From Arcadia to Wonderland: Reflections on a Decade of Continuing Education in Scotland

Abstract

This paper traces developments in post-compulsory education over the last twenty years form the personal perspective of a practitioner working across the sectors of Further Education and University Continuing Education. The dominance of accreditation in recent years has deflected universities into creating financially protective frameworks for UCE with the consequent loss of its previous raison d'etre of intrinsic worth. Even recent positive responses to the emphasis on widening participation is seen as financially driven rather than being truly a concern for greater social inclusion.