A Critical Analysis of the European Reference Framework of Key Competences for Lifelong Learning: The Limitations of the Human Capital Theory

Abstract

Lifelong learning has been the subject of international policy debates and incremental developments over the past century. The purpose of this paper is to critically reflect on the neoliberal discourse of key competences for lifelong learning, which is promoted by the European Union as a self-sufficient policy solution that can cure a wide range of educational, economic, political, and social ills. Drawing on Nussbaum’s human capabilities theory, this paper seeks to query the neoliberal assumptions behind the aims of the European Reference Framework, namely employability, personal fulfilment, active citizenship, and social inclusion, and unveil the limitations of the proposed policy solutions. This paper argues that the current neoliberal discourse of the European Reference Framework decontextualizes the learner, reducing the need to form broader policy solutions that could address the structural roots of unemployment, poverty, and social exclusion. The individualisation of these issues does not allow for their structural roots, which stem from the asymmetrical socio-economic system, to be addressed. This paper argues that the aims of the European Reference Framework could be better served through the development of a wider policy intervention involving a synergy between the education system, labour market, and welfare state.