Ellen Boeren is Reader in the Moray House School of Education at the University of Edinburgh, UK. A prize-winning author and researcher, she is also co-editor of UNESCO's Fourth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education, and is currently involved in the Horizon 2020 project Encouraging Lifelong Learning for an Inclusive and Vibrant Europe.

Nalita James is Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Leicester, UK. Her research interests centre in the sociology of education, encompassing access to higher education, the changing patterns of education, and adult education and lifelong learning.

Emphasises the continued impact of adult education on the lives of individuals

Chapter 1. Adult education in austere times: an introduction; Nalita James and Ellen Boeren.- Chapter 2. Being an adult learner in Europe and the UK: persisting inequalities and the role of the welfare state; Ellen Boeren.- Chapter 3. The message or the bottle? Community, associationism and adult learning as "part of the process of social change"; Sharon Clancy.- Chapter 4. Keeping going in austere times: the declining spaces for adult widening participation in HE in England; Lindsey Fraser and Kerry Harman.- Chapter 5. Mature Students and Social Isolation: being excluded or choosing to be alone?; Charlotte Sutton.- Chapter 6. Subjects in formation: women's experiences of Access to Higher Education courses and entering Higher Education; Sherene Meir.- Chapter 7. Further educations: transformative teaching and learning for adults in times of austerity; Vicky Duckworth and Rob Smith.- Chapter 8. Adult education in community organisations supporting homeless adults: exploring the impact of austerity politics; Katy Jones.- Chapter 9. Conclusions and recommendations; Ellen Boeren and Nalita James.

This book examines the experiences of adult learners in times of austerity. The power of adult education to transform lives is well known, and it is especially powerful for those who missed out on educational opportunities earlier in life. Those who have been successful learners in the past are more likely to continue their education and training, making extra support and funding ever-more important: however, in the current economic and political climate, support for adult learning is significantly decreasing. This book sheds light on the experiences of adult learners, despite the difficulties facing the sector: interweaving empirical discussions with theoretical debates, the editors and contributors demonstrate the challenges and struggles of adult learners in higher, further and community education. This enlightening edited collection will be of interest to all those involved in adult education as well as policy makers and funders.