Despite communities in emergency situations expressing the desire and need for education beyond schooling to support the learning needs of adults and youth, the focus tends to remain on providing conventional, school-based education for school-aged children. Taking a decolonial approach to interrogating this prioritisation of schooling in…

Education is a human right but one that remains elusive for displaced people and refugees affected by crises and emergencies. Against the background of global commitments to education, lifelong learning policies are essential to ensure self-sufficiency and autonomy for displaced people. While the field of Education in Emergencies (EiE) has…

This article focus on what is and isn't 'new' in the most recent European Union (EU) key policy document for Adult Learning (AL), because it claims (in its own title) that it will constitute a basis for a 'new' agenda. As this document has been much disseminated to Member States, we think it is important to analyse its evidence of the 'new'…

Priority one of the Marrakech Framework for Action (MFA) involves promoting adult learning and education (ALE) within a lifelong learning perspective. This article intends to describe how the MFA places lifelong learning into a new era of ascension that will be transformational towards ALE, sustainable development goals, the world promise of…

This article explores the first field epidemiology training programme (FETP) through a case study to understand its approach to learning and education. Field epidemiologists deploy to outbreaks to investigate, control, and prevent future epidemics and pandemics. Since the 1950s, they have learned their trade through FETP. FETP arose at a…

Adults must continually learn to navigate the challenges of society and the job market. This lifelong learning is vital, particularly for vulnerable adults, and should be fostered in their living and working environment. In this article, we present a literature review exploring the conditions of conducive learning environments at meso-level, being…

'Learning the lessons' looks at the history of learning and skills policy, going back to the late 19th century. It is the third report produced as part of our Ambition Skills programme of work, supported by City & Guilds and NOCN, which considers the economic and social case for a higher ambition for learning and skills, and how we can achieve…

This chapter argues for the centrality of spirituality in lifelong and adult learning theory and practice. As embedded in human experience, the spirituality of learning, including exploring awe and wonder, is vital. We introduce the processes and outcomes of lifelong spiritual formation, profound learning, and human flourishing as underpinnings…

The paper examines the influence of cultural capital from one's family of origin on adult participation in education. International research confirms that factors such as education level, professional status, age, and attitudes significantly explain variations in adult learning. To explore inequalities in adult education participation further, the…

Anchored on Mondlane's biological mother's advice that he ought to 'go to school in order to understand the witchcraft of the white man, thus being able to fight against him' and on the argument that what he learned as a child informed his learning as an adolescent and as an adult, this study developed a profile of Eduardo Mondlane as a lifelong…

This paper draws on longitudinal birth cohort data for Britain to analyse participation in learning activities by people in their 30s and 40s. People in this age group have received less attention than either young adults or people in retirement. Yet technical change and the need for new skills make it important for them to engage in learning to…

The concept and practices associated with learning in later life provide a broad context for understanding the articles published in the IJLE. The main aim of this review is to identify dominant aspects in discourses on older learners in the IJLE and how they have changed over the decades. Hence, we identify and briefly discuss historical trends…

Adult education has historically played a role in modern democracies in support of civic participation and democratic engagement. In the context of a relatively stable and unchanging society, learning "about" and participating "in" the democratic process allow for tweaking the mechanisms of democracy. In present times, taken…

One of the core outcomes of the Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI) held in 2009 was the Belém Framework for Action (BFA). Its signatories committed to monitoring the most recent development stages of adult learning and education (ALE) worldwide on a regular basis, and to present and assess results in a global report.…

This is an exploratory Delphi study investigating profound learning, the profound learner, and profound living. The strength of the Delphi technique is leveraging expertise to understand an amorphous problem,such as the concept of profundity explored in this study. The authors could find no evidence of a comprehensive research agenda being…