Structural peculiarities of non-formal adult education in Australia at the beginning of the 21st century

Informal education functions as social and cultural phenomenon that fulfills educational needs of adults. Key function of informal adult education is fulfilment of educational needs at different social levels in particular on the level of state, society and personality. The most important assignment of informal adult education is active position of every citizen in society, making of individual and professional competences for high level of efficiency at work place and development of creative skills of personality. The main functions of informal adult education are compensatory, adaptive, social, developmental. The main principles of adult education are democracy, humanization, development, integration and flexibility. Depending on the context of educational services, informal adult education is subdivided into basic and education aimed at professional development. Basic education is aimed at compensation of the low level of knowledge. Education for personal development presuppose acquisition of functional and critical literacy. Special education is aimed at giving knowledge for fulfillment of certain social roles. The main models of literacy formation are school-orienting model, competence-orienting model, sociocultural. Important element of informal adult education is education for job market, which is aimed at acquisition of competences, which are necessary for job market. Development of knowledge structure causes changes in in functional literacy. The main elements of functional literacy are: theoretical, specific and practical knowledge. The main forms of functional literacy are general, communicative, informational, socio-political, informational.