This handbook on age-inclusive lifelong learning was developed as part of the European Erasmus+ funded project AliVe (Age-inclusive Lifelong Learning: Microcredentials and Guidelines, 2023-2026). The project involved four European higher education institutions: Carinthia University of Applied Sciences in Austria, University College Cork in Ireland, Charles University in the Czech Republic, and Karelia University of Applied Sciences in Finland. European societies are ageing, and there is a growing need to ensure that lifelong learning opportunities are accessible, meaningful, and inclusive for older people.

The contents and recommendations of the handbook are based on a participatory co-design process in four different countries and a joint synthesis of results. Particular attention is paid to the experiences of older adults aged 55 and over in the four different countries. The handbook reflects the voices, experiences, and needs of older people.

This handbook is intended as a resource for those who plan and implement lifelong learning. Lifelong learning is examined from four perspectives: older people, higher education institutions and organizations, facilitators, as well as the policy level and social structures. The argument guiding this handbook is that lifelong learning should be viewed holistically, as a phenomenon that supports well-being. For older people, solutions rooted in the labour market and the provision of continuing education do not sufficiently take into account the skills, potential, aspirations, and goals of people of different ages.

Lifelong learning is very diverse in different European countries, but the AliVe project has shown that there are similarities and comparable factors which go beyond national frameworks and are important to make visible on a European level.

We hope that this handbook will provide readers with new ideas, insights, guidelines, and concrete tools for planning and implementing lifelong learning, and that it serves as a source of inspiration for older learners, educators, representatives of various stakeholders, and decision-makers alike.