Continuing education as value creation

The continuing education sector explicitly regards itself as serving the goals of lifelong learning. In fact, however, it is oriented towards the market and measures its success according to the sales of its products. The article analyses this market orientation from the perspectives of educational sociology and discourse theory and illustrates its consequences using examples from the Swiss continuing education market. The author develops an alternative approach whereby continuing education is measured according to the value it creates for individuals and society. Here, a connection is made with economic value creation theory, enhanced by sociological dimensions of the recognition and valorisation of education. This enhanced value creation concept shows how continuing education generates values, where these values are recognised, in what contexts they are valorised and what players and discourses are involved. The author also outlines a procedure for value creation analysis and, using two continuing education programmes as examples, illustrates the findings that value creation analysis can generate. On this basis, the author calls for a reorientation of continuing education that transcends the limitations of market logic.