ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the development that brought adult education to the centre of public policy and describes the structure of the system. The economic recession in combination with a change in economic policy has led to attempts to reduce public spending on social programmes. Several coinciding factors brought adult education to the fore; changes in the economy, expansion of primary and secondary education, internationalisation of educational planning, and the political radicalisation. Work-related education and training is the single most important facet of adult education in industrialised countries. The chapter focuses on the three major areas: labour market education, employer-sponsored programmes and trade union education. Political commitment is the most important thing about the organisation of adult education programmes. A good deal of how the programme would be implemented depends on the extent, nature and methods of planning.
