Introduction

The paper will present the findings of a desk based study on how Scotland’s colleges of Further Education (FE) conceptualise EU policies on Lifelong Learning (LLL).  Analysis will centre on the ways in which the FE sector realises the LLL agenda in a way that is consonant with the Scottish imperative of ‘education for all’ (Scottish Executive, 2003).  To this end the study will explore the extent to which Scotland has focussed on the democratic potential inherent in the policies e.g. the European Reference Framework’s key competency 6: social and civic competences (European Commission, 2007:9-10).  To this end, the analysis will focus on the Scottish Government’s policy directive; how this is translated into college policies; and the role of the college ‘teachers’, as the core professionals, delivering (and shaping?) the curriculum for inclusion in the knowledge society (Grollman, 2008).  The literature on EU policies on LLL, especially how they are manifested in Vocational Education (TVET) institutes and policy across Europe, will provide the context from which to analyse this national study. 

Policy Context

Following from the Lisbon strategy (2000), LLL has been a ‘central and guiding principle’ in the construction of European policies on education (Alves et al., 2010: 332).   

In Scotland, the first LLL strategy was published in 2003 and reflected the goals and concerns of the Lisbon strategy (Weedon and Riddell, 2009: 5).  The authors state that in the Scottish strategy three key issues were emphasised:

            The importance of the knowledge economy; demographic changes and;

            the importance of social justice and citizenship (ibid; Scottish Executive,   2003: 21).

Unlike other European countries, the Scottish Life Long Learning strategy document is ‘principally concerned with post-compulsory education, training and learning’.  Post 16 (i.e. non-compulsory) education is primarily delivered by the Tertiary education sector.  Within that, FE colleges and their lecturers play a key role in the provision of a qualified workforce. The quality of the education and training that is provided in FE colleges depends crucially on the skills, knowledge and understanding of lecturers.  (Scottish Executive, 2003: 46).

Theoretical Context

The study analyses the extent to which economic, social and cultural factors, including learning cultures, within nations, influence the stress put on economic, personal and/or social aspects of the policies for LLL.   

In most of the contemporary literature on LLL it is argued that increasingly there is a trend towards viewing LLL in a particular way based on what is culturally perceived to be ‘useful’ or ‘not useful’ i.e. through the lens of a ‘learning economy’.  This shift, argues Biesta:

            has resulted in a much more individualistic understanding of lifelong

            learning and has transformed lifelong learning from a right into a duty

            (2006: 170; my italics).

Who participates, how they participate, when they participate and why they participate in LLL are pertinent to this discourse.  Furthermore, it highlights a tension that exists between where the responsibility for education lies – is it with governments and institutions or with the individual; crucial when considering what is ‘useful’ and ‘not useful’ education. 

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