Creating training courses is not enough: why it is important to foster a culture of adult learning

In the nearly four years of the full-scale Russian invasion, transformations have taken place in all spheres of Ukrainian life – and adult education is no exception.

Due to external and internal migration and other challenges of the times, society is experiencing a constant change in needs: from assistance with adaptation in a new place to improving economic status and changing professions. In these conditions, educational services should be flexible, context-sensitive and accessible to everyone.

At the same time, it is important that the development of adult education in Ukraine follows a clear roadmap: only a comprehensive policy in this area can address the current challenges, both social and economic.

Perceiving adult education only through the prism of retraining is a narrow vision

In Ukraine, adult education is still often perceived as a tool for retraining – training personnel for the labor market. Yes, this is an important component. But when we reduce education to an economic function, we lose its depth.