The Social and Cultural Dimension of Lifelong Learning in the European Union. Study Case: Babes-Bolyai University

The article tackles on the social and cultural dimension of education, illustrated in the concept of lifelong learning/ continuous formation and the developments of this type of education in a specific institution: Babeş-Bolyai, Romania. The first part introduces a theoretical background of the concept and the challenges to incorporate it under cultural policies. The paper proposes an approach of the cultural dimension on the one hand as a cause – a framework for social policies, seen from the perspective of the issues in the social area, and on the other hand as an effect – the result of such issues that lead to the inclusion of the cultural dimension on the agenda and among the priorities of the EU. The second part is a study case of a continuous formation program initiated by a higher education institution, analyzing the attempt to offer adult education to a community. It also contains a report of lifelong learning strategies integrated at Babeş-Bolyai University and a detailed report of the program that is unrolling at the moment.