Transforming difficulties into opportunities for thriving is at the heart of this volume on the science of learning and development. This chapter brings the perspective of European research and the Global North and South and discusses some of the challenges included in the call to create the conditions for promoting sustainable and equitable…

During the past decade, countries in Asia, Latin America, and Central Europe have been experiencing a number of converging factors that drive economic growth, propelling them toward greater economic competitiveness with the economies of the United States (U.S.), Japan, and Western Europe. A major driving force behind this global economic growth is…

A survey offers the first overview of lifelong learning activities undertaken in the member states of the European Union, noting the strategies being implemented to varying degrees from one country to the next and presenting a first snapshot of the trends that have developed. The survey found that lifelong learning is a concept that emerged in the…

Traditionally, the concern of education policy in the United Kingdom has been with public education systems, but a question that needs to be addressed is whether lifelong learning lends itself to the same kind of analysis. The following forces are putting traditional forms of social policy out of business: challenge to the autonomy of the state in…

The paper uses data from the United States and several other industrialized nations to evaluate the costs of post-secondary education. Discussed are: variations on the concept of higher educational costs; three cost issues (how much higher education, the unit costs of higher education, and sharing the costs); higher education costs and social…

Studies in Great Britain have focused on the rapidly changing economy of the 21st century and the skills that workers will need to contribute to it. The studies have found that the new century will be characterized by the knowledge-driven economy, changes driven by global markets, the rapid movement of finance, and developments in information and…

The Soviet Union is attempting to deal with the sometimes conflicting problems of efficient vocationalization and provision of equal opportunity. From the first class of general school, Soviet children have several "labor" lessons a week. Main components of these lessons are practical skills, socialization for work, and vocational…

The most important worldwide goal of the 21st century should be universal education; that is, by the year 2099, every child, no matter where, should have access to free, state-sponsored education for 12 years. In committing themselves to the 100-year goal, each nation should keep in mind these 5 important facts: (1) within a nation with sufficient…

This paper outlines the skills and learning challenges that Canada faces to ensure it meets its skills and learning requirements for the 21st century. It proposes a series of national goals and milestones against which progress can be measured over time and reported on regularly to Canadians. Following an introduction, Sections 2-5 discuss the…

The "Learning 2010" project began with the question of the implications of technology for teaching and learning in Great Britain. Participants at expert seminars narrowed the focus to identify scenarios for how teaching and learning will develop in the next 10 years. Six key themes emerged. The theme of multimedia highlighted computers…

Three issues are of particular interest to adult educators: literacy, the ability to use technology, and the ability to access information. These three areas are significant in terms of individual self-fulfillment, human resource development, and individual and societal development at both national and international levels. One questions whether,…

This report examines the human resources development and training dimensions of the gradual, but inexorable, shift towards knowledge-, skill-, and service-based economies and societies, and the stupendous growth of the information and communications technology sectors. Its four chapters explore the following: (1) globalization, technological…

This collection of 12 essays is drawn from a May 1990 panel meeting in Paris, France in conjunction with a joint United Nations University/United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization project on "The Changing Role of the Universities." Papers are grouped into those on: the general role of the university, regional…

This overview paper highlights implications of keynote papers and discussion at the first National Issues Forum held by the Research Center for Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Australia. It discusses evidence that the school-to-work (STW) transition is a problem for an increasing number of young people and why. It outlines the…

This book contains 56 papers from a European conference. Representative papers include the following: "Adult Education, European Citizenship and the Role of the Regions" (Sussmuth); "Can Lifelong Learning Prevent the Breakdown of Society?" (Young); "Two Challenges to a Modern Concept of Lifelong Learning" (Alheit);…