Communication from the Commission - Adult learning: It is never too late to learn
Date: 2006-10-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: adult education, continuing vocational training, integration of migrants

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 23.10.2006 
COM(2006) 614 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

Adult learning: It is never too late to learn 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

Adult learning: It is never too late to learn 

1. Introduction 

The  Commission’s  2001  Communication  Making  a  European  Area  of  Lifelong  Learning  a 
Reality  and  the  2002  Council  Resolution  on  lifelong  learning  stressed  the  importance  of 
lifelong learning for  competitiveness  and employability,  but  also  for  social  inclusion,  active 
citizenship  and  personal  development.  Adult  learning  is  a  vital  component  of  lifelong 
learning.  

Definitions of adult learning vary, but for the purpose of this Communication it is defined as 
all  forms  of  learning  undertaken  by  adults  after  having  left  initial  education  and  training, 
however far this process may have gone (e.g., including tertiary education).  

Education  and  training  are  critical  factors  for  achieving  the  Lisbon’s  strategy  objectives  of 
raising economic growth, competitiveness and social inclusion. The role of adult learning in 
this  context,  in  addition  to  its  contribution  to  personal  development  and  fulfilment,  is 
increasingly  recognised  in  Members  States’  National  Reform  Programmes.  However,  with 
some  exceptions,  implementation  remains  weak1.  Most  education  and  training  systems  are 
still largely focused on the education and training of young people and limited progress has 
been  made  in  changing  systems  to  mirror  the  need  for  learning  throughout  the  lifespan.  An 
additional 4 million adults would need to participate in lifelong learning in order to achieve 
the  participation  rate  of  the  benchmark  agreed  by  Member  States  in  the  framework  of  the 
“Education  and  Training  2010”  process.2  Recent  research3  confirms  the  importance  of 
investing  in  adult  learning.  Public  and  private  benefits  include  greater  employability, 
increased  productivity  and  better-quality  employment,  reduced  expenditure  in  areas  such  us 
unemployment  benefits,  welfare  payments  and  early-retirement  pensions,  but  also  increased 
social  returns  in  terms  of  improved  civic  participation,  better  health,  lower  incidence  of 
criminality,  and  greater  individual  well-being  and  fulfilment.  Research  on  older  adults 
indicates  that  those  who  engage  in  learning  are  healthier,  with  a  consequent  reduction  in 
healthcare costs4.  

This  Communication  highlights  the  essential  contribution  of  adult  learning,  through  the 
acquisition  of  key  competences  by  all,  to  employability  and  mobility  in  a  modern  labour 
market  and  to  social  inclusion.  It  draws  on  lessons  learnt  from  the  dialogue  with  Member 
States in the framework of “Education and Training 2010” and from experiences gained in the 
existing  EU  education  and  training  programmes,  in  particular  the  “Grundtvig”  action  of  the 

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2010’ 

“Modernising education and training: a vital contribution to prosperity and social cohesion in Europe - 
2006  Joint  Interim  Report  of  the  Council  and  the  Commission  on  progress  under  the  ‘Education  & 
Training 
http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/c_079/c_07920060401en00010019.pdf 
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/2010/objectives_en.html#measuring 
Promoting Adult Learning, OECD (2005). 
Tom Schuller, John Preston, Cathie Hammond, Angela Brassett-Grundy and John Bynner, The Benefits 
of Learning, University of London, 2004. 

programme”, 

work 

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Socrates  programme5.  It  also  reflects  the  approach  outlined  in  the  Communication  on 
efficiency and equity6, namely that reforms are possible which make education and training 
systems  both  more  efficient  and  more  equitable.  It  recalls  that  the  Structural  Funds,  and  in 
particular the European Social Fund (ESF), have the potential to support the development of 
infrastructures  and  strategies.  It  underlines  the  importance  of  certain  specific  issues:  the 
gender  dimension,  in  particular  regarding  data  collection,  differences  in  access  to  lifelong 
learning and in preferred forms of learning. 

It  provides  the  necessary  policy  underpinning  for  the  implementation  of  the  future 
“Grundtvig”  programme,  which  will  form  part  of  the  overall  Lifelong  Learning  Programme 
2007-2013.  Finally,  it  proposes  a  reflection  on  adult  learning  involving  Member  States  and 
relevant stakeholders, leading to the formulation of an action plan in 2007.  

2. The challenges to be faced 

Adult learning has not always gained the recognition it deserves in terms of visibility, policy 
prioritisation and resources, notwithstanding the political emphasis placed on lifelong learning 
in recent years. This dichotomy between political discourse and reality is even more striking 
when set against the background of the major challenges confronting the Union. 

Competitiveness 

Europe’s key economic challenge, as set out in the Lisbon strategy, is to raise its growth and 
employment performance while preserving social cohesion. Rapid progress in other regions of 
the world shows the importance of innovative, advanced and quality education and training as 
a key factor of economic competitiveness. General levels of competence must increase, both 
to  meet  the  needs  of  the  labour  market  and  to  allow  citizens  to  function  well  in  today’s 
society. However, there are some 72 million low-skilled workers in Europe7, one third of the 
labour force, while estimates show that by 2010 only 15% of newly created jobs will be for 
those  with  low  skills,  and  50%  of  new  jobs  will  require  tertiary  level  qualifications8.  In 
addition,  a  significant  share  of  the  European  population  still  lacks  the  ability  to  understand 
and  employ  printed  information  in  daily  activities.  Ensuring  the  acquisition  of  key 
competences by all citizens remains a challenge for all Member States.9. Research shows that 
an  equitable  distribution  of  skills  across  populations  has  a  stronger  impact  on  overall 
economic performance.10. 

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Report from the Commission “Interim evaluation report on the results achieved and on the qualitative 
and  quantitative  aspects  of  the  implementation  of  the  second  phase  of  the  Community  action 
programme in the field of education ‘Socrates”, COM (2004) 153 final, 8.03.2004. 
Communication  from  the  Commission  “Efficiency  and  equity  in  European  education  and  training 
systems”, COM (2006) 481 final,8.09.2006. 
EU Labour Force Survey 2004, Eurostat. 
Vocational  education  and  training  –  key  to  the  future,  Cedefop  synthesis  of  the  Maastricht  study, 
Luxembourg, 2004. 
Commission  proposal  for  a  Recommendation  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  on  key 
competences for lifelong learning, COM (2005) 548 final, 10.11.2005. 
Coulombe,  S.,  J.F.  Tremblay  and  S.  Marchand,  International  Adult  Literacy  Survey,  Literacy  Scores, 
Human Capital and Growth across Fourteen OECD Countries, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, 2004. 

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Demographic change 

Europe  is  facing  unprecedented  demographic  changes  that  will  have  a  major  impact  on 
society  and  on  the  economy  -  and  consequently  on  education  and  training  provision  and 
needs.  The  European  population  is  ageing:  over  the  next  30  years  the  number  of  younger 
Europeans  (up  to  24  years)  will  fall  by  15%.  One  in  three  Europeans  will  be  over  60  years 
old, and about one in ten will be over 8011. These developments entail serious challenges for 
the  European  social  model.  The  reduced  flow  of  young  entrants  into  the  labour  market  and 
along  with  the  fact  that  only  one  in  every  three  persons  aged  55–64  years  is  in  paid 
employment,  point  to  an  obvious  need  to  employ  the  full  potential  of  adult  learning  with  a 
view to increase the participation in the workforce of young people and extend that of older 
people.  This  means  in  particular  addressing  the  issue  of  early  school  leavers  (6  million  in 
200512), while at the same time targeting the improvement of skills and adaptability towards 
the  low-skilled  over  the  age  of  40,  encouraging  them  to  step  up  at  least  one  level  of 
qualification. 

Adult  learning  can  help  ensure  that  immigration,  which  has  the  potential  to  be  a  partial 
counterbalance  to  an  ageing  population  and  to  meet  skills  and  labour  shortages  in  certain 
sectors, can take place in a way that is beneficial to both migrants and the host country. Most 
new migrants, even high-skilled people, have major needs in terms of language and cultural 
understanding. In addition, as their competences are often undervalued and under-recognised, 
their  skills  may  remain  underused  in  the  labour  market.  The  labour  market  status  of 
immigrants, including the highly skilled, is normally worse than the position of EU nationals. 
This not only applies to the newcomers, but also to second and third generation migrants, and 
with greater force to migrant women.  

Social inclusion 

Recent  reports  confirm  that  poverty  and  social  exclusion  continue  to  be  a  serious  challenge 
for  all  Member  States13.  Different  circumstances  or  conditions,  such  as  low  levels  of  initial 
education, unemployment, rural isolation and reduced life chances on a wide range of grounds 
serve to marginalise large numbers of people and to exclude them from the benefits of society 
and  from  being  an  active  citizen.  New  forms  of  illiteracy  in  the  shape  of  exclusion  from 
access to and use of ICT in professional and daily life exacerbate this exclusion: adults who 
are  not  computer  literate  are  deprived  of  essential  information  and  facilities  which  are 
increasingly  only  available  in  digital  form14.  Adult  learning  has  a  key  role  to  play  in 
responding to social exclusion. 

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Data  can  be  fond  in:  Eurostat  Population  Projections,  2004  based,  Trend  scenario,  Baseline  variant; 
Green  Paper  “Confronting  demographic  change:  a  new  solidarity  between  the  generations”, 
Communication from the Commission, COM (2005) 94 final, 16.3.2005). 
Commission Staff Working Paper “Progress towards the Lisbon objectives in education and training – 
Report based on indicators and benchmarks – Report 2006”, SEC (2006) 639, 16.5.2006, page 40. 
“Joint 
protection 
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/social_inclusion/docs/2006/cs2006_7294_en.pdf 
In  2005  in  Europe,  37%  of  people  aged  between  16  and  74  had  no  basic  computer  skills,  and  the 
proportion increases with age (65% of people aged 55 to 74). Source: Eurostat, Statistics in focus, issue 
17/2006. 

inclusion 

2006”, 

report 

social 

social 

and 

on 

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3. Taking the adult learning agenda forward 

Raising the overall level of skills of the adult population by offering more and better learning 
opportunities throughout adult life is important for both efficiency and equity reasons given 
the  challenges  identified  above15.  Not  only  does  adult  learning  help  make  adults  more 
efficient  workers  and,  better-informed  and  more  active  citizens.  It  also  contributes  to  their 
personal well-being.  

One of the main challenges for policymakers in this field is to make optimal use of the diverse 
learning  providers  and  settings  which  characterises  adult  learning  systems.  Many  partners 
have  a  stake  in  policy-making  and  implementation,  including  ministries,  social  partners, 
public  providers,  churches,  NGOs  and  regional  and  local  authorities.  Political  decisions  are 
made at central, regional or local level, and sometimes at different levels concurrently, with 
many countries showing high degrees of decentralisation16. In this context, better coordination 
and  partnerships  are  vital  to  improve  coherence,  avoid  duplications  and  contribute  to  more 
efficient  spending  of  the  scarce  resources.  Coordination  makes  it  possible  to  set  priorities, 
develop  consistent  policies  supported  by  legislative  reforms  and  ensure  implementation.  It 
also contributes to delivering clearer information and guidance to potential learners.  

Member  States  have  included  plans  and  policies  in  their  National  Reform  Programmes  to 
strengthen lifelong learning. A move from planning to action is needed. Implementation can 
be  supported  through  the  use  of  the  European  Structural  Funds,  in  particular  the  European 
Social  Fund,  to  improve  both  the  infrastructure  and  the  supply  of  adult  learning.  There  are 
many examples of good projects which have been developed in the Member States with EU 
support which could be emulated by others17. 

Member  States  can  no  longer  afford  to  be  without  an  efficient  adult  learning  system, 
integrated  into  their  lifelong  learning  strategy,  providing  participants  with  increased  labour 
market  access,  better  social  integration  and  preparing  them  for  active  ageing  for  the  future. 
They should ensure that they have systems which enable them to define priorities and monitor 
their implementation. 

Key messages 

Five key messages for adult learning stakeholders are presented here.  

1. Lifting the barriers to participation 

Adult participation in education and training remains limited (see Annex). Compared with the 
benchmark  goal  of  12.5%  participation  in  adult  learning  by  2010,  the  average  rate  in  2005 
was 10.8%. Despite wide variation around this average, ranging from 1.1% to 34.7%18, there 
is remarkable similarity across Member States in the distribution of adult learning, with those 

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Communication  from  the  Commission  “Efficiency  and  equity  in  European  education  and  training 
systems”, paragraph 25.  
Decentralisation,  in  different  forms  and  degrees,  is  in  evidence  in  most  countries:  Austria,  Belgium, 
Bulgaria,  Denmark,  Finland,  Germany,  the  Netherlands,  Poland,  Portugal,  Spain,  Sweden,  Romania, 
UK (Source: OECD 2005; Eurydice 2006). 
ESF060603-ESF Support to Education and Training Background Document. 
“Progress  towards  the  Lisbon  objectives  in  education  and  training  –  Report  based  on  indicators  and 
benchmarks – Report 2006”, pages 35-40, and its Annex “Detailed analysis of progress”, chapter 6.2. 

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with the lowest levels of initial education, older people, people in rural areas, and the disabled 
being  the  least  likely  to  participate  in  all  countries.  Barriers  to  participation  by  individuals 
may  be  policy-related;  informational  (level  of  access  to  good  and  timely  information), 
provider-related  (entry  requirements,  cost,  level  of  learning  support,  ,  nature  of  learning 
outcomes,  etc);  situational  (the  cultural  value  attached  to  education;  the  extent  to  which  the 
life  situation  or  the  family  and  social  environment  of  the  adult  supports  participation)  and 
dispositional  (the  self-esteem  and  self-confidence  of  the  adult  as  a  learner,  often  linked  to 
failure in previous educational experiences). Demand-side reasons are often the most serious 
barriers:  lack  of  time,  due  to  work  or  family  reasons;  lack  of  awareness  and  motivation,  as 
people do not see learning valued or rewarded enough and hence fail to perceive its benefits; 
lack of information on the supply and lack of financing19. 

The  challenge  for  the  Member  States  is  two-fold:  to  increase  the  overall  volume  of 
participation  in  adult  learning,  and  to  address  the  imbalances  in  participation  in  order  to 
achieve  a  more  equitable  picture,  by  motivating,  encouraging,  enabling  and  supporting  the 
adults  least  likely  to  participate  in  learning  in  all  its  modes,  formal,  non-formal  and 
informal20. This requires targeted public investment to reach those who have been least well-
served by education and training systems in the past.  

Motivating people to participate in learning needs to be fostered by improving the quality of 
information and by exploiting the learning potential of places like community centres, sports 
clubs, cultural institutions, as well as of institutions of initial education and training. 

Message 1  
Increasing  participation  in  adult  learning  and  making  it  more  equitable  is  crucial.  All 
stakeholders have a role to play, but public authorities must take the lead in removing barriers 
and promoting demand, with a special focus on the low-skilled. This will include developing 
high-quality guidance and information systems, based on a more learner-centred approach, as 
well as targeted financial incentives to individuals and support for the establishment of local 
partnerships. 

2. Ensuring the quality of adult learning 

Poor  quality  provision  of  adult  learning  leads  to  poor  quality  learning  outcomes.  Quality  is 
multifaceted:  information  and  guidance;  needs  analysis;  relevant  learning  content  matching 
actual  needs  and  demands;  delivery;  learning  support;  assessment  approaches;  recognition, 
validation and certification of competencies While recognising that all these dimensions are 
of importance, the following deserve special attention21: 

Teaching methods - Teaching methods and materials should take account of the specific needs 
and learning approaches of adults. Intended learning outcomes should be explicit. In addition, 
adults must be able to draw on learning support resources such as guidance, literacy provision 
and the development of study skills as required.  

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Lifelong  learning:  citizens’  views  in  close-up.  Findings  from  a  dedicated  Eurobarometer  survey, 
Cedefop,  Luxembourg,  2004.  The  report  also  shows  a  strong  preference  of  adults  for  learning  in 
informal settings. 
For  definitions  see  “Memorandum  on  Lifelong  Learning”  (SEC(2000)  1832,  30.10.2000)  and  further 
work as the Classification of Learning Activities by Eurostat. 
“Adult  education  trends  and  issues  in  Europe”,  study  conducted  by  the  European  Association  for  the 
Education of Adults (EAEA) in 2006. Unpublished. 

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Quality of staff - The professional development of people working in adult learning is a vital 
determinant  of  the  quality  of  adult  learning.  Little  attention  has  been  paid  to  defining  the 
content and processes for initial training for adult learning staff. There are many educational 
and  professional  routes  to  becoming  an  adult  learning  practitioner  and  the  profession  is  not 
always  recognised  within  formal  career  structures.  Compared  with  other  educational  sub-
systems,  adult  learning  is  characterised  by  high  percentages  of  part-time  staff  (and  people 
working on a voluntary basis), who may have few career prospects and are frequently hourly-
paid.  Social  partners  should  become  involved  in  the  recognition  of  competences  of  adult 
learning personnel. 

Quality of providers - The overall quality of providers needs to be addressed through provider 
accreditation mechanisms, quality assurance frameworks and internal and external monitoring 
and evaluation of teaching and learning outcomes. Governments have a crucial role to play in 
this  respect,  by  establishing  regulatory  frameworks,  setting  quality  standards,  in  particular 
based  on  existing  examples  and  principles  in  vocational  education  and  training,  and  higher 
education, and certifying adherence to these standards.  

Quality  of  delivery  –  Improving  the  delivery  of  adult  learning  is  essential  to  raise 
participation. Measures to promote effective delivery include availability of learning sites and 
childcare  facilities  locally;  open  and  distance  learning  services  for  those  in  remote  areas; 
information and guidance; tailored programmes and flexible teaching arrangements. 

Message 2 
In  order  to  foster  a  culture  of  quality  in  adult  learning,  Member  States  should  invest  in 
improving  teaching  methods  and  materials  adapted  to  adult  learners  and  put  in  place  initial 
and continuing professional development measures to qualify and up-skill people working in 
adult learning. They should introduce quality assurance mechanisms, and improve delivery. 

3. Recognition and validation of learning outcomes 

A lifelong learning paradigm values all kinds of learning – formal, non-formal and informal. 
Recognition  and  validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning  form  a  cornerstone  in  the 
lifelong learning strategy. The learning outcomes should be recognised and valued, regardless 
of  where  and  how  they  are  achieved.  Such  recognition  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning 
enables  learners  to  identify  their  starting  point,  gain  entry  to  a  programme  of  learning  at  a 
particular  level,  achieve  credits  towards  a  qualification  and/or  achieve  a  full  qualification 
based on competences. It serves to motivate reluctant participants, add value to prior learning 
and  save  time  and  money  by  reducing  or  eliminating  the  need  to  relearn  what  has  already 
been learned. Similarly, it enables society to benefit from skills acquired at no public cost. 

This  emphasis  on  the  recognition  and  validation  is  in  itself,  not  new,  and  Many  Member 
States  have  already  put  in  place  systems  for  recognition  and  validation  of  learning 
outcomes22. 

In 2004 Common European Principles for the identification and validation of non-formal and 
informal learning were adopted by the Education Council23, to develop trust in such systems. 

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Source:  European 
http://www.ecotec.com/europeaninventory/ 

Inventory 

–  Validation 

of 

non-formal 

and 

informal 

learning, 

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Nevertheless,  the  further  development  of  validation  methods  and  systems  in  the  Member 
States requires the following challenges to be met: 

–  the  introduction  of  validation  must  be  based  on  the  inclusion  of  the  relevant 
stakeholders,  in  particular  social  partners,  in  order  to  promote  ownership  and 
credibility; 

–  the quality of assessment methods, and the institutions applying them, should be 

improved; 

–  the objectives of education and training – at all levels – must be reformulated in 
terms of learning outcomes. This is crucial for validation: as long as objectives are 
based on input factors, validation is difficult to accomplish. 

Message 3 
Within  the  next  five  years  Member  States  should  implement  systems  for  validation  and 
recognition of non-formal and informal learning, based on the Common European Principles 
on validation and recognition and taking full account of existing experiences. Development of 
validation  and  recognition  may  be  linked  to  the  development  of  National  Qualification 
Frameworks within the overall context of the European Qualification Framework.  

4. Investing in the ageing population and migrants 

Investment is needed for the ageing population and migrants. 

Active ageing 

The  changing  demographic  situation  described  above  calls  not  only  for  raising  the  average 
retirement age and but also for “active ageing” policies addressing life both before and after 
retiring from formal work. The challenge for adult learning systems is two-fold: 

–  To  ensure  a  longer  working  life,  there  is  a  need  for  up-skilling  and  increasing  lifelong 
learning opportunities  for older  workers. It is widely acknowledged that in order to keep 
older  workers  employable,  investment  is  needed  throughout  the  life  cycle  and  should  be 
supported  by  government,  professional  bodies  and  sectors.  Special  attention  should  be 
given to those entering their mid career. 

–  An  expansion  of  learning  provision  for  retired  people  is  needed  (including  for  instance 
increasing  participation  of  mature  students  in  higher  education),  as  people  are  reaching 
retirement  in  better  physical  and  mental  health,  and  post-retirement  life  expectancy  is 
extending. Learning should be an integral part of this new phase in their lives. In its recent 
Communication  on  universities  the  Commission  invited  universities  to  “be  more  open  to 
providing courses for students at a later stage of their life cycle”. Such provisions will have 
a  vital  role  in  keeping,  retired  people  in  touch  with  their  social  environment.  In  many 
countries  education  systems  have  not  yet  started  to  address  the  emerging  needs  of  this 
group of citizens, who also have enormous potential in terms of what they can contribute to 

23 

http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/2010/doc/validation2004_en.pdf.  Certain  professions,  for  which 
minimum education and training requirements are agreed, are exempt – see Directive 2005/36/EC of the 
European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  7  September  2005  on  the  recognition  of  professional 
qualifications, OJ L 255/22, 30.9.2005. 

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the learning of others. Moreover, the growing numbers of retired people in Europe should 
be regarded as a potential source of educators and trainers for adult learning. 

Migration 

As stated before, the challenge for adult learning is to support the integration of migrants in 
society  and  the  economy,  and  to  make  the  most  of  the  competences  and  educational 
experiences acquired prior to migration. This should involve:  

–  EU  support  policies  and  action  through  relevant  programmes  for  improving  the 
quality of education and training policies in migrants’ home countries, particularly 
the European Neighbourhood Countries; 

–  speeding up mechanisms for assessment of capacities and recognition of formal, 

non-formal and informal learning of arriving migrants; 

–  expanding adult learning opportunities in relation to linguistic, social and cultural 

integration; 

–  developing  appropriate  and  effective  teaching  and  promoting  more  inter-cultural 

learning. 

Message 4 
Member  States  should  ensure  sufficient  investment  in  the  education  and  training  of  older 
people  and  migrants,  but  above  all  ensure  efficiency  by  designing  education  and  training 
which  matches  the  needs  of  the  learner.  They  should  also  raise  awareness  of  the  important 
role of migrants and older people in society and in the economy. 

5. Indicators and benchmarks 

In order to monitor the multiplicity of adult learning and to develop evidence-based policies, 
reliable  data  are  required.  Compared  with  compulsory  education,  data  on  adult  learning  are 
limited,  not  least  because  providers  are  dispersed,  of  different  natures  and  often  operate 
outside the public sector. Data availability and quality is improving and will continue to do so 
in the years to come, as a result of existing and forthcoming international surveys. The results 
of  two  surveys  implemented  by  Eurostat  –  the  Adult  Education  Survey  and  the  third 
Continuing  Vocational  Training  Survey  in  enterprises  –  will  provide  fresh  data,  mainly  on 
participation of adults in lifelong learning and investment by enterprises and participation in 
continuing vocational training, by the end 2007. The OECD’s survey on adult skills (PIAAC) 
is currently under preparation.  

Further research and analysis is needed and will have a key role to play in making use of the 
statistics available and in exploring crucial issues like the returns on formal, non-formal and 
informal  learning  and  the  general  role  of  informal  learning  in  adults’  lives.  More  focus  on 
trends and  forecasts is needed in order  to be  able to support policy  making and programme 
design. The Commission also contributes to this through the recent establishment a research 
unit on lifelong learning at the Joint Research Centre in Ispra. 

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Message 5 
The  quality  and  comparability  of  data  on  adult  learning  must  continue  to  improve.  In 
particular, there is a need for better insight into the benefits of adult learning and the barriers 
to its uptake, and for better data on providers, trainers and training delivery.  

The work of the European Commission in this area, including Eurostat, should concentrate on 
making the best use of existing surveys and data, on improving the harmonisation of concepts 
and definitions, and on expanding coverage, frequency and timeliness of data. Reliable gender 
disaggregated data is required.  

4. European Union action 

Adult learning has an important role to play in meeting the challenges facing Europe, but its 
potential is not yet being achieved. The Communication argues that concentrating on quality, 
efficiency and equity would reap benefits for both society and the economy. 

Responsibility in this area lies with Member States. The Commission’s role is to support them 
in  their  efforts  to  modernise  their  systems.  The  Commission  therefore  proposes  that  there 
should be dialogue with the Member States and relevant stakeholders to explore: 

–  ways of making the best use of financial mechanisms available at European level 

(such as the Structural Funds and the Lifelong Learning Programme); 

–  how  to  take  proper  account  of  adult  learning  needs  in  the  National  Reform 

Programmes under the Lisbon strategy; 

–  how  best  to  involve  stakeholders  to  ensure  that  the  messages  in  this 
Communication are acted on in the diverse circumstances prevailing in different 
Member States; 

–  how to encourage exchanges of good practices through peer learning activities in 
the  framework  of  the  “Education  and  Training  2010”  programme,  including  on 
the basis of the results of existing EU programmes; 

–  best approaches to improve statistical monitoring. 

Based on this reflection the Commission proposes to develop an action plan in 2007 to ensure 
effective follow-up to the messages set out in the present Communication. 

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Participation in adult learning 

ANNEX  

Participation of adults in lifelong learning (2005) 

(Percentage of population aged 25-64 participating in education and training in four weeks prior to the survey, 
ISCED 0-6) 

Source: Eurostat (Labour Force Survey) 

Additional notes: 

- DE: data for 2004. 

- LU, MT and the UK: provisional data. 

Participation in lifelong learning by age and educational attainment (2005) 

Low 

  Medium 

High 

  All 

Source: Eurostat (Labour Force Survey) 

Additional notes: 

- DE : data for 2004. 

- LU, MT and the UK : provisional data. 

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Rate of participation (%) of 25-64 year olds in formal and non-formal education and 
training (2003) 

Source: Eurostat LFS, ad-hoc module on Lifelong Learning 2003. Target population: 25-64 years, reference period: 12 months.. 

Formal 

Non-formal 

Percentage of population 25-64 year olds involved in education and training (2003) 

Participation rate 55-64 years old in any kind of learning (2005) 

Participation rate 55-64 years old in any kind of learning, 2005

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

5
2
U
E

E
B

Z
C

K
D

E
D

E
E

L
E

S
E

T
R I
F

E

I

Y
C

V
L

T
L

U
L

U
H

T
M

L
N

T
A

L
P

T
P

I

S

I

F

E
S

K
S

*
*
K
U

F

M

Total

(*)Informal training is not included in UK Source: Eurostat LFS, Ad Hoc module on Lifelong Learning 2003 Target population: 25-64 years old 

EN 

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