ABSTRACT
An entire chapter could be devoted to defining what we mean by term formal post-compulsory education.1 Broadly, the territory in institutional terms is, on the one hand, universities and other institutions that offer largely Higher Education (HE) provision, and, on the other, colleges that offer less advanced and largely Vocational Education and Training (VET). Such distinctions are of course approximations since in reality there exist a continuum of forms of institutions across the world, some offering a mix of levels of educational offers. Our focus in this chapter is the HE sector and its accessibility for lifelong learners, and we focus in particular on widening participation to universities, and as a consequence we will also consider the role of colleges that offer VET in this context. The International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) makes a further distinction between types of educational provision which classifies education by orientation and level. In this scheme programmes are classified as either type A, being of a largely theoretical nature, or type B, having a largely occupational orientation. In terms of level, ISCED distinguishes between Level 4 (post-secondary non-tertiary education), Level 5 (the first stage of tertiary education, also known as short cycle HE) and Level 6 (the second stage of tertiary education leading to research degrees).
