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The 2016 Council Resolution on A New Skills Agenda for an Inclusive and Competitive Europe reflects a common vision about the role of skills. Skills are a pathway to employability and prosperity. With the right skills, people are better equipped to find good-quality jobs and can fulfil their potential as confident, active citizens. They are the key to social cohesion. People need a broad set of skills to fulfil their potential both at work and in society. Acquiring skills is a lifelong process and starts very young, and continues to be strengthened throughout life.

The EU 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth acknowledges LLL and skills development as key elements in response to the current economic crisis, to demographic ageing and to the broader economic and social strategy of the EU. The economic crisis has highlighted the major role which adult learning can play in achieving the EU 2020 targets, by enabling adults to improve their ability to adapt to changes in the labor market, the family and the society.

Although many senior citizens enjoy good health, aging often brings difficulties preventing older citizens from accessing goods and services and living independently. Ensuring accessibility for all is both a question of fundamental rights and crucial to making the most of the potential that senior citizens have in social and economic terms. Adult learning provides a means of up skilling or re-skilling those affected by unemployment and age, as well as makes an important contribution to social inclusion, active citizenship and personal development