Participation in non-formal education in risk society

Abstract

The participation of adults in lifelong learning in the CZ has undergone significant development in the last few years, with the percentage of adults participating in non-formal education (NFE) has risen dramatically. Within this empirical context, this study conceptualises and interconnects the theory of Ulrich Beck’s risk society with the main trends in contemporary NFE. Based on a secondary analysis of data from the Czech Adult Education Surveys of 2011 and 2016, we test two complementary theses derived from Beck’s theory. Firstly, we explore the relevance of Beck’s industrial automation thesis: Does automation play an important role in the prevalence of job-oriented NFE? Secondly, we focus on Beck’s individualisation thesis: Do adults in the CZ tend to individualise more in their participation in NFE during the last decade? We found that Czech adult education system exhibits a significant level of individualisation that is not based on the classical class categories, but instead on integration into the job market as well as to a lesser extent on the ownership of cultural capital. Subsequently, individualisation is driven by market forces and dictated by company policy. According to the available data, industrial automation has only an indirect effect on participation in job-oriented NFE. © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.