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Regulations relating to training release (training leave) now exist in eight EU states. Where they exist, insufficient transparency and counselling, resistance in companies and fear for jobs have been ascertained in those eligible. There is frequently a lack of political will to make training release more effective for lifelong learning. In a Socrates project (1998–2000) with partners from Belgium, France, Italy and Germany the question of whether training release can be a strategy for the pr…
The relation between sustainability and widening access to adult learners in higher education is both well comprehensible and highly vague. Accordingly, and following the arguments of Seghezzo (2009) and Foster (2001), the paper aims to complement academic discourse on widening access of higher education by showing the benefit of using the concept of sustainability not merely as an operational measurement index or a learning topic content-wise. Rather, a different understanding of sustainabilit…
The paper reviews trends in adult learning in England in the ten years from the election of Labour government in 1997. It highlighted an initial focus on expanding and widening participation in a wide range of initiatives in the years to 2002. From 2003 there has been a dramatic narrowing of focus giving priority to funding qualifications related to the labour market. Throughout the period it highlights restless change in institutional structures.
Immigration countries such as Germany require legal, social and educational measures to organize migration. Both, the immigrant as well as the host population need to be the concern of educational and training activities. Linguistic, intercultural and political educational programmes are particularly relevant. The REPORT on “Continuing Education and Migration” focuses on empirical research findings and implemented concepts: What are the key issues in continuing education to be tackled within th…
Adult learning professionals are understood in the context of European Policy as key factor for the quality of adult education. In this paper a transnational European study programme, the European Master in Adult Education, is focussed on as an academic contribution to the professionalization of adult learning professionals: What core themes of European Adult Education can be identified? What didactic approaches are required for a transnational curriculum? How is the labour market taken into co…
The author presents first-hand and personal accounts of what popular education looks like in a classroom. Barbara Bee has had over 30 years teaching experience in adult education programs with poor and disadvantaged learners. She is regarded as one of the leading Australian practitioners in that time who drew inspiration from Paulo Freire. She describes how teaching in the 1970s and 1980s was so different to today. Back then teachers were encouraged to negotiate the curriculum with students. Bu…