About the (non) existence of a lifelong education system in Chile

Abstract

This article aims to present the lifelong education system of Chile from a functional and institutional point of view, in an attempt to describe its strategy. This paper covers both formal education and graduate studies, which were analyzed systematically from the institutional framework and experience of Chile. A comprehensive review of open access data of Chilean higher education was performed, analyzing human capital investment and access to post-secondary education. The main findings are based on the lack of coordination between the educational levels and postsecondary education which make career progression and integration difficult, obstructing tenure and qualifications valuation by employers. In an ageing society such as that of Chile, workers may be forced to take up continuously training courses to sustain their situation inside the labour market. If there is no coordination between training and educational system, workers will face major difficulties in being considered as employable. This work opens the question of lifelong education policies in less developed countries such as Chile, which is facing the same demographic phenomenon as developed countries, but without the same level of resources or institutional development. This article concludes with the requirements for the design of this kind of educational policy.