ABSTRACT
This chapter explores that why should universities be concerned with learning in later life and what could they offer. Since 2012 was designated the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations, attention has once again been drawn to the implications of the ageing of Europe's populations. In the UK, members of the Lifelong and Work-Related Learning Research Centre at the University of Southampton are engaged in exploring the relationship between education, the economy and society in national, European and wider international contexts. One of the Centre's aims is to explore how more flexible and better supported approaches to learning and life transitions might be created through the life course. As the sheer diversity of older people's lifestyles becomes more apparent, it is useful to draw on some American work by Kidahashi and Manheimer (2009) who have developed a typology of what they term 'positive life models' based along two axes.
