This volume contains specially commissioned papers by some of the most respected academics working in the field of further education, drawing the situation as it is now and looking forward to the developments of the coming years. It asks questions such as: will Dearing: prove to be little more than a stop-gap?; what will be the balance of power between education institutions, the state and the private sector?; what are the realities behind lifelong learning?; and what form will it take if it steps out of the realms of theory?.