Adults engage in learning for diverse reasons – from career advancement and job requirements to personal development. At the same time, many do not participate, often due to a mix of structural barriers (such as time, cost, or access) and attitudinal factors (including low confidence, limited perceived relevance, or negative past experiences). As a result, those who could benefit most from learning are often the least likely to engage, and existing policies frequently struggle to reach them effectively.
To better capture the diversity in learners, the OECD has developed an approach to identify distinct adult learner profiles based on patterns of motivation and barriers. Rather than treating adults as a single group, this approach highlights meaningful differences in how and why people engage in learning. First applied in Flanders and more recently in Bulgaria, Finland, Ireland and Portugal, it offers practical insights to support more targeted and effective policy design.
Join the OECD for a webinar presenting key findings on adult learner profiles. The session will highlight how motivations and barriers to learning differ across individuals and countries, and how these insights can support more targeted lifelong learning policies. Participants will be invited to reflect on how such profiles can inform policy design, delivery and evaluation in their own contexts.