Trends in Adult Learning

This report assesses the state of adult learning across OECD countries, exploring trends in participation rates and modes of delivery of adult learning. It highlights differences between socio-demographic groups in their propensity to participate in adult learning, identifies groups that are most vulnerable to encountering barriers to learning, and makes policy recommendations to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of adult learning. Despite growing consensus on the importance of lifelong learning for economic resilience and individual opportunity, participation in adult education is stagnating or even declining in many countries. While participation gaps are narrowing in many cases, this is often due to falling participation among adults who had previously been more likely to participate rather than rising rates among groups who were traditionally less likely to do so. Furthermore, much of today's adult training is compliance- or safety-driven and of quite short duration; this may be insufficient to meet the upskilling and reskilling needs of fast-changing labour markets. Drawing on new data from the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), this report will be of interest to policymakers, education providers and employers seeking to design more inclusive, responsive adult learning systems that support both individuals and labour markets in transition.