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"The term “lifelong learning” has entered the British educational vocabulary only very recently (1999, TVETipedia editor´s note) and is used rather loosely to cover all forms of post-compulsory education including family education, community education, traditional adult education, further and higher education and continuing professional development. It is not a technical or legal term with precisely defined meaning but rather a cultural term denoting a new paradigm. It represents a shift away from the notion of provider-driven “education” towards individualised learning. It is part of the wider late twentieth century process of individualisation. It lays greater emphasis on the individual’s learning experience with a correspondingly reduced responsibility for the education provider. This is reflected in the introduction of “individual learning accounts” with financial contributions from the individual learner, the State and, when appropriate, an employer. These accounts will be available for individuals to develop their lifelong learning in ways which best suit them.

Lifelong learning also undermines the previous progressive nature of the education system whereby one progressed up an educational ladder from stage to stage. Lifelong learning recognises more clearly that someone who has a doctorate in one field (say engineering) may be studying ab initio in another field (for example learning a foreign language from the basics). It therefore requires a coherent and comprehensive national framework of credits and qualifications which can be accumulated throughout life, in almost random order, to replace the older progressive structure of staged awards."