Lifelong learning remains an explosive policy issue. In Britain and elsewhere, governments are actively encouraging citizens to learn and to apply their learning across their lifespan. Yet governments often seem uncertain over the best means of achieving this desirable goal. John Field’s book explores the background to this sudden rise of interest among policy-makers, maps existing patterns of participation, evaluates the measures being developed to promote lifelong learning, and assesses the prospects of achieving a viable learning society.

This second edition to this influential book has been fully revised and updated to take account of recent research and policy developments. It is required reading for academics with a scholarly interest in adult learning, as well as for teachers, managers and others who want to understand one of the most critical and fast-moving areas of modern educational policy.