PARIS, 28 Nov. - (ANA) - Lifelong learning is essential for building inclusive, resilient and future-ready societies. Yet, rapid digitalisation and demographic shifts are changing how, when and why people learn throughout life. 

 

This report explores how countries and economies can strengthen individuals’ agency as lifelong learners, supporting people to take an active role in identifying, acquiring and applying new knowledge and skills across diverse contexts. It views lifelong learners as individuals who mobilise their will, skills and means to keep learning and adapting.

 

The report identifies four critical life moments when individuals are particularly open to learning – or at risk of disengagement – and when well-targeted policy support can make the greatest difference: early childhood, mid-to-late adolescence, mid-career and approaching retirement. 

 

Drawing on analysis of 230 policies across 35 education systems, as well as international evidence and policy developments, the report explores how countries design and implement lifelong learning policies. In doing so, the report aims to support countries in advancing the goals set by the 2022 OECD Declaration on Building Equitable Societies Through Education.

 

 

 

 

In a world of rapid technological transformation, social change, and longer lives, people must learn, unlearn, and relearn throughout their lives. Yet, despite decades of reform, participation in learning beyond initial education has barely improved. OECD evidence shows that engagement in adult learning remains stagnant and student learning outcomes have declined or plateaued in many countries.

 

Simply expanding educational opportunities is not enough. What differentiates lifelong learners is their ability to direct and sustain their own learning by mobilising three essentials:

 

• Will – the curiosity, confidence and purpose to keep learning.

• Skills – the cognitive, social and digital foundations to acquire and apply new knowledge.

• Means – the time, resources and networks that make participation possible.

 

This report analyses how countries can support lifelong learning across four critical life moments: early childhood, early to mid-adolescence, mid-career and late career. These are stages when individuals are especially open to learning or at risk of disengagement. Drawing on over 230 policies from 35 countries and economies, the report identifies strategic choices of policy design, as well as how these support the will, skills and means of learners. The analysis of policies and their results has led to the identification of key policy priorities.

 

Early childhood (ages 0 to 6): Building curiosity and confidence. Early childhood lays the foundation for lifelong learning. During these formative years, children develop the dispositions that underpin all later learning, such as curiosity, persistence and motivation. Families and educators shape these early experiences, while policies provide coherent frameworks and support access to quality provision. Policies address these elements as follows:

 

• Will: Nurture dispositions and skills for lifelong learning.

• Skills: Foster early cognitive and socio-emotional development; enhance quality for all; harness digital tools and delivery.

• Means: Strengthen the home learning environment; ensure equitable access; support crosssectoral collaboration.

 

Policy priorities include supporting the workforce, so they have dedicated time, support and professional learning opportunities to shape environments that foster curiosity, creativity and socio-emotional growth.

 

Family engagement can also be strengthened through structured outreach, guidance and partnerships.

 

Countries can continue expanding access as well, such as in Czechia and Spain for children aged 0-3 and vulnerable groups.

 

Early to mid-adolescence (ages 10 to 16): Shaping identity and purpose. Adolescence is when learners start defining who they are and what they value. They need perseverance, self-reflection and the capacity to make informed choices. Yet this stage also carries high risk of disengagement from school.

 

Environments that make learning relevant, relational and purposeful, with effective teacher practices and quality teacher–student relationships, can sustain adolescents’ motivation and self-belief, with lasting effects on lifelong learning. Policies address these elements as follows:

 

• Will: Nurture student agency; support social and emotional skills.

• Skills: Ensure effective teaching practices; develop transversal competencies.

• Means: Harness digitalisation; strengthen career readiness and guidance; support cross-sectoral collaboration.

 

Policy priorities include investing in continuous, practice-based professional learning. This approach enables teachers to connect new curricula, digital tools and formative assessment in ways that foster students’ motivation and agency. For example, Finland is modernising curricula and assessment and Iceland promotes cross-sector collaboration to integrate education, social and health services.

 

Mid-career (ages 35 to 44): Supporting flexibility and mobility. At mid-career, adults face competing demands, such as from work and family, while needing to upskill or reskill. They are more likely to engage in learning when opportunities align with their lives and when their effort leads to tangible outcomes, such as recognition or career advancement. To empower mid-career adults, policymakers should consider financial support, structural flexibility, and strong engagement mechanisms that remove barriers. Policies address these elements as follows:

 

• Will: Strengthen motivation and agency through learner entitlements; guidance and peer or community networks that rebuild confidence.

• Skills: Offer modular and stackable qualifications; support employability and portability; and build digital and transversal skills to participate effectively in technology-enabled learning.

• Means: Support access and participation through predictable funding, guidance and digital tools; and strengthen cross-sector partnerships to share costs, align training with labour-market needs and extend reach to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and non-standard workers.

 

Policy priorities include creating short, adaptable learning opportunities that fit around personal and professional responsibilities. Policies should also strengthen recognition and quality assurance so that learning – whether digital, modular or workplace-based – leads learners to portable, valued qualifications that support career mobility and resilience. For example, Estonia has developed a system that formally recognises skills acquired outside formal education, including through work, volunteering and informal learning. Similarly, Norway provides employer-based training in foundational and workplace skills backed by government grants. Such approaches can be particularly relevant in labour markets marked by frequent job transitions and career changes.

 

Approaching retirement (ages 55 to 65): Adapting, contributing and staying connected. As adults approach retirement, lifelong learning takes on new significance as adults prepare for transitions within work and into retirement. Faced with greater risks of disengagement, skill depreciation and labourmarket exclusion, older adults benefit from learning opportunities that strengthen adaptability, rebuild purpose and confidence, and enable them to apply their experience and skills in new and meaningful ways.

 

Beyond acquiring new skills, learning in later life helps individuals sustain a sense of fulfilment, social participation and contribution to their communities. Policies address these elements as follows:

 

• Will: Encourage continued engagement and recognise the value of experience.

• Skills: Promote upskilling and reskilling, digital inclusion and inter-generational learning.

• Means: Expand access through age-friendly workplaces, tailored incentives and coordinated

health, labour and education services.

 

Policy priorities include empowering older adults by recognising their experience and fostering engagement in learning throughout life. Community-based learning initiatives can enable older adults to manage their own learning, share their knowledge and strengthen social cohesion. Workplaces play a key role by valuing experience and embedding age-inclusive practices, such as mentoring, flexible work arrangements and inter-generational knowledge transfer within organisational culture. These can be supported by incentives and thoughtful human-resource design.

 

Creating a culture of lifelong learning means cultivating both the habits and institutions that make learning expected and valued. Countries need to combine clear standards with individual agency and collaborative delivery, showing that lifelong learning flourishes when motivation, capability and opportunity reinforce one another.

 

 

To download the report, visit: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2025/11/education-policy-outlook-2025_667cde89/c3f402ba-en.pdf

 

 

AB/ANA/29 November 2025 - - -