1.1. Defining LLL

Lifelong learning is rooted in the integration of learning and living, covering learning activities for people of all ages, in all life-wide contexts and through a variety of modalities that, together, meet a range of learning needs and demands. This is the holistic understanding of LLL that frames the guidance contained within this handbook.

LLL has become an important concept in the arena of international and national education policy. The concept implies that an individual’s life course can no longer be divided into a period of preparation followed by a period of action, rather that learning extends across the whole lifespan in different life phases. The concept also implies that learning takes place not only in formal schooling and training settings but also in diverse learning spaces, and that learning can be provided through a variety of means and pathways. This view affects individual approaches to learning and has implications for the development and implementation of education policies. Today, the view that learning is a lifelong and life-wide process – and that all education should follow this principle – is widely acknowledged by education planners and policy-makers.

1.1.1 Essential elements of LLL

While there are a number of valuable definitions of LLL that respond to different contexts (several of which are explored in this handbook), there are five elements that support a comprehensive understanding of the UNESCO definition of LLL.

 All age groups. Lifelong learning is a process that starts at birth and extends across the whole lifespan. It provides people of all ages and origins (irrespective of age, sex, ethnicity, and national, economic or social origins, and including persons with disabilities, migrants, Indigenous peoples and other vulnerable communities) with learning opportunities and activities, responding to their specific needs in different life and professional stages.

All levels of education. Lifelong learning is about linking all levels and types of education, building adaptable pathways between them. This includes early childhood care and education (ECCE), primary and secondary school education, higher education, adult and non-formal education, and technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

All learning modalities. Lifelong learning recognizes all modalities of learning: formal (institutionalized, leading to recognized qualifications), non-formal (institutionalized, alternative or complementary to formal education, usually not leading to recognized qualifications) and informal (not institutionalized, on a self-directed, family-directed, community or socially directed basis).

All learning spheres and spaces. Schools are just one part of a wide learning universe, a space that also includes families, communities, workplaces, libraries, museums and other online and distance learning platforms. To promote lifelong learning is to build bridges between the formal education sector and non-formal and informal learning environments in order to create new opportunities for very diverse learning needs.

A variety of purposes. Lifelong learning is both people-centred and human rights-based. Its purpose is to provide people with opportunities to develop their capabilities and reach their potential throughout life, regardless of their starting points; to acknowledge a wide range of learning needs and demands; and to contribute to the development of an advanced economy and inclusive society. Providing equitable and inclusive lifelong learning opportunities means responding to the needs of diverse learners.

The term ‘lifelong learning (LLL) policy’ is used to refer to any kind of policy designed and implemented by governments and other stakeholders to create learning opportunities for all ages (children, young people, adults and older people, girls and boys, women and men), in all life-wide contexts (family, school, community, workplace and so on) and through a variety of modalities (formal, non-formal and informal).

1.1.2. LLL and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The growing prominence of LLL in education and social policy debates has been fuelled by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN, 2015). Adopted in 2015 by heads of state, government leaders and high-level UN and civil society representatives, the 2030 Agenda expresses a global undertaking to promote sustainability in all societies. Its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 associated targets address shared challenges at the global, national and local level.

Figure 1. Sustainable Development Goals

Source: United Nations, 2015

SDG 4 enjoins countries to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’ (ibid., p. 14), giving LLL a central role in the development of education policies for sustainable development. The Education 2030 Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 4 stresses the need to embed learning opportunities for all ages in the education system and to provide ‘multiple and flexible learning pathways and entry points and re-entry points at all ages and all educational levels, strengthened links between formal and non-formal structures, and recognition, validation and accreditation of the knowledge, skills and competencies acquired through non-formal and informal learning’ (UNESCO, 2016, p. 33).

By emphasizing the development of sound and transformative policies based on evidence and inclusive dialogue, SDG 4 draws on – and goes significantly beyond – previous international commitments to LLL and education. It prioritizes early childhood, universal completion of primary and secondary education, equal access to post-secondary education, and promotes the inclusion of marginalized populations. It focuses on relevant learning outcomes, including foundational skills and competences for rapidly shifting labour markets, and highlights knowledge, values and skills that foster gender equality, global citizenship and environmental protection. It also demands that all citizens, youth, women and men have opportunities to achieve literacy and numeracy by 2030.

SDG 4 has been formulated from a LLL perspective. Its first two targets (4.1 and 4.2) are dedicated to primary education for children, while learning opportunities for youth and adults feature in five of the 10 targets: 4.3 (access to technical and vocational education and training [TVET] and tertiary education); 4.4 (skill acquisition for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship); 4.5 (eliminate gender disparities); 4.6 (literacy and numeracy acquisition); and 4.7 (knowledge and skills for sustainable development). Returning to the UNESCO definition of LLL, SDG 4 addresses different age groups, education levels, learning modalities, spheres and purposes.

Beyond SDG 4, LLL is a main driver of sustainable development and therefore crucial for achieving all of the 17 SDGs. Sustainable development is tied to issues of education (SDG 4), gender (SDG 5), and – more than ever before – health (SDG 3). LLL addresses all three goals (English and Carlsen, 2019). Moreover, the intersectoral characteristics of LLL can even strengthen the links between SDG 4 and other SDGs, thus helping to ensure high-quality development on a wider scale (ISCU and ISSC, 2015).

The goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda are intended to represent an integrated policy response to urgent challenges. This means that the key dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social, cultural and environmental – must be considered holistically, as interconnected parts of equal importance. Failure to progress in one area of the agenda will hamper progress in the others. The capacity of LLL to build bridges between different types and levels of education and learning, between different actors and institutions, and, crucially, between different life spheres and policy contexts therefore becomes particularly relevant.

Although national governments signed up to the goals, there was no question that implementation would require the backing of the government entities closest to the people – that is, local government. It was clear, too, that lifelong learning had a central role to play in helping citizens to understand and embrace the achievement of the SDGs. The UNESCO learning city initiative was therefore developed in response to these requisites and will be further explored in Chapter 4.