Adult Learning Australia has contributed to the work of UNESCO over its 65-year history.
In 2025, ALA has been invited to send an Australian civil society representative to attend a capacity-building workshop on the Sixth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education | Institute for Lifelong Learning (GRALE) for the Asian region. The workshop will be held from 15 to 16 October in Shanghai, China. Dorothy Lucardie, former ALA President and current member (pictured), will be attending on ALA’s behalf.
The workshop objectives are to:
· Foster a common understanding of the key concepts and target groups of the GRALE 6 survey and, if necessary, adapt them to the regional context in collaboration with the Shanghai Normal University.
· Introduce the GRALE 6 questionnaire and establish data quality standards for each question.
· Share good practices on using existing data sources to complete the questionnaire through practical exercises and case studies.
Further Information on GRALE 6 (to be published in 2027):
The Sixth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education aims to explore how adult learning and education can respond to and shape the rapid transformations occurring globally. By focusing on the key drivers of change – such as digitalization, economic crises, environmental sustainability, conflict, and health crises – this report will provide a comprehensive understanding of how adult learning and education acts as a catalyst for empowerment, adaptability and positive social transformation. It will consider the agility and flexibility of adult education systems in responding to the urgent challenges of the modern world and ensuring that learners are prepared for both ongoing and future disruptions.
Additionally, it will examine whether a tension exists between the two roles attributed to adult learning and education in this context: fostering the resilience and adaptability of adult learners, on the one hand, and supporting their empowerment and agency within their environment and community, on the other.