This study provides an analysis of policies and strategies adopted in five OECD countries to build a learning and training culture. The countries are Britain, United States, Sweden, Netherlands and Germany. The study found that whereas Sweden and the Netherlands have built a learning culture through evolutionary stages embedded in the wider social, economic cultural and political history of the country, Britain shows a revolutionary attempt to change the culture.
This report provides an indepth analysis of the implications of lifelong learning for vocational education and training. It shows that the sector needs to develop policies and strategies to advance lifelong learning opportunities for all through strategic partnerships at all levels, and that Australia lags behind other OECD countries in responding to the lifelong learning challenge. Maintaining employability in the new era of exponential change and using new information and communication technologies wisely for learning purposes are also key challenges.
This report draws on international experience and is designed to outline some general features of the current (as distinct from earlier) approaches to lifelong learning and present the work of major international organisations that have been active in this field such as the Council of Europe, UNESCO, the OECD and the European Union. It also suggests the lessons that can be drawn from this international experience.