Adult Learning As A Major Challenge For An Ageing Population And Workforce In The European Union

The dynamics of the contemporary society, the pace and complex character of changes on the labour market have induced the continuing need of adjustment to changes and to the requirements in swift development of the professional activities for individuals. This adjustment capacity cannot be conceived without involvement into a complex process of education and training, which in the contemporary period means no longer just an initial stage preceding the active life, but is combined with the latter under the form of lifelong learning. The adjustment need is even more relevant for the following target-groups: elderly on labour market who must update professional competences, low-skilled adult population, early school leavers and migrants all of which led at European level to the emergence of the concept and process of adult learning. This is regarded as important component part of lifelong learning and benefits of generous approach within the European policy process focused on these issues. The European Union regards the significance of adult learning from the perspective of the economic and social challenges of the Union. From the viewpoint of competitiveness it ascertains the need of increasing the share of jobs requiring tertiary level qualifications. From the perspective of demographic change, it underpins the requirement for putting to good use the entire human potential, by priority investments in the above-mentioned target-groups, and social exclusion could be exacerbated by the new illiteracy forms, respectively access and use of ICT in the professional and daily life. In order to direct and stimulate the implementation of adult learning in the member-states, the European Commission set up a set of common priorities regarding: the effects of reforms undertaken in education and training by the Member-States with respect to adult learning; the quality of provision in the adult learning sector; the opportunity provided to the adults to increase by at least one level the gained skill; the evaluation and recognition of the outcomes for non-formal and informal learning and the monitoring of the adult learning sector. By means of the participation rates to education and training we have attempted to reflect the unwanted gap still existing between political discourse and practice.