In August 2016, The Danish government set up an expert group on how to improve the Danish adult and further education system. In the terms of reference (Danish Government, 2016), the focus was on how to improve the adult education system in order to make it more adaptive to the needs of companies and individual workers with the aim of supporting the development of a productive and highly qualified Danish workforce. From the terms of reference it is obvious that the sole role of adult and further education is to enhance the human capital of Denmark in order to improve its competitiveness. However, the present day’s narrow instrumental view of adult education has not always been so. From a historical perspective, adult education has played a much broader role with a view of emancipating and liberating people (e.g. Danish Ministry of Education, 1996; Jensen, Nielsen, Estrup, & Petersen, 1984; Lov om voksenuddannelsesstøtte [Act on adult education grant], 1989). In this paper, we trace Danish adult education policy from the 1980s when there was an intertwining of liberal and adult education, until the present day’s focus on return of investment in adult education – a change not only found in Denmark but in many other countries (see e.g. Grummell, 2007). We look at the continuities and discontinuities and place PIAAC as part of a changing paradigm within adult education and not just as a transnational policy that is changing Danish adult education. Methodologically, we will be using historical document analysis. Theoretically, we will include theories on neo-liberalism and human capital theory in order to relate the changes in policy to those specific economic theories and their understandings of education (e.g. Becker, 1962; Holmwood, 2014).

Becker, G. S. (1962). Investment in human capital: a theoretical analysis. The journal of political economy, 70(5), 9-41. Danish Government. (2016). Kommissorium for ekspertgruppe om voksen-, efter- og videreuddannelse [Terms of reference for the expert group on adult education and continuing training]. Copenhagen: Author Danish Ministry of Education. (1996). Debatoplæg om et nyt parallelt kompetencesystem for voksenuddannelser [Discussion paper on a new parallel competence system for adult education]. Copenhagen: Author. Grummell, B. (2007). The ‘second chance’ myth: equality of opportunity in Irish adult education policies. British Journal of Educational Studies, 55(2), 182–201. Holmwood, J. (2014). From social rights to the market: neoliberalism and the knowledge economy. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 33(1), 62-76. doi:10.1080/02601370.2013.873213 Jensen, O. V., Nielsen, J. B., Estrup, J., & Petersen, N. H. (1984). Forslag til folketingsbeslutning om et 10 punkts program for voksenundervisning og folkeoplysning [Proposal for a parliamentary resolution on a 10 point program for adult and liberal education]. Copenhagen: Danish Parliament. Lov om voksenuddannelsesstøtte, Lov nr. 336 af 24. maj 1989 [Act on adult education grant. Act no. 336 of 24 May 1989]. (1989).