UNEVOC Connect

General or vocational education provided for adults after initial education and training for professional and/or personal purposes, and which aims to:

• provide general education for adults in topics of particular interest to them (e. g. in open universities);
• provide compensatory learning in basic skills which individuals may not have acquired earlier in their initial education or training (such as literacy, numeracy) and thus to;
• give access to qualifications not gained, for various reasons, in the initial education and training system;
• acquire, improve or update knowledge, skills or competences in a specific field: this is continuing education and training.

Education programs designed for adults, often incorporating approaches to education which draw on the learner's life or work experiences, involve learners in planning the learning activities and encourage learning in groups as well as more self-directed learning.

Education specifically targeting individuals who are regarded as adults by the society to which they belong to improve their technical or professional qualifications, further develop their abilities, enrich their knowledge with the purpose to complete a level of formal education, or to acquire knowledge, skills and competencies in a new field or to refresh or update their knowledge in a particular field. This also includes what may be referred to as ‘continuing education’, ‘recurrent education’ or ‘second chance education’.

The entire body of organized educational processes, whatever the content, level and method, whether formal or otherwise, whether they prolong or replace initial education in schools, colleges and universities as well as in apprenticeship, whereby persons regarded as adults by the society to which they belong, improve their technical or professional qualifications, further develop their abilities, enrich their knowledge with the purpose:

• to complete a level of formal education;
• to acquire knowledge and skills in a new field;
• to refresh or update their knowledge in a particular field.