Counselling and demand-driven adult learning

Abstract

This paper advocates various rolesfor counselling in order to promote lifelong adultlearning. Demand-driven adult learning underlines theimportance for counsellors to recognize the widediversity that is evident in adult learning. The paperargues that counselling for adults must fully takeinto consideration adult learners' psycho-socialdemands and economic realities: the need for adults tolearn throughout life, the economic contributions ofunpaid work by adults, and the sense of socialresponsibility manifested by adult learners.Counselling faces formidable challenges when assistingthe adult learning process: learner-focusedinformation services, psychological techniques tostimulate and support adult learning, a self-efficacyapproach to adult learning, a gender-sensitiveapproach to adult learning, support for workplaceadult learning activities, school violence managementby adults, an active and productive approach toageing, intergenerational learning, and psycho-socialmeasures to remove barriers to adult learning.