KEY-MESSAGES

• Social exclusion from education results from a range of economic & social circumstances usually aggravated by discrimination against particular groups of adults.

• Adults returning to higher education need a personalised approach which includes appropriate information and guidance from well-trained staff.

• Staff working with the socially-excluded (or those at risk of social exclusion) must demonstrate respect for cultural diversity, and understanding of the effects of socio-economic and situational barriers.

• Offering 'access' or preparatory programmes to study at HE level, either institutionally or in collaboration with key agencies is one way universities may increase their adult student population.

• Universities can widen participation of adults from excluded groups by engaging in community-based activities through partnerships with key local agencies.

• Partnership activities are time-consuming and to be effective values and aims underpinning projects need to be agreed and made explicit.

• Collaborative activities can be organised around the workplace, to include Trade-Unions, presenting a challenge to a traditional view of teaching & learning.

• University activities for socially-excluded adults are often initiated by dedicated individuals: a programme is more likely to be successful if it is part of an institutional or governmental strategy.

• Awarding credit to learning acquired 'elsewhere' requires greater flexibility of academic judgement about what constitutes knowledge, and greater institutional and administrative flexibility; awarding credit for non-certificated prior learning is so far proving very difficult for Higher Education Institutes.

• Developing APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning) pedagogies and mechanisms with adult learners is an excellent opportunity for universities to engage in (action) research collaboratively.