TVETipedia Glossary

Adult education

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.

Source:
Cedefop, Terminology of European education and training policy. A selection of 100 key terms, 2008
Cedefop, Terminology of European education and training policy. A selection of 100 key terms, 2008
Access resource, available in English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese
This multilingual glossary of terms used in education and training policy is intended for researchers and more generally for all those involved in education and training policy. It does not represent an exhaustive inventory of the terminology used by specialists; rather it identifies a selection of key terms that are essential for an understanding of current education and training policy in Europe. This glossary is an updated and extended version of the Terminology of vocational training policy, published by Cedefop in 2004. [...]
This glossary was prepared in cooperation with the European Training Foundation (ETF), The European Commission (DG Education and Culture) and Eurydice (The information network on education in Europe).

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.

Source:
NCVER (Australia), VOCEDplus: Glossary of VET, (accessed 12/2022)
NCVER (Australia), VOCEDplus: Glossary of VET, (accessed 12/2022)
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This glossary is a compilation of Australian vocational education and training (VET) terms and acronyms. It includes both current and historical terms, concepts, acronyms and other abbreviations found in Australian VET research, policy and data.

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’.

Source:
UIS, Glossary, (accessed 12/2022)
UIS, Glossary, (accessed 12/2022)
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The UIS Glossary includes statistical terms related to education, science, technology and innovation, culture, and communication & information . Some of the entries contain translations in one or more of the following languages: Arabic, English, French and Spanish. Other entries provide more detailed information, such as definitions, calculation formulas for indicators and sources. Indicators are marked with an asterisk (*). This is a dynamic tool, which is regularly updated by the UIS.

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.

Source:
UNESCO, International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 1997), 1997
UNESCO, International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 1997), 1997
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The International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) was designed by UNESCO in the early 1970s to serve ‘as an instrument suitable for assembling, compiling and presenting statistics of education both within individual countries and internationally’.
The present classification, now known as ISCED 1997, was approved by the UNESCO General Conference at its 29th session in November 1997.