The Observatory:

• Conducts surveys of training providers, with special emphasis on IT-supported learning, in 7 European countries, aiming to describe and document the characteristics of the learning provision in a variety of rural areas across Europe, targeting SMEs and micro-enterprises or the self-employed. It is intended to extend the coverage of the surveys to the full EU. This information will provide the basis for the ‘providers statistics’ and the related databank.
• Conducts surveys of training recipients in rural areas, aiming to identify their learning needs, their job and socio-economic profiles and evaluate the contribution of lifelong learning, especially IT-supported learning, in their employment prospects, job security and mobility. A control group of people with similar socio-economic characteristics, working in rural SMEs or seeking work in rural areas is also included in the surveys, to establish the characteristics of the "latent" demand for lifelong learning, and investigate constraints, such as accessibility to IT, access to learning resources, attitudes and culture. The information collected from these two samples supplies the basic material for the "user statistics" and the related databank.