioners from more than 70 countries, but we also have every sector of education involved, together with real expertise in workplace learning and lifelong learning. We want to hear from anyone who has ideas to contribute to the discussion or who wants to present a project or show off an innovative concept."

The theme of this year’s OEB Global is "discovering learning", and the conference organisers are encouraging potential presenters to consider "learning without limits," as we move "beyond exploration to discovery." Speakers at and participants in OEB should be able to "see and experience what can happen" and "feel the new, the imaginative, the unthinkable within our grasp."

The main topics for discussion at the event will include frictionless digital learning to engage learners for action; new roles and competences of educators, learning and development teams and partners; evolving learning technologies; content, knowledge, and the mind; collecting, protecting, and measuring key data; how to close the skills gap with learning and training; and learning ecosystems.

"This should be an exceptionally exciting conference, and we want to hear from anyone with imaginative, interesting ideas," said Ms Jaeger. "The list of topics for discussion provides a rough guide to some of the key themes, but it is not exhaustive: potential speakers, at this stage, are at liberty to suggest other topics. However, the outline programme so far looks as though it is going to help conference participants see how learning could and should be reshaped in order to take advantage of the immense opportunity we now have."

OEB Global has developed a reputation as Europe’s leading forum for the discussion of new thinking and planning in technology-related education and training. The conference is accompanied by a large exhibition of products and services, all of which combine to make the event not only a first-class networking hub, but also the best vantage point in Europe from which to view the future of education and training.