Professionalisation through further education: An international comparison of non-formal education programmes for adult educators

Abstract

Professionalism is a core topic in international discourse on adult education. Its importance is due not least to the need for professional self-assurance given the heterogeneity of the field of adult education, which is characterised not only by a wide range of working conditions, employment forms and responsibilities but also by the different qualifications and professional backgrounds of adult educators. Therefore, further education programmes for adult educators could be one important pillar in the professionalisation of adult education. At the same time, however, heterogeneous personnel structures make the seemingly simple question of further education for adult educators increasingly complex. While at the international level there is particular emphasis on professionalisation by means of academic degree programmes, the focus of the present paper is on non-formal further education for adult educators. It compares similarities and differences using country-specific examples of non-formal further education programmes for adult educators and seeks to explain them. The results are obtained using an international comparative research methodology. The cases (non-formal programmes) from Latvia, Brazil, Germany and Nigeria are examined by focusing on their target groups, structures, content and aims. The degree to which they are embedded in specific organisational and institutional structures and (national) policies also plays a role. The starting point for a critical reflection is the question: How can non-formal further education programmes contribute to the individual professionalisation of adult educators?