Participation in adult learning and education (ALE) is still facing barriers that are slowing or blocking progress in ALE and its permeability. These barriers can be found in difficulties in reaching the learners, in the inflexibility of the pathways, and in the lack of motivation of the learners.
The latest OECD’s PIAAC scores highlight a worrying trend taking place in Europe: 1 in 5 adults do not have sufficient basic literacy skills. This data is also confirmed by several pivotal documents such as Draghi’s report and the latest PISA results. If we aim to achieve the target set by the 2020 European Skills Agenda of having at least 60% of adults participating in training every year, more needs to be done.
Flexibility can be a key solution but in order to work it must be learner-centred. While ALE can prepare adults for this, ‘true’ flexibility means that learners themselves can discover and develop their learning pathways, and that these are feasible in terms of time commitment and compatibility with personal life.
Flexibility can also be a pivotal factor in the motivation of the learner, but it cannot be the only factor in the equation. Learners need to have concrete outcomes such as financial gain or promotion at work to overcome the barriers that prevent them from starting to learn in the first place. But here, too, learning must be relevant to generate interest.
EAEA calls for implementations that will target flexible and learning pathways by:
- Ensuring that outreach is inclusive and comprehensive of the wider learning eco-system
- Connecting flexibility to learner-centredness, i.e. ensure that the flexibility is in the favour of the learners’ interests
- Diversifying learning opportunities while avoiding fragmentation of the offers and isolation of individual learners from each other, and while promoting ALE-driven quality assurance
- Ensuring accessible systems for recognition and validation of prior learning and competences
- Promoting intrinsic motivation in learning by making it relevant and enjoyable.
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