Yo, Si Puedo (Spanish for Yes, I Can) is a low-cost mass education programme that involves relevant government and non-government agencies and actors to promote literacy among adults. As of 2014, Yo, Si Puedo helped over 6 million people in 29 countries to acquire basic literacy (Boughton & Durnan, 2014).

Two cases of study circles in the Republic of Korea show how this small-scale form of lifelong learning implementation can meet different learning needs. The first is taken from Uijeongbu City, where the Uijeongbu Mom Sam Atelier learning club brings together mothers who want to learn more about good parenting. It was formed in 2006 and pursues ‘pleasurable childcare and happy education’ by organizing social activities and fostering a culture of community learning. As part of the Uijeongbu Lifelong Learning Exhibition, the group organizes a family play camp with games and lectures on parental mentoring. The group also reaches out to the community with voluntary services including cooking and childcare (Yoon, 2020). In Osan City, a study circle has been established to support those with low levels of literacy skills. The Osan City Literary Workshop aims to help people from this target group become passionate about learning by providing them with experiential learning opportunities. The principles of lifelong learning are reflected in the workshop’s recruitment of participants: those who benefit range in age from their thirties to their sixties and come from different backgrounds. Organizers of the study circle bring their practices and experiences to the National Literacy Teacher Conference each year and collaborate with adult literacy instructors in other cities to share effective methods (Moon, 2020).

Curriculum GobALE (CG) is a modularized and competency-based framework curriculum for the training of adult educators worldwide. It is initially aimed at institutions and organizations in the area of adult education that wish to ensure that the qualification level of their educators satisfies professional standards. As a quality-assuring reference framework, Curriculum GlobALE provides an international standard that also addresses other interested specialist audiences and education policy decision-makers beyond the level of adult education institutions (DVV International, 2015). The curriculum is built on three general principles: competency orientation; action and participant orientation; and sustainability of learning.

Ganokendra (Bengali for people’s centres) and Community Learning Centres in Bangladesh focus primarily on developing literacy skills among out-of-school children, youth and adults living in marginalized rural communities, particularly women. The objective is to support sustainable local development. The activities cover aspects of income generation and basic literacy, as well as health, sanitation and early childhood care. Social events are organized for the promotion of literacy, such as theatre shows, writing competitions and local magazine publication.

NABTEB is a vision-led, mission-driven public institution with an aim to be a globally recognized assessment and certification body preparing candidates for the world of work and academic/professional excellence.