Lifelong learning

Lifelong learning (LLL), also written as life-long learning, is an inclusive approach to education and goes beyond the traditional concept of primary, secondary and higher education. It aims to enable everyone to participate fully in society.

LLL and the European Commission
The European Commission considers language learning a key life skill for all citizens, throughout their lives, and that every adult should be encouraged to learn foreign languages.

It is clear that people's skills must be constantly renewed in order to enable them to meet the challenges of ever-evolving technologies, increasing internationalisation and demographic changes.

Lifelong learning is therefore considered the key to both personal development and economic growth by helping companies to meet challenges such as globalisation, technical progress and the ageing of society.

As such, it's at the centre of the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) which supports transnational education. The Commission acknowledges that teacher quality is the most important within-school factor affecting students' performance and the changing role of European teachers from static “all knowing” teachers to dynamic “lifelong learners”.