Adult learning

Adult Learning and Education (ALE) is essential for societies facing rapid change. Ageing populations, digitalisation, and the green transition demand that adults continuously reskill and upskill. The EU has set a target of 60% participation in adult learning by 2030, yet participation remains far below this level. Expanding opportunities for adults to learn is therefore a priority for competitiveness, innovation, and social cohesion.

Why adult learning matters

The ETF understands adult learning as a lifelong journey that helps people building skills, confidence and capabilities. It enables everyone to develop and participate in their communities. 

As such, it is an essential component of lifelong learning and an imperative for countries. Adult learning offers a primary engine for economic survival, social integration and human development. With stronger adult learning systems, countries can face structural pressures such as demographic decline and labour shortages, the digital/AI and green transitions, recovery and reconstruction needs, and avoid risks of widening inequalities, slower and uncritical tech adoption, weakening labour-market transitions. In short, adult learning supports social cohesion and people’s opportunities for personal growth.

The EU has set a target of 60% participation in adult learning by 2030, yet participation remains far below this level, especially low in EU candidate countries. In all countries, those most in need of learning opportunities often participate the least, also due to territorial inequalities. Despite its urgency and importance, adult learning faces indeed persistent challenges, including: 

• Governance: Adult learning is often fragmented across ministries and levels of government, weakening accountability and coordination.
• Funding: AL investment remains non-systemic, fragmented and insufficient, averaging 0.1% of GDP in EU Member States, especially for non-formal and community learning.
• Quality: inadequate teacher and trainer professional development opportunities, two-speed quality assurance respectively for formal and non-formal training, and lack of innovation undermine the relevance, flexibility and attractiveness of AL.
• Support services: needs assessment and anticipation, career guidance, outreach, information portals, VNFIL and other support services are insufficient, mostly project-based and with little mutual integration.   

What the ETF is doing to promote and support adult learning

The ETF is committed to helping its partner countries develop systems that are inclusive and responsive, underscoring the importance of adult learning as a shared culture. 

Guided by the European Pillar of Social Rights, the European Skills Agenda, the Union of Skills, and the Council Resolution on a  new European Agenda for Adult Learning 2021-2030, the ETF works to strengthen the capacity of public policies to deliver good quality and benefits for the learners. to deliver adult learning opportunities in flexible learning contexts. Specifically, it engages in dialogue with governmental agencies, social partners, CSOs, providers of support services and of flexible learning opportunities, including Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) , based on:

Evidence and knowledge about adult learning in countries  

• Promotion of a systemic approach to adult learning
• Systematic mapping of adult learning legal and institutional arrangements at country level
• Cross-country analyses of adult learning to identify common trends and challenges

Building tools and partnerships that make adult learning inclusive and effective

• Inter‑ministerial coordination and regional task forces.
• Partnerships with civil society, chambers of commerce, and employers to promote lifelong learning.
• Innovative tools such as micro‑credentials and individual learning accounts.
• Outreach strategies that actively bring learning opportunities to adults where they live and work.

Designing policies and sharing knowledge to transform adult learning

• Policy advice to design policies and systems that make adult learning accessible, sustainable and inclusive.
• Creation of opportunities to share evidence and good practices across EU and partner countries, also in the context of the ETF Networks, such as GLAD, the Network for Excellence, the Community of innovative educators.
• Dissemination of knowledge and good practice.  
• Strengthening of teacher excellence and innovative learning pathways.
• Promotion of adult learning as a right, a culture, and a driver of human capital development.