Addressing the Needs of Adult Learners

In today’s workplace, lifelong learning has become a fact of life. As the American economy evolves to become more knowledge-based, a growing number of its citizens are turning to college in order to expand their skills, earning potential and career paths. A third of these students are 25 years of age or older, a group that possesses a distinct set of goals, views and needs.

Context
Today’s workforce is distinctly different from a generation earlier. Rapidly changing technology, greater job instability and higher industry expectations that workers be more flexible require adults to continue learning throughout their careers. Almost one in 10 adults (9 percent) were enrolled in a college degree program for work-related reasons in 2002-03, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Forty percent of all adults participate in some type of work-related formal education and about half is provided by business or industry. Colleges, universities and vocational/technical schools educate just one-fifth of them, leaving a great opportunity—and responsibility—for public postsecondary institutions to provide continuing learning to more adult students.