Lifelong learning and higher education in the German context – organisational change in higher education institutions?

Lifelong learning and continuing education in higher education institutions (HEIs) is currently being promoted in Germany. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research in cooperation with the sixteen federal states launched a funding programme 'Advancement through Education: Open Universities' ('Aufstieg durch Bildung: offene Hochschulen'), which funds competitively selected HEIs with around 250 million Euros for the period between 2011 and 2020. The funding programme aims at developing flexible study programmes, making higher education (HE) more accessible for non-traditional adult students and fostering permeability between Germany's significant technical and vocational education and training system and HE. The paper comprises the concept and the overall aims of the funding programme as well as interrelated questions concerning the implementation of lifelong learning programmes in HEIs in Germany. It addresses questions on how the funding programme potentially affects organisational change. Seven focal points of potential change in HEIs concerning lifelong learning and continuing education are identified and discussed.