This paper explores transnational circulation during the early 1970s of lifelong education and recurrent education as 'policy repertoires' addressing redistribution of participation in organised (adult) learning throughout life. Focused on a re-reading of UNESCO's 1972 report on lifelong education, the paper offers a critical analysis of the Faure…

The paper examines critically the dimension of empowerment in the European discourse, starting from some operational definitions used in official documents. The author analyses the shift in the European documents from 2000 to recent years, from a lifelong learning vision to an adult education approach, basically labour market-oriented, thus…

The mission of AONTAS to "advocate for the right of every adult in Ireland to quality learning" is a testament to its commitment to the adult learner as the central focus of further education and training services. In its current strategic plan which is underpinned by three key themes; voice, visibility and value AONTAS articulates as…

The overall mission of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is "Building a Nation of Learners by Advancing America's Community Colleges." A significant component of this mission statement involves the development of leadership. The AACC believes that leadership can be learned and is committed to supporting and growing leaders. In…

Student engagement has been shown to positively affect college students' experiences. Student engagement includes co-curricular and curricular activities designed to enrich and broaden the educational experience. Activities can include both in-class and out-of-class experiences. One way for students to become involved is through student…

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…

With the new government, the implications for learning policy are not yet clear. On the positive side, the new Minister for Further Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, John Hayes attended both NIACE's policy conference and the Campaign for Learning's Learning at Work Day debate and expressed his support for adult learning and the work that is…

This conceptual paper contributes to the scholarship on life-long learning programs at public universities. It investigates the unique relationship between these institutions and their state, utilizing Ohio as an illustrative example. A review of several university mission statements illuminates the responsibility of these institutions to their…

This article was originally presented as a position paper at the Symposium on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Social Development held in Jakarta by the ASEAN Foundation Collaboratory (May 2006). Its main premise is that, while there is growing use of open and distance learning (ODL) in formal and nonformal education and training…

There is a strong case to be made for mainstreaming older people into regular classes and schools rather than segregating them in special, separate groups on the basis of age. Many older Americans are in need of elementary-secondary level training in order to become functionally literate. Similarly, the continually changing nature of work has…

Acknowledging a recent increased interest in research about self-directed learning, this report analyzes and discusses two different forms of education: self-directed learning and distance education. Here, self-directed learning is identical with autodidactic learning, a form of education that cannot be included in organized adult education; the…

If the year 1999 was dominated by the intense efforts of the federal government to establish guidelines for compliance with the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, the year 2000 was dominated by the field's efforts to implement plans to meet those guidelines. In addition to engaging in this time- and labor-intensive work, the field witnessed…

In 1996, small and medium-sized enterprises constituted 99% of all businesses in the United Kingdom in all but the electricity, gas, and water supply sector, providing 46% of nongovernment employment. SMEs' concern with day-to-day demands leaves them with limited time and resources to consider their training needs. Although providing support and…

The question of whether human resource development (HRD) should assume a leadership role in social responsibility has not been seriously or rigorously addressed in the HRD literature. As a multidisciplinary field, HRD is influenced not only by societal needs but also by underlying disciplines, including economics, psychology, general systems,…

College students enrolled in developmental mathematics and elementary algebra courses typically make the same mistakes repeatedly. Moreover, the same mistakes are made every semester, regardless of the students involved. Lev Vygotsky's concept of fossilization, which refers to the phenomenon of learning being lost over time and only behaviors…