The aim of this project is to develop new knowledge into the relationships between adult learning and national systems of education and training and organisation of work. It is as international comparative projects that shed light on the impacts of adult learning across sectors, branches of industry and countries. Central to the project is the study of different forms of learning; formal, non-formal and informal learning, and one important question is how motivational factors for training and drivers linked to the national institutional frameworks interact and affect the differences in training rates and skills levels between four North-European welfare states. Further, the project aims at contributing to an explanation of seemingly puzzling findings at the national level concerning adult skills, participation in adult learning and the rate of innovation output in firms/organisations.PIAAC data, especially from Norway, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands, will constitute the main source of data. It will be supplemented with other comparative data, such as Community Innovation Surveys (CIS), as well as qualitative data. The study involves participation from international scholars. The project includes four subprojects: skills levels and skills acquisition; participation in adult learning; training, skills and innovation, and learning processes in enterprises.
The project is funded by the Research Council of Norway (UTDANNING 2020-programme) for the period of 2.1.2014-1.3.2017. It is coordinated by Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education (NIFU, Oslo). Partners include University of Stavanger, ROA from Maastricht University, Graduate School of Education and Information Sciences of University of California, Los Angeles, and RUSE from the University of Turku.