Lifelong Learn. 2021, 11, 75-95
Adult Education in the EU and the Main Challenges in Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic
The importance of adult education in today’s world is constantly growing. The need for adult education in the EU intensifies with demographic and climate changes, automation, new technologies as well as digital transformation. Adult education provides an opportunity for individuals to adapt to changes in the labour market and society, especially for the low-skilled and older workers. Although people understand the importance of adult education, progress in achieving participation rates in adult education towards the EU target is insufficient. The current situation associated with COVID-19 has further highlighted the importance of non-formal adult education, especially for the most vulnerable groups of people to whom it has created or deepened barriers to education. It emphasized, even more, the problem of limited digital skills and equipment, reinforced the need for the importance of the right skills from a work and social perspective and the need to build resilience. It has set out new challenges aimed at strengthening the adult education strategy at the EU level, at promoting civic, financial, environmental and health literacy, as well as structural support to countries where such support is absent, and at ensuring stable and adequate funding with specific support for vulnerable groups of the adult population. The study aims to present a current view on adult education in EU conditions and to point out the main challenges that adult education has to face in the context of lifelong learning regarding the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Keywords
adult education, Covid-19, lifelong learning, non-formal education.
Funding
Príspevok je čiastkovým výstupom riešenia výskumného grantu VEGA č. 1/0367/17 Ekonomické, legislatívne a inštitucionálne predpoklady a perspektívy rozvoja sociálnej a solidárnej ekonomiky v krajinách V4 vo väzbe na podporu sociálnej inklúzie.
