ALE Glossary
While global terms exist in adult learning and education (ALE), many stakeholders use terms interchangeably leading to confusion in the field. For example, some use ‘literacy’ in a wider sense to include all kinds of learning, whereas others use it to refer to reading, writing and basic arithmetic alone. The aim of this glossary is not to reinvent the wheel, but to help popularise a common understanding of terms, which will hopefully lead to a common usage. The definitions used here come from the Sixth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE 6) compiled by UNESCO-UIL.
There are two questions to ask yourself when reading the definition of any term:
- Does this definition work in my context? Yes or no.
- If I could change something about this definition, what would it be?
We will collect your answers and add them below the definition, (excluding names, but) indicating what country it comes from. Definitions are never static, they may change over time or vary from country to country. We can only define what works in our context now. We look forward to your engagement.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)
TVET is understood as comprising education, training and skills development relating to a wide range of occupational fields, production, services and livelihoods. TVET, as part of lifelong learning, can take place at secondary, post-secondary and tertiary levels and includes work-based learning and continuing training and professional development which may lead to qualifications. (UNESCO, 2016, p. 5)
CommentSkill
Ability to apply knowledge and use know-how to complete tasks and solve problems. (Cedefop, 2025)
CommentInformal Learning
Forms of learning that are intentional or deliberate but are not institutionalized. Informal learning may include learning activities that occur in the family, workplace, local community and daily life, on a self-directed, family-directed or socially-directed basis. (UIS, 2012, p. 80)
CommentNon-formal Education
Education that is an addition, alternative and/or a complement to formal education within the process of the lifelong learning of individuals. It is often provided to guarantee the right of access to education for all. It caters to people of all ages but does not necessarily apply a continuous pathway-structure. It may be short in duration and/or low-intensity, and it is typically provided in the form of short courses, workshops or seminars. Non-formal education mostly leads to qualifications that are not recognized by the relevant national or sub- national education authorities or to no qualifications at all. Non-formal education includes programmes on life skills, including literacy and numeracy, work skills, and social or cultural development. Most types of ALE are also included. (UIS, 2012, p. 81)
CommentFormal Education
Education that is institutionalised, intentional and planned through public organizations and recognised private bodies, and that – in its totality – constitutes the formal education system of a country. Formal education programmes are thus recognized as such by the relevant national education or equivalent authorities, e.g. any other institution in cooperation with the national or sub-national education authorities. (UIS, 2012, p. 11)
CommentAdult Learning and Education (ALE)
Comprises all forms of education and learning that aim to ensure that adults participate in their societies and the world of work. It denotes the entire body of learning processes, formal, non-formal and informal, whereby those regarded as adults by the society in which they live develop and enrich their capabilities for living and working, both in their own interests and those of their communities, organizations and societies. ALE involves sustained activities and processes of acquiring, recognizing, exchanging and adapting capabilities. (UIL, 2016a, pp. 6–7)
CommentLifelong Learning
Lifelong learning is rooted in the integration of learning and living, covering learning activities for people of all ages (children, young people, adults and elderly, girls and boys, women and men) in all life-wide contexts (family, school, community, workplace and so on) and through a variety of modalities (formal, non-formal and informal) which together meet a wide range of learning needs and demands. Education systems which promote lifelong learning adopt a holistic and sector-wide approach involving all sub-sectors and levels to ensure the provision of learning opportunities for all individuals. (UIL, 2016b, p. 2)
CommentLiteracy
Literacy involves a continuum of learning and proficiency levels which allows citizens to engage in lifelong learning and participate fully in community, workplace and wider society. It includes the ability to read and write, to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials, as well as the ability to solve problems in an increasingly technological and information-rich environment. (UIL, 2016a, p. 7)
CommentEducator
An inclusive term referring to teachers at schools; lecturers at colleges, traditional universities, comprehensive universities, and universities of technology; trainers in workplaces; facilitators, assessors, moderators; and people teaching, educating, training, facilitating or assessing learners across the board. (UNEVOC, 2025)
CommentAdult
‘Adult’ denotes all those who engage in adult learning and education, even if they have not reached the legal age of maturity. (UIL, 2016a, p. 7)
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