Hardbound. This volume provides the first international comparative study on the world of adult learning activities. It offers the first systematic attempt to provide reliable empirical information on some critical issues regarding the transformation of adult and continuing education in post-industrial societies such as: - What is the extent of the learning demand among the adult population in industrialized countries?- How many adults are involved every year in organized learning activities for vocational reasons, for reasons of academic or general education, and for socio-cultural aims?-...

In post-industrial societies some workers will have stable, good jobs in knowledge and learning-intensive workplaces, while many others will be underemployed or locked into a series of precarious, low-skill jobs in the periphery of the economy. In such a society, inclusions and exclusions in economics and social life are bound to correspond closely to inclusions and exclusions in adult education and training. With the transition toward the post-industrial society increasingly complete, the challenge to reduce the exclusive tendencies in adult education and training, and to make learning a...