Given the double risk of exclusion caused for women with a low educational level, adult education can be a fundamental element that allows them to actively participate in their social, political, and cultural environments. Moreover, because educational level has been reported by the scientific literature to be a factor that directly favors…

Recent systematic reviews have found that the participation of adolescents and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) within research is limited despite an increasing international recognition of the importance of incorporating the views of all children and young people on matters that affect their lives. The purpose of this current…

In the United Kingdom, changes in the policy, funding and commissioning landscape for mental health and well-being are posing opportunities and challenges for adult community learning (ACL). Opportunities include increased recognition of, and funding for, the "wider benefits" of learning, whereas challenges include the risks of ACL…

This article explores the nature of the reflective learning undertaken by pre-service trainee teachers training to teach in the lifelong learning sector in the UK. The argument made is that reflecting on the student voice can support novice teacher's boundary-crossing and legitimate peripheral participation (Lave and Wenger, 1991; Heggen, 2008).…

Together with the former Polytechnic sector and General Further Education Colleges, Sixth Form Colleges have witnessed major change since the enactment of the Further and Higher Education Act (1992). Change within the post-compulsory education system has taken place on different levels in the UK: at the macro level with change manifest in the…

There are things in the skills White Paper that those who care passionately about lifelong learning and the empowerment of adult learners will welcome. But as well as admiring the angels in the architecture, the author contends, they need to look for the devils in the detail. The White Paper cannot be considered apart from the spending review…

Adult and community educators have always seen themselves as agents of change, building people's confidence, sense of community and ability to take part in society as well as their knowledge and skills. All the main political parties in the UK have put issues of social justice, social mobility and citizens' empowerment near the top of the policy…

This monograph discusses how to make England's further education (FE) system genuinely responsive to learner demand, as well as stable, affordable, and of high quality. It looks at how a demand-driven system can be organised and funded, at what is required of governments, and what can be left to learners themselves and to the education and…

New government-funded training initiatives in Britain emphasize urban community capacity building and empowerment. However, lack of opportunities, especially for ethnic minorities, and the politics involved in applying for these funds pose challenges. (SK)

This book, which is intended for individuals responsible for human resource development (HRD) programs, examines a number of issues in turning investments in training and development into human capital and examines ways of making the workplace an arena for development. The following topics are discussed: the nature and role of training and…

This report examines access to lifelong learning opportunities on Canada's information highway. The report begins with a glossary and a learner-centered model in which the information highway links learners with learning opportunities provided through educational institutions, community organizations, government, and business and industry.…

The College of Social Studies, which existed in Kikuyu, Kenya, in the 1960s, operated in the British liberal tradition and had a 1-year course similar to those of British residential colleges. The career paths of approximately 130 mature students who took the course were examined in a case study that was conducted in 1995-96. The names of 104…

This learning pack explains the rights guaranteed to students with learning difficulties in the Charter for Learning, which was written by and for students in the United Kingdom. The learning pack, which is intended for learning-disabled students and the staff who work with them, begins with an overview of the content of the Charter for Learning…

In this book, 16 authors from Europe, Africa, and the United States reflect on the transformations that are currently taking place in the field of adult and continuing education. The 12 chapters are "Reconciling the Irreconcilable? Adult and Continuing Education Between Personal Development, Corporate Concerns, and Public Responsibility"…

In the United Kingdom, these two perspectives on lifelong learning sit uneasily together: emphasis on adults in employment and a focus on diversity and widening participation in adult education. A recent emphasis on accreditation with implications for funding has affected diversity and participation objectives because involving assessment,…