Full version on Euridyce in En & Fr. Highlights in cs, de,el,en,es,fr,it,lv,sl

Drafted in the context of the European Commission's Action Plan on Adult Learning (2007-2010), this Eurydice report looks at education and training opportunities for under-qualified adults and also covers policies and measures for enhancing the participation of adults in higher education.

The importancy of this follows on the fact that in 18 of the 31 measured countries the adult population (between 25-64 years old) with educational attainment below upper secondary level is 20% or more (p. 2 of the highlights).

The hightes rate of adult participation in formal education and training by level of education attained in primary/lower secondary level is: Be,Dk, Se,Uk,No (all higher then only 5%, EU general 2%, whereas all of these countries have also more then 20% adults with only higher secondary education.  
For upper/post secondary education the highest rates are: Be,Dk,Pt,Sl,Fi,Se&Uk (above 8%, EU general 6%).
And for participants with higher education the highest rates of adult participation can be found in: Be,Dk,Es,It,Lv,Lt,Mt,Pl,Pt,Sl,Se,Uk&No (above 13%, EU general 12%). This reflects also the (importancy of the) existence of alternative routes to higher education for non-traditional candidates in Is,Ir,Uk,No,Sv,Dk,Nt,Be,De,Fr,Es,Pt.

The Eurydice report reflects on several key issues faced by European countries such as:

• How national systems provide adults with opportunities to go “one step up” and upgrade their educational attainment
• How do they face very different challenges in raising the educational attainment of their adult population
• To what extent flexible learning provision is ensured for those returning to formal education
• Which strategies are put in place in order to encourage adults to return to higher education
• Which financial measures support the adult participation in formal education and training

More information on the Adult Education EU policy is available on the DG EAC Education and Training website.