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T H E F U T U R E O FA D U L T L E A R N I N G

I N E U R O P E

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The development of the EuropeanUnion has become an increasinglycontested territory over the pastyears. Brexit, changing relations toother parts of the world, worryingtrends in the electoral behaviour inseveral countries, the economic crisisand cutbacks in social welfare systemsas well as wars at the margins ofEurope have shaped the politicaldiscourse. Trends in some countriesto limit freedom of press and mediahave fuelled debates on the meaningof democracy in the EU.

Security and irregular migration toEurope have been particularly hottopics that overshadowed other, morepositive developments, such as theadoption of the European Pillar ofSocial Rights. While some MemberStates are in favour of expanding thecompetences of the EU, others aredrawing back with the aim tostrengthen national competences andgive fewer possibilities to the EU toimpact national legislation and policy-making.

The European Union is standing at the crossroads. Education, and adult

education in particular, can play a vital role in shaping the future of Europe. It

equips people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed to

become active, responsible and engaged citizens that can impact their

environment to create an inclusive and sustainable future for all.

Adult learning is key for personal development as well as the development of

communities as society at large. It helps to answer the needs of the labour

market for re-skilling and upskilling of workers, and it promotes social inclusion

and well-being of the individual and society.

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W H E R E A R E W E ? A N D :

The OECD [1] defines three keychallenges: environmental, economic,and social. While the main environmentalchallenges are climate change and thedepletion of natural resources, thegreatest economic challenge iskeeping up with innovation in scienceand technology, including automationand digitisation, and its implicationson the labour market as well asprivacy protection. Worldwide financial interdependenceand global value chains contribute toeconomic growth and development inparts of the world. At the same time,they lead to increased economicuncertainty and a higher risk of crisesat the economic, environmental andsocial level. Finally, key social challenges are thegrowing social and cultural diversitydue to migration, urbanisation anddemographic change, as well aswidening inequalities in livingstandards and life chances. These haverepercussions on trust in governmentsand benefit populist politics,eroding the foundations of moderndemocracies.

Demographic changes, the future of

work and social welfare systems

New approaches to migration,particularly labour immigration to theEU, and asylum, will be decisive forthe further integration of theEuropean Union and its MemberStates. Recently released data ofEurostat projects a decline of theworking age population by 5% until2030, falling from around 66% to justabove 60% of the total population.[2] While there is a general trend amongthe EU Member States to raise the ageof retirement, this cannot compensatefor changing demographic structuresof society. The labour market shockcould be partly absorbed throughregulated labour immigration;however, this will require theimprovement and adaptation of skillsmatching tools, training offers andlanguage learning opportunities.[3] While the idea of recruiting labourmigrants for key professions falls onsympathetic ears among governmentsthroughout Europe, the issue ofasylum and forced migration toEurope divides the Member States.

W H E R E D O W E W A N T T O G O ?

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Where populations of Europeancountries experience a downsizing ofsocial welfare systems happening atthe same time, right-wing populistparties are more likely to be on therise. However, the discourse on unequalaccess to social welfare as well asapproaches to find “alternativesolutions” to asylum and thedistribution of refugees across Europe– irrespective of the ConventionRelating to the Status of Refugees[4] -has found entrance into mainstreampolitics. “Fortress Europe”, i.e. theidea to fortify the outer borders of theEuropean Union and potentially startasylum procedures in camps inSouthern neighbourhood countries,might be a divisive point for the futureof Europe as well as questions ofcitizenship.[5] The future Europe will have to dealwith a changing labour market and itsconsequences on society. What impactwill automation, artificial intelligenceand other transformative technologieshave on the labour force and skillsthat are needed? According to estimates of the OECD,about 14% of workers are at a high riskof having most of their existing tasksautomated over the next 15 years, andanother 30% will face major changesin the tasks required in their jobs and,consequently, the skills required.[6]

The rate of uptake of newtechnologies by employers as well asthe potential of educational andlifelong learning systems in providingadequate knowledge, skills andcompetencies will be a central issue inpolitical decision-making. The new legislative period of theEuropean Parliament will be a criticalperiod to determine the general futuredirection of the European Union, andwhether it will achieve to bring itscitizens closer to it.

Democracy and new cooperation

within and beyond Europe

The next ten to fifteen years willdetermine what it means to be acitizen of the European Union, i.e.which space citizens will have inshaping political decision-makingat the national as well as the Europeanlevel. At the same time, “alternativefacts” and the flood of informationthat is increasingly difficult tonavigate will challenge informeddecision-making of citizens. Medialiteracy will therefore play a pivotalrole in empowering citizens to makeuse of their voice as citizens and theiropportunities to engage in decision-making.

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E-citizenship (or digital citizenship)might exacerbate the effects of thedigital divide on citizens and theiraccess to trustworthy information andservices. Inclusive growth thereforemeans bridging the digital divide andpromoting digital and communicationskills of adults. What can be the role of the EU’s

citizens to shape policy-making in a

democratic way? Which knowledge

and skills will be required to meet

the challenges of the future to

create a more inclusive, resilient,

stronger, fairer, more sustainable and

climate-friendly EU[7]? What is the

Europe we want[8]?

The White Paper on the Future ofEurope, published by the EuropeanCommission in March 2017, suggestsfive scenarios, ranging from carryingon as hitherto, to sizing it down to thesingle market, giving groups ofcountries the possibility to “do more”if they wish, doing less moreefficiently, and to doing much moretogether. The role of citizens woulddepend on the chosen scenario, from avery limited role and right to influencepolicy-making to a very strong role,similar to being a citizen of a nationalcountry.

Europe wants to pursue a strategy ofgrowth, while, at the same time, tryingto implement sustainability as a keyprinciple in its policy-making. Howwill these two opposing approaches gotogether? According to the EuropeanCommission's programme, the futureEuropean Union would like to marry astrengthened industrial base with aforward-looking climate changepolicy. With its 2018 Circular EconomyPackage, the European Union hasproposed an ambitious plan to boostinnovation in recycling technologiesand sustainable use of resources. Thisplan, however, will have to besupported through education andawareness raising measures topromote sustainable consumption anda less resource-intensive lifestyle,giving citizens the tools to claim ahealthy environment and securedfuture for generations to come.

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Non-formal adult education can bedefined as all systematiccommunication and transfer of skills,knowledge, and competences providedoutside the limits of the formaleducation system. Its main objectivesare the promotion of social inclusion,active citizenship, personaldevelopment and well-being,alongside the transfer of knowledge,competences and skills. Agency – the ability to make informedchoices about one’s life and a sense ofresponsibility to participate in theworld and to influence people, eventsand circumstances – is, according tothe OECD, at the centre of learning,and consequently, of any change insociety:

"Two factors, in particular, help

learners enable agency. The first is a

personalised learning environment that

supports and motivates each student to

nurture his or her passions, make

connections between different learning

experiences and opportunities, and

design their own learning projects and

processes in collaboration with others.

The second is building a solid

foundation: literacy and numeracy

remain crucial. In the era of digital

transformation and with the advent of

big data, digital literacy and data

literacy are becoming increasingly

essential, as are physical health and

mental well-being.” [9]

The OECD Learning Framework 2030illustrates the role of learning for theindividual, the community and society.Despite the learning framework havingbeen developed for younger learners,it can equally be applied to adultlearners (in this context, “parents”could be replaced by “families”, and“teachers” could be replaced by“educators” or “trainers”).

N O N - F O R M A L A D U L TE D U C A T I O N R E S P O N D S T O

E U R O P E ' S C H A L L E N G E S

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Education is a competence of theMember States of the EuropeanUnion; this means that any policies orstrategies adopted at the Europeanlevel have recommending rather thandirective power. This does not,however, mean that education isneglected at the European level. 

Within the Europe 2020 strategy forsmart, sustainable and inclusivegrowth, the Commission called for arenewed European Agenda for AdultLearning where quality education andtraining, equity, and social cohesionbecome a widespread reality. Nationalcoordinators in each Member State ofthe European Union follow up on theimplementation process of the agenda. In recent years, the European Unionhas launched a number of additionalinitiatives and strategies that supporteducation and training for thepromotion of employability, socialinclusion and active citizenship,notably “Upskilling Pathways” as partof the European Skills Agenda.

Figure: The OECD Learning Framework 2030: Work-in-progress. (OECD 2018: 4)

Adult educationwithin the

European policyframework

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Key policy documents for adulteducation also include the EuropeanPillar of Social Rights that lists theright to quality and inclusiveeducation, training and life-longlearning as its first principle, and theEuropean Commission’s initiative tobuild a European Education Area by2025. Programmes such as theEuropean Social Fund and Erasmus+ aswell as mechanisms such as theEuropean Semester with its CountryReports, help to fulfil the EU’sobjectives.

Promoting participation in learning

Education is considered a key priorityarea in the Europe 2020 strategy, andconsequently, the Education andTraining 2020 benchmarks includealso a goal for adult education: at least15% of all adults should participate inlifelong learning by 2020. However, data about participationrates in adult education is lacking inmany European countries as non-formal and informal learning iscaptured differently depending on thenational statistics organisations andtheir way of measuring. Where data isavailable, it is often limited to certainage groups, such as the workingpopulation, or it focuses mainly onwork-related education and training.

At the European level, there are twosets of adult learning statisticsavailable: the labour force survey(LFS), and the adult education survey(AES). According to the most recentfigures, currently only 11.1% of EUworking age citizens participate inlifelong learning [10]. However, while there has beenprogress in the field of adulteducation and lifelong learning at theEuropean level, this is not yet fullyacknowledged in the topics that theEuropean Union considers mostrelevant for this sector. The topicscurrently discussed at the Europeanlevel include, for instance, workplacelearning and basic skills; however,themes central to non-formal adulteducation such as active citizenshipand democracy, life skills, communitylearning or global education are notvery high on the political agenda atthe moment. The European Commission iscurrently working on the follow-up ofthe Education & Training 2020(ET2020) strategic framework, theimplementation of the Global Agenda2030 and the European EducationArea as well as the review of theEuropean Agenda for Adult Learningas key document to outline Europeanadult education policies.

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Making lifelong learning andmobility a reality;Improving the quality and efficiencyof education and training;Promoting equity, social cohesion,and active citizenship;Enhancing creativity andinnovation, includingentrepreneurship, at all levels ofeducation and training.

The ET2020 strategic framework foreducation and training defines four,very wide and broad objectives: 1.

2.

3.

4.

     Looking at the Global Agenda 2030,adult learning contributes to theachievement of all 17 SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs) by buildingthe foundations of change in thesocial, political, economic,ecological and cultural spheres. Ineach of the 17 goals at least one targetinvolves learning, training, educationor at the very least, awareness-raisingfor education. At the same time, adulteducation and lifelong learning are notonly a transversal goal and method toachieving the SDGs, but also a specificgoal. According to SDG4 inclusive andequitable quality education andlifelong learning opportunities need tobe ensured for all. The European Agenda for AdultLearning highlights the need toincrease participation in adultlearning of all kinds (formal, non-formal and informal learning).

The target is set at 15% of adults aged25–64 taking part in adult educationby 2020. National coordinatorsin each Member State of the EuropeanUnion follow up on theimplementation process of the agenda. The European Education Areaproposes to raise the participation ofadults in lifelong learning to 25% by inthe 2025. It is absolutely necessary toincrease participation in general, butparticularly of those adults with lowbasic skills. Yet, strategies, frameworks andmeasures proposed at the Europeanlevel are not embedded in a holisticlifelong learning approach, as theyoften focus strongly on young people,workplace learning and basic skills.While these areas are, without anydoubt, very important, adults cannotbe left behind. Themes central to non-formal adult education such as activecitizenship and democracy, life skills,community learning or globaleducation are currently not very highon the political agenda.

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Holistic and Broad Approaches to

European Policy-Making needed

Political approaches to lifelonglearning, including adult education,are still narrow and based on a formalunderstanding of education. Thereby,they miss the opportunity to linkformal, non-formal and informallearning as well as creating moreambitious and holistic strategies thattake learners of all ages into account.However, current changes of thelabour market have led internationalorganisations such as theInternational Labour Organisation andthe World Economic Forum to demandmore holistic approaches to lifelonglearning.  A broad and holistic approach towardsadult learning and education needs tobe strengthened at the European leveland within national educationstrategies, taking into account andgiving equal importance to all sectorsand all forms of learning - formal,non-formal and informal learning. Furthermore, education policies andstrategies need to move from a focuson restrictive and generalisedcurricula towards learner-centeredness. Anyone can learn,irrespective of age and background,provided that learning programmestake the learners' needs into account.

Empowering, non-formal learningmethods and methodologies appeal tothe creativity, existing knowledge andskills of learners and provide inspiringlearning experiences.

21st century skills, or Why we need

adult education

The European Association for theEducation of Adults proposes to createa Learning Europe with its Manifestofor Adult Learning in the 21st century[11]. The EAEA Manifesto aims to respondto the most pressing challenges ofEurope: active citizenship anddemocracy; health and well-being; lifeskills for individuals; social cohesion,equity and equality; employment work;digitisation; migration anddemographic change; sustainability;and as a last, more transversal, topic,adult education and European policies. Adult education can play a pivotal rolein a vast number of policy fields. Notexplicitly named among the themes ofthe manifesto but relevantnonetheless are also policy fields suchas security and defence; housing;development aid; agriculture; energyand new technologies; and climateaction.

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However, adult education, inparticular non-formal adult education,remains in the margins of theeducation sector in many Europeancountries, not being part of formal andinitial education. Consequently, thediscourse in European policyinitiatives and documents is stillshaped by the term ‘education’ ratherthan ‘lifelong learning’.   New challenges for Europe andEuropean society, however, demand achange of mindset and a rethinking ofthe education system in general. Doingmore of the same thing – reformingformal education – will, in the longterm, not contribute to meet thesechallenges. Future-oriented politicstherefore must consider non-formaladult education as a crucialcomponent of the education sector. Access to and participation in adulteducation means empowerment andactive citizenship, including thestrengthening of values such asdemocracy – according to theEuropean model – and interculturaldialogue. Research suggests that thereis a direct correlation between thebasic skills of an individual and thetrust that this person lends to politicalinstitutions and the political system[12]; i.e. the higher the basic skills, themore trust in political institutions andthe system.

Furthermore, learning contributes tothe development of cognitive andmeta-cognitive skills such as criticalthinking, problem solving skills andcreative thinking, as well as social andemotional skills such as empathy, self-efficacy and collaboration. In its White Paper on‘AcceleratingWorkforce Reskilling for the FourthIndustrial Revolution’[13], the WorldEconomic Forum names those skills asthe ones that will be needed to thrivein the workplace and ensuresustainable growth of the economies.Adult learning outside and in theworkplace will, even more than now,play a central role for innovation,productivity, competitiveness andentrepreneurship. Additionally, adult learning will becentral to promoting media literacyand strengthening democraticsystems, but also tackling low basicskills of European citizens,particularly literacy, numeracy anddigital skills, in order to leave no-onebehind. Adult education can providelearning opportunities for those whomight not have had adequate access orprovision earlier in life. To ensure thateveryone knows of and can enjoythese opportunities, outreachmeasures and guidance as well asrecognition of prior learning arecentral.

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Adult education is providing learnerswith skills relevant for all areas of life,from professional to private life, andranging from basic skills to languagelearning, leisure courses, familylearning and health education, toname just a few areas. The life skillsacquired through adult education canbe transformative for individuals andtheir communities by creating newwork opportunities, enabling personsto continue their learning career,empower families, activate people’sartistic and cultural passions, and leadto healthier lifestyles. Adult educationcontributes to upward social mobilityas well as to more equality and equityin society.

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Bring all relevant stakeholderstogether at one table: future-orientedpolitics need new approaches, andadult education can play a vital role inthem. This means seeing the biggerpicture and implementing a morelong-term approach to policy-making.A broad and holistic approach towardsadult learning and education shouldbecome a key strategy for Europe.Such an approach needs to considerall ages and all stages of learning. Thismeans recognising the role, benefitsand importance of non-formal of adultlearning in all measures proposed bythe European Union in order toimprove their impact - for the individual but also for democracy,society, labour markets, climate andother areas.

Ensure policy coherence throughembedding lifelong learning into otherpublic policies and programmes (e.g.sustainability, health, employment,migration). This also requires linkingand aligning existing policies andobjectives in the area of lifelonglearning, for example policies insupport of flexible learning pathwaysand validation as well as in particularalong the Agenda 2030 SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs).

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P O L I C I E S A N D S T R A T E G I E S

Broad andholistic

approaches

Ensure policycoherence

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Ensure structural support for adulteducation in future frameworks,strategies and policies. Strengthenadult education provision throughEuropean programmes such asErasmus+ and ESF+. Create anincentive for investment in adultlearning at the national level through abenchmark on expenditure on adulteducation, for instance as apercentage of the gross domesticproduct. Investing in adult educationis a long-term investment, not anexpense. Develop and implementadequate funding systems in order toenable outreach, quality provision andincrease participation in lifelonglearning.

Structural andfinancial support

Strengthened adult learningstructures andpolicy-making

Strengthen (non-formal) adult learningstructures, policies and initiatives atall levels – at the European level, butin particular also at the national andregional level. This means developingadequate governing structures foradult learning in European countriesand promoting a commonunderstanding of adult education.

Promotion of civildialogue for adult

learning

Establish and promote civil dialoguefor adult learning. This includesstrengthening and supporting civilsociety organisations in lifelonglearning at all levels, including theEuropean, national, regional and locallevel. Support of a structured dialoguebetween policy-makers and civilsociety organisations is central tostrengthening civil society.

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[1] OECD (2018): The Future of Education andSkills. Education 2030.https://www.oecd.org/education/2030/E2030%20Position%20Paper%20(05.04.2018).pdf [2] Eurostat (2018): People in the EU –population projections.https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/ People_in_the_EU_-_population_projections [3] OECD (2014): Matching economic migrationwith labour market needs in Europe. PolicyBrief.https://www.eesc.europa.eu/resources/docs/oecd-2014---matching-economic-migration-with-labour-market-needs.pdf [4] United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees (2010): Convention and Protocolrelating to the Status of Refugees.http://www.unhcr.org/protect/PROTECTION/3b66c2aa10.pdf [5] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants/eu-migration-policies-seen-building-blocks-for-fortress-europe-idUSKBN1JY07X,https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/10/sunday-essay-how-we-colluded-in-fortress-europe-immigration [6] OECD (2018): Transformative Technologiesand Jobs of the Future. Background report forthe Canadian G7 Innovation Ministers’ Meeting.Montreal, Canada, 27-28 March 2018. [7] http://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/index_en.htm [8] CONCORD, the European NGOconfederation for relief and development, ran acampaign for the EP elections under the name“The Europe we want” [9] OECD (2018): The Future of Education andSkills. Education 2030. p. 4. Online:https://www.oecd.org/education/2030/E2030%20Position%20Paper%20(05.04.2018).pdf

[10] Eurostat (2019): 11.1 % of adults participatein lifelong learning. Online:https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/DDN-20190517-1 [11] EAEA (2019): Manifesto for Adult Learning inthe 21st Century: The Power and Joy ofLearning. https://eaea.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eaea_manifesto_final_web_version_290319.pdf [12] see for instance the PIAAC study (OECD) [13] World Economic Forum (2017): AcceleratingWorkforce Reskilling for the Fourth IndustrialRevolution. An Agenda for Leaders to Shape theFuture of Education, Gender and Work. (WhitePaper) Online:http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_EGW_White_Paper_Reskilling.pdf Further Reading:

Castano Munoz, Jonatan/ Redecker, Christine/Vuorikari, Riina/ Punie, Yves (2013): OpenEducation 2030: planning the future of adultlearning in Europe. In: OpenLearning, 28/3, p.171-186 International Labour Organisation (2019): Workfor a brighter future. Global Commission on theFuture of Work. Online:https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---cabinet/documents/publication/wcms_662410.pdf Nedelkoska,L. and G. Quintini (2018),“Automation, skills use and training”, OECDSocial,Employment and Migration WorkingPapers, No. 202, OECD Publishing, Paris.http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/2e2f4eea-en

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