Abstract
For several decades, discussions of lifelong learning have focused heavily on adult education and training (AET) opportunities that provide economic benefits, especially those that help learners maintain or gain job-related skills or competencies so they can remain in the labor force at older ages. This can be especially important for older adult workers, who are at risk for experiencing skills obsolescence, as well as receiving fewer work-related training opportunities than younger workers. Using data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), we examined the relationship between participation in formal and non-formal AET, foundational computer skills (ICT), and problem solving abilities in technology-rich environments (PSTRE) for adults between ages 45–65. U.S. data were compared with data from Canada, Germany, and Japan. The U.S. had comparable levels of participation in AET to comparison countries for employed individuals 45–54 (63%), and the highest rates of participation among adults age 55–65 (59%). Even with these high rates of engagement in AET, employed adults in the U.S. between ages 45–54 scored significantly lower in PSTRE than individuals in comparison countries. Despite these scores, 93% of employed U.S. adults 45–54 said they have the ICT skills necessary for their current job, as did 88% of adults 55–65. The relationship between AET, technology skills in the workforce, and the knowledge economy will be discussed in this presentation.