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In December 2000, the OECD and Human Resources Development Canada convened an international conference on 'Lifelong learning as an affordable investment' in Ottawa, Canada. The conference provided a forum to discuss the following questions concerning society's investment in lifelong learning: (a) what resources are likely to be required in order to make lifelong learning for all a reality?; (b) under what conditions can that goal be made more affordable to society?; and (c) what is the role of public policy in helping to meet those conditions? This report draws on earlier work by the OECD and the conference proceedings to address these issues and provides a summary of the conference proceedings as an annex. The first chapter outlines the broad questions addressed in the report and the second chapter provides an analysis of the key economic and social forces influencing the lifelong learning initiative and identifies some of the inequalities caused by these trends. The next two chapters investigate resource allocation and a framework for financing lifelong learning, and the costs and benefits of learning at different stages of the life cycle. Chapter five highlights general funding issues relevant to lifelong learning and examines potential new funding mechanisms. The concluding chapter looks at ways in which policy processes and mechanisms will have to adapt to meet the lifelong learning challenge. Show less