During the past decade of adult education, the concepts of career education and lifetime learning have increased in importance. Federal involvement in adult education has increased without a conscious sense of direction, and will undoubtedly continue to increase, leading to greater political pressures on administrators. On the other hand, the increasing number of Federal agencies involved in the areas of education and social welfare has brought the Federal Government closer to local communities than at any time in the past. Adult education needs more career-oriented personnel in order to help achieve the goal of increasing educational opportunities for all population groups. With continued progress, only about a sixth of the employed persons by 1975 will have received less than 8 years of schooling. As the characteristics of the labor force change, career education becomes even more significant; therefore the Federal Government has placed strong emphasis on restructuring the curriculum to integrate career orientation. The coming decade promises massive growth in adult education. This report provides an assessment of adult education--its history, success, relationship to the economy, and innovative trends. (CD)