The social efficiency of Tertiary Lifelong Learning. Initial insights from a European Research Project

Today’s working population is going through a noticeable transition: people are working to a much older age. This is due partly to the acceleration of the ageing process and partly to policies which delay the age of retirement. This shift raises a number of questions about how to engage older people in lifelong learning. This chapter makes some suggestions as to how Tertiary Lifelong Learning (TLLL) can contribute to the well-being of older learners, and how European Union universities might therefore respond to the increasing demands for lifelong learning. We present the project ‘Tertiary Higher Education for People in Mid-life’ (THEMP), an investigation that analyzed TLLL provided by universities in seven EU member states. Focusing on relevant labour market programmes and on the age of the participants, the project evaluated how these programmes impact on the participants’ employability and quality of life.