Continuing education in Russia: Expert assessment of adult participation

In the contemporary conditions of rapid technological progress and changes in the labor market, lifelong education becomes the most important factor in the reproduction of human capital. In Russia, the problem of adult participation in lifelong education programs has become increasingly important due to the need to adapt professional competencies to changing economic and technological realities and to the importance of advanced training to maintain competitiveness in the labor market. The article considers the participation of the Russian adult population in continuing education, identifies key barriers to this participation and compares the Russian situation with the leading countries in terms of adult participation in training programs. The study is based on the expert survey: 25 semi-­formalized interviews were conducted, which allowed to identify the opinions of specialists from various fields on continuing education of adults. The authors refer to their mass survey and the WCIOM all-­Russian data to provide quantitative confirmation for qualitative conclusions; thematic analysis of interviews and statistical analysis of survey data were used. Thus, the main reasons preventing active participation of adults in lifelong learning programs are cultural-­value attitudes, financial constraints, and shortcomings of the institutional environment. Despite the growing interest in additional education, Russia still lags behind leading countries in terms of the scale of adult participation in continuing education. To change the situation, it is necessary to develop a general educational culture, reduce financial barriers, and improve institutional conditions. Such measures would increase the competitiveness of the workforce and develop the country’s human capital.