The Just Transition (JT) can be understood as a combinational strategic concept (transition to net zero combined with climate justice) to support the transitioning to a more sustainable, socially just and peaceful world. While the JT is becoming increasingly prevalent in terms of policy development, both nationally and internationally, a major…

Sustainable development has become an increasingly important topic in recent years as the world has become more aware of the need to protect the present and the future. Sustainable development is concerned with the improvement of life quality for all. Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without denying the…

'Recognition of prior learning' (RPL) has developed into an important instrument to support the permeability of education and training systems. Based on an extensive review of documents, this article analyses the global diffusion of RPL in vocational education and training systems (VET), with a specific focus on its diffusion through development…

This report examines the evolving landscape of adult education and training (AET). It maps existing quality assurance systems across OECD countries and introduces a framework for comparison. The report also explores how accessible information and guidance can empower learners, the critical role of data infrastructure in tracking outcomes,…

During the 25 years since Incorporation, when further education (FE) colleges were taken out of local government control, FE in England has been shaped by processes of marketisation to become a competitive national sector that has increasingly diverged from the more 'collaborative system logic' of the other three countries of the UK. However,…

This chapter explores the potential of feminist leadership to encourage more participatory ways of engaging and learning in this deeply troubled world. Feminist leadership includes but is not limited to collaborative leadership. Adult learning is inherent to feminist leadership insofar as leaders must strategize according to the contexts in which…

A well-coordinated adult learning system will be essential to support the achievement of Slovenia's long-term development goals. The transformational effects of globalisation, technological progress and demographic change on life at work and outside of it amplify the importance of getting adults' skills right. OECD research shows that individuals,…

This article provides a response to the other contributions in this special issue and explores the range and scale of the opportunities for policy learning across the four UK nations. It addresses the importance of locating FE and skills policy within wider national policy contexts, national choices between markets and systems and the wider…

This article builds on the previous articles in this special issue to explore two related concepts -- a 'UK policy laboratory' and 'expansive policy learning', with a specific focus on further education (FE) and skills. We argue that the potential for a UK policy laboratory in this area is based primarily on a new balance between the forces of…

This article explores a cross-disciplinary collaboration within English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision for adults born outside the United Kingdom (UK). By foregrounding collaborative practice between a language practitioner and an artist, we offer a practical experience of working beyond and besides language which offers both an…

This paper engages with challenges of localism, collaboration and reflexivity in thinking about the conceptualisation and development of partnership learning communities between higher education and criminal justice institutions. Grounded in experiences of partnership working in the UK and Australia, our arguments are twofold: First, drawing on…

The Resource Exchange design team met in May 2013 to learn about and respond to a multifaceted collaboration between the Paramount Theatre & Visual Arts Center and Hands Across the World (HAW), a social service agency that serves the needs of new refugees and immigrants in St. Cloud, Minnesota. In recent years a significant immigrant…

This paper re-examines the position of the Tanzanian Folk Development Colleges, a national network of adult education institutions, at a time when their long-term financial assistance by the Swedish International Development Agency has come to an end and they are being transferred from the Tanzanian Government Ministry of Community Development to…

The Parent Leadership Institute (PLI) of Children's Aid (CA), funded via a 2013 Investing in Innovation (i3) development grant operated between the 2014-15 through 2018-19 school years. Key goals of the PLI included: (1) improving the capacity of parents to effectively engage in the school community in support of their child; and (2) increasing…

This paper focuses on teacher education in the English further education sector, where the teaching of disciplinary and pedagogic knowledge is an issue. Using research findings, the paper advocates an approach based on collaboration and informed research to emphasize and integrate knowledge(s) in situated teaching contexts despite working in a…