ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the meaning of the term ‘life experience’ in the context of higher education (HE), both entrance to HE and studying within it. It reviews some of the literature on the approach to ‘work experience’ as a component of vocationally based HE courses and provides an enquiry on the use of concepts such as boundary crossing and integration in their application to the question of the significance and value of life experience which mature students bring to HE from their previous lives. It is assumed here that for most mature students, life experience includes a large element of time spent in the world of work whether related to the target HE qualification being sought or not. The chapter discusses how scholars approach the relationship between work and tertiary education. What are the issues, the theoretical frameworks that are constructed and why do these matter in the context of national and international education agendas? Some pedagogical considerations are described in conclusion.
